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CC 2013-01-22_11.a. Crosswalk at Fair Oaks and Station WayMEMORANDUM TO: CITY COUNCIL FROM: TERESA McCLISH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR BY: MIKE LINN, ASSISTANT CITY ENGINEER SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF CROSSWALK AND RECTANGULAR RAPID FLASH BEACONS ON FAIR OAKS AVENUE AT THE STATION WAY INTERSECTION DATE: JANUARY 22, 2013 RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Council: 1. approve the installation of a crosswalk, equipped with a Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon system, on the western leg of Fair Oaks Avenue at the Station Way intersection; 2. Appropriate $13,000 from the unappropriated General Fund balance. IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES: The Community Development . Department estimates the construction cost to be $25,500: Rapid Flashing Beacon Assemblies Crosswalk ADA Ramp Two Railed Barriers Estimate $15,000 $200 $8,000 $2,300 $25,500 The Lucia Mar Unified School District Superintendent has agreed to recommend to the School Board that they pay 50% of the project costs. It is estimated that the project will require between 20 and 40 hours of City staff time. This project is not currently identified in the Critical Needs Action Plan. BACKGROUND: Representatives of the Lucia Mar School District recently expressed concerns to the City about Arroyo Grande High School students crossing Fair Oaks Avenue to reach the area of the Station Way intersection (see Attachment No. 1 ). The representatives Item 11.a. - Page 1 CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF A CROSSWALK AND RECTANGULAR RAPID FLASH BEACONS ON FAIR OAKS AVENUE AT THE STATION WAY INTERSECTION JANUARY 22, 2013 PAGE 2 OF 5 asked whether a crosswalk could be installed on Fair Oaks Avenue or other measures implemented to better protect the students. Station Way is a two lane minor arterial oriented north-south with its southern terminus at its intersection with Fair Oaks Avenue (see Attachment No. 2). There is a stop sign at the Station Way terminus, but there are no stops on Fair Oaks Avenue at the intersection. Fair Oaks Avenue is a four-lane minor arterial street, 46 feet in width, oriented east-west. A Caltrans US 101 southbound exit ramp terminates at Fair Oaks Avenue and is offset approximately 60 feet to the east of Orchar.d Street. All legs of the intersection at Fair Oaks Avenue and Orchard Street/US 101 exit ramp have stop controls. On April 16, 2012, the Traffic Commission considered a plan to install a crosswalk and ADA ramps across Fair Oaks Avenue at the eastern leg of the Orchard Street/US 101 Exit Ramp intersection (see Attachment No. 3). The Traffic Commission reviewed the information, accepted public comment, and recommended the installation of a temporary crosswalk assembly on a trial basis during the Lucia Mar summer break 'in 2013. On October 23, 2012, staff met with representatives of the Lucia Mar School District and Caltrans to discuss both long term and short term traffic circulation issues along Fair Oaks Avenue. Municipal Code Section 10.08.010 "Crosswalks" authorizes the Police Chief to establish crosswalks when he or she believes that there is a danger to pedestrians (see Attachment No. 4). When discussing the crosswalk issue, the Police Chief objected to the installation of a crosswalk at the Fair Oaks Avenue and the Orchard Street/US 101 exit ramp indicating that it would further complicate the decision factors for vehicle drivers and pedestrians to negotiate the intersection. Caltrans representatives also indicated they would not approve a crosswalk at that location. After considerable discussion, the attendees agreed that the preferable solution was to install a crosswalk on Fair Oaks Avenue at the Station Way intersection with flashing warning beacon signs. On November 26, 2012, staff presented the recommendations to the Traffic Commission (Attachment No. 5). The Traffic Commission reviewed the information, accepted public comment, and unanimously advised against the installation of a crosswalk at the intersection. ANALYSIS OF ISSUES: School District personnel have observed a heavy volume of student activity crossing Fair Oaks Avenue during morning and afternoon times, which results in safety concerns given the level of traffic and lack of any protected or marked crossing area west of Traffic Way until Valley Road. Caltrans staff recommended the crosswalk and flashing beacon as an effective