Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Transportation Advisory Committee - 11/26/2012Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Monday, November 26, 2012 Call Meeting to Order - Mr. Edd Price, Vice - Chairman, called the meeting to order at 2:32 p.m. II. Approval of Minutes - Minutes of September 24, 2012 were approved. III. Presentations and Discussions - a. Monthly Traffic Fatality Report: Capt. Gutierrez reported eight (8) new fatalities, which brings the total to twenty -four (24) fatalities for year 2012. b. Monthly bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee Report: Item tabled for next month. c. Police Department Traffic Enforcement Complaints: Capt. Gutierrez reported that recently they have received many complaints of violations for speeders and cell phone use in school zones. He said one location that has been very prolific is the Waldron Rd. school zone. They continue to have people that are not complying. Mr. Price inquired if it was mainly speeders or no cell phone use. Capt. Gutierrez said speeders have been the main complaint followed second by the no cell phone use. d. Top 20 Traffic Accident Locations for the Month: Capt. Gutierrez reported for the month of October the 2500 block of HWY -181 SB led the way with four accidents. Two of the accidents occurred due to wet roads. He stated this seems to be one of our problems areas. Capt. Gutierrez mentioned they concentrate heavily on speed enforcement at this location. e. Urban Transportation Plan Amendments: None to report. f. Unified Development Code (UDC): None to report. g. 1. Update of TxDOT Project List: Item tabled for next month. 2. US -181 Harbor Bridge Project: Mr. Bites reported TxDOT is going through the environmental process right now. There will be a public meeting next Tuesday, December 4 at the Ortiz Center. h. Discussion with Possible Action Taken on Speed Limit Change on McArdle Rd. from Everhart Rd. to Staples St.: Mr. Cardenas reported the studies were conducted and the speed limits could be set at 35 mph or 30 mph. He stated there was some confusion because there is an ordinance that describes what is on McArdle Rd. right now. The ordinance states .500 ft. of east Lenora Dr. to Nile Rd., 35 mph at all times. This ordinance was passed in 1987. Mr. Cardenas asked if anyone recalls Lenora Dr. because it does not exist anymore. He said the only thing he could think of is Shopping Way; this street was done in the 90's. Mr. Cardenas presented an exhibit demonstrating the speed limits on McArdle Rd. currently. He mentioned we had discussed this before and wanted to have some consistency and have it at a certain speed limit from Everhart Rd. to Staples St. According to the speed studies it can be done either at 35 mph or keep it at 30 Page 1 of 5 mph. Either way, the 85 percentile falls within this range as discussed before. He does think the ordinance needs to be cleaned up because he cannot find Lenora Dr. anywhere. Ms. Cudd said McArdle Rd. had been widened in that area. Mr. Cardenas said yes in this area from Everhart Rd. on; it is a five -lane section, two lanes in each direction with a continuous left turning lane in the middle. He said that from Everhart Rd. west it is a three -lane section. Mr. Cardenas commented he would bring the final exhibit next month. He said McArdle Rd. serves as a collector street but it is getting the traffic in the Everhart Rd., Staples St. and Airline Rd. sections at almost arterial status. Mr. Jacobi stated he likes Mr. Price's suggestion to extend the 35 mph all the way down to Weber Rd. and that raises his curiosity of what is beyond Weber Rd. He stated why stop at Weber Rd. Mr. Price answered because of the two -lane roadway. Mr. Price suggested looking into making it 35 mph. from Weber Rd. to Staples St. The committee did not take any action on this item. i. Discussion with Possible Action Taken on McArdle Rd. "Speed Zone" between Rodd Field Rd. and Ennis Joslin Rd. Mr. Cardenas reported this section is where there was a pedestrian fatality earlier this year. He would like to create a "church zone" like Most Precious Blood and Lady of Perpetual Help and some other churches around the city. This is the same thing as school speed zones where the speed limit is posted at a certain speed. Mr. Cardenas stated we could get with the churches to establish the speed zone times in which the church zone will be in effect, it will not be 24/7. In addition, in this area we are getting a lot of student development. There is an apartment complex that was built recently, another one is being built, and there is more development on this side of Ennis Joslin, on the bay side. They are seeing a great deal of pedestrian traffic and this section is number one on the bond list to construct first. Right now, it is only two -lanes in each direction, opened ditches and no sidewalks. The bond project will take care of these needs. It will be a three -lane section with bike lanes and sidewalks. He is looking into establishing a speed zone. He said the construction would be from Nile Dr. to Ennis Joslin Rd. The speed zone would be in the area where the fatality accident occurred. Mr. Cardenas mentioned we could do an advisory speed; it does not have to be an enforcement speed. Mr. Rock stated why create a church zone since improvements will be taking place at this location. Mr. Cardenas said definitely these improvements would reduce pedestrian accidents 100% because of the sidewalks. He said Rodd Field Rd. is a t- intersection; it is not an all -way stop condition. Therefore, there has to be an area where pedestrians are going to cross. He said this is going to be the benefit of a speed zone, just like the one on