HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-13-2014 TSC Meeting Agenda
CITY OF SARATOGA
TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION
SPECIAL MEETING
AGENDA
DATE: March 13, 2014
TIME: 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
LOCATION: Administrative Conference Room
13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070
Call to Order
Roll Call: Cosyn, Guichard, Harris, Kane, Kirk, Musselman and Vita
Report on Posting of the Agenda: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda
for this meeting was properly posted on March 6, 2014
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
January 9, 2014
January 30, 2014
Old Business
1. Traffic Matrix #316
Issue: Request restricted parking on both sides of Saint Charles Street.
Action: TSC will make recommendation
New Business
2. Traffic Matrix #318
Issue: Request traffic calming remedies on Arroyo De Arguello near Kreisler and railroad
tracks.
Action: TSC will make recommendation
3. Traffic Matrix # 319
Issue: Request street light at 18760 McFarland Avenue.
Action: TSC will make recommendation
4. Traffic Matrix #320
Issue: Request evaluation of crosswalk at the corner of Aloha and Highway 9 and
recommend solution(s) to improve visibility of pedestrians.
Action: TSC will make recommendation
5. Traffic Matrix # 321
Issue: Request evaluation of crosswalk at Crestbrook and Saratoga Avenue and consider
flashing crosswalk signal.
Action: TSC will make recommendation
6. Discuss Council Joint Meeting topics
Issue: The City Council members have invited the Traffic Safety Commission members to
attend the Joint meeting with the Council Members March 19th. At that meeting the Council
would like to discuss the Traffic Safety Commission’s 2013 activities and the exploring the
possibility of increasing direct enforcement in Saratoga. See attached agenda.
Action: TSC will discuss joint meeting topics.
7. Report back on traffic safety items based on Commission recommendations
Action: Information only. Staff will provide a verbal report.
Adjournment
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, Mainini Cabute, 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 March 6, 2014 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.
Ms. Mainini Cabute
Traffic and Safety Commission
Saratoga, CA Feb 5, 2014
Dear Ms. Cabute
Ref: Traffic and safety on Arroyo De Arguello/ Via Roncole, Saratoga
Thank you for your guidance and for accommodating me in the agenda for Mar 13, 2014 meeting of the
Commission. As required by you, I am summarizing here the background information and the need for
conducting your traffic study on our street to address the neighborhood safety concerns.
Background
Arroyo De Arguello, which starts out as Via Roncole at the intersection of Prospect and ends at Comer, is
a mile long street (.95 miles) nestled along the foothills on one side and the Calabazas Creek on the
other. It is a much desired serene neighborhood and it is common to find many groups of bikers, joggers
and pedestrians (many with pets) and young children on the street. The houses along the street started
coming up some time around 1969 with many original owners still around. However, due to the
changing demographics, very many younger families with school going children have made their home
purchases on Arroyo De Arguello/ Via Roncole and the adjoining court streets. Large numbers of them
go to the Cupertino schools. A Google map of the street is attached for your convenience. The street
has:
a. Some significant blind curves (with some court street entries at blind curves- e.g. Kreisler Ct)
b. A dangerous sloping double-blind curve/railroad combination where groups of pedestrians and
bikers cross the street (and the name Via Roncole changes to Arroyo De Arguello)
c. No stop signs where the court streets enter the main street, and some court streets running
downhill to merge in to the main road
d. A long stretch of .6 miles without stop signs between Ritannia Ct and Wardell
e. No sidewalks for .3 miles between Comer and Wardell (partial sidewalks in other sections)
where pedestrians/ pets typically walk on the street, around blind curves, and bikers tread the
street in groups
f. Long stretches that are unmarked, unlit entirely (of course) and extra wide from the railroad
tracks going south toward Wardell
g. A short section of Via Roncole from Ritannia Ct to Prospect which is narrow, has no parking on
one side, mostly no sidewalks, and is the main exit path for traffic toward Prospect and towards
Cupertino schools.