alternative to improve pedestrian safety at that location. Normally, crosswalks are not recommended at uncontrolled intersections, but staff Item 11.a. - Page 2 CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF A CROSSWALK AND RECTANGULAR RAPID FLASH BEACONS ON FAIR OAKS AVENUE AT THE STATION WAY INTERSECTION JANUARY 22, 2013 PAGE 3 OF 5 believes the flashing beacons should provide the necessary warning to drivers at this location. The Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) has been installed by Caltrans at a number of locations throughout the State (see Attachment No. 6). Unlike the in- pavement lighting system installed on East Branch Street, they use two poles, one at each end of the crosswalk, that emit pulsating "flashes" back and forth between the poles. The lights are solar powered, easily installed, and are equipped with light emitting diodes (LED). As a result, they are more economical than the in-pavement systems, easier to maintain, and are more visible during daytime hours. A stop sign is not recommended given the level of traffic congestion during school start and dismissal times. The flashing beacons will be manually activated. Therefore, they are an effective option for this location since they will not be flashing when not in use during the majority of the remainder of the day and traffic can continue uninterrupted during those times. Staff also discussed with Caltrans representatives the potential for installation of a traffic signal at the offramp and the Orchard Street intersection, which would allow for the installation of crosswalk. Results of a prior study were reviewed, which demonstrated that this would not be an effective measure due to the misalignment of the offramp and Orchard Street. The Traffic Commission recommended against the proposal for the following reasons: o High School students do not always follow the conventional pathways of travel; • the Lucia Mar School District would have to educate the students to operate the flashing lights correctly; • crosswalks may give pedestrians a false sense of security and they may not pay attention when crossing; and o it may actually be safer for students to cross the street without a crosswalk. In response to their concerns, two additional proposed measures are included: • The School District has committed to providing a crossing guard at the beginning and end of the school sessions. The crossing guard can help ensure the pedestrian activity utilizes the crosswalk. The crossing guard can also help regulate the frequency of pedestrians crossing the street in order to prevent constant interruption of vehicle traffic. • The Police Department has recommended blocking the sidewalk at the north side of the Highway 101 bridge (see Attachment No. 7). This will help ensure the student pedestrian activity crossing the street is concentrated at the crosswalk. Given this additional measure, the Police Chief also supports the recommendations. Item 11.a. - Page 3 CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF A CROSSWALK AND RECTANGULAR RAPID FLASH BEACONS ON FAIR OAKS AVENUE AT THE STATION WAY INTERSECTION JANUARY 22, 2013 PAGE 4 OF 5 Staff intends to continue efforts to study other more comprehensive future solutions. Among potential measures to be studied is the installation of a roundabout at the freeway offramp. However, this would be a much more costly and long-term option. ADVANTAGES: Given the concerns that have been identified at this location regarding pedestrian crossings, staff believes some action is warranted. There is no ideal solution. However, based on all the options evaluated, staff believes the recommendations present the best alternative available. It is the most cost effective, can be implemented relatively quickly, will have the least potential impact on traffic flow, and will not involve any impact on vehicle travel during the remainder of the day when pedestrian traffic is not an issue. DISADVANTAGES: The recommendations require an unbudgeted expenditure. Additionally, while staff believes it will have the least impact on existing traffic flow of available options, the actual impact is difficult to project. ALTERNATIVES: The following alternatives are provided for the Commission's consideration: Approve staff's recommendations; Modify staff's recommendation to install the facilities on a temporary trial basis; Request additional analysis; Deny any short-term measures and direct staff to focus efforts on study of long- term potential options; Approve funding and direct staff to contract for study of a traffic signal at the Fair Oaks Avenue offramp and Orchard Street intersection; or Provide direction to staff. