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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/13/2014 Minutes - Regular MeetingCITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 13, 2014 CALL TO ORDER: I Chairman Mok called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. in the Diamond Bar City Hall Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Vice -Chair Mahlke led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Commissioners Ted Carrera, Liana Pincher, Peter Pirritano, Vice -Chair Jen "Fred" Mahlke, Chairman Kenneth Mok Also Present: David Liu, Public Works Director; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer; Christian Malpica, Associate Engineer, and Marcy Hilario, Administrative Coordinator. I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A. Minutes of the January 9, 2014 Regular Meeting. C/Carrera moved, C/Pirritano seconded, to approve the Minutes of the January 9, 2014 regular meeting as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Carrera, Pincher, Pirritano, VC/Mahlke, Chair/Mok NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None 111. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None 111111. ITEMS FROM STAFF: A. Receive and File Traffic Enforcement Updates for: 1. Citations: November and December 2013, and January 2014 2. Collisions: November and December 2013, and January 2014 3. Street Sweeping: November and December 2013, and January 2014 February 13, 201 IV. V. V1. - T&T-COMMISSIO VC/Mahlke moved, C/Pirritano seconded, to receive and file the Traffic Enforcement Update reports for November and December 2013, and January 2014. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Carrera, Pincher, Pirritano, . VC/Mahlke, Chair/Mok NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None STATUS OF PREVIOUS ACTION ITEMS: SCE/Young reported that, at the last Commission meeting, C/Pincher expressed a concern about a specific location where the traffic control work zone was placed very close to the travel lane. The work was performed by Verizon who filed a traffic control plan that showed the work zone being close to the travel lane because of the location of their facilities and the need to -maintain traffic flow through the area. With the submittal of the traffic control plan, all of the liability falls to the contractor and engineer that designed the TC plan. In addition, all construction zones carry a reduced speed limit whether posted or not. Generally on arterial streets, construction zone speed limits should be reduced to 35 mph. C/Pincher asked if the water company was on the scene. SCE/Young responded that there were no permits issued for the water company in that area. SCE/Young continued that the water company regularly accesses their valves for maintenance, which requires traffic control. In response to C/Pirritano's request to consider adding a right -turn -lane on Grand Avenue at. Lavender Drive, AE/Malpica provided a follow up. He reported that staff discussed the issue with the City's traffic consultant and it was relayed that the intersection could be considered for modification; however, a more extensive warrant study would need to be done. Our consultant was concerned that might cause a bottleneck during rush hour, where four lanes merge down to two lanes near the driveway access to Target and Chili's. VII. ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS: C/Carrera asked that in the event there would be a similar tragedy to that which occurred on the SR -60 (a fatal wrong -way driver accident), would the response plan redirect the traffic through Diamond Bar? PWD/Liu responded that when the 1300 vehicle per hour threshold is reached at the intersections of Diamond Bar Boulevard, Golden Springs Drive and Grand Avenue, the response plan kicks in and drivers along major arterials are given priority to travel through. the City as quickly as possible. This means that neighborhood traffic may have to wait longer to gain access to the major arterials. The morning of the accident the traffic responsive plan February 13, 2014 PAGE 3 T&T COMMISSION LW kicked in for Grand Avenue and lasted for about one-half hour. AE/Malpica explained that when the system kicks in, it is directional. Regarding the same subject, Chair/Mok asked if the SR -60 was closed in both directions. PWD/Liu responded that only the westbound side of the freeway was closed. Chair/Mok then asked about where traffic was redirected to. Was it Phillips Ranch Road or the SR -71? AE/Malpica confirmed that traffic was redirected to the SR -71. That is why we did not experience any congestion on Diamond Bar streets. Chair/Mok asked about the flashing red light on Diamond Bar Boulevard at Montefino Avenue about mid-day on February 11th. AE/Malpica responded that the technician reported that the controller froze on red flash. The intersection has a safety mechanism that automatically sets the controller on flash mode to avoid potential accidents. The controller was reset after about an hour. C/Pincher thanked her colleagues for serving on the Commission and working hard to move things forward for the City. She assumes this is her last meeting and wanted to thank staff for their hard work and in particular, PWD/Liu for the education he has provided her. She has learned a lot and it has been a pleasure working on the Commission. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: A. CCTV Project AE/Malpica reported that staff is currently looking into making repairs on the north side of the City from Diamond Bar Boulevard to Golden Springs Drive, Golden Springs Drive to Rancheria Road, down to Temple Avenue and back to Diamond Bar Boulevard at Golden Springs Drive. B. Diamond Bar Traffic Responsive Plan/System AE/Malpica indicated that staff continues to fine-tune the system to make certain the system is activated when the threshold is met. In addition, staff continues to monitor the system after -the -fact to determine the cause and effect. C. NTIVIP — Castle Rock Road/Crooked Creek Drive Neighborhood AE/Malpica reported that staff received signatures from the neighborhood captains. In addition, our traffic engineer is studying the data and has recommended mitigation measures (speed cushions). This will ensure the proposed mitigations are properly located in the residential areas represented by the residents who signed the petition and that the signatures meet the 67 percent requirement to move forward. Fe - bruary 1 13,2014 PAGE 4- T&T COMMISSION 10 F ACE Fairway Drive Grade Separation Project AE/Malpica shared that staff continues to work with ACE's traffic consultant on the proposed traffic signal construction at Lemon Avenue and Walnut Drive to make sure that the installation is coordinated with the remaining traffic mitigation measures. PWD/Liu stated that, based on negotiations with ACE, in lieu of a temporary signal, a permanent signal is being considered. Morning Canyon Rehabilitation Project SCENoung stated that the rehabilitation of the roadway on Morning Canyon Drive between Diamond Bar Boulevard and Stone Pine Drive is being scheduled to repair the roadway uplift from the pine trees along the parkway. The contract for the design and construction management services was awarded by the City Council at its February 4th meeting to Onward Engineering in the amount of $70,590. Completion of the design is expected by the beginning of May, with construction to commence shortly thereafter. Southern California Edison Infrastructure Upgrades SCENoung reported that the final pavement restoration was completed in mid- January. Slurry seal was done in the Sunset Crossing Road/ Minnequa Drive/Bower Cascade Place neighborhood on half of the roadway from gutter to centerline where the trench was located. Striping has been completed; however, there are a few punch list items that need to be repaired. Staff anticipates completion of the punch list and sign -off of the project by the end of February. G. Evergreen Elementary School Traffic/Parking SCENoung stated that approximately two weeks ago, the Sheriffs Deputies were on-site and issued two citations to parents who were parked in the red curb area along Evergreen Springs Drive. The parents reportedly left their vehicles to walk their children 'to the school and the deputies subsequently cited them for violation of the red curb. This created concerns that resulted in the school principal sending out an email blast to the parents. reminding them that the red curb was not to be used for loading and unloading. The parents and the principal called the City to indicate that this was a practice that had been on-going for years. Also, the parents and buses were regularly using the red curb area for loading and unloading and the parents felt it was inappropriate for the Sheriffs Department to begin enforcing; the red curbing. Effective immediately, the buses commenced to use the internal parking area for loading and unloading and, again, the principal and parents expressed concerns about the buses entering and exiting the site. They felt this decision created potential conflict for students who used the designated crosswalk that bisects the parking lot. As a result, the City and the school district agreed to review the situation to determine whether it was appropriate for buses to use the red curb as loading and unloading. The California Vehicle Code does February 13, 2014 PAGE 5 T&T COMMISSION permit red curbs to be used for bus loading and unloading, as long as it is properly signed. In addition, the City has an ordinance that states that a red curbed area can be used, with signage, for bus loading and unloading. The City's traffic engineer was on-site this week and the school district has hired a traffic engineer, both of whom reviewed the situation. The City's traffic engineer concluded that it is appropriate for buses, and only buses, to use the red curb area for loading and unloading with concurrence from L.A. County Sheriffs and the School District's traffic engineer. As of Tuesday of this week, buses were permitted to resume use of the red curb area for loading and unloading with temporary signage which is in place. Permanent signage will be installed next week. In the meantime, parents are still not permitted to drop off their children in that area and the school district along with City staff will be working closely on a long term resolution to look at on-site and off-site circulation and potential areas of improvement. PWD/Liu stated that at the beginning of each school year, staff sits down with school principals, school district representatives and administrative staff to make it very clear that there have been many observations of traffic violations. At that time, they are advised to educate parents. As recently as November 13th, AE/Malpica met with the school principal at Evergreen Elementary School to remind her that the information needs to go back to the parents that continue to use the red curb for a drop off site. The red curb was installed prior to a comprehensive study by the City conducted in 1998. From that study, there were five improvements the City asked -the school to consider from widening the two driveways to creating a bus turnout, etc. PWD/Liusaid he believes there is a good working relationship between the school district and the City and that both entities will continue to address the safety and needs