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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTSC Packet 01-13-2011CITY OF SARATOGA TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION AGENDA DATE: January 13, 2011 TIME: 6:30 PM — 9:30 PM LOCATION: Administrative Conference Room 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070 Call to Order Roll Call: Biester, Bustamante, Coulter, Guichard, Kane, Kirk, and Vita Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly posted on January 6, 2011. Accept Agenda Items• No additional items may be added pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. Oral & Written Communication Any member of the public may address the Commission about any matter not on the agenda for this meeting for up to three minutes. Commissioners may not comment on the matter but may choose to place the topic on a future agenda. Approval of Draft Minutes Draft Traffic Safety Commission Minutes for November 4, 2010 Draft Traffic Safety Commission Special Meeting Minutes for November 4, 2010 Sheriff's Report to the Commission Old Business 1. Traffic Matrix #260 Issue: Concerns with crosswalk on Prospect Road at Titus Avenue Action: TSC will make recommendation 11-04-2010: TSC recommend that Public Works study removing the crosswalk at Titus, improving the walkway at Johnson &Prospect, and review at the January TSC meeting New Business 2. Traffic Matrix #261 Issue: Concerns with traffic and speeding on Paseo Pueblo Action: TSC will make recommendation 3. Traffic Matrix 11262 Issue: Safety concerns on Sobey Road near Marshall Lane School Action: TSC will make recommendation 4. Traffic Matrix #263 Issue: Concerns with intersection at Scully Avenue & Prospect Avenue Action: TSC will make recommendation 5. Traffic Matrix #264 Issue: Traffic concerns on Reid Lane Action: TSC will make recommendation 6. Traffic Matrix #265 Issue: Request for sidewalk on Saratoga Avenue Action: TSC will make recommendation Announcements by Commissioners and Staff - Meeting calendar changes Adjournment to Next Regular Meeting Thursday, March 10, 2011 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you are a disabled person and you need a disability - related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 408.868.1269 or ctclerkQPsaratoga.ca.us Requests must be made as early as possible and at least one full business day before the start of the meeting. In accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act, copies of material provided to the Traffic Safety Commission by City staff in connection with this agenda are available at the office of the Public Works Department at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, California 95070. Any materials distributed by staff after the posting of the agenda are made available for public review at the Public Works office at the time they are distributed to the Traffic Safety Commission. Certificate of Posting of Agenda: I, Kristin Borel, Public Works Analyst for the City of Saratoga, declare that the foregoing agenda for the meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission of the City of Saratoga was posted on January 6, 2011 at the office of the City of Saratoga, 13(1/ Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070 and was available for public review at that location. The agenda is also available on the City's website at www.saratoga.ca.us. DATE: TIME: LOCATION: Call to Order CITY OF SARATOGA TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Draft Action Minutes November 4, 2010 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Administrative Conference Room 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070 Roll Call: Biester, Bustamante, Coulter, Guichard, Kane, Kirk, and Vita Absent: None Staff: Traffic Planner Church, Public Works Director Cherbone and Analyst Borel Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly posted on October 28, 2010. Borel reports Accept Agenda Items• No additional items may be added pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. No changes Oral & Written Communication Any member of the public may address the Commission about any matter not on the agenda for this meeting for up to three minutes. Commissioners may not comment on the matter but may choose to place the topic on a future agenda. No speakers Approval of Draft Minutes Draft Traffic Safety Commission Minutes for September 9, 2010. Approved 7-0 Sheriff's Report to the Commission Capt. Calderone & Lt. Morrissey report Old Business 1. Traffic Matrix #245 - Larry & Lisa Pott (6:38 p.m.) Issue: Review of new speed data on Mendelsohn Action: TSC will make recommendation 01-14-2010 TSC recommend directed enforcement and use of the radar trailer MOTION: Recommend speed bumps in location designated by Traffic Engineer and have Public Works work with the neighborhood for implementation. APPROVED 6-1, Kane opposed. 2. Traffic Matrix #257 - Laura Murphy (7:00 p.m.) Issue: Concerns around Saratoga Elementary School Action: TSC will make recommendation MOTION: Recommend No Parking at the ramp/gate entrance on Forrest Hills. APPROVED 6-1, Kane opposed. MOTION: Recommend crosswalk on north corner of Aloha at Forrest Hills. APPROVED 6-1, Kane opposed. 3. Traffic Matrix 11258 - Brad Daniels (7:35 p.m.) Issue: Request for truck weight limits on Pierce Road Action: TSC will make recommendation No motion on this item. Public Works will contact Garrod Farms and Mt. Winery to inquire about truck routes that vendors use. New Business 4. Traffic Matrix #254 - Vic Nalwa (8:02 p.m.) Issue: Request speed bumps on Cumberland Action: TSC will make recommendation MOTION: Recommend use of the radar feedback trailer and directed enforcement, and consider double yellow lines as a possible future solution. APPROVED 7-0 5. Traffic Matrix 11255 - Jaime Abhari (8:15 p.m.) Issue: Requests speed bumps on El Camino Grande Action: TSC will make recommendation MOTION: Recommend use of the radar feedback trailer and directed enforcement, and the posting of a 25 mph speed limit sign in area determined by the Traffic Engineer. APPROVED 7-0 6. Traffic Matrix 11256 - Howard Young (8:35 p.m.) Issue: Request Stop signs on Thelma at Hammond Action: TSC will make recommendation MOTION: Recommend use of the radar feedback trailer and directed enforcement. APPROVED 7-0 MOTION: Recommend adding "2 Way" sign to existing Stop signs on Hammond at Thelma. APPROVED 7-0 7. Traffic Matrix #259 - Judy McGinley (8:55 p.m.) Issue: Request speed bumps on Clemson Avenue Action: TSC will make recommendation MOTION: Recommend use of the radar feedback trailer and directed enforcement. APPROVED 7-0 MOTION: Recommend that need for speed limit signs be evaluated by Traffic Engineer and added if needed. APPROVED 7-0 Election of New Chair and Vice Chair Corinne Vita elected Chair. APPROVED 7-0 Peggy Guichard elected Vice Chair APPROVED 7-0 Announcements by Commissioners and Staff Calendar for 2011 Adjournment at 9:20 p.m. to the Next Regular Meeting Thursday, January 13, 2011 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you are a disabled person and you need a disability - related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 408.868.1269 or ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us Requests must be made as early as possible and at least one full business day before the start of the meeting. In accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act, copies of material provided to the Traffic Safety Commission by City staff in connection with this agenda are available at the office of the Public Works Department at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, California 95070. Any materials distributed by staff after the posting of the agenda are made available for public review at the Public Works office at the time they are distributed to the Traffic Safety Commission. Certificate of Posting of Agenda: I, Kristin Borel, Public Works Analyst for the City of Saratoga, declare that the foregoing agenda for the meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission of the City of Saratoga was posted on October 28, 2010 at the office of the City of Saratoga, 13/(/ Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070 and was available for public review at that location. The agenda is also available on the City's website at www.saratoga.ca.us. CITY OF SARATOGA TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION Special Meeting Draft Action Minutes DATE: November 4, 2010 TIME: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM LOCATION: Administrative Conference Room 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070 Call to Order at 6:30 p.m. Roll Call: Biester, Bustamante, Coulter, Guichard, Kane, Kirk, and Vita Absent: None Staff: Traffic Planner Church, Public Works Director Cherbone and Analyst Borel Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly posted on October 28, 2010. Borel reports Accept Agenda Items: No additional items may be added pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2. No changes Oral & Written Communication Any member of the public may address the Commission about any matter not on the agenda for this meeting for up to three minutes. Commissioners may not comment on the matter but may choose to place the topic on a future agenda. No speakers 1. Traffic Matrix 11260 Issue: Concerns with crosswalk on Prospect Road at Titus Avenue Action: TSC will make recommendation MOTION: Recommend that Public Works study removing the crosswalk at Titus, improving the walkway at Johnson & Prospect, and review at the January TSC meeting. APPROVED 7-0. Adjournment to the Regular Traffic Safety Commission Meeting at 6:30 p.m. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you are a disabled person and you need a disability - related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 408.868.1269 or ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us Requests must be made as early as possible and at least one full business day before the start of the meeting. In accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act, copies of material provided to the Traffic Safety Commission by City staff in connection with this agenda are available at the office of the Public Works Department at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, California 95070. Any materials distributed by staff after the posting of the agenda are made available for public review at the Public Works office at the time they are distributed to the Traffic Safety Commission. Certificate of Posting of Agenda: I, Kristin Borel, Public Works Analyst for the City of Saratoga, declare that the foregoing agenda for the meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission of the City of Saratoga was posted on October 28, 2010 at the office of the City of Saratoga, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070 and was available for public review at that location. The agenda is also available on the City's website at www.saratoga.ca.us. Kristin Borel Traffic Matrix #260 From: Mani Jayaraman [manijayaraman@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 5:06 PM To: Kristin Borel Subject: Fwd: Re: [McAuliffe] Pedestrian safety on crosswalk at Prospect & Titus intersection Dear Kristin, Below is an email that I wrote to the other administrators at City of Saratoga regarding pedestrian safety at the Prospect and Titus crosswalk. I was informed by one of the your colleague that I should forward this email to you as it comes under your purview. Please do the needful. Thank you. Regards, Mani From: Mani Jayaraman <manijayaraman@yahoo.com <mailto:manijayaraman% 40yahoo.com><mailto:manijayaraman%40yahoo.com> > Subject: Pedestiran Saftety on Crosswalk Prospect Ave @ Titus ave To: cmorrow@saratoga.ca.us <mailto:cmorrow%40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:cmorrow%40saratoga.ca.us> , kk2king@saratoga.ca.us <mailto:kk2king%40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:kk2king%40saratoga.ca.us> , cpage@saratoga.ca.us <mailto:cpage%40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:cpage%40saratoga.ca.us> , hmiller@saratoga.ca.us <mailto•hmiller% 40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:hmiller%40saratoga.ca.us> , mcappello@saratoga.ca.us <mailtomcappello% 40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:mcappello%40saratoga.ca.us> , ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us <mailto:ctclerk% 40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:ctclerk%40saratoga.ca.us> , davea@saratoga.ca.us <mailto:davea% 40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:davea%40saratoga.ca.us> , jcherbone@saratoga.ca.us <mailto:jcherbone% 40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:jcherbone%40saratoga.ca.us> , jsmith@saratoga.ca.us <mailto:jsmith% 40saratoga.ca.us><mailto:jsmith%40saratoga.ca.us> Cc: hoipoon@yahoo.com <mailto:hoipoon%40yahoo.com><mailto:hoipoon%40yahoo.com> , mcauliffeweb@mcauliffek8.com <mailto:mcauliffeweb%40mcauliffek8.com><mailto •mcauliffeweb%40mcauliffek8.com> Date: Friday, 22 October, 2010, 1:26 PM Dear All, I'm writing to bring to your attention to a very hazardous situation at the Prospect Avenue and Titus Avenue intersection in Saratoga . There is an unguarded pedestrian crosswalk at this intersection which leads to Christa McAuliffe School . I and many other parents use this crosswalk with our kids to get to the school. On a regular basis, cars drive past this crosswalk without waiting for the pedestrians at speeds which are hazardous and borderline criminal. On Wednesday, 20th October, I and my son were almost run over by an SUV. The vehicle came to screeching halt mere few feet from us while we were using the crosswalk. Upon sharing this incident with other parents, I found out that these close calls happen too often. I doubt us or any pedestrian would survive a collision if it were to happen. This situation is worse in the westbound direction due to the following reasons. 1) Speed limit of 40 mph: This is an avenue in a residential neighborhood and near a school and speed limit of 40 mph seems way too high in my opinion. 2) There are no clear signs warning drivers that they are approaching a across walk used by school children 1 ahead of time. 3) Existing signs are obscured by overgrown trees. The above issues can be addressed by a) Reducing the speed limit to 25 mph around this cross walk. The high school kids down the road enjoy this luxury and I can think of no good reason this safety measure should not be provided to the younger children. b) Post bigger, more visible signs indicating that there is a pedestrian crosswalk ahead. This will allow the drivers to be more aware of the hazard to the pedestrians. c) Trim the trees obscuring the current signs. d) Traffic enforcement with police once a week. While I realize that option (a) can take time, the other three can't happen soon enough. I realize that there is a monetary cost in carrying out the above fixes and I hope that concern for pedestrian safety outweighs that cost. If no corrective action is taken to address this hazard, a serious and possibly fatal collision involving a pedestrian and a car is a certainty. It is not question of if, it is matter of when. The cost to the city from any legal action arising from such an incident, would far outweigh any expense in preventing such an incident. I sincerely hope that necessary remedies are carried out before any untoward incident. Sincerely, Mani Jayaraman Concerned Parent. 2 From. Nasim Hashemi [mailto:nasim@hashemi.com] Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 11:20 AM To: Jerry W. Witherspoon Cc: Dave Anderson; Mani Jayaraman; McAuliffe@yahoogroups.com; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel; Ostrov_Louise@cusdk8.org Subject: Re: [McAuliffe] Re: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. As Mette mentioned, this issue has been dealt with before. Here are some potential solutions: 1. Find a McAuliffe parent who will manage this issue. 2. This person contacts the previous McAuliffe parent who managed this issue, for input and insight. 3.I believe the last time STOP signs or a Traffic Light were requested for Titus and Prospect. We got a brighter side walk, the divider and plants. 4.Revisit the City with our requests. Which if I heard correctly is better signage and hopefully a the least STOP signs on Prosepct at Titus. 5.Report back to the community what the City feedback is. I nominate you Mani. :-) Page 1 of 2 Kristin Borel From: Nancy Roberts [Nan.Roberts@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 8:50 PM To: Dave Anderson; 'Larson -Roberts, Nancy L'; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter Cc: Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel; 'Mani Jayaraman' Subject: RE: Pedestrian Safety on Crosswalk Prospect Ave and Titus Ave Dear Mr. Anderson, Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. This has been a very dangerous and long standing need that has gone overlooked for way too long. A swift, well targeted, and uncompromising intervention will very likely save a life. Sincerely, Nancy Roberts From: Dave Anderson [mailto:davea@saratoga.ca.us] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 5:13 PM To: Larson -Roberts, Nancy L; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter Cc: Nancy Roberts; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel Subject: RE: Pedestrian Safety on Crosswalk Prospect Ave and Titus Ave Dear Ms. Roberts; I will have our staff research the issue of a "safety zone" on Prospect Avenue near McAuliffe school. I will have the Public Works staff contact you on Monday with the results of their research. Regards, Dave Anderson City Manager P5, Please let the parents involved in this "letter writing campaign" know that they have been heard and that the City is proposing a number of ways we can work together to make this a safer crossing. Please take Crystal Morrow and Joan Smith off the distribution list, and add our Vice -Mayor, Jill Hunter at jhunter@saratoga.ca.us Senior Civil Engineer, Iveta