Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdopt Resolution No. 2021-52 Authorizing the Establishment o /9PPR,)✓z 7b ro - O 3 / ( PETEX�pIV-ASSE r) City of Huntington Beach File #: 21-687 MEETING DATE: 10/19/2021 REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members SUBMITTED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager PREPARED BY: Sean Crumby, Director of Public Works Subject: Adopt Resolution No. 2021-52 authorizing the establishment of 15 miles per hour school zone speed limit on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive Statement of Issue: Conditions near Oak View Elementary School related to the pick-up and drop-off activities on Oak Lane have raised several concerns from the community, leading to an investigation of whether a reduced school zone speed limit would be appropriate and effective. The California Vehicle Code allows a local jurisdiction to lower the speed limit on streets adjacent to schools to 15 miles per hour when appropriate conditions exist. Financial Impact: None. Funding for the implementation of the recommended speed limits is included in the Public Works Department operating budget. Recommended Action: Adopt Resolution No. 2021-52. "A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Authorizing the Establishment of 15 miles Per Hour School Zone Speed Limit on Oak Lane Between Cypress Drive and Mandrell Drive." Alternative Action(s): Do not adopt the resolution and continue using the existing 25 miles per hour school speed limit on Oak Lane from Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive. Analysis: Residents of the Oak View community engaged with city staff regarding safety concerns with school related pedestrian and traffic activity on Oak Lane adjacent to Oak View Elementary School during school hours. One application to potentially address these concerns was to consider a 15 mile per hour school zone speed limit. The California Vehicle Code allows a local jurisdiction to declare a 15 miles per hour speed limit when certain criteria are met and the reduction is supported on the basis of an engineering and traffic survey. City of Huntington Beach Page 1 of 3 Pnnted on 1 011312021 File #: 21-687 MEETING DATE: 10/19/2021 City staff investigated the community concerns and performed an engineering and traffic survey in accordance with procedures set forth by the State of California vehicle code section 22358.4 and section 627 and compliance with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). All speed limits must be established in conformance with the State adopted procedures in order to gain legal support for enforcement of the posted speed limit. Staff first determined that Oak Lane met the following initial qualifying criteria for consideration of a reduced school zone speed: 1) Oak Lane is a residential street 2) Oak Lane does not have a speed limit outside of the school zone greater than 30 mph 3) Oak Lane does not have more than 2 through travel lanes 4) The reduced school zone speed limit is within 500 feet of school grounds Staff then completed the following elements used to establish speed limits as established by the California Vehicle Code: 1) Review accident history 2) Review the street segment to identify roadway characteristics and conditions that may not be readily apparent motorists and pedestrian and bicyclist safety 3) Sample existing travel speeds at representative locations within the roadway segment. The current speed limit on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive is 25 miles per hour. Attachment 2 documents that staff identified roadway characteristics within Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive that may not be readily apparent to motorists, accident history, and existing travel speed sampling. The most compelling conditions supporting the reduced school zone speed limit are the daily conditions that exist on the street during the typical pick-up and drop-off times. Oak View Elementary generates a higher level of school pedestrian activity than most schools and the neighborhood surrounding the school is heavily parked at almost all times of the day. The level of activity makes the area in front of the school very congested. Vehicles travelling at a 25 mph speed limit would represent a significant increase in risk of accidents. In reality, very few motorists are able to drive that fast during those active periods. The accident history does not appear to be a significant factor in considering a reduced school zone speed limit on Oak Lane since no reported accident occurred within the 5 year period during any school activity periods. Staff supports the reduce school zone speed limit to improve traffic, pedestrian and bicycle safety in school zone speed limit. The recommended action and the supporting documents will allow for full enforcement of the updated posted speed limit by the Huntington Beach Police. Attachment 1 shows a diagram of the current and recommended updated speed limits. Attachment 3 presents the resolution adopting the speed limit on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive. Environmental Status: None required. Strategic Plan Goal: Infrastructure & Parks City of Huntington Beach Page 2 of 3 Printed on 10/13/2021 ocwerec oy Legistar" File #: 21-687 MEETING DATE: 10/19/2021 Attachmengl 1. Oak Lane Speed Limits 2. Oak Lane Engineering and Traffic Survey Report 3. Resolution No. 2021-52 Oak Lane speed limits City of Huntington Beach Page 3 of 3 Printed on 1011312021 Powered by Legistar'm Z J CYPRESS DR w s CYPRESS DR 25 MPH Z J J Y = 0 Q OAK VIEW SCHOOL i i i MANDRELL DR CURRENT POSTED SPEED LIMITS z J CYPRESS DR w CYPRESS DR 15 MPH Z J J Y = Q N OAK VIEW � SCHOOL MANDRELL DR UPDATED POSTED SPEED LIMITS DURING SCHOOL HOURS CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OAK LANE SPEED LIMITS ATTACHMENT 1 Department of Public Works Oak Lane Engineering & Traffic Survey Report Int roduction This report presents the Engineering and Traffic Surrey for Oak Lane between Cypress Drive and wlandrell Drive in the Oak View area of the Citv south of Warner Avenue and west of Beach Boulevard. Oak Lane is a two-way, two lane residential street located adjacent to Oak View Elementary School and a public library along the west side,. with multi-family residential units along the east side of the street. The Engineering and Traffic Survey study will examine the street conditions including the prevailing speeds, accident history, and roadway conditions not readily apparent to motorists in consideration of establishing, a 15 miles per hour school zone speed limit on Oak Lane while children are going to or leaving the school. either during school hours or during the noon recess period. California Vehicle Code Section 22355.4 allows a local jurisdiction to declare a speed limit of'20 or 15 miles per hour by ordinance or resolution, ifan Engineering and Traffic Survey determines that the speed limit of 25 miles per hour is more than reasonable or saic. Figure 1 shows the study location of Oak Lane from Cypress Drive and Mandrell Drive. il1ethodolot,-v In order to qualify for consideration of a 20 mph or 15 mph school zone, a street is required to meet 4 criteria. The street must be a residential district, have a speed limit outside of the school zone area that is no greater than 30 mph, and have no more than 2 travel lanes and be located within 500 feet of school grounds. Under California State guidelines Oak Lane satisfies these conditions allowing the City to consider declaring a 15 miles per hour speed limit either during school hours or durine the noon recess period, when children are going to or leaving the school. The methodology performed uses the required elements for conducting an Engineering and Traffic Survey and include the following: 1 ) Review accident history 2) Review the street segment to identify roadway characteristics and conditions that may not be readily apparent motorists and pedestrian and bicyclist safety 3) Sample existing travel speeds at representative locations within the roadway segment. Accident History Accident history can provide information of roadway conditions that may bejustify reduced speed limits. Reported accidents in a five (5) year time range (July 20, 2016 to .July 30. 2021) that occurred along Oak Lane from Cypress Drive to Niandrell Drive were examined. The results identify four (4) reported collisions with one (I) injury all occurring outside ofschool Oak Lane Speed Survey Analysis 1 hours. The number of incidents does not appear to be a significant factor in considering a school zone speed limit reduction. The accident information is shown on Attachment I. Roadwav Characteristics and Conditions: Roadway characteristics were the second element evaluated on Oak Lane from Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive and the most significant in terms of assessing the potential need for lowered school zone speed limit. The street is located in a residential area with an elementary school and library on the west side, and residential use along the east side. The speed limit on Oak Lane is 25 miles per hour and has a pavement width of 40 feet. On-street parking along the east side and the north section of the west side of Oak Lane is allowed at all times. A bus and student loadinv/unloadine zone exists on the west side in front of the school site. The east side of the street has significant parking demand throughout the day and related parking/unparking activity. On a typical school day, there are large numbers of students and parents walking to and from school with many crossing Oak Lane. This pedestrian activity is occurring at the same time as many parking maneuvers and heavy vehicle traffic on the street. At the intersection of Oak Lane and Mandrell Drive, an all-way stop exists at the street bend and contains one diaconal crosswalk within the intersection. This crosswalk is a little unusual and could lead to some motorists misjudging the limit line and location to stop. The crosswalk is oriented diagonally across the intersection rather than in front of the limit line. At the north end of the school zone Oak Lane has two closely spaced offset intersections along Cypress Drive in the cast-west direction. Two school zone crosswalks are marked at the southern portion of the offset intersection. However, the offset could lead to some unexpected attempts to crass the street at locations other than the marked crosswalks. Existinp Roadway Travel Speed: Speed data was collected on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive and N-landrell Drive. In general. the overall speed profile for the street throughout the day is not a significant factor in developing a recommendation for a specific school zone speed limit, which is only applicable during school pick-up/drop-off times. The 85" percentile speed during the weekday and weekend was 23 miles per hour and 29 miles per hour, respectively. On both the weekday and weekend the majority of the vehicles were traveling between 20 to N miles per hour. The majority of the 851h percentile speeds are out of school hours. Many vehicles have been observed to travel at or below 15 miles per hour on weekdays during pickup and drop off hours. The level ofactivity and congestion effectively limit how fast most motorists can either comfortably or physically travel. The speed data collection data is shown in Attachment 2. Analvsis• Accident records do not appear to be a supporting tactor in recommending a reduction in the school zone speed limit. Roadway