issues. On-site parking is not allowed; therefore, vehicles must park out on the street. There are plenty of surrounding street areas where parents can park their cars and walk their kids to school; however, many parents choose to park as close to the school as possible so that they can walk their kids into the school grounds: Again, there is an on-going dialogue from the City and the Sheriff's Department and that the school district needs to remind parents that some things cannot be allowed and there are rules that must be enforced. , H. City Council Goals and Objectives PWD/Liu provided a memorandum from CM/DeStefano to the City Council, dated January 20, 2014, that lists the City Council Goals & Objectives for Fiscal Year 2013-14. The number one priority is "Traffic Mitigation". The first goal under Traffic Mitigation is the Cooperation with the City's project partners to complete the SR -57/60 freeway interchange corridor known as the "Big Fix" for which Part A is construction of the westbound slip ramp at Grand Avenue. Recently, staff learned from working with the City of Industry that they will combine the first phase westbound slip ramp with the next phase, which is the westbound off -ramp. As part of that effort, the design will not be completed until the end of 2014, with plans to commence construction in the third quarter of 2015. In addition, the Grand Avenue/Golden Springs Drive design will be February -1-3,-2014- -PAGE-6 -T&T-COMMISSI delayed in order to focus on the two ramps. The overall study has been revised to include a COG study that includes many freeways including the SR - 60 up to the SR -57/60 interchange. This means that, if all goes as planned, the SR -57/60 feasibility study will be folded into the larger study and may ultimately result in a better opportunity to obtain funding for the missing components. Staff is encouraged that the SR -60 is in a strong position since it is in both the state and federal goods movement freight plans. Diamond Bar will continue to monitor this issue because if the SR -60 ultimately is included in the freight plans and funding opportunities for connectors become available, the City will be at the head of the line, since the City is at the terminus of a significant interchange. The completion of the Lemon Avenue interchange is in the right-of-way design phase which is due for completion by December 2014, with construction scheduled to commence June 2015 and be completed by December 2016. Staff will be working very closely with the City's traffic consultants to identify and quantify the successes of the City's traffic mitigation programs for its report to the City Council. PWD/Liu continued to discuss items listed including discussion of high-speed rail; development of a citywide branding plan that incorporates standard design elements with a unifying theme that reflects the image of Diamond Bar (an open house is scheduled for March 19th from 6 to 9 pm for residents, businesses and interested parties to review the project, ask questions and interact with staff); and, establish a quiet -zone on the Metrolink train line at Lemon Avenue near Walnut Elementary School. General Plan Status Report for 2013 PWD/Liu referred the Commission to a copy of the report included in the packet which was presented to the City Council on February 4th. In accordance with state law, the City is required to submit an annual General Plan Status Report to the City Council and the State Governor's Office of Planning and Research as well as, the State Department of Housing and Community Development. The report includes a list of implementation progress for the period January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Ofinterest to the Commission is the Circulation Element which defines the transportation needs- of the City and presents a comprehensive transportation. plan to accommodate those needs. Objective 1.1 is "participate in local and regional transportation planning and decision making" which includes the City's continuous and active participation in the Four Corners Policy Committee and Coalition. Working with neighboring counties, the City identified four projects including the SR -57/60 freeway; collaboration and improvements for the SR - 57/60 Confluence Project; Multi -County SCAG Goods Movement Action Plan and the Lemon Avenue project. Objective 1.2 "Balance the need for optimum traffic control on City arterials with economic realities and aesthetic considerations" includes such things as February 13, 2014 PAGE 7 T&T COMMISSION CCTV, Grand Avenue Beautification Project and NTMP. Objective 2.1 "Maximizing the use of alternative traffic modes within and through the City to decrease reliance on single passenger automobiles" includes subsidies provided for transit passes, a Dial -A -Ride program, and a website that provides information to residents regarding alternative transportation information. Objective 3.1 "Improve the safety and efficiency of transportation facilities" for which the City has a very active capital improvement program (CIP) which for 2013 included several traffic signal modifications and street improvements. C/Carrera commented that the General Plan Status Report for 2013 is an excellent report and he hopes to see further progress. He asked if the intersection improvements for the Lennar Homes project were designed and approved or still in development. PWD/Liu responded that the project is in the development stage. 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/Mok adjourned the meeting at 7:59 p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this day of 2014. Respectfully, Kimberly M. Y u g, �ct�Secre�tary Attest: airpdrson Jen "Fred" Mahlke