Harvancik at: iharvancik@saratoga.ca.us Also, please include the staff liaison to the City's Traffic Safety Commission, Kristin Borel at: kborel@saratoga.ca.us 10/27/2010 From: Melanie Schrader [mailto:melaniex1000@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 11:55 AM To: Nasim Hashemi; Jerry W. Witherspoon Cc: Dave Anderson; Mani Jayaraman; McAuliffe©yahoogroups.com; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel; Ostrov_Louise@cusdk8.org Subject: Re: [McAuliffe] Re: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. And in the meantime, please use the traffic light at Johnson to cross the street. Yes, it's a few more blocks & takes a few more minutes, but until this situation has been resolved, don't risk your life or your children's by crossing in an unsafe place just to save a little time. :) Melanie Page 1 of 3 Kristin Borel From: Mani Jayaraman [manijayaraman@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 8:58 PM To: Dave Anderson Cc: Carrie Cleary; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel; McAuliffe@yahoogroups.com; melissa montelongo Subject: Re: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. San Jose Dear Dave, Thank you for your email. I'm happy to hear that Sheriff dept. will provide immediate assistance to address this serious safety issue and I look forward hearing about the permanent measures that the City of Saratoga is planning, to make this intersection safer for pedestrians. Regards, Mani PS: This is not a letter writing campaign for me. This is more of a "Holyshit! Me and my son almost got killed crossing the street on a designated crosswalk. Let me hope the people in charge will do something permanent about this real and immediate threat to our lives campaign" I'm pasting a note from an eyewitness to my near miss (just in case anyone is under the impression that it was a fantasy cooked up for a "letter writing campaign"). Mani, I saw this happen and it was mortifying. However, it is a normal occurrence. Even with our own beloved MCA parents. Everyday there is someone driving on Prospect with their phone attached to their ear using their elbow to steer and turn. I am so glad you guys are olc I will send a message to the city as welL Until then we need as a community to respect the law. Respect the speed limit and stay offyour phone!! If the call is so important that you would endanger other peoples lives and your OWN KIDS lives invest some money in an earpiece. Both hands on the steering wheel Best, Melissa On 10/22/2010 05:33 PM, Dave Anderson wrote: Dear Ms. O'Leary; In response to your email message I have asked Captain Calderone to assist in slowing down traffic and ensuring pedestrian safety using the crosswalk at Titus and Prospect Ave during school drop off and pickup next week. In addition, a number of other parents have brought up other issues that may take longer to implement. I want to let you know that your voices have been heard and that the City has taken and will take a number of steps to make this area safer. Staff will compile the various requests and research some of the other issues involved and send an email out to the parents that have written to express 10/27/2010 Page 2 of 3 their concern on Monday. Regards, Dave Anderson City Manager PS, Please let the parents involved in this "letter writing campaign' know that they have been heard and that the City is proposing a number of ways we can work together to make this a safer crossing. Please take Crystal Morrow and Joan Smith off the distribution list, and add our Vice - Mayor, Jill Hunter atjhunter@saratoga.ca.us Senior Civil Engineer, (vete Harvancik at: iharvancik@saratoga.ca.us Also, please include the staff liaison to the City's Traffic Safety Commission, Kristin Borel at: kborel@saratoga.ca.us On 10/22/2010 05:33 PM, Dave Anderson wrote: Dear Ms. O'Leary; In response to your email message I have asked Captain Calderone to assist in slowing down traffic and ensuring pedestrian safety using the crosswalk at Titus and Prospect Ave during school drop off and pickup next week. In addition, a number of other parents have brought up other issues that may take longer to implement. I want to let you know that your voices have been heard and that the City has taken and will take a number of steps to make this area safer. Staff will compile the various requests and research some of the other issues involved and send an email out to the parents that have written to express their concern on Monday. Regards, Dave Anderson City Manager PS, Please let the parents involved in this "letter writing campaign" know that they have been heard and that the City is proposing a number of ways we can work together to make this a safer crossing. Please take Crystal Morrow and Joan Smith off the distribution list, and add our Vice - Mayor, Jill Hunter at jhunter@saratoga.ca.us Senior Civil Engineer, Iveta Harvancik at: iharvancik@saratoga.ca.us Also, please include the staff liaison to the City's Traffic Safety Commission, Kristin Borel at: kborel@saratoga.ca.us From: Carrie Oleary [mailto:carrieoleary@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 4:05 PM To: Crystal Morrow; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; Dave Anderson; John Cherbone; Joan Smith Cc: Mani Jayaraman Subject: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. San Jose Dear All, 10/27/2010 Page 3 of 3 A fellow parent, Mani Jaramayaraman, recently wrote to you explaining the safety dangers our children and parents are facing when we cross from the north side of Prospect Avenue to the south side to make our way to Christa McAuliffe School, located at 12211 Titus Ave in Saratoga. I'm writing to echo his sense of urgency - we need traffic calming at that intersection, with clear signage and enforcement of the 25mph zone outside of schools, and better protection for pedestrians using the crosswalk. Our school serves children ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade, and many live in the local neighborhood of West San Jose that lies between Prospect and Rainbow Ave. We would like to enjoy the sense of community of walking our younger children to school, and the pride of seeing our older children walk themselves to school in our safe neighborhood. High school students attending Lynbrook also make their way across the intersection, often alone, running to get across safely. The intersection is the sight of an accident waiting to happen. As Mani wrote, we recognize that we can also help as a school community, by having parents crossing students before and after school at the crosswalk. But we would like to see some help with slowing the cars, and with police patrolling the area to emphasize sensible precautions around children attempting to get to school safely. Thank you for all you do for our community! Sincerely, Carrie O'Leary mom of Myles (3rd grade) and Eleanor (1st grade) 10/27/2010 Page 1 of2 Kristin Borel From: Mani Jayaraman [manijayaraman@yahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2010 2:19 PM To: Dave Anderson Cc: McAuliffe@yahoogroups.com; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel; Ostrov_Louise@cusdk8.org Subject: Re: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. Attachments: Propect_Westbound.pdf; Propect_Eastbound.pdf Dear All, I'm attaching pictures which illustrates the challenge even responsible drivers face. a) There is a little hill at the Prospect and Johnson intersection which makes it impossible to see what's ahead (the crosswalk at Prospect and Titus). As drivers approach the Prospect Johnson intersection westbound, there are no visible signs which informs the driver that there is an unguarded crosswalk less than 100 meters after that intersection. This can be seen in slides titled Prospect westbound 1 and 2. b) Once they pass the intesection there are signs on the right side indicationg the lower speed limit of 25 mph and that there is cross walk ahead. Unfortunately these signs are obscured by overgrown trees. The signs on the ground are too close to the intersection and drivers don't see them until they are right on top of the sign. Coming to a stop from here before the crosswalk,which is — 50 meters away, at 40 mph, is a challenging task to say the least. The east bound direction there is no hill, but the challenges for the drivers remain the same. Installing clearly visible signs before the lighted intersections informing the drivers that there is a school zone ahead with 25 mph speed limit and that there is a School cross walk would go a long way towards improving pedestrian safety at the Prospect -Titus crosswalk. Regards, Mani --- On Fri, 22/10/10, Mani Jayaraman <mani/avaraman@yalawo.tom> wrote: From: Mani Jayaraman <manijayaraman(d)yahoo.com> Subject: Pedestiran Saftety on Crosswalk Prospect Ave @ Titus ave To: cmorrow@saratoga.ca.us, kk2king u,saratoga.ca.us, cpage@saratoga.ca.us, hmiller _,saratoga.ca.us, mcappello@saratoga.ca.us, ctclerk cesaratoga.ca.us, davea@saratoga.ca.us, jcherbone n,saratoga.ca.us, jsmith@saratoga.ca.us Cc: hoipoon(a),yahoo.com, mcauliffeweb@mcauliffek8.com Date: Friday, 22 October, 2010, 1:26 PM Dear AII, I'm writing to bring to your attention to a very hazardous situation at the Prospect Avenue and 10/27/2010 Page 2 of 2 Titus Avenue intersection in Saratoga . There is an unguarded pedestrian crosswalk at this intersection which leads to Christa McAuliffe School . I and many other parents use this crosswalk with our kids to get to the school. On a regular basis, cars drive past this crosswalk without waiting for the pedestrians at speeds which are hazardous and borderline criminal. On Wednesday, 20th October, I and my son were almost run over by an SUV. The vehicle came to screeching halt mere few feet from us while we were using the crosswalk. Upon sharing this incident with other parents, I found out that these close calls happen too often. I doubt us or any pedestrian would survive a collision if it were to happen. This situation is worse in the westbound direction due to the following reasons. 