Saratoga Blvd. Mr. Cardenas mentioned the widening, the additional lighting, bike lanes and the sidewalks are going to help tremendously in this area. He stated the speed zone would help with the crossing. Mr. Weckenmann asked the reason for the church zone versus the different sign speed. Mr. Cardenas responded the minimum - posted speed for a street in the City of Corpus Christi is 30 mph, anything under this needs to be established by a speed zone. He said the young woman that was killed was walking to church that night and she was also a college student going to TAMU -CC and she was not the only student that walks to that church from those apartment complexes. Mr. Weckenmann stated he agrees with Mr. Rock that the lateral movements could be fixed with the sidewalks and simply finding locations where pedestrians could safely cross. In addition, is there any thought on signalizing Ennis Joslin Rd. and McArdle Rd. any time in the future? Mr. Cardenas stated that they would have to conduct a traffic signal warrant analysis. Page 2 of 5 He said there are different warrants and accident history is one of those warrants, both pedestrian and vehicular. Unfortunately, it is only at the intersection; therefore, this fatality does not count at this particular intersection. He said Ennis Joslin Rd. is maintained by the City but owned by TxDOT. Mr. Cardenas said he would check into the flashers on Saratoga Blvd. by Most Precious Blood. Mr. Rock said he is inclined to suggest not taking any action on this item and allowing the bond construction to handle what is a potential problem. Mr. Cardenas commented there are other pedestrian zones besides a church zone. The committee did not take any action on this item. j. Discussion on No Cell Phone Use While Driving: Mr. Jacobi had nothing new to report on this item. k. Bond 2012 Projects: Mr. Bites said proposition 1 passed and propositions 3 - 8 passed as well. They have selected and announced the consultants for the projects and have begun negotiating the projects with the plan to bring these contracts to City Council in January. He said proposition 3 - 8 projects would probably go to City Council for design contract award in March. Mr. Bites stated these projects would include what was in the bond write up which includes bike lanes and sidewalks as needed and all the ADA improvements as well. He would be presenting City Council with a detailed briefing on December 11. The plan being presented to City Council is to see how they will be executing Bond 2012. Mr. Bites mentioned the Master Plans do not have bike lanes on any road sections. He said part of what Planning is doing is updating this as part of the work they are conducting so the road sections are more appropriately built to the traffic they are expected to have and include the non - motorized traffic. I. Discussion on Turning Lanes at Chaparral St. / Water St. @ IH37: Mr. Cardenas reported there was a discussion at the last meeting about the right turn lane that takes you onto Water St. and the merge on the side of IH -37. Mr. Villarreal stated the discussion has been the right turn lane only, in front of Stripes. He said traffic sometimes goes straight across and there is a lane there. He said the street is clearly marked but he continues to see motorists go straight from that right hand lane. Mr. Cardenas stated this is not a high frequency accident area as far as traffic flow is concerned. The only concern he has is during special events. He said he could definitely look at this location and will be looking at the traffic counts and see what the turning movements are. Mr. Rock asked would there be a problem with maybe reducing the right turn from the middle lane. Mr. Cardenas stated this is probably the quickest fix. Mr. Cardenas reported on the Chaparral St. Project. He said the meeting for this construction project is tonight at the Education Service Center. He said three blocks are going to be closed and torn up. Traffic is going to be a mess downtown, there is still going to be a lot of parking available, you can still go through the barricades and park. Mr. Cardenas said the plan is to make it a two -way street, not just in those two blocks. He said these two blocks are going to get the nice pavers and it is going to be very inviting. The plan is to make it two -way all the way to IH -37. He said they do have the street width to make it a two -way. There are going to be some signal improvements along the way. The important thing is Chaparral St. is going to get two -way circulation. Ms. Cudd asked if there is going to be parking on these two blocks. Mr. Cardenas said yes, there is and it is going to be parallel parking. It is going to be metered but it is not going to be individual stall meter, it is going to be like a meter station at the end of the block. Page 3 of 5 m. Update on Temporary Traffic Signal on Staples St. @ Moore Plaza: Mr. Cardenas said this signal has actually helped construction and holiday traffic on Staples St. He mentioned the SPID Ramp Reversal Project would elevate any congestion and will affect the traffic signal where the need would definitely not be there anymore. There is a small need on the HEB side and across the street by the Men's Wearhouse. Ms. Cudd said she believes the SPID Ramp Reversal Project will not be until 2016. Mr. Cardenas said they would like to expedite this project. He stated we will see what happens after the construction project is done on Staples St. This traffic signal also helps with the RTA as well; they have a big ridership at the HEB. He said the construction project is running smooth as related to this signal. Mr. Cardenas commented we could definitely bring it up at another time. n. Update