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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/10/2009CITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 CALL TO ORDER: Chair Lin called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management/Government Center Hearing Board Room, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Pincher led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Commissioners Kenneth Mok, Liana Pincher, Michael Shay, Vice -Chair Kevin House and Chair Jimmy Lin Also Present: David Liu, Public Works Director; Rick Yee, Senior Engineer; Kimberly Molina, Associate Engineer; Christian Malpica, Associate Engineer, and Marcy Hilario, Senior Administrative Assistant. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A. Minutes of the August 13, 2009 regular meeting. C/Pincher moved, C/Shay seconded, to approve the August 13, 2009 minutes as corrected. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Mok, Pincher, Shay, VC/House Chair/Lin NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None Il. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None Offered. III. ITEMS FROM STAFF: A. Received and Filed Traffic Enforcement Updates for: 1. Citations: June, July and August 2009 2. Collisions: June, July and August 2009 3. Street Sweeping: June, July and August 2009 PWD/Liu explained that citations, as expressed in the charts, consist of three categories — the non -hazardous, hazardous and parking violations. Hazardous violations such as speeding, unsafe turns and running stop signs are moving violations. Non -hazardous citations have to do primarily with equipment violations such as tinted windows, broken vehicle lamps and lights. Parking violations such as parking in front of red curb to street SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 PAGE 2 T&T COMMISSION sweeping violations pertain to the regulatory signage throughout the City. In response to C/Shay's question at the last meeting in regard to the percentage of remuneration the City receives from citations, the City of Diamond Bar receives on average $350-$400,000 in annual fines or about 11 percent of the amount generated by the Sheriff's Department. The 11 percent is determined by the courts and not by the City. IV. NEW BUSINESS: A. Cleghorn Drive and Gold Nugget Avenue NTMP. AE/Molina presented staff's report indicating that this was the exact presentation that would have been given to the residents on August 6, 2009 during the neighborhood meeting and recommended that the Traffic and Transportation Commission receive public comments on the Cleghorn Drive and Gold Nugget Avenue NTMP. C/Shay asked what the posted speed limit was and AE/Molina responded that for residential roadways the speed limit is 25 mph whether posted or not. PWD/Liu stated that unless there are specific requests, the City would not install 25 mph signs in neighborhoods because according to the California Vehicle Code the prima facie speed limit is 25 mph. C/Shay said that as a first step, it could be posted and AE/Molina agreed stating it could fall in line with the other sign postings as recommended. C/Mok said that when residents were in front of the Commission expressing their concerns they spoke about the traffic proceeding down Grand Avenue toward Diamond Bar Boulevard and blasting through the right turn lane that is supposed to be used to turn into Cleghorn. AE/Molina said that all issues brought up about the arterial roadways along Grand Avenue at Cleghorn were noted but were not addressed because this program is specifically designed for residential roadways only. The arterial issue will be addressed separately. VC/House asked about the discrepancy in eastbound and westbound traffic counts (speed volumes) on Gold Nugget. AE/Molina said she looked at that and surmised that it was due to the fact that it was a Friday, Saturday and Sunday count and there may have been residents that were either away for the weekend or stayed home. C/Shay asked what the biggest concern is within the footprint of this project. AE/Molina reiterated that from the first meeting, the concerns staff noted were 1) speed along Cleghorn, Gold Nugget and line of site issues at Clear Creek Canyon and Cleghorn. Another issue was motorcycle noise in the neighborhood and Grand Avenue (an arterial roadway issue). Nina Gohcharov, 23631 Gold Nugget Avenue asked for help with the speeding problems. She has observed speeding and racing on Gold Nugget. Two years ago she asked for speed cushions and does not believe the signs will help. The days that the City placed the speed trailer on the street, she noticed people slowing down because it was very visible from a distance. She said that many of her neighbors SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 PAGE 3 T&T COMMISSION were unable to attend meetings because of their children's activities, etc. and wondered how many more meetings the neighborhood would have to attend. She was very concerned about the noise from traffic on Grand Avenue and wondered if the noise level could be measured and whether it could be mitigated. AE/Molina responded to Mrs. Gohcharov that if the residents chose to implement the permanent measures, staff would need the 67 percent in favor to sign the petition. At that point, staff would take the matter to Council for approval of a design contract and once the plans have been designed, there would be one additional meeting to present the final plans to residents. After the meeting with the residents staff will tweak the plans as necessary. Once the final plans were completed, Council approval would be required for the construction