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The project is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 (c). PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS: The Agenda was posted in front of City Hall on Thursday, January 17, 2013. The Agenda and report were posted on the City's website on Friday,. January 18, 2013. No public comments were received. Item 11.a. - Page 4 CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF A CROSSWALK AND RECTANGULAR RAPID FLASH BEACONS ON FAIR OAKS AVENUE AT THE STATION WAY INTERSECTION JANUARY 22, 2013 PAGE 5 OF 5 Attachments: 1. 1111113 Letter-Lucia Mar School District to City 2. Vicinity Map-Fair Oaks Avenue 3. 4116112 Proposed Layout-Crosswalk at Fairs Oaks I Orchard 4. Municipal Code Excerpt-Chapter 10.08.010 "Crosswalks" 5. 11126112 Proposed Layout-Crosswalk at Fair Oaks I Station Way 6. FHWA Publication-Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon 7. Photograph -Two Rail Barrier Item 11.a. - Page 5 ~ ~~ LUCIA MAR UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Eng:1gc. Challcngc.lnspi rc. January 11, 2013 Mr. Steven Adams, City Manager City of Arroyo Grande 3 00 East Branch Street Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 Attachment No.1 Lucia Mar Unified School District 602 Orchard Street Arroyo Grande, CA 934 20 www.lmusd.org Ph 805.474.3000 ext 1070 Fax 805.474.3903 Re: Development of New Pedestrian Crossing at Orchard Avenue & Fair Oaks Avenue Dear Mr. Adams, The Lucia Mar Unified School District greatly appreciates the recent conversations with you and other City staff regarding the need to provide a crosswalk near the intersection of Orchard A venue and Fair Oaks A venue. Our district is very concerned with the lack of a designated safe crossing location in this area due to the high frequency of use by many of our 2,128 Arroyo Grande High School students. In fact, Fair Oaks A venue serves as the primary crossing location for Doughnut Delight, which is a popular doughnut shop for AGHS students. The lack of a controlled crossing location also puts drivers at risk due to the uncertainty of crossing patterns and locations. It is not uncommon to see pedestrians dash across the street at multiple locations in an effort to avoid oncoming traffic. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we provide a new crosswalk by the end of spring break, which is April 8, to ensure the safety of our students and the community as a whole. I am very afraid that one of our students is going to get hit by a car if we do not act decisively, and we cannot let that happen. As evidence of our commitment, Lucia Mar Unified School District is willing to provide a crossing guard at the new crosswalk during the school year in the morning and afternoon to help control the flow of students crossing the street. The goal would be to direct the flow of students in such a manner that it ensures the new street crossing location is always used and that vehicular traffic is minimally impacted due to controlled timing of student crossings. We sincerely appreciate the City's partnership with Lucia Mar Unified School District and look forward to continuing our efforts to support student and community safety. Respectfully, ~ogeb om, Superintendent a:i~~ar Unified School District Item 11.a. - Page 6 Item 11.a. - Page 7 Pr o p o s e d Cr o s s w a l k - A p r i l 1 6 , 20 1 2 Tr a f f i c Co m m i s s i o n Me e t i n g Fa i r Oa k s Av e n u e at Or c h a r d I US 10 1 Ex i t Ra m p In s t a l l Co n t i n e n t a l St y l e Cr o s s w a l k Item 11.a. - Page 8 10.08.010 Chapter 10.0 TRAFFIC ADMINISTRA TIO AND REGULATIO tions: 10.0 .010 10.0 .020 10.08.030 10.08.040 10.0 .050 10.08.060 10.08.010 uthorized De ignntioo of one-way str t . Truck rout . Prohibition of olicitatioo at entrance to commercial park!Jig area and upon public right-of- way areas. Cro wal . The chief of police is authorized and re- quired to establish and maintain upon the sur- face of the roadway, by appropriate devices, marks, or lines, eros walks approximately equal in width to the adjacent sidewalk at all Intersections where, in his or her opinion, there is particular danger to pedestrians cross- ing the roadway. (Prior code§ 4-3.09) 10.08.020 Display of unauthorized lgn . lt i unlawful for any person to place, main- tain or display any device, mark or sign, other than an official warning or direction signal erected by competent authority, upon or in view of a street, which device, mark or sign purports to be, or is, an imitation of, or resem- bles, an official warning or direction sign or signal, or which attempts to direct or control the movement of traffic, or the parking of ve- hicles, or the actions of operators. Any such prohibited device or sign shall be a public nui- 252 Attachment No . 