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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Transportation Advisory Committee - 12/17/2012Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Monday, December 17, 2012 Call Meeting to Order - Mr. Edd Price, Vice - Chairman, called the meeting to order at 2:37 p.m. II. Approval of Minutes - Minutes of November 26, 2012 were approved. III. Presentations and Discussions - a. Monthly Traffic Fatality Report: Capt. Gutierrez reported two (2) new fatalities, which brings the total to twenty -seven (27) fatalities for year 2012. b. Monthly bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee Report: Ms. Arnold reported at the last meeting they discussed the possibility of electing a new member to the advisory subcommittee based on a nomination and a copy of an email sent out by Mr. Jacobi. Ms. Arnold informed Mr. Cardenas that she must have misinterpreted the email at the meeting and did not read the email as an official nomination from the TAC. She said Mr. Jacobi reminded her that the nominations come from the TAC and he nominated Mr. Gerardo Gomez to the subcommittee. Ms. Arnold asked if the nomination should be accepted from this committee at this time for Mr. Gomez. Mr. Cardenas responded yes that is correct. Ms. Arnold said this would be in the agenda for approval later on. Mr. Jacobi mentioned Mr. Gomez would be attending this meeting should there be any questions. In addition, Ms. Arnold reported about two months ago some resolutions were passed by this group to take to TxDOT about upcoming projects they have in consideration of transportation safety issues. One of the projects that a resolution was passed on was the work that would be done on Ennis Joslin (Spur 3) from Ocean Dr. to SPID. Some resurfacing and striping will be done at this location. There were some concerns expressed about the timing of this project taking place during campus traffic times. The subcommittee had requested this project be referred to the summer time if that would be the case. TxDOT reported to the subcommittee and said this project would be taking place at night so it will not be interfering with campus traffic. It will be taking place earlier than this summer and this satisfied the TAMU -CC representative that serves in this subcommittee. TxDOT also assessed what the current travel lane measurements are on Ennis Joslin (Spur 3) and will adjust, if there is room for adjusting, the outside bicycle lane width when they do the restriping. Ms. Arnold mentioned a second resolution they looked into was providing striping for a wide outside lane on the far south project that is happening on 2444, past the Botanical Gardens, the far end of Staples St. TxDOT did confirm that they had heard this as a resolution as well and they will be providing wide outside lane striping on this project. The third resolution passed by this committee was the resurfacing project that would be taking place from Rodd Field Rd., past SPID, going towards Saratoga. She stated this group passed a resolution for TxDOT prior to going out to bid to look at the aggregate that is used on this project. TxDOT came back to the subcommittee and said by the time they had given our group the information on these upcoming projects, the Rodd Field Rd. Project had already gone out to bid. It was too late to something to adjust the Page 1 of 6 size of the aggregate on the project itself. TxDOT is looking at the possibility of surfacing the wide outside lanes in this project and using nova chip for a smoother type of an aggregate instead of the very large aggregate they will be doing the travel lanes. c. Police Department Traffic Enforcement Complaints: Capt. Gutierrez reported that last month they received many complaints about speeders in the school zone at Yorktown Blvd. and Lipes Blvd. The officers gave a few tickets at this location. Additionally, he reported at the 400 block of Atlantic St., they had a report of reckless drivers. There has been a recurring traffic complaint at Lexington Rd. between Holly Rd. and SPID. He said they have gone to Lexington Blvd. about five or six times in the mornings and motorists are using this section as a short cut to get around the construction on Staples St. Capt. Gutierrez stated they have given many citations at this location. They have been conducting traffic enforcement on Lexington Rd. and have not had any complaints in the past week. In addition, Capt. Gutierrez reported more traffic enforcement complaints at the 3100 block of Santa Fe St., Coleman St. and Brownlee Blvd., Tiger Ln. and Weber Rd., 1700 block of Daly Dr. and Micheline Dr. d. Top 20 Traffic Accident Locations for the Month: Capt. Gutierrez mentioned this might be the first time this year that HWY -181 is not number one. They have been at this location continually and have been issuing citations every week. It has dropped down to number six with two accidents. Capt. Gutierrez reported the number one location this time is HWY -358 and Weber Rd. with four accidents, along with 5900 SPID and Airline Rd. e. Urban Transportation Plan Amendments: This item combined with item f. Mr. Cardenas said this is in preparation of the Bond 2012 Designs. He reported the Bicycle ft Pedestrian Subcommittee had a lengthy discussion on the bond language. He stated for example the McArdle Rd. Project between Rodd Field Rd. and Ennis Joslin Rd. In the Urban Transportation Plan, it asks for a certain section, it is a C -2 collector, which