contract. Once approved, construction commences thereafter. Stan Granger, 23631 Gold Nugget Avenue, shared that when his kids were growing up there was no problem with them playing in the street. Now, his grandchildren cannot even step outside in the front yard because of the speeding which he believes is 50 and 60 mph. He asked for the Commission's help and said he would do whatever he could to assist the Commission and staff to get this situation mitigated. Signs might help a bit to remind drivers to slow down. Chair/Lin asked Mr. Granger whether he preferred signs or speed cushions and Mr. Granger said he preferred speed cushions. Signage would not hurt and would remind folks to go slower. C/Pincher asked if the Sheriff's Department could write a letter to the owner of vehicles speeding whose license plate information is passed along to them. PWD/Liu responded that Sgt. Saunders is aware of the program and can obtain more information from the residents and conduct the follow-ups. C/Pincher explained that sometimes the speeders are actually residents from the neighborhood. VC/House asked if speed cushions could be installed in a cul-de-sac area with positive results even if the remainder of the street would not have the speed cushions. AE/Molina said she did not believe the City had installed speed cushions on any cul-de-sac streets except for in front of Castle Rock School. The speed cushions are not near the cul-de-sac, just directly in front of the school. C/Shay said the City has faced this situation before and this problem can be mitigated. The Commission is committed to working with the Council and the residents to help solve the problems. Staff will review the comments and proposed mitigation measures. He pointed out that there is a process as outlined by AE/Molina and if the residents elect to go with a petition, the City needs 67 percent of the neighborhood residents to sign that petition and it will only happen if the residents take responsibility in working through the process. It was a bit disheartening when staff and Commissioners attended the last neighborhood residents and no one showed up. He understands that time is valuable but the residents seem to be committed and if the process is to be executed, the residents attending this meeting tonight will have to rally their neighbors and make it happen. SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 PAGE 4 T&T COMMISSION Judy Sevilla-Marzona, 23567 Gold Nugget Avenue, said she believed that signage would be a good informational first step because she believed some of the speeding was ignorance of the vehicle code. Her son is learning to drive and she was surprised to learn that the speed limit was 25 mph on residential streets. The speeding is not just downhill, but uphill as well. She asked if there were any guidelines for placement of the speed cushions because she felt they might be too close to her driveway and asked if the speed cushions would take away street parking. On the aerial view, there were no red curbs indicated for Gold Nugget and Cleghorn which makes turning right from Grand Avenue a problem. She asked if there were plans for red curbing on the northeast corner of Cleghorn and Gold Nugget. AE/Molina explained that traffic engineers would not place any speed cushions in front of driveways. Also, parking is not prohibited over cushions. The subject of red curbing at Cleghorn and Gold Nugget is something that staff can investigate. Marilyn Kieffer, 23715 Gold Nugget Avenue, said she would appreciate red curbing on the corner of Gold Nugget and Cleghorn. Vehicles race up and down her street so fast that it is not possible to get a license plate number. She would also like to have speed cushions and signage. Harry Quan, 23628 Gold Nugget Avenue, took exception to the 67 percent requirement because he felt people living in the condominium complex behind him would not be in favor of these measures because they were not affected. AE/Molina responded that the reason the City requires the entire neighborhood to participate is because residents who do not live on the road still have to drive over the road and their input needs to be considered in the process as a stakeholder to the neighborhood. PWD/Liu said the City puts a lot of effort and resources into any traffic calming devices and, at the end of the day, the City wants to be certain that the public resources are used as effectively as possible. He suggested that the residents visit neighborhoods that have these devices installed. For example, the NTMP was just completed in the Palomino, Sunset Crossing and Prospectors neighborhoods. In these areas, the neighbors worked very closely with the City and the City fully supported the neighborhood's final decision. AE/Molina stated that if someone in attendance wished to pursue the petition as a "neighborhood captain", they would need to provide her with their name, telephone number and address and AE/Molina said she would put together a packet for them that will assist them in going door to door. The information will define the petition area; it will include a visual of what is being proposed, as well as, the actual petition form. VC/House said that most of the citizens present this evening are concerned about traffic on Gold Nugget with respect to speeding and red curbing. Gold Nugget does not have any through ways into the condo complex and wondered if that could be separated out and become the target area. AE/Molina responded saying it could be considered; however, staff would recommend moving forward with the proposal that SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 PAGE 5 T&T COMMISSION