4 sance, and the chief of police may remove it or cause it to be removed, without notice. (Prior code § 4-3.1 0) 10.0 .030 Prohibit d turn . The council, from time to time, by resolu- tion may limit or restrict turning movements by vehicle in specified locations . The chief of police and city engineer shall determine and install appropriate signs to provide notice of such restrictions. After the installation of such signs, no person may operate a vehicle in vio- lation of the provisions of such signs. (Prior code § 4-3.18) 10. .040 D I nation of one-way stree . The city council may, by resolution, desig- nate any portion of any local city street as a one-way treet. The chief of police and city engineer shall determine and install appropri- ate signs to provide notice of such restrictions. After the installation of such signs, no person may operate a vehicle in violation of the pro- visions of such signs. (Prior code § 4-3.19) 10.0 .050 Truck rout . A . Whenever ny resolution of the city designates and describes any street, or portion thereof, as a street the use of which is permit- ted by any vehicle exceeding a maximum gro s weight limit of three tons. the city engi- neer is authorized to designate such street by appropriate signs (''truck routes") for the movement of vehicles exceeding a maximum gross weight limit of three tons. B. When any such truck routes are estab- lished and designated by appropriate signs. the operator of any vehicle exceeding a maximum gro weight limit ofthree tons shall drive on such routes and none other, except that noth- ing in this section shall prohibit the operator Item 11.a. - Page 9 Item 11.a. - Page 10 U.S.Depor1menl of Tronspor1o1ion Federal Highway Admin i stration This summary is one in a series describing Innovative Interse c tion Safe yTreatments . e summaries identify new technolo ies and techn1q u es to i mprove Interse c t io n safety developed s1nc e N C HRP Report 500 , Volumes 5 and 1 2, were published in 2003 and 2 004 , respectively . These tr e a t m en t s show promise for impr ov in g saf e t y but comprehens1ve eff ec tiv e ne ss evaluations are not yet availabl e. Cs afe Roads for a Safer future ~ lnwrl•tnlln rud-f uftiiJ •••tr ll•n Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon (RRFB) Purpose According to the National Highway Traffic Sa ety Adm1n1s rat1on, here were a tota l of 14,340 pedestr·an fata l ities and 193,000 pedestrian injuries resulting from pedest r ian- vehic l e crashes nationwide dunng the 2004-2006 per1od Rectangu l ar Rap1d F l ash Beacons (RRFB) can enhance safety by reduc1ng crashes between vehic l es and pedestrians a uns1gnalized intersec t ions and m1d-bl ock pedes t rian crossings by increasing driver awareness of potentia l pedestnan confl1cts. Alternative Names L1gh Em1tt1ng D ode (LED) Rap1d-Fiash System, Stuner Flash or LED Beacons Operation RRFBs are user-actuated amber LEDs that supp l ement warnmg s1gns at uns1gna l 1zed mtersect,ons or m1d-block crosswa l ks. They can be activated by pedes mans manually by a push button or pass1vely by a pedestnan detection system RRFBs use an 1rregular flash pattern that IS s1m1lar to emergency flashers on police veh1cles. RRFBs may be InStalled on e1 her two-lane or mult1-lane roadways Potential Benefits RRFBs are a l ower cos a l ernanve to traffic s1gnals and hybrid s1gnals that are shown to mcrease dnver y1e l d1ng behav1or at crosswa l ks Significantly when supplementing standard pedestrian crossmg warnmg s1gns and mark1ngs An offic,a l FHWA-sponsored exper mental mp l ementa 10n and eva l uation conducted 1n St. Pe e sburg, Flonda found tha: RRFBs a pedestrian crosswa l ks are dramatiCally more effect1ve a 1ncreas1ng dnver yie l d ng rates to pedestr ans than trad1 10nal overhead beacons The novelty and un1que nature of the stutter flash may eliot a greater response from dnvers than trad1t1onal methods The add1 10n of '{RFB may also mcrease the safety effectiveness of other treatmen s, such as he use of advance y1e l markings w1th Y I ELD (or STOP) HERE FOR PEDESTRIANS s1gns These s1gns and markings