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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/08/2012 - MINUTES - Regular MeetingCITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING MARCH 8, 2012 CALL TO ORDER: Chair Pincher called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Diamond Bar City Hall Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Mok led the Pledge of Allegiance. ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE FOR ALL REAPPOINTED COMMISSIONERS — Administered by Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk. ROLL CALL: Commissioners Kevin House, Jen "Fred" Mahlke, Kenneth Mok, Vice Chairman Ted Carrera and Chair Liana Pincher. Also Present: Rick Yee, Senior Civil Engineer; Kimberly Young, Associate Engineer; Christian Malpica, Associate Engineer (Traffic) and Marcy Hilario, Administrative Coordinator. REORGANIZATION OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION: Selection of Chairman for the Traffic and Transportation Commission: C/House nominated C/Carrera. C/Mahlke seconded the nomination. There were no other nominations offered. C/Carrera was I unanimously selected Chairman of the Traffic and Transportation Commission by the following roll call vote: C/House: Yes C/Mahlke: Yes C/Mok: Yes C/Carrera: Yes C/Pincher- Yes Selection of Vice Chairman for the Traffic and Transportation Commission: Chair/Carrera nominated C/Mok. C/House seconded the nomination. There were no other nominations offered. C/Mok was unanimously selected to serve as Vice Chairman of the Traffic and Transportation Commission by the following roll call vote: C/House: Yes C/Mahlke: Yes C/Mok: Yes Chair/Carrera: Yes C/Pincher: Yes MARCH 8, 2012 PAGE 2 T&T COMMISSION I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A. Minutes of the February 16, 2012 regular meeting. C/Pincher moved, C/Mahlke seconded, to approve the February 16, 2012 minutes as submitted. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: House, Mahlke, Pincher, VC/Mok NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSTAIN: COMMISSIONERS: Chair/Carrera ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None I[. PUBLIC COMMENTS: 111. ITEMS FROM STAFF: A. Received and Filed Traffic Enforcement Updates for: 1. Citations: December 2011, January and February 2012 2. Collisions: December 2011, January and February 2012 3. Street Sweeping: December 2011, January and February 2012 IV. OLD BUSINESS: B. Diamond Canyon Road On -Street Parking Peter Valter, 3503 S. Oak Valley Place, said he was not opposed to the red curb installation; however, he wanted to be sure that no parking would remain in place for the remainder of the street. He also requested that a portion of the street to the entry coming into Diamond Canyon Road be red zoned as well, which would still allow for parking of 18 to 20 vehicles. SE/Yee stated that staff is making its recommendation to the Commission as a follow up to the discussion and comments received at the February 16th meeting. In addition, staff has conducted several field visits to the site, as well as consulted with the City's Traffic Engineer. After taking all of the aforementioned into consideration, staff determined that it would be appropriate to install approximately 600 feet of red curb on the southbound side of Diamond Canyon Road and recommends the Commission's approval based on comments and observations regarding the double parking and illegal u -turn movements in the curbed portion of the roadway. At this time, staff is not recommending the full red curb on the straight portion of Diamond Canyon Road, which will remain open to parking. Staff provided notifications to the same residents that were initially contacted when the issue first arose. Staff also placed notices on Vehicles that were parked on the street on Tuesday notifying them of tonight's meeting. If the Commission concurs with staff's recommendation, this matter will be taken to the City Council for the final MARCH 8, 2012 PAGE 3 T&T COMMISSION decision since the amount of red curbing being requested is beyond the authority of the City Engineer. SE/Yee explained that parking is and will continue to be restricted on the north side of the street. Mr. Valter expressed his concerns about line -of -sight at the driveways along Diamond Canyon Road. SE/Yee responded that staff appreciates his comments and will look into the issue. SE/Yee said he believed that most of the landscaping is on private property and, if so, the City will work with the building owner to make sure the landscaping is trimmed to ensure adequate line -of -sight. If the issue relates to any publicly maintained landscaping, the. City will make whatever accommodations are deemed necessary. With respect to parking