1) Speed limit of 40 mph: This is an avenue in a residential neighborhood and near a school and speed limit of 40 mph seems way too high in my opinion. 2) There are no clear signs warning drivers that they are approaching a across walk used by school children ahead of time. 3) Existing signs are obscured by overgrown trees. The above issues can be addressed by a) Reducing the speed limit to 25 mph around this cross walk. The high school kids down the road enjoy this luxury and I can think of no good reason this safety measure should not be provided to the younger children. b) Post bigger, more visible signs indicating that there is a pedestrian crosswalk ahead. This will allow the drivers to be more aware of the hazard to the pedestrians. c) Trim the trees obscuring the current signs. d) Traffic enforcement with police once a week. While I realize that option (a) can take time, the other three can't happen soon enough. I realize that there is a monetary cost in carrying out the above fixes and I hope that concern for pedestrian safety outweighs that cost. If no corrective action is taken to address this hazard, a serious and possibly fatal collision involving a pedestrian and a car is a certainty. It is not question of if, it is matter of when. The cost to the city from any legal action arising from such an incident, would far outweigh any expense in preventing such an incident. I sincerely hope that necessary remedies are carried out before any untoward incident. Sincerely, Mani Jayaraman Concerned Parent. 10/27/2010 Kristin Borel Page 1 of 2 From: John Cherbone Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 12:17 PM To: Kathleen King Cc: Manny Cappello; Jill Hunter; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Dave Anderson; Kristin Borel; Iveta Harvancik Subject: RE: Crosswalk at Titus and Prospect Hi Kathleen, 100% correct. We always ask the schools for support letters on Safe Routes to School Grants, but the more support letters the better. We will have the issue heard at our next TSC Meeting in a little over a week from now. Sincerely, John From: kk2king@saratoga.ca.us [mailto:kk2king@saratoga.ca.us] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 3:21 PM To: Lori Krauss; Crystal Morrow; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; Dave Anderson; John Cherbone; Joan Smith Subject: Re: Crosswalk at Titus and Prospect I am sorry you feel this way because we have tried to improve areas around all the schools in Saratoga. The City does not pay for crossing guards in Saratoga. The school districts pay for their own crossing guards. As to road crossings and signals, all efforts go through the traffic safety committee. All signals have to meet warranted state requirements before a signal is installed. Most lighted crosswalks have been paid for by grants similar to Safe Route to School grants. Recent work on Prospect has been paid for by Saratoga City without any funding from san Jose even though we share the areas John or Dave, do you have anything to add? Do we have grant requests in for the streets off Prospect that parents could help us with? Kathleen King Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry From: "Lori Krauss" <lorikrauss@pacbell.net> Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:50:55 -0700 To: <cmorrow@saratoga.ca.us>; <kk2king@saratoga.ca.us>; <epage@saratoga.ca.us>; <hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>; <mcappello@saratoga.ca.us>; <ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us>; <davea@saratoga.ca.us>; <jcherbone@saratoga.ca.us>; <jsmith@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: Crosswalk at Titus and Prospect Dear Fellow Residents: As noted by some other parents, I too wanted to chime in. I am a Saratoga resident with children in the Cupertino school district. I have noticed over the years that the Saratoga schools 10/27/2010 Page 2 of 2 have much better traffic and crosswalk coverage...and feel like we are the poor, neglected stepchildren. When I am travelling after school to the crosswalk on Saratoga Avenue near St. Andrews, there is even a crossing guard, in addition to a light. We have NO crossing guard, No Iight....Nothing. My children would love to ride their bikes to school, but I can't let them because the traffic is so crazy and they would need to ride on the wrong side of the street until they got to Miller, unless they go through the neighborhood. Over the last 9 years at McAuliffe, I have seen countless close calls. No one seems to stop for kids. I have often wondered why there is a light at Johnson, where there is no through street, but there is not one at Titus where there is a school? Please give us Cupertino school based residents of Saratoga the same consideration you give the residents with children in the Saratoga schools. Keep our kids safe. Thank you. Lori Krauss Lori Krauss - Iorikrauss(d pacbell.net (408) 420-6251 skype - lorilaw1007 This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential or privileged information. If the reader of this message Is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify me immediately by return Email at the above address. Please also delete all copies of this message from your computer system. Thank you. 10/27/2010 From: Jerry W. Witherspoon [mailto:jerry.witherspoon©gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2010 9:10 PM To: Dave Anderson; Mani Jayaraman Cc: McAuliffe@yahoogroups.com; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel; Ostrov_Louise@cusdk8.org Subject: Re: [McAuliffe] Re: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. [2 Attachments] I keep getting all of this info about the problem but I have yet to see anything being done to contact the responsible agencies. What are the police and the school district doing about the safety of our children? Jerry Page 1 of 2 Kristin Borel From: Dave Anderson Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 5:13 PM To: Larson -Roberts, Nancy L; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter Cc: Nancy Roberts; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel Subject: RE: Pedestrian Safety on Crosswalk Prospect Ave and Titus Ave Dear Ms. Roberts; I will have our staff research the issue of a "safety zone" on Prospect Avenue near McAuliffe school. I will have the Public Works staff contact you on Monday with the results of their research. Regards, Dave Anderson City Manager PS, Please let the parents involved in this "letter writing campaign" know that they have been heard and that the City is proposing a number of ways we can work together to make this a safer crossing. Please take Crystal Morrow and Joan Smith off the distribution list, and add our Vice -Mayor, Jill Hunter at jhunter@saratoga.ca.us Senior Civil Engineer, Iveta Harvancik at: iharvancik@saratoga.ca.us Also, please include the staff liaison to the City's Traffic Safety Commission, Kristin Bore! at: kborel@saratoga.ca.us From: Larson -Roberts, Nancy L[mailto:nancy.l.larson-roberts@Imco.com] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 3:49 PM To: Crystal Morrow; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; Dave Anderson; John Cherbone; Joan Smith Cc: Nancy Roberts Subject: Pedestiran Saftety on Crosswalk Prospect Ave and Titus Ave Dear All, This has been an extremely long standing problem. For decades now, Prospect at McAuliffe 10/27/2010 Page 2 of 2 should have been declared a school zone. Every other school has a safety school zone. Why not McAuliffe? They've been there for decades now. There's been abundant time. There have been way too many close calls for anyone to deny this as an urgent need. A lack of immediate action on your part will be considered a rejection of all related requests for • intervention. Please do not force a tragedy by failing to act with the greatest urgency and resolve this situation demands. Sincerely, Nancy Roberts Would write even if I wasn't a concerned parent. Nancy Roberts 3.2+CK3BEtH MA11 10/27/2010 Page 1 of 2 Kristin Borel From: Dave