was presented tonight to address concerns that were presented at the first neighborhood meeting. However, if the residents find that during the petition process they are unable to reach the percentage needed from the Cleghorn neighborhood, staff can then consider scaling back the petition area. Some Cleghorn residents may use Grubstake and Gold Nugget as access points to the condominiums. C/Mok asked the ratio of condos to single family residences. AE/Molina said there are 97 townhomes and 10 single family residences on Cleghorn; 56 single family homes on Gold Nugget, 7 on Sims, 12 on Monument Canyon, 6 on Oak, 16 on Little Quail and 20 on Grubstake, for a total of 224. PWD/Liu suggested that staff request a meeting with the Management Company or association. The City needs to communicate with everyone in the neighborhood and no group of people should be excluded from the process. V. STATUS OF PREVIOUS ACTION ITEMS — None VI. ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS: C/Shay suggested a sign be put on Brea Canyon Road from Pathfinder Road that says "Watch Your Speed — We Do" so that when the deputy gives a ticket at the bottom of the hill, there will be no surprises. C/Mok asked if staff had received input from the school officials, crossing guard or others regarding the effectiveness of removing the northern leg of the crosswalk at the intersection of Mountain Laurel Way and Diamond Bar Boulevard. AE/Malpica responded that the crossing guard indicated that the kids had not been crossing the intersection since the signs were erected. To date, there have been no comments from the school or residents. C/Mok stated that the slurry seal on Goldrush looks good. He noticed two sets of dots on the street and inquired if Botts Dots were being installed. AE/Molina confirmed that Botts Dots would be reinstalled. VII. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: A. Diamond Bar TMS/Traffic Signal Interconnect Links — Phase II — AE/Malpica reported that there are 23 locations with video detection cameras within the City and by viewing the actual field conditions, staff will be able to remotely operate of the detections zones and detect errors and address them quickly. Staff continues to work with the consultant to resolve minor system issues. With respect to Phase II, the contractor has completed 30 percent of the interconnect work and they are currently working at the intersection of Golden Springs and Brea Canyon. The entire project should be completed by November 2009. PWD/Liu said that the six CCTV cameras will be located at major/critical intersections such as Grand Avenue/Diamond Bar Boulevard, Grand Avenue/Golden Springs Drive, Diamond Bar Boulevard/Golden Springs, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 PAGE 6 T&T COMMISSION Diamond Bar Boulevard/Pathfinder Road/Golden Springs Drive/Lemon Avenue and Golden Springs Drive/Brea Canyon Road. B. Lycoming Street Rehabilitation Project — SE/Yee reported that the bulk of the project is complete. There are some outstanding items such as striping and other miscellaneous items. C. Industry's Grand Avenue Bridge Widening/Interchange Project — SE/Yee reported that, as mentioned at the last Commission meeting, there was a public scoping meeting on Wednesday, September 2"d. Generally, the purpose of the meeting was to provide a general description of the project and collect input from residents and other interested persons in attendance as a precursor to the environmental document. D.B. will continue to participate and monitor the progress of this project_ D. SR57/60 Feasibility Study — SE/Yee stated that this study considered three concepts to improve traffic flow through the freeway confluence. The last draft of the study was in the Spring of 2009 and consultants have been involved in the review of one of the three concepts — the collector and distributor alternative that adds bypass roads to ease some of the weaving problems on the freeway confluence. Staff is working on a memo to Metro, the lead agency in the study. E. Lemon Avenue On/Off Ramps Project — PWD/Liu stated that staff continues efforts to pursue a two -phased construction approach. Recently, staff learned that the City of Industry prefers to move forward as one project. D.B. has indicated to Caltrans that it prefers a two -phased approach. F. Residential — Area 5 Slurry Seal Project — AE/Molina reported that the residential street portion of the project was completed and work on roadways within the Gateway Corporate Center began on Tuesday and continues through Saturday. Striping will be done next week which will complete all related activities. G. Arterial — Zone 3/Zone 4 Slurry Seal Project (American Recovery Reinvestment Act) - AE/Molina stated that Council awarded the contract to Hardy & Harper at its August 18th meeting. A pre -construction meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 15th to establish the schedule of work. H. Chino Hills Parkway Street Rehab Project — AE/Molina reported that the designer anticipates having the first submittal of plans, specifications and engineering estimates to staff by next week for review. VIII. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE CITY EVENTS: As listed in the Agenda with the addition of Diamond Bar Day at the Fair on September 17tH SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 PAGE 7 T&T COMMISSION ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Traffic and Transportation Commission, Chair/Lin adjourned the meeting at 8:32 p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this �iE� day of 00-O k� , 2009. Respectfully, Davi G. Liu, Secretary Attest: Chair Jim Lin