Traffic safety issues
a. Since Comer was opened up a few years ago for the Parker Ranch development, and also due to
the drivers using Arroyo De Arguello as a bypass, traffic has increased on the street. Comer runs
downhill in either direction of the start of Arroyo de Arguello with cars traveling at excessive
speeds. There is one stop sign at a critical 3-way intersection.
b. Speeding drivers who tail drivers too closely do not allow them to turn safely in to their
driveways or others to back out of their driveways. The .6 mile stretch between Ritannia Ct and
Wardell without any restrictions on speed is of great concern. This is a wide road, freshly paved
for long stretches, has no markings or bike lanes. This section has become an open inviting
freeway for speeding with speeds well in excess of twice the speed limit observed.
c. The number of utility trucks, delivery trucks and worker’s trucks (landscapers/ tree cutters, etc.)
has increased, some totally disobeying the traffic regulations since it is hardly monitored.
d. Many drivers have been observed to pass pedestrians and bikers on the wrong side of the street
making it potentially disastrous for the oncoming cars. We have observed delivery drivers
(UPS/Fedex) driving on the wrong side of the street.
e. Many folks walk or run along the railroad tracks cross Arroyo De Arguello and their safety at the
blind intersection with a downhill slope in either direction is of serious concern. The tracks
themselves were raised and acted as a natural speed barrier until SP Railroad made the tracks
sunken a few years ago helping drivers speed over the smooth tracks and downhill.
f. The court street intersection with Arroyo De Arguello at blind turns (Kreisler Ct) makes it very
dangerous as court street drivers have to stick out the nose of the cars quite far to see the traffic
on the main road. The same applies to the drivers on the main road at that juncture. Other court
streets run downhill and merge in to the main street (e.g.Hillmore Dr)
g. Since the streets are not monitored, many drivers, particularly by-passers ignore the stop sign at
Wardell as well as Ritannia court. There are no in between stop signs in this stretch for .6 miles.
h. Making a left hand turn from Via Roncole to Prospect, a key route for school going children and
other commuters, is getting to be harder. Visibility of Prospect RD in either direction from Via
Roncole is hampered.
Some of the attached photographs substantiate these observations, difficulties and violations.
Recent incidents
Some recent incidents in the past are cited here. There were other incidents from previous accidents
and they can be brought up as needed.
a. On Fri, Dec 13th mid-morning a speeding driver struck a beautiful white Chihuahua Terrier dog, a
pet of our Norada Ct neighbors without kids, at the intersection of Lowena Ct and Arroyo De
Arguello and did not stop. It could have easily been a child in our neighborhood following the
dog. The dog’s life was saved through the diligence of two neighbors, though it was left
unconscious and has a broken hip, still not recovered and is going through therapy. The
neighbors were devastated.
b. On Halloween night while the kids were ‘trick or treating’, there were a few close calls in the
dark of the night with children’s safety in question. A woman was nearly struck by a Lexus in the
dark with the man and the kids rattled. A neighbor tossed something in the direction of the
driver to get his attention to stop. This has been a repeating issue over Holloween in the past
and the recent influx of younger families with children has compounded the safety issue.
c. About two years ago, a drunk driver coming too fast over the RR hit a car near Norada Ct which
was dragged nearly 100 ft and crashed into the front door of an Arroyo neighbor.
Our Request
We need your help in increasing the safety of the neighborhood for drivers, pedestrians, school going
children, and bikers on our lovely street. Of course, not every driver is an unsafe driver and we are
concerned mainly about the violations and the consequences. The separation and slowing of traffic and
measures to increase safety along blind turns and railroad tracks is badly needed. You are the safety
experts and we kindly request you to conduct appropriate traffic studies along the street during
commute hours, off-peak hours and also over the weekends. Some possible measures which may
eliminate the expense of monitoring are:
a. Strategically placed stop signs/ bulb-outs, speed bumps or dips (wedges) without affecting the
aesthetics and serenity of the neighborhood, as seen in many Cupertino neighborhoods. One of
the former Mayors of Saratoga who used to live in the neighborhood and frequently drove on
our street had suggested speed bumps, with initial placement of temporary ones to study the
effects. RR intersection requires serious attention.