at that location, staff will investigate the ' matter and, if so deemed, staff will further restrict parking in the area under the City Engineer's authority, if it involves less than 100 feet of red curbing. C/Pincher asked if parking was restricted on streets across Diamond Canyon Road from this location. SE/Yee explained that the area north of Brea Canyon Cutoff (Fallowfield Drive) has a parking district that restricts parking to permit parking. Staff did not observe the number of vehicles originally reported by the residents during the past couple of months. Only about 10-12 vehicles were parked on the curve. Should there be an increased demand for parking, line - of -sight concerns would have to take priority over vehicles needing to park. Staff will address that issue as deemed necessary. VC/Mok asked if the area on Fallowfield Drive, across from the office building, is an area that allows parking. He stated that he has not noticed vehicles parking across from the building. When the building was occupied to capacity, " cars parked across from.the office building. " Chair/Carrera asked if vehicles could park in the office building parking lot. SE/Yee responded that he believed that a large portion of the building was vacant. He checked with the City's Planning Division regarding parking needs based on the land use and office space designation, and given the current designation, the amount of parking at that location is sufficient and meets planning guidelines for adequacy of parking for the building. Historically, overflow of employees and/or patrons of the building occurred and.created the need for creation of a parking district. Currently, with the vacancy, it is not an issue; however, it would be dealt with at the appropriate time should the building become occupied to a greater extent. SE/Yee shared that staff received a letter dated March 7th, which is the only response from residents in connection with the most recent mailings. The response from S. Ching states that the individual is a resident of the Diamond Canyon Community and reinforces their discontent with the u -turn movements and double parking on Diamond Canyon Road. The writer, also indicated their concern about access for emergency vehicles. SE/Yee responded on record to the writer that the roadway width of Diamond Canyon Road is 42 feet and is MARCH 8, 2012 PAGE 4 T&T COMMISSION comparable to, or larger than, many of the City's residential streets which allow parking on both sides of the street. Anna Ching, 3528 S. Diamond Canyon Road, came forward to express that she is concerned about safety on Diamond Canyon Road, a major route for the community because there is only one access. Ms. Ching stated if something happened to block the street, no one could get in or out. She asked the City to allow no parking on the street whatsoever. C/House moved, C/Pincher seconded to accept staff's recommendation to install red curb on Diamond Canyon Road as presented by staff. Motion carried by the following Roll .Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: House, Mahlke, Pincher, VC/Mok, Chair/Carrera NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None V. NEW BUSINESS: None VI. STATUS OF PREVIOUS ACTION ITEMS: VII. ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS: None C/House said he would like to see the mitigation measures on Diamond Canyon Road move forward as quickly as possible. If people are making illegal u -turns or. dumping trash or double parking, he does not believe that red curbing solves those problems. The City needs to stop the behavior and there needs to be a compromise about what is feasible. C/House also suggested law enforcement should be urged to cite individuals for illegal and improper behavior. C/Pincher complimented staff on the City Hall Open House which was very nice. The way staff conducted small group tours was very pleasant and it was nice to see the new offices. VC/Mok commented that it was encouraging to hear that the City is approaching the Diamond Canyon Road incrementally. He feels that if the parking situation escalates, the City can address it at a later date. At this point, the 600 feet of red curbing is a good idea and will push the cars further up on the street to allow for better entry onto the street. Making u -turns is technically not illegal on City streets. SE/Yee interjected that the Sheriffs Department states that as long as the u -turn movement does not obstruct the flow of traffic, it is allowed. He said he believed that roughly 200 feet of clear space is necessary to make a safe u -turn. The Sheriffs Department can cite motorists for illegal u -turns if there is another vehicle approaching within 200 feet of the u -turn movement. VC/Mok said he believed 42 feet is pretty wide and he actually made a u -turn in his SUV on the street with no problem. He was also glad to learn that there would be no parking on the north side of the street. MARCH 8, 2012 PAGE 5 T&T COMMISSION Chair/Carrera asked if the long-term assessment dictates that additional adjustments, or if additional 600 feet of red curbing is needed, will violate any of the red curbing requirements by now having 1,200 feet of red curbing. SE/Yee responded that if staff determined it was appropriate to install additional red curbing along the entire length of the street, there would be no restriction. Chair/Carrera commended staff for their due diligence and response to residents' concerns. Vill. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: A. Traffic Signal Battery Backup System Project—AE/Malpica stated that the contractor successfully completed all of the lower energy consumption traffic signal bulb upgrades at locations equipped with battery backup systems. Staff has completed the punch list and everything is up and running. Staff expects to take the notice of completion to the City Council on March 20, 2012. B. Median. Modification - Diamond Bar Boulevard/Clear Creek Canyon Drive AE/Malpica stated that construction commenced on February 29th and is j expected to be completed in 30 working days. Tomorrow the surveyors will stake the area and new curb and gutter will be poured and asphalt work will be , completed next week. During construction the left turn is prohibited during I working hours only. C. - Copley Drive Crosswalk Beacon & Foothill Transit Bus Stops Relocation — SE/Yee reported that this pertains to the area in front of City Hall on Copley Drive. The existing crosswalk will be enhanced with a solar powered push button flashing beacon that can be engaged by pedestrians wishing to cross the street. In addition, staff plans to relocate the existing Foothill Transit stop r location closer to the existing crosswalk in anticipation of more foot traffic once the library opens this summer. This afternoon SE/Yee received approval from Foothill Transit and now the project will move forward with finalization of the. design and construction. D. "The Rock" Move — SE/Yee reported that the rock came through the City Friday night about 10:00 p.m. at which time it reached Chino Hills Parkway. It made if into the City limits of D.B. around 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning and exited the City about 8:30 a.m. Staff will review, video footage and inspect pavement prior to releasing the bonds for the project to make certain of any impacts that might have occurred to the City streets. E. Lemon Avenue On/Off-Ramps Project - AE/Young reported that staff received the authorization to proceed with the right-of-way acquisitions this week. The State will pursue that effort over the next several months and staff anticipates completion of the acquisitions and filing of legal documents to take 18 months. F. Residential Area 1(a)/Arterial Zone 6 Road Maintenance Project — �_ AE/Young stated that due to budget constraints, only one half of the project can be completed in this fiscal year. The target,area is north.of the SR -57/60 (Sunset Crossing -Prospectors Road neighborhood west of Diamond Bar I� Boulevard) now known as Residential Area ,1(a). Zone 6 is Golden Springs - MARCH 8, 2012 PAGE 6 T&T COMMISSION Drive north of Diamond Bar Boulevard. Both areas are currently under design and staff anticipates completion of the design and the bid process commencing in May with project award in June. G. CDBG Curb Ramp Project (FY 2011-2012) — AE/Young stated that this project commenced construction last Monday for 82 new curb ramps in the vicinity of Chaparral Middle School and Maple Hill Elementary School The contractor is working very quickly and has, over the past three days, completed over 30 ramps. The project is anticipated to be completed by next Friday with striping and AC patching thereafter. H. Chino Hills Parkway/Chino Avenue Street Rehabilitation Project — AE/Young indicated that staff is still awaiting authorization to proceed from the State. I. Caltrans Slope Repair — Golden Springs Drive — AE/Young reported that the project for the slope along Golden Springs Drive and the SR -60, thatfailed several years ago, was completed on February 23rd. There is some clean-up work and debris removal that needs to be done and will be addressed by Caltrans staff. IX. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE CITY EVENTS: As stated in the agenda. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Traffic. and Transportation Commission, Chair/Carrera adjourned the meeting at 7:52 p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this kx- — day of L_ 2012.