Anderson Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 5:33 PM To: Carrie Oleery; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; John Cherbone; Jill Hunter Cc: Mani Jayaraman; Iveta Harvancik; Kristin Borel Subject: RE: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. San Jose Dear Ms. O'Leary; In response to your email message I have asked Captain Calderone to assist in slowing down traffic and ensuring pedestrian safety using the crosswalk at Titus and Prospect Ave during school drop off and pickup next week. In addition, a number of other parents have brought up other issues that may take longer to implement. t want to let you know that your voices have been heard and that the City has taken and will take a number of steps to make this area safer. Staff will compile the various requests and research some of the other issues involved and send an email out to the parents that have written to express their concern on Monday. Regards, Dave Anderson City Manager PS, Please let the parents involved in this "letter writing campaign" know that they have been heard and that the City is proposing a number of ways we can work together to make this a safer crossing. Please take Crystal Morrow and Joan Smith off the distribution list, and add our Vice -Mayor, Jill Hunter at ihunter@saratoga.ca.us Senior Civil Engineer, Iveta Harvancik at: iharvancik@saratoga.ca.us Also, please include the staff liaison to the City's Traffic Safety Commission, Kristin Borel at: kborel@saratoga.ca.us From: Carrie Oleary [mailto:carrieoleary@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 4:05 PM To: Crystal Morrow; Kathleen King; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; Dave Anderson; John Cherbone; Joan Smith Cc: Mani Jayaraman Subject: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. San Jose Dear All, A fellow parent, Mani Jaramayaraman, recently wrote to you explaining the safety dangers our children and parents are facing when we cross from the north side of Prospect Avenue to the south side to make our way to Christa McAuliffe School, located at 12211 Titus Ave in Saratoga. I'm writing to echo his sense of urgency - we need traffic calming at that intersection, with clear signage and enforcement of the 25mph zone outside of schools, and better protection for pedestrians using the crosswalk. Our school serves children ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade, and many live in the local neighborhood of West San Jose that lies between Prospect and Rainbow Ave. We would like to enjoy the sense of community of walking our younger children to 10/27/2010 Page 2 of 2 school, and the pride of seeing our older children walk themselves to school in our safe neighborhood. High school students attending Lynbrook also make their way across the intersection, often alone, running to get across safely. The intersection is the sight of an accident waiting to happen. As Mani wrote, we recognize that we can also help as a school community, by having parents crossing students before and after school at the crosswalk. But we would like to see some help with slowing the cars, and with police patrolling the area to emphasize sensible precautions around children attempting to get to school safely. Thank you for all you do for our community! Sincerely, Carrie O'Leary mom of Myles (3rd grade) and Eleanor (1st grade) 10/27/2010 Kristin Borel From: Dave Anderson Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 11:31 AM To: Kristin Borel; John Cherbone; Iveta Harvancik Subject: FW: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. San Jose FYI Original Message From: Nasim Hashemi [mailto:nasim@hashemi.com] Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 8:16 AM To: Dave Anderson Subject: Re: Intersection at Titus and Prospect Ave. San Jose Hi Dave, Thank you for your email. I was disappointed when the City spent all this money fixing up the intersection with the divider and plants. I had hoped for a traffic light on that intersection, apparently that was not a choice they could implement?!! I make a left turn there around two times every school day. As much as I look and am aware and careful, once I almost ran a child over who rode his bike down the pedestrian lane. I never understood why they decided not to put a traffic light there and instead spent all this time and money "fixing" up the intersection with the divider and plants. If you find out would you please share. Thank you, Nasim :-) Dear All, Based on the emails we have received from everyone in the last week, I would like to summarize below what the city of Saratoga believes you have raised as issues. I am wondering if you could copy us on the similar emails you must have sent to your school administration, your district administration, and to the city of San Jose. From the emails received to date the safety concerns raised by parents include: o School zone 25 mph signs - obscured by foliage and non-compliance with speed zone o Police enforcement of speeding and crosswalk violations o Request for a lighted crosswalk o Sidewalk improvements o Crossing guards o Request for Stop Signs or Traffic Signal on Prospect at Titus o District and School involvement Two years ago the city set aside $250,000 of capital to spend on medians on Prospect Avenue. Our hope was that the City of San Jose would set aside a similar amount so that we could share the cost of all medians on Prospect with San Jose. We had hoped that $500,000, $250,000 from each of the two cities, would allow us to do two or three medians on Prospect. Medians beautify the street, slow down traffic, and make most roads safer. Unfortunately, San Jose did not fund any of the work even after repeated requests. We decided to install the median right in front of the school because we felt this was the most important location along the three miles of Prospect Road. The City installed a median at this location last year because it acts as a traffic calming feature and provides a traffic refuge for pedestrians crossing the street at this location. Additionally, the City has made two applications under the "Safe Routes to School" grant program for a pedestrian activated lit crosswalk at this location and a sidewalk extension along Prospect Ave. With anywhere from 0-$1.2M of funding left at the end of each year for capital improvements in our city, we have to be cautious in how we allocate our capital and use it to leverage additional capital against grant funds available. The last few years have been tough with very little capital left and the funding for improvements throughout the city had to spread across many more projects. The City has a Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) which investigates, reviews and analyzes traffic safety issues raised by community members. The TSC works with the City's Traffic Engineer to provide analysis and possible solutions to traffic safety concerns. They receive funding each year to help make our city streets safer, I have found they are very good at what they do, experienced and practical with their solutions. The City has scheduled this issue to be heard before the TSC at a special meeting on Thursday, November 4'h at 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Room, at City Hall. This is an opportunity for the residents to be heard by the Commission and the Traffic Engineer about concems at this crosswalk and intersection. The City will also invite staff from City of San Jose and Christa McAuliffe School to attend the meeting. In the city of Saratoga, crossing guards are supplied by the schools and all the crossing guards you have seen in other locations in our city are paid for by those districts. This should be discussed with the Cupertino School District. All lighted crosswalks in Saratoga have been paid for by grants and the city could use letters from parents to help request funding for this crosswalk. I am requesting that Kristin Borel supply how to send in request letters. I would recommend this effort. The state of California does not make it easy to install signals or stop signs. This is probably why you have seen crossing guards at Saratoga Avenue and Herriman. Four schools use that route and we have not been able to get the state to accept a light at that comer. Lighted crosswalks, though they are expensive are accepted by the state. In the interim the City has asked the Sheriff's Department to beef up patrol in the area and we have notified the City of San Jose regarding the crosswalk signs covered by vegetation. You might also want to contact San Jose City for help. For more information about the Traffic Safety Commission, please visit the City's website at http://www.saratoga.ea. us/cityhall/comms/traffic/default.asp I do not want to sound defensive but our traffic safety commission has worked hard to improve safety around all schools in our city. It is easier to do this when the school is completely within our jurisdiction. We share boundaries with San Jose with both our schools on Prospect and this has required over the last eight years that we