b. Placement of permanent ‘your speed is’ signs rather than the temporary ‘your speed is’ signs
being posted for a few days and being taken down leaving the traffic issues as they are.
c. Placement of stop signs in combination with speed bumps or dips where court streets enter the
main street.
d. Addressing the Via Roncole and Prospect intersection issue for traffic safety.
e. Considering the appropriateness of sidewalks and bike lanes, reflectors and lane markings.
We will be extremely thankful if you can conduct a detailed study and propose efficient aesthetic
solutions. Your actions will enhance the safety of the neighborhood and make it family and children
friendly. A similar petition was organized in our neighborhood in 1991 and was signed by nearly a
hundred neighbors. However, due to lack of follow-up through proper channels in the City the effort
was shelved and the co-champion of the cause passed away. Our neighborhood is wonderful and
the neighbors are terrific and you can make it safer for us.
We thank you for your consideration and I look forward to seeing you on March 13th.
Sincerely,
Raja and Charu Rajaraman
(on behalf of many Arroyo neighborhood families)
mileskm11
1
Mainini Cabute
Subject:FW: Request for Street Light
From: Emily Lo
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2014 5:48 PM
To: roma.wadhi@us.pwc.com
Cc: John Cherbone
Subject: RE: Request for Street Light
Hi Roma,
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Thanks for your email. I am currently out of town, returning tomorrow. Will ask our Public Work Department
to look into your request and provide a response.
Will be in touch.
Regards,
Emily
-------- Original message --------
From: roma.wadhi@us.pwc.com
Date: 01/06/2014 9:16 AM (GMT+08:00)
To: Emily Lo <elo@saratoga.ca.us>
Cc: vghai@quantumsecure.com
Subject: Request for Street Light
Dear Mayor Emily Lo ‐ Happy new Year to you!
I live at 18760 McFarland Avenue with my husband Vik and 2 boys (8 and 5 year olds). Vik and I are both concerned about the lack of
adequate lighting on our street especially in front of our home. It gets really dark in evening and night, and with news reports about
burglaries in the area and no sidewalks, we are very uncomfortable going out in the night even to pick up mail from our mailbox that
is across our house. We were travelling to Southern California over the holidays and one of our Christmas Gifts packages was stolen
from our front porch.
Given we already have a PGE utility pole right in front of our house, we request the City of Saratoga to add a street light on that
utility pole in front of 18760 McFarland Avenue. It would greatly help us and our neighbors feel safer especially helps us moms feel
secure around our home.
Thanks for your help!
Warm regards
‐ Roma
2
Roma Wadhi, Tax Human Capital
488 Almaden Blvd, Suite 1800, San Jose, CA 95113
Office: 408.817.8126 Cell: 408.771.6573
roma.wadhi@us.pwc.com
Keep your eyes firmly on your destination, but be flexible in the path you take...Flexibility2
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feetmeters103
1
Mainini Cabute
From:Praveen Rangnath [praveenrangnath@gmail.com]
Sent:Friday, December 27, 2013 9:36 AM
To:Mainini Cabute
Subject:Re: FW: traffic intersection of Highway 9 and Aloha St.
Attachments:photo 1.JPG; photo 2.JPG; photo 3.JPG
Hi Mainini,
Yes, please do include me on the March 14th agenda.
Attached are three pictures from the intersection.
There are three main issues here:
1) The crosswalk is diagonal and therefore not all of it is at the corner of the intersection. Therefore, there is no
visibility for either the driver to see if there is someone in the crosswalk, or for the pedestrian to see if there is a
car about to make a turn. With every other intersection, the pedestrian can see cars approaching to make a turn
so they can be careful about entering into the crosswalk. This is a big issue with this intersection. The attached
photo 1 shows the crosswalk and how there is a lack of visibility.