conditions, which may not be readily apparent include the heavy on-street parking demand with parking/unparking related maneuvers and a crosswalk marked diagonally within an intersection at a 90-degree street bend. Additionally, during school Oak Lane Speed Survey Analysis 2 drop off and pick up times the street is a high activity area with students and parents walking to and from school, bus loading/unloading activity, and on-street student drop off and pick up curb space in front of the school. Recom mL-II&I6011: Conditions on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive and Mandrell Drive meet all of the required conditions for consideration of a reduced school zone speed limit. Actual conditions on the roadway during the school pick-up and drop-off periods support reducing the speed limit to 15 miles per hour during those times to reflect how most prudent motorists drive the street based on the level of parking, pedestrian and cyclist activity and match the expectations of pedestrians and cyclists. The 15 mph school zone speed limit will help facilitate reasonable and safe conditions for all users in the area during school times. , t Lme e -Tr �CtM i Figure 1. Oak Lane from (Cypress Aveneue to Mandrell Drive) Oak Lane Speed Survey Analysis RESOLUTION NO. 2021-52 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUN"IINGTON BEACH AUTI-IORIZE`iG THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A 15 MILES PER HOUR SCHOOL ZONE SPEED LIMIT ON OAK LANE BETWEEN CYPRESS DRIVE AND MANDRELL DRIVE WHEREAS, an elementary school is located along Oak Lane between Cypress Drive and Mandrell Drive in a residential neighborhood of the City ; and WHEREAS, after conducting an engineering and traffic survey, staff has determined that due to the presence of the elementary school, it is necessary to post the decreased school zone speed limit of 15 miles per hour on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive and Mandrell Drive; and WHEREAS, California Vehicle Code Section 22358.4 authorizes a local authority to set and post a prima facie speed limit of 15 miles per hour on streets in a residence district that approaches or passes a school building or school grounds, while children are going to or leaving the school, either during school hours or during the noon recess period. NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach does hereby resolve as follows: Pursuant to California Vehicle code Section 22358.4, a 15 miles per hour speed limit is hereby established on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive and Mandrell Drive while children are going to or leaving the school, either during school hours or during the noon recess period. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach at a regular meeting thereof held on the 19th day of' October , 2021. Mayor RE IEW D AXn� ROVED: INITIA".=D AN APPROVEI City Nfanager Director of Public Works APPROV D AS TO FORM- � C-,- ( T* },C Attorney 21-10261-265860 Res. No. 2021-52 STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss: CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH ) I, ROBIN ESTANISLAU, the duly elected, qualified City Clerk of the City of Huntington Beach, and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of said City, do hereby certify that the whole number of members of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach is seven; that the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all the members of said City Council at a Regular meeting thereof held on October 19, 2021 by the following vote: AYES: Bolton, Delgleize, Carr, Posey, Moser, Kalmick NOES: None ABSENT: Peterson RECUSE: None City Clerk and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, California Moore, Tania From: Steven C Shepherd Architect <steve@shepherdarchitects.com> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2021 5:31 PM To: supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org Subject: SUPPORT FOR AGENDA ITEM #30 - 15mph SPEED LIMIT Hello City Council - I regularly walk the streets of southeast Huntington Beach On average, I walk 10 to 12 miles per week for fitness and local trips to the beach, the market, and the hardware store. I've been traversing the streets of my extended neighborhood for years, and this experience has left me intimately familiar with the vast majority of the sidewalks, streets. roadways, and thoroughfares around my extended neighbor. Based on my experience. I can say without hesitation that the number one issue impacting public right-of-way safety is excessive vehicle speed. So when I saw Agenda Item #30 for this City Council meeting. I immediately thought. Great Ideal Why aren't we doing this on all streets adjacent to our schools and parks? Do we really need to wait until there are a sufficient number of complaints, vehicle crashes, or. god forbid. a death before we act? Within the area I cover. roughly a 5-mile radius around my home. there are 6 K-12 schools with a combined enrollment of approximately 6,000 students. These schools also contain public parks or other community recreation facilities. While I support Agenda Item #30. 1 strongly suggest that the City Council go further by instructing the Huntington Beach Public Works Department to study the creation of a 'safe streets protocol" for implementation at all streets adjacent to Huntington Beach's schools. parks. and recreational facilities. A 15mph posted speed limit would be a good start, but there are other elements that could be implemented as well. This would be a straightforward way to immediately improve public safety and quality of life for HB residents. Thank you! Steve Shepherd Huntington Beach 92646 SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION Mep&V 10ate: IT) l C1 go g I AQ?nde hem No b 1