either shoulder the full cost of improvements or not do anything at all. I hope this information is helpful and please try to attend the Traffic Safety Commission meeting. It would be helpful if you attended with information on what the school district would like to do and if you have received any feedback from the city of San Jose, Kathleen King Mayor of Saratoga Kristin Borel From: Bill J Curran [bill.j.curran@seagate.com] Sent: Friday, December 31, 2010 8:46 AM To: Kristin Borel Subject: Re: Traffic Safety Commission Hi Kristin, Traffic Matrix #261 The concern I have is the fact that since the speed bump was installed on Cox Avenue, located between Paseo Presada and Quito Road, the traffic and average vehicle speed has increased on Paseo Pueblo. It appears that during peak traffic hours, vehicles are by-passing the "Cox Speed Bump" by way of the use of Paseo Pueblo. It appears that some drivers avoid the "Bump" and in addition, they actual pass up the cars that were in front of them by using the 'By -Pass" at a high rate of speed. In addition to the "High Rate Of Speed" on Paseo Pueblo, I would like to point out another hazard that is of great concern. In the evening traffic hours, it appears that drivers that are "East Bound" on Cox, by-pass the Bump by turning left on Paseo Presada and then make a right turn on Paseo Pueblo to continue east to Quito Road. The right turn from Paseo Presado onto Paseo Pueblo is less than a 90 degree turn, probable close to a 45 degree turn, allowing drivers to turn at a very high rate of speed. This turn is a blind corner ans is located at the Main Entrance to Quito Park. I have seen many "Near Misses" between speeders and pedestrians that were entering or leaving the park. Quito Park does not have a parking area and users must use the street. The east side of Paseo Presada and Paseo Pueblo do not have sidewalks which forces the pedestrians to use the roadway as a means to gain entrance to the park. It is my belief that the City of Saratoga needs to consider the impact of placing a Speed Bump on Cox. By attempting to solve the Speed problem on Cox, they just moved the problem over one street and created a bigger hazard. I do have a suggestion regarding the Pedestrian/Quito Park entrance issue. I would recommend that "Stop Signs" should be placed on Paseo Presada at Paseo Pueblo, creating a "Three Way Stop". Then add "Cross Walk" stripes at this intersection. This will provide a safe and defined route to the park and eliminate the "High Rate Of Speed" in this area. Side Walks then should be provided on the East side of Paseo Presada and Paseo Pueblo to clearly separate vehicles and pedestrians. Please review the Placement of the Speed Bump on Cox and the impact that it has caused on the surrounding area. Please consider the hazardous condition the "Bump" has created and the suggestion I have provided. Kristin Borel From: Damon Sicore [damon@sicore.com] Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 11:49 AM To: Kristin Borel; nkukuma@aol.com Cc: Stephanie Sicore; Nona Christiensen Subject: Marshall Lane Crosswalks and Safety For Pedestrians Hi Kristin and Mary -Lynne, Traffic Matrix #262 I hope you remember me. I'm Damon Sicore, and I live next to Nona Christiensen (CC'd) on Sobey road, right across the street from Marshall Lane. A couple of weeks ago we met to discuss the traffic issues around Marshall Lane and the community. I'm really glad both of you took time out of your day to meet with us, and I really look forward to addressing the safety issues on S obey road. Since our meeting, I've been volunteering as a crossing guard every morning, and I'm shocked at the response I've received from the drivers in the school zone. Every day I guide kids through the crosswalk, signaling drivers to stop for children crossing the road, and every day I encounter angry drivers who try to weave through, intentionally, as kids are crossing in the crosswalk, even with me there stopping traffic. These are not parents of the school. They are lone drivers. Pm now providing school crossing guard equipment (handheld stop signs and reflective crossing guard vests), and I'm going to coordinate with other parents to make sure the problem areas are addressed. Of course, the families who attend Marshall Lane are thrilled, and each day several people stop by to thank me for acting as crossing guide. However, its clear, and others have expressed to me, that we need to coordinate our efforts more and maintain solidarity as we address safety issues around the school. I believe children have a right to safe passage to school, and based on my experience every morning, I believe the paths the children are taking to school are correct and make sense. It's nonsense to change a direct path to school and to block the reasonable and rational routes that people must take to actually get to school each day. I don't think we need to change road layout or traffic routing patterns (not talking about parking on private property or destroying trees, those are also problems that need to be fixed). What needs to be done is simply enforcing speed limits, yielding to crosswalk traffic, and increasing the overall awareness of the fact that children are present on the roadways in the morning. I believe longer term activities would include adding sidewalks. Our neighborhood is notoriously bad about sidewalks. They don't exist. I'm going to continue with the crossing guard activities, and I'll enlist others to help. I'm also going to investigate grants to see if we can improve overall infrastructure and paths to school (See: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org ). I'm really looking forward to how the City of Saratoga can help by providing additional traffic control mechanisms (signs, lights, traffic enforcement, etc.). How can I help with this? I'm more than happy to drive getting things done, and Pll actively engage individuals and groups to make sure progress is made. Any guidance from you would be very much appreciated. Again, thanks for your help. It's much needed. Sincerest regards, Damon i Subj: Evans Lane Parking Problem Date: 11/3/2010 6:46:26 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time From: compulocahotmail.com To: nkukumaaaol.com To whom it may concern: I am Mary Amanatullah. My husband and I reside at 14312 Evans Lane. Evans Lane currently has no parking signs located from Sobey Road up to my driveway. The signs on Evans Lane currently prohibit parking during the normal drop of and pick up time for Marshall Lane School. Unfortunately those are not the only times that the people from Marshall Lane School park there. When they are parking on both sides of Evans Lane it is very difficult for me or any other resident to exit onto Sobey Road. Also they do not police the area so what good are the limited signs?? Because my home is the first one after the signs I have found several times parents parking in front of my driveway and thereby blocking the exit. I would like the signs to extend at least past my residence so I know that know one will be parking in my driveway. I have been told that the City may consider installing new No Parking signs along the section of Sobey Road that fronts Nona Christianson's property. While I am in agreement with at action, I hope the City will also take into account the neighbors' problems on Evans Lane. I am sorry I am unable to meet with you personally but I just wanted my concerns about the parking of Marshall Lane parent to be called to your attention. Sincerely, Mary Amanatullah Wednesday, November 03, 2010 AOL: NKUKUMA Page 1 of 1 Gene and Mary -Lynne Bernald 14398 Evans Lane Saratoga CA 95070 4 November 2010 Dear City of Saratoga Staff, Sheriff Terry Calderone, Nancy Kirk and Traffic Safety Commission; As you see from our address, we live just off Sobey Road opposite the newly constructed entrance to Marshall Lane School. Since its inception, we and our neighbors have experienced a growing problem with school parents parking beyond the newly installed parking signs, blocking the Amanatullah's driveways, racing up and down Evans Lane, or worse, making u -turns on Evans Lane near the Sobey Road intersection. Added to that, cars, attempting to avoid the restricted areas and resultant tickets, are now frequently parking both between the last parking sign on the northeast side of Evans and the corner (directly at the stop sign) and on the Sobey Road corner directly adjacent to Evans Lane . Parking at this corner diminishes our line of sight and creates its own problems for residents and parents alike who need to exit Evans Lane and make a right or, especially, a left onto Sobey Road. We all realize that the traffic and parking problems on Sobey Road fronting Nona Christianson's property are by far much worse. Cars are parking right up next to the oak trees and also are using her driveway as if it were public property. We support having additional no parking signs installed in the areas where the City maintains a sidewalk, under the two splendid oak trees, and