2) The intersection is not perpendicular, and is in fact a bit rounded, so cars turn fairly quickly onto Aloha. That
does not allow any time to slow down in case they then see a pedestrian in the intersection.
3) The intersection is off of Highway 9, where drivers of course drive very fast. Given that, all the crosswalks
need to be designed safely for pedestrians to cross the side streets that intersect highway 9. The high speed of
traffic exacerbates the safety concern of this intersection.
Please let me know if there is any other information I can provide.
Thank you,
Praveen
On Wed, Dec 11, 2013 at 11:30 AM, Mainini Cabute <mcabute@saratoga.ca.us> wrote:
Hi Praveen,
Thank you for reaching out to the City and informing us about your traffic safety concern. The City refers all traffic safety concerns to the Traffic
Safety Commission, which meets every other month starting in January. If you would like, I can include your item on the March agenda since the
January agenda is currently full.
To proceed, please send me pictures of the location(s) of concern. I will then forward your email and pictures to the Traffic Safety Commissioners
and the Traffic Engineer to review and evaluate. The meeting will then take place on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. You are encouraged to
attend to present your concern. The Commissioners will discuss the item and then the Traffic Engineer will make a recommendation. I’ve attached
a meeting flow chart to give you an idea of the meeting process. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions.
2
Sincerely,
Mainini
_______________________
MAININI LEAH CABUTE
Management Analyst II
Public Works Department | City of Saratoga
13777 Fruitvale Avenue
Saratoga, CA 95070
408.868.1258 | mcabute@saratoga.ca.us
www.saratoga.ca.us
Become a fan of City of Saratoga on Facebook!
From: Praveen Rangnath <praveenrangnath@gmail.com>
Date: Monday, December 9, 2013 at 8:11 PM
To: Brian Babcock <bbabcock@saratoga.ca.us>
Subject: traffic intersection of Highway 9 and Aloha St.
Hi,
I am a resident of downtown Saratoga. I was walking with my infant in the stroller on the sidewalk alongside Highway 9. There is a pedestrian
crosswalk to cross Aloha street.
Every time I am in that crosswalk, cars turning onto Aloha from southbound Highway 9 turn very quickly and there is a blind spot such that I cannot
see the turning traffic to protect myself.
Yesterday we came too close to a car hitting us. I would like to know who in the city I can contact to fix the situation with this intersection. Right
now it is not a safe pedestrian crosswalk.
Thank you,
Praveen Rangnath
1
Mainini Cabute
From:Bob Dunnett [bluedog@threeover.com]
Sent:Friday, February 21, 2014 10:43 AM
To:Mainini Cabute
Subject:Safety Concern
Hi Ms. Cabute ‐
Your name was provided to me after I inquired about where I might address a traffic safety concern.
My name is Bob Dunnett and I reside at 20477 Forrest Hills Drive, Saratoga (408) 867‐2546.
My safety concern is the intersection of Aloha and Saratoga‐Los Gatos Road. Aloha is a one way street at this
intersection.
My concern involves the pedestrian crossing of Aloha at that intersection. When traveling from Saratoga towards Los
Gatos, the vehicle has a high stone wall on its right hand side (Villa Fatima). If you are turning right onto Aloha, you do
not see the pedestrian crossing until you have committed to the turn.
Here are the concerns:
(1) At least once a month, a vehicle intentionally goes the wrong way on Aloha and tries to exit onto Saratoga‐Los Gatos
Road. While there is not much that can be done about this, it is frightening when you come into a head‐on situation with
a vehicle going in the wrong direction.
(2) The pedestrian issue concerns the inability to stop in time when one is turning right as described above. There is a
marked crosswalk. In front of the crosswalk and right next to the highway are steps – which is the path most pedestrians
take instead of using the crosswalk. It is impossible to see the pedestrians and impossible to stop in time to avoid them
when they use the steps. Even using the crosswalk causes timely stopping issues.
