Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout101-Staff Report.pdfSARATOGA CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: November 4, 2009 AGENDA ITEM: DEPARTMENT: Public Works CITY MANAGER: Dave Anderson PREPARED BY: John Cherbone DIRECTOR: John Cherbone Public Works Director Public Works Director SUBJECT: Herriman Avenue Pedestrian Walkway and Bicycle Lane Review ______________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDED ACTIONS: Receive report and provide direction to staff. REPORT SUMMARY: Background: At the April 4, 2007 City Council meeting, the Council gave direction to staff and the Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) to review safety and traffic issues surrounding Saratoga High School. The TSC reviewed a plan presented by the City Traffic Engineer at the June 7, 2007 meeting. As a result of the meeting the TSC made several recommendations: 1. Construct new pedestrian path on the south side of Herriman Avenue between River Ranch Circle and Saratoga Avenue. 2. Construct a pedestrian refuge area (bulbout) and raised crosswalk at the Lexington/Herriman intersection. 3. Standardize existing bicycle lanes. In order to construct the new pedestrian walkway, parking restrictions on the north side of Herriman Avenue from Saratoga Vista to Saratoga Avenue were established to implement the Traffic Engineer’s plan. An option to construct the walkway outside of the travel way was rejected because of its high cost and the impact to mature trees and private landscaping. On September 5, 2007, the City Council approved the parking restrictions via an MV Resolution and directed staff to move forward with the pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements. 1-Year Follow-up Evaluation: Included with the adoption of the MV Resolution, the City Council directed staff to report back in one year regarding the effectiveness of the action. In August of 2008, the City’s Traffic Engineer, Fehr & Peers, conducted a follow-up evaluation (Attachment 1) connected to the implementation of the above mentioned safety improvements. 2 of 4 In summary, the Follow-Up Traffic Evaluation indicated that the improvements met the goal of separating vehicles and pedestrians. On September 11, 2008, the TSC concurred with the recommendations in Traffic Engineer’s 1- Year Follow-up Review. At the October 17, 2008 City Council Meeting, the Council received the report on the 1- Year Follow-up Review and directed staff to work with the neighbors affected by the loss of parking to determine if there were options that would restore parking while trying to retain pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Discussion: The Herriman Avenue Task Force comprised of affected neighbors, two members of the TSC, the City Traffic Engineer, and City staff. The Task Force met four times over the past year to investigate the issue. It was agreed by the Task Force that any solution that included widening the footprint of the roadway would need the approval from the affected property owner to be considered. Twelve different options or configurations were considered during the course of the investigation. At the fourth and last Task Force meeting it was agreed that four of the twelve options be submitted to City Council for consideration. The four options are discussed in a memorandum prepared by Fehr & Peers dated October 23, 2009 (Attachment 2). In summary the four options are as follows: Option 1: (Current/Existing) Keep current configuration of Herriman Avenue. Create raised pedestrian walkway by filling in between the asphalt berm and concrete curb. (Estimated Cost: $40,000) Option 2: (Modified Original, No Pedestrian Path) Return to original configuration of Herriman Avenue by eliminating the pedestrian path. Changes to the original configuration include standard width bicycle lanes and parking limited to the hours of 7PM to 7AM to allow cyclist daytime use of the north side bicycle lane. (Estimated Cost: $25,000) Option 3: (Limited Parking) Modify current configuration of Herriman Avenue by modifying roadway striping to allow five time limited parking spaces (7PM to 7AM ) on the north side of the road between Jerries Drive and Lannoy Ct. to allow daytime use of bicycle lane. Create raised pedestrian walkway by filling in between the asphalt berm and concrete curb. (Estimated Cost: $47,500) Option 4: (Discontinuous Bicycle Lanes) Remove standard bicycle lane on south side of the road between Jerries Drive and Herriman Avenue and replace with 3 foot shoulder. Modifying roadway striping to allow 13 time limited parking spaces (7PM to 7AM) between Saratoga 3 of 4 Avenue and Lannoy Ct. to allow daytime use of bicycle lane. Create raised pedestrian walkway by filling in between the asphalt berm and concrete curb. (Estimated Cost: $55,000) Improvements which will move forward in conjunction with the final agreed upon option include closing a small gap in the walkway at River Ranch Circle, repair the section of walkway located along the frontage of the High School to mitigate potential tripping hazards, and the installation of a raised crosswalk at Lexington Court. Additional traffic calming measures are currently being investigated by the TSC for future implementation. FISCAL IMPACTS: · Option 1: Estimate Cost: $40,000 (Fill in Pedestrian Walkway) · Option 2: Estimated Cost: $10,000 (Remove Asphalt Berms and Restore Roadway) $15,000 (Remove and Replace Roadway Markings and Signs) $25,000 · Option 3: Estimated Cost: $40,000 (Fill in Pedestrian Walkway) $7,500 (Remove and Replace Roadway Markings and Signs) $47,500 · Option 4: Estimated Cost: $40,000 (Create Level Walkway) $15,000 (Remove and Replace Roadway Markings and Signs) $55,000 City Council has various funding sources available in which to fund the desired Option including the Traffic Safety CIP budget and the Street Improvement CIP budget. Staff recommends all striping/signage work and filling in of the pedestrian pathway work be funded from Streets and the raised walkway be funded from Traffic Safety. CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED ACTION: The configuration of Herriman Avenue would remain as it currently is. ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S): None in addition to the above. 4 of 4 FOLLOW UP ACTION(S): Staff will move forward with the implementation of the desired Option chosen by City Council. Subsequent, Motor Vehicle Resolution(s) will be submitted to City Council for approval if needed. ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT: A letter was mailed to the affected property owners on Herriman Avenue informing them of the City Council meeting (Attachment 3). ATTACHMENTS: 1. October 6, 2008 Fehr & Peers 1-Year Review Memorandum. 2. October 23, 2009 Fehr & Peers Memorandum 3. Letter to Residents.