on either side of Nona's home and properties, but we also hope that in fixing those problems, a worse one is not created on Evans Lane. We hope that, in addition to the signs, more police presence can be added to our area so that after a few tickets are given out, the bad habits can be broken. Thank you for all that you do to help keep Saratoga safe. We understand that problems in school areas are particularly difficult to handle but hope that by working together with a responsive school staff— which has yet to take our problems seriously— and with all of you, we can resolve this issue in the very near future. Sin Gene Bernald leia/za�h ry Mary -Ly a Bernald November 3, 2010 City of Saratoga Department of Traffic and Safety Dear Sirs: As residents of Evans Lane, Saratoga, we are concerned with cars parking at the corner of Evans and Sobey Road, between the "Do Not Park" signs and the corner. This occurs primarily when children are dropped off or picked up from Marshall Lane School. Parked cars at the corner create a visual hazard for drivers approaching Sobey from Evans, and endangers both the Evans Lane residents and the school children and their families. Poor visibility for drivers entering Sobey is a serious issue. Perhaps the curb could be painted red to prevent cars from parking there. We are concerned for the safety of all. Thank you for your support with this important issue. Sincerely, Toby & Barr nald 14344 Evans ne Saratoga, CA 95070 408 8660289 Traffic Matrix #263 On 5/29/2008 I sent the following Email to the city council and city management. I know money is tight but I wanted to bring my proposal to your attention again because a lot of time has passed since I made the recommendation in 2008. For safety reasons if we don't have the funds to move forward on the full median construction now maybe we could at least restripe it until it is funded Thank you for your consideration, Bob Alley From: "R Alley" <ralley ,paebell.net> Date: November 23, 2010 12:11:04 PM PST Prospect Median Improvement Project I would like to first of all thank the city council and city administration for moving forward on this very much needed improvement project. I am very much in favor of the proposed project. However there is one significant design issue that I would like to see corrected on the master plan. This concerns the intersection at Scully and Prospect and in particular the west side of this intersection. Although the new plan is in keeping with the design objective of not changing existing traffic flows, this intersection is currently unsafe and the installation of a physical median makes it even worst. Currently, if you are turning left (west) off Scully onto Prospect the only way to safely execute this maneuver is to utilize the "east bound left turn lane", which by the way is technically unlawful. What make this left turn even more hazardous is that from Scully it is difficult to judge which of the two west bound lanes oncoming traffic is occupying. This will become even more difficult with the new median on the east side of this intersection. One of the puzzling things about this left hand turn lane is that it goes nowhere. I think this has been a design flaw from the beginning. Current design: West Prospect Scully 1 East Now the good news is that this is easy to fix. I recommend that the plan be changed to eliminate the "go - nowhere east bound left turn lane" and replace it with a "west bound merge lane". This would greatly improve the safety of this intersection by providing drivers a much safer way of merging onto Prospect from Scully. In fact I would recommend restriping this now for safety reasons. Proposed modified design: Pru p Scully Thank you for your consideration, Bob Alley Again I would like to state that I am fully supportive of the Median Project Forwarded Message From: "Naresh Makhijani" <nareshm@yahoo.com> To: "Martin Goldberg" <affyman@comcast.net>, "R Alley" <ralley@pacbell.net>, kk2king@saratoga.ca.us, jhunter@saratoga.ca.us, epage@saratoga.ca.us, hmiller@saratoga.ca.us, mcappello@saratoga.ca.us Cc: etclerk@saratoga.ca.us, davea@saratoga.ca.us, "KMP-Neighbors" <KMP- Neighbors@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, November 26, 2010 1:08:33 AM Subject: RE: [KMP-Neighbors] Prospect Median Improvement Project Council Members. East I also live on Scully Ave and feel that the current left turn from Scully Ave to Prospect is not very safe. Bob Alley has made an excellent suggestion to improve the safety of the intersection without any adverse impact and I would assume that restriping would have minimal fiscal impact. I also absolutely support this change and request that this be given its due consideration. Thanks -Naresh Makhijani From: KMP-Neighbors@vahoogroups.com [mailto:KMP-Neighbors@vahoogrouos.com] On Behalf Of Martin Goldberg Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 11:41 PM To: 'R Alley; kk2king@saratoga.ca.us; jhunter@saratoga.ca.us; cpage@saratoga.ca.us; hmiller@saratoga.ca.us; mcappello@saratoga.ca.us Cc: ctclerkesaratoga.ca.us; davea@saratoga.ca.us; 'KMP-Neighbors' Subject: RE: [KMP-Neighbors] Prospect Median Improvement Project All, I wholeheartedly agree with Bob's proposal to restripe the intersection as an alternative to delayed median construction. His plan balances good fiscal sense with 'safety first' thinking at a busy intersection. I urge the City Council to consider this. Regards, Marty Goldberg From: raymuzzy@comcast.net [mailto:raymuzzy@comcast.net] Sent: Friday, November 26, 2010 7:56 AM To: John Cherbone Cc: Martin Goldberg Subject: Fwd: [KMP-Neighbors] Prospect Median Improvement Project John You might want to consider a raised curb without landscaping in these two local areas. It would be far safer than just stripes. Ray From: Teresa Lorenzen <teresa@lorenzens.org> Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:58:07 -0800 To: Naresh Makhijani<nareshm@yahoo.com> Cc: Martin Goldberg<affyman@comcast.net>; 'R Alley'<ralley@pacbell.net>; kk2king@saratoga.ca.us<kk2king@saratoga.ca.us>; jhunter@saratoga.ca.us<jhunter@saratoga.ca.us>; cpage@saratoga.ca.us<cpage@saratoga.ca.us>; hmiller@saratoga.ca.us<hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>; mcappello@saratoga. ca.us<mcappello@saratoga. ca.us>; ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us<ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us>; davea@saratoga.ca.us<davea@saratoga.ca.us>;'KMP- Neighbors'<KMP-Neighbors@yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re: [KMP-Neighbors] Prospect Median Improvement Project Council Members, I live on Northampton Dr. and use Scully multiple times per day except when I decide that I don't want to brave the Scully/Prospect intersection so go around to Miller. Mr. Alley has accurately conveyed the problem of making a left from Scully onto Prospect. At certain times of the day when the traffic is heavy, it is a hazardous undertaking. Restriping this intersection to give a merge lane to drivers making the left onto Prospect would improve safety and reduce confusion on where the left turn lane on Prospect is suppose to go. Thank you for your consideration, Teresa Lorenzen From: kk2king@saratoga.ca.us [mailto:kk2king@saratoga.ca.us] Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2010 5:34 PM To: Teresa Lorenzen; Naresh Makhijani Cc: Martin Goldberg; 'R Alley'; Jill Hunter; Chuck Page; Howard Miller; Manny Cappello; City Clerk [Ann Sullivan]; Dave Anderson; 'KMP-Neighbors'; John Cherbone Subject: Re: [KMP-Neighbors] Prospect Median Improvement Project I apologize for the late response, I was out of town. I am asking John Cherbone to cc Kristen (I do not have her email on my phone). This seems like a good item to bring to the Public Safety Commission. Could Kristen respond to the email distribution how this item could be put on the Safety Commission's agenda? Could you let me know if this has already been studied? Kathleen From: John Cherbone Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 11:04 AM To: Kathleen King Cc: Kristin Borel; Dave Anderson; City Council Subject: RE: [KMP-Neighbors] Prospect Median Improvement Project Hi Kathleen, The merge lane idea was first brought up during the development of the Prospect Median Master Plan. We all thought it was a good idea at the time and it was placed in the plan. Striping the median for safety reasons independently of building a median is new. San Jose will ultimately have to sign off on any changes, which is never a fun process. We can distribute the meeting information to everyone on the distribution list including the "KMP Neighbors" list. Sincerely, John From: Kathleen King Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 10:40 PM To: John Cherbone Cc: Kristin Borel; Dave Anderson; City Council Subject: RE: [KMP-Neighbors] Prospect Median Improvement Project John, I think that would be a good way to handle it and mention that San Jose would have to also agree and that process is different than ours. Kathleen From: R Alley [mailto:ralley@pacbell.net] Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 