(3) In addition to the pedestrian safety issue is the automobile safety issue. When one is turning right and encounters
either a vehicle coming at you or pedestrians directly in front of you, the natural tendency is to slam on your brakes.
This leaves a portion of the vehicle hanging out into the highway and subject to being rear‐ended.
I don’t know the solution to these issues but they are serious. Here are some thoughts:
(1) Close off the street. This would be the best solution but may cause unforeseen traffic issues on neighboring streets.
(2) Remove the steps. This would partially help.
(3) Move the cross walk further back on Aloha, remove the steps and have a structure which would discourage trying to
cross anywhere butn in the crosswalk.
(4) Place tire damaging spikes in the wrong direction to divert wrong way drivers – probably too extreme.
Thanks for considering these comments.
Best regards,
feetmeters13
feetmeters104
feetmeters103
1
Mainini Cabute
From:Ajit Mayya [ajitmayya@yahoo.com]
Sent:Saturday, January 11, 2014 6:25 PM
To:Mainini Cabute
Cc:shivajeesamdarshi@yahoo.com; Ajit Mayya
Subject:Request for flashing crosswalk signal Crestbrook Dr/Saratoga Av
Categories:Red Category
Hi Manini
My children and their friends attend Redwood Middle School. We all live on/off Braemar Road and they cross
Saratoga Avenue near the library (at the intersection of Crestbrook Drive and Saratoga Ave). Please see
http://tinyurl.com/pq9grhs for the exact location.
This is the most convenient spot for them, since they often go to the library on their way back from school.
However, this is a very dangerous intersection. Despite the passive crosswalk signs and roads being painted, it takes
a long time for the traffic to stop. Many drivers just ignore the waiting children and whiz past.
Can you review and consider installing a flashing crosswalk signal which the children can press a button to signal
the cars? Similar ones have been installed at other locations near downtown and one is required at this location also.
I'm sure that a cursory inspection by you will show you the problems. I feel that this could be an accident waiting to
happen.
Please let me know how to proceed on this request.
Ajit
(408) 348-7052 (cell)
1
Mainini Cabute
Subject:FW: Request for flashing crosswalk signal Crestbrook Dr/Saratoga Av
From: Shivajee Samdarshi <shivajeesamdarshi@yahoo.com>
To: "mcabute@saratoga.ca.us" <mcabute@saratoga.ca.us>
Cc: Ajit Mayya <ajitmayya@yahoo.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2014 12:26 AM
Subject: Re: Request for flashing crosswalk signal Crestbrook Dr/Saratoga Av
Manini,
I live in the same neighborhood as Ajit and completely agree with what he has
said in his email. I believe it's absolutely important to install a flashing
crosswalk signal ASAP. Otherwise, we are waiting for an accident to happen.
Thanks
Shivajee.
On Saturday, January 11, 2014 6:25 PM, Ajit Mayya <ajitmayya@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi Manini
My children and their friends attend Redwood Middle School. We all live on/off Braemar Road
and they cross Saratoga Avenue near the library (at the intersection of Crestbrook Drive and
Saratoga Ave). Please see http://tinyurl.com/pq9grhs for the exact location.
This is the most convenient spot for them, since they often go to the library on their way back
from school.
However, this is a very dangerous intersection. Despite the passive crosswalk signs and
roads being painted, it takes a long time for the traffic to stop. Many drivers just ignore the
waiting children and whiz past.
Can you review and consider installing a flashing crosswalk signal which the children can
press a button to signal the cars? Similar ones have been installed at other locations near
downtown and one is required at this location also. I'm sure that a cursory inspection by you
will show you the problems. I feel that this could be an accident waiting to happen.
Please let me know how to proceed on this request.
Ajit
(408) 348-7052 (cell)
feetmeters104
feetmeters206
feetmeters104