are used to reduce the modence of mu lt ip l e-threat crashes a t crossw al ks on mu l ti-l ane roads (ie., crashes where a veh1cle 1n one l ane stops to a ll ow a pedestrian to cross the street wh1 l e a veh1cle 1n an adjacent lane, rave l mg 1n the same d1rect1o . stnkes the pedestnan), but alone they only have a small effect on overa ll drover y1eld1ng ra es. M ay 2009 F HWA·S A-®-009 Item 11.a. - Page 11 Figure 1 : Ac vated, solar pow red RRFB on a enter sland at an unsig'l<l l l.red 'nter~t,on ­ bed ·on~ flash usrng an ,rreg~;lar flash pattern that rs srmrlar to emergency nashers on po l iCe vehiCles Figure 3 : Combr'led road1ide and median sysr m of solar-powered RRF B Learn More Michael Frederick , S Peter s b u r g e rgh b orhood rans p o rtat Of" M a'1ager 727 .893.7843 michael .freder i ck @ stpete .org Ed Rice, lntersec:r on Safe y Team L e a d e r rHWA Office of S a fety 202 .366 .g064 ed .rice @ dot.gov See Also : http ://mutcd .fhwa .dot.gov /resource s/ i nterim _approvaVia11 /stpetersburgrptlintro .htm http ://www .stpete.org /pdf /i te _paper Ol .pdf Agency Experience "An Ana l ysts of the Effects of Stu ter Flash L ED Beacons to Increase Yielding to Pedestnans Using Multilane Crosswalks ." along w1 h "T he Use of Stutter Flash LED Beacons o Increase Yeld ,ng to Pedes na'ls at Crosswalks ." presented at the TransportatiOn Research Board Annua l Meeting 1n 2008, summarized the results of two stud i es on the effects of RRFBs when used to supplement standard pedes nan cross,ng warning s1gns at crosswalks . The former found that go1ng from a n o -beaco'l arrangement o a two-beacon system , mounted o n the supplementary warnmg s1gn on the right side of the cross1ng, 1ncreased y1e l ding from 18 percent to 81 percent. There was a further increase in yie l d1ng behavior, w1th a four-beacon system (with two beacons on both the right and left s1de of the cross t ng) to 88 percent "An Analysts of he Effects of Stut er Flash LED Beacons to Increase Y i eld 1 ng to P edestrians Us1ng Multilane Crosswalks ' also eva l ua ed he si es over a 1-year period , and found hat here was little to no decrease in yielding behavior over t 1 me Implementation Considerations lncludtng RRFBs 0'1 the roads t de 1 ncreases driver yie l dtng behav1or Significantly . lnclud1ng RR F Bs on a center 1s l and or med1an as well can fur her increase driver yie l ding behavio r , a lt hough with a l ower marginal benefit than roadside beacons . RRFBs can use manual push-buttons or automated pass1ve (e.g ., v t deo or 1nfrared) pedes rian detect t on , and should be unlit when not actlva ed. RRFBs typically rece1ve power by s andalone solar panel uni s . but may also be wired to a trad t t ona l power source Manua l on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Specifications The MUTCD gave ntenm approval to R FBs for opt1onal use n lim t ted orcumstances 1n July 2008. The inter i m approval allows for usage as a warning beacon to supp l ement standard pedestrian cross1ng warn1ng s1gns and mark1ngs at e1ther a pedestrian or schoo l crossing ; where he crosswalk approach is not controlled by a yie l d sign , stop s i gn, or raffic-control signa l ; or a a crosswa l k at a roundabout The M U TCD intenm approval memo also c ontains other provrs1ons or the 1 mplementa ion of the device and should be rev i ewed (http //muccd fhwa doc .gov /resources/incenm_approval li a II / fhwamem o hem ) Costs Cost is approximate l y S 10,000 to S 15,000 for purchase and msta ll at1on of two units (one on e1 her side of a stree ) Th1s includes solar panels for powering he uni s, pad lighting, i'ld t cat i on untts (for bot h s i des of street) with RRFBs in he back and front of each untt, signage on bo h approaches . al l posts . and either pas si ve t nfrared de ection or push buttons Wtth audio m _ ru e 1 o ns . C o s s would be proportionately higher fo' additional un1ts placed on a med1an t sland , etc. T~e·.vo ".v• • des t e·fal~werebo "cord ed F rda one Ma-6eacha•dt•e rS Pe mbt.rg Thtvare 5/lerb~:· P ~ n lio"' ~ and 5 Turner !In Ara o' r•e tHt'Ct, of StL.lil?' flo LED Beacon r ncea e Yield nq roPedes "IO"S !J nq e'~ trlarr e ra1spor 'ato liewar·hfioardA1nua Meet g. WastmqrOfl OC 'XI8 ra" Houten R R E r~ Jr.d t VJr"' e a r~e Use f ruuer Ralh LED Beoco ' cease Yield ng to Pedesruans ar ri)li.va! • Presen1ed or helrarsi!O'FOI on Rele ~Board Aroua M pr nq Wo:./1 gr n {)( 1008 Item 11.a. - Page 12 Item 11.a. - Page 13 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Item 11.a. - Page 14