1:43 PM To: Kristin Borel; affyman@comcast.net; raymuzzy@comcast.net; nareshm@yahoo.com Subject: RE: Next TSC Meeting Hi Kristin, Attached are two photos I took today to illustrate the difficulty of judging oncoming traffic at Scully. When sitting on Scully you cannot tell if the west bound traffic is in the near or far lane. When looking west you can not even see the far lanes. You may want to make these photos available for the meeting as well. Thanks, Bob From: Naresh Makhijani [mailto:nareshm@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 4:39 PM To: 'R Alley'; Kristin Borel; affyman@comcast.net; raymuzzy@comcast.net Subject: RE: Next TSC Meeting Bob — I was planning to take similar photos but you beat me to it! Thanks. Kristin, For reference, here's a link to the Google street view of the intersection which shows the road marking clearly: Scully and Prospect Just to elaborate on Bob's point on judging oncoming traffic on Scully. I believe the problem is that 4 Prospect is wide and the street is bowed so the middle is higher than the edges; so the result is that when one is stopped at Scully waiting to turn left onto Prospect, there is no way to tell whether the oncoming west bound car is in the left or right lane. So, the driver has two choices: 1) Wait for a gap in ALL (east and west bound) lanes of traffic on Prospect....definitely the safe thing to do but not always practical and not everyone is always patient. 2) Wait for a gap in the east bound traffic, pull out to the middle of the intersection to better be able to see the west bound traffic and then wait to figure out how to merge onto the west bound lanes. I have seen many people do #2 (as I have) particularly when there's a lot of traffic on Prospect. However #2 can be unsafe since your car ends up partially blocking the east bound traffic and one just hopes that traffic doesn't start back up on the east bound side! If there was a merging lane as Bob has illustrated in his diagram, it would be easy enough for someone to wait for a gap in the east bound traffic, safely pull into the merging lane and wait for a gap in the west bound traffic. Thanks -Naresh Kristin Borel Traffic Matrix #264 From: Terrence.Calderone@sheriff.sccgov.org Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 5:15 PM To: Deb Bhattacharjee Cc: Barbara Powell; Dave Anderson; Kristin Borel Subject: Re: FW: Traffic Safety Issue: Saratoga Sunnyvale and Reid Lane (Opposite fo the Saratoga High School) Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Green Hello Dr. Bhattacharjee, You are welcome for the response. I appreciate you taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. I believe that Barbara Powell has responded to question a), which is what I would have suggested. Kristin is terrific about making sure that items are brought forward to the Traffic Safety Commission when requested. I will definitely have deputies monitor the location more often, especially at the times you have indicated for the various violations. I also have the School Resource Office monitor some of the actions at this intersection since he works with many of the students. I hope that this will help address the concerns you have mentioned. Unfortunately, citation do not really provide any revenue to the Sheriffs Office, and little to the city, but they are helpful in educating drivers and pedestrians to limit some of the actions they are taking in the area. Thank you, Captain Terry Calderone Deb Bhattacharjee <deb.bhattacharjee@gmail.com> 11/24/2010 04:25 PM To Terrence.Calderone@sheriff.sccgov.org Barbara Powell <bpowell@saratoga.ca.us>, Kristin Borel cc <kborel@saraloga.ca.us>, davea@saratoga.ca.us Subject Re: FW: Traffic Safety Issue: Saratoga Sunnyvale and Reid Lane (Opposite fo the Saratoga High School) Thanks Mr. Calderone for your prompt response! a) How do I bring this issue up to the Traffic Safety Commission for their considerations? b) Meanwhile, the sheriffs office can possibly consider having a police officer during the school hour and especially between 5:30-6:30 PM when people are getting home and for some reason appear to be in a hurry. This would defmitely be an effective way to raise some revenue for the department while benefiting the community. Sincere regards, 1/4/2011 Page 2 of 3 Deb On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 11:13 AM, <Tetrence.Calderone cr sherif£sccgov.org> wrote: Barbara, I believe that this has come up a couple of times at Traffic Safety, and we in the Sheriffs Department are aware of some of the very unusual driving behaviors, as well as pedestrian, that take place in this area. Reid and Saratoga -Sunnyvale road has always been an area that the traffic units watch from time to time due to the traffic and pedestrian combination. Many drivers drop their children off in the busy roadway and have them do what they can to cross traffic on foot to get to school. There are also the students that are often times in a hurry to get to and from school. I am not sure what measures, if any, can be taken to improve the intersection and area given the nature of the schools in the area. It definitely would not hurt to have the concerns addressed again to the Traffic Safety Commission. The Sheriffs Office does monitor the area regularly, and will continue to do so. Captain Terry Calderone "Barbara Powell" <bpowelltdsaratoga.ca.us> 11/24/2010 08:49 AM To "Kristin Borel" <kborel@saratoga.ca.us> cc <Terrence.Calderone@sheriftsccgov.org> Subject FW: Traffic Safety Issue: Saratoga Sunnyvale and Reid Lane (Opposite fo the Saratoga High School) Kristin, Is this something that can be scheduled before Traffic Safety? Barbara From: Deb Bhattacharjee [mailto:deb.bhattacharjee@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 8:50 PM To: Crystal Morrow; Dave Anderson; Barbara Powell Cc: bhattachariee kakali@yahoo.com Subject: Traffic Safety Issue: Saratoga Sunnyvale and Reid Lane (Opposite fo the Saratoga High School) Hello Saratoga Sheriff, City Manager, Traffic Safety Manager I wanted to bring a systematic traffic violation to your attention, which I fear may someday result into a serious accident to our communit. I'd request you to take this seriously and take some steps so that we can avoid any unwanted situations or losses. We have moved to Saratoga a year back and now reside in 20520 Reid Lane. Our home is situated right at the crossing of Reid Lane and Saratoga Sunnyvale Road and therefore have had the opportunity to observe careless and often ruthless driving behavior of some irresponsible drivers that dash at a speed of 40-50 mph into Reid lane from Saratoga Sunnyvale. Some drivers don't even stop at the red light and often drivers coming dowm from the West side of Reid lane drive at a speed higher than 45 mph. 1/4/2011 Page 3 of 3 Reid lane and Saratoga sunnyvale both have pedestrian crossings and therefore these careless driving can lead to serious accidents. This is a junction to two schools: Saratoga High School and Foothill Elementary school and therefore are fairly busy during school hours. You are welcome to contact me via email or phoneL 408.599.8600 (mobile). I am also ccing my wife Kakali; she and I have discussed this topic with our neighbors as well. If you'd like, we can collect a petition of our local neighbors to help you understand the magnitude of this problem. In any case, I hope that you'll take some actions. If for some reason I've to contact any other government agency, please let me know and I'll be happy to pursue it with the right authority. Thanks and best, Dr. Deb Bhattacharjee 20520 Reid Lane, Saratoga, CA 95070 1/4/2011 Traffic Matrix #265 Date: Nov. 30, 2010 Subject: Traffic Safety Issue for the city of Saratoga Dear Traffic Safety commission/Traffic Engineer I'm writing to you to express my deep concern regarding the safety of my children, I have 2 kids one in Saratoga High and the other in Redwood middle school, they both has to walk to school since we are working parents. We are as a parents fear for there safety everyday and we pray to God have them reached home safely. The kids walking path starts of Moran LN. towered Saratoga Ave. and into Harriman, one of the kids has to cross Saratoga Ave. to go to Shadow Oaks and to Redwood middle school using the inner baths. The most dangerous part is the one from Saratoga Ave. to Hamman Ave. There was an injury caused by a vehicle a few years ago on that particular path. We are asking you kindly to look into our request to have some sort of barrier between the road and the bike lane to alert the cars from running into or cross the side walk reserved for bikers and pedestrians, we are willing to take part of our front yard (if needed) to convert it into a side walk otherwise we are open to any other safety measures that the city of Saratoga is willing to take to protect the lives of our kids. Thanks a lot for your time and effort and we appreciate your help in advance Yours truly Aseel Issa and Nameer Jalel 19987 Moran Ln. 95070 Cell: 408 335-9344