on Possible Installation of Delineators on Everhart Rd. @ Whataburger Way: Ms. Cardenas reported this project is almost finished. They have not done a final walk - through. He definitely would like to go this route as far as delineators are concerned. It is an inexpensive and effective way to control these movements. We did it at HEB on Leopard St. in Annaville and have not had any complaints and accidents have gone down tremendously. He stated they work great but are a maintenance nightmare whenever they are hit. He said the old Whataburger building has been sold and was bought by a medical service provider. Mr. Cardenas said they have taken much interest in maintaining what used to be Whataburger Way and are interested in renaming their own street. They own the street and can do whatever they want with it. Mr. Cardenas said the City sees it as a glorified driveway. He said this company is aware of what we want to do as far as restricting the turning movements there. Ms. Cudd mentioned motorists are still turning left from there; even though, there is a sign there that says "Right Turn Only ". She noticed many people are still cutting through there, probably to get to Wal -mart. Ms. Cudd stated the people coming off Whataburger Way should be going right instead of left because it is very dangerous to go across. o. Status of Nile Dr.: Mr. Rock said this is something he requested Mr. Cardenas to look into. He said some time back the TAC recommended closing Nile Dr. between McArdle Rd. and Ennis Joslin Rd. Mr. Cardenas said this section of Nile Dr. is opened and is still functioning as a street. He said there was a deal between the City and TAMU -CC. Mr. Cardenas mentioned he would check to see where this deal stands and see what is going to happen. Mr. Rock inquired what the policy is when a recommendation is made to close a road. He asked what the purpose of recommending closure is if we do not do anything with it. p. Stop Warrants on Santa Fe. St. and Del Mar Blvd.: Mr. Cardenas said they have conducted some traffic studies at this location. He said Del Mar Blvd. is being used as a cut through from Ocean Dr. to Staples St. There is an increase of traffic. They are looking into the possibility of doing an all way stop at this intersection. Before this can be done, they have to conduct a stop warrant process. Mr. Cardenas said they have already done it twice and as far as volumes are concerned, it does not meet the stop warrants for volumes. He said the purpose of the stop sign is not to control speed. Mr. Cardenas said stop signs reduce accident frequency, which is one of the warrants in a stop warrant and a signal warrant analysis. Lately, we have seen those accidents on Del Mar Blvd. Mr. Cardenas stated what is happening is motorists are going through the stop sign on Page 4 of 5 Del Mar Blvd. and they are being t -boned on Santa Fe St. He mentioned if you do an all way stop, it cuts accidents. Mr. Cardenas said he would like some feedback and recommendations from this committee. Stop signs do not go to City Council; it is the Traffic Engineering's authority or call to place that type of sign. However, he values this committee's opinion, he could bring it next month as well, and he can show the members what he is talking about. It is also possible to put up temporary stop signs and not permanent stop signs. We can put them up on skids and have a testing period of a few months. They have done it before on construction projects where there is a need for a stop condition. Mr. Cardenas mentioned that Santa Fe St. is a prime candidate of a good road diet, simply because of the amount of traffic that is there. He and Mr. Bites have been thinking about doing this as part of the City's Sustainability Plan. Mr. Rock asked if there have been some concerns at this location. Mr. Cardenas responded there have been complaints on Del Mar Ave. for a few years. There has been an increase in traffic flow, does not know why motorists do not want to use Louisiana Ave. for their cut through traffic. He said Del Mar Ave. has the stop condition but it is when they go through the stop sign and are hit by the motorist coming on Santa Fe St. They want to avoid this and reduce the frequency of accidents. There have been about four accidents since the summer. Mr. Cardenas said we can talk about this next month with more details and he will bring some exhibits. q. Discussion of TAC Vacant Position: Mr. Cardenas reported last month Mr. Joseph Dudek resigned from this committee; therefore, we are in the process of looking for a replacement. The City Secretary's Office has already been informed so they can post it. The committee can also make a formal recommendation on someone they have mind. r. Discussion of Bicycle ft Pedestrian Sub - committee Vacant Position: Mr. Cardenas reported there is a vacancy in this sub - committee. This is Karen Beard's vacancy, which is the medical position. Mr. Cardenas said she resigned last week. It will be placed on the agenda for next month. The position is appointed by this committee. IV. Staff Recommendations requiring Committee Review for Recommendations / Actions a. Appointments to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Sub - committee: None b. Request to Recommend Speed Limit Change on McArdle Rd. from Everhart Rd. to Staples St. with Possible Action Taken: No action was taken. c. Request to Recommend "Speed Zone" on McArdle Rd. between Rodd Field Rd. and Ennis Joslin Rd. with Possible Action Taken: No action was taken. V. Identify items to be placed on a future agenda • Report on City Striping Program VI. Public Comment - None VII. Adjournment - Meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m. Page 5 of 5