is two -lanes of traffic in each direction, four lanes total. He said in the bond language, the project is described as a three -lane section, which is one lane in each direction with a continuous left turning lane. The bike lanes and sidewalks are added, which in the Urban Transportation Plan does not describe; neither does it describe it in the Unified Development Code (UDC). He said the Engineering Department does not want to contradict the documents. Mr. Cardenas mentioned the Bond Language is the higher authority than the Urban Transportation Plan, simply because the Bond Language is specific as to what the voters wanted. For this reason, there is a need to go to City Council later on to adopt or amend the Urban Transportation Plan and the Unified Development Code (UDC). Mr. Cardenas mentioned it would be presented to this committee. The Planning Department is responsible for making these amendments but before this is done, it comes to this committee first and it also goes to the Planning and Zoning Commission. He said this is the purpose of these items because you will be seeing them in the future, as they are getting ready to do these amendments. Mr. Price said the Urban Transportation Plan calls for four lanes and the Bond 2012 is asking for three lanes. He understood since the Bond 2012 takes precedence, it needs to be done in three lanes and it will be brought to this committee at the appropriate time. Then, the TAC approves it; therefore, it would go to City Council. Mr. Cardenas said that is correct. Mr. Weckenmann asked if there is an Page 2 of 6 extensive list. Mr. Cardenas replied there are about twelve (12) that need to be updated. Mr. Jacobi inquired if this could cause significant delays in the execution of the Bond 2012 Fund. Mr. Cardenas said no, again the bond language is the higher authority. Mr. Price questioned in the future should we look at the Urban Transportation Plan before the bonds are written. Mr. Cardenas stated yes and no, to amend the Urban Transportation Plan has become a lengthy process. Before the Bond 2012 election there was a project that needed to be on the list in an expedited fashion. He said we would be using McArdle Rd. as an example. Therefore, there is not time to put this on the list and go through the Urban Transportation Plan process; however, again the bond language has higher authority than the Urban Transportation Plan. Mr. Cardenas stated we need to understand that a plan is just that. It is not set on concrete. Plans are guidelines that we follow; they can always be amended or adjusted. The same with these two documents, same as the UDC which needs to be adjusted as well. Mr. Dan Bites' goal is to update the Urban Transportation Plan in particular for future planning. He said they are working with the Planning Department to do the appropriate adjustments. f. Unified Development Code (UDC): This item combined with item e. g. Update of TxDOT Project List: Item tabled for next month. h. Discussion with Possible Action Taken on Speed Limit Change on McArdle Rd. from Weber Rd. to Staples St.: Mr. Cardenas reported that Lenora Street turned out to be Everhart Rd., which is 500 ft. from the circle. It is 35 mph from the circle to Staples St. and the rest is 30 mph. Again, this is antiquated due to the past construction between Everhart Rd. and Weber Rd. He said to clean up the ordinance it should be 35 mph from Weber Rd. to Staples St. However, the ordinance already states it should be 35 mph 500 ft. from Lenora St. to Staples St. Mr. Cardenas commented there is no need to mess with this part of the ordinance. Mr. Price stated it is not 35 mph there. Mr. Cardenas replied if it is not 35 mph then the signs need to change. Mr. Price said it is 35 mph until you get to the Deaf ft Hard of Hearing Center. Mr. Cardenas stated it is evident this is an operations matter and we need to remove the 30 mph signs and replace them with 35 mph signs. He said the signs are confusing and is an issue of removing them for the correct signs but he does need to clean up the ordinance by changing the signs where it is appropriate. Mr. Cardenas said this exhibit will be taken to City Council and then they will be drafting the legal documents to take to City Council. Mr. Weckenmann mentioned he agrees completely it should be 35 mph on the portion east of Everhart Rd. where the five -lanes are. He feels it should be 30 mph from Everhart Rd. to Weber Rd. which is a three -lane road. Mr. Weckenmann said he would probably vote no on this. Mr. Price mentioned that Mr. Cardenas has already conducted speed studies from Everhart Rd. to Staples St. and from Weber Rd. to Everhart Rd. The speed was roughly between 38 - 40 mph. i. Discussion with Possible Action Taken on McArdle Rd. "Speed Zone" between Rodd Field Rd. and Ennis Joslin Rd. Mr. Cardenas talked about doing a formal presentation with pictures of church zones but it is not ready. He said they are trying to establish a church zone on McArdle Rd. and mentioned there are several around the city. He does not have photos of these church zones but some of them are advisory and some are regulatory. A quick example of an advisory is the Bay Area Fellowship Church on Weber Rd. and SH286. The advisory is yellow and black Page 3 of 6 and it has yellow flashers that flash when the church is in service. Ms. Cudd asked if there is an actual speed posted on these flashers. Mr. Cardenas believes the speed is 45 mph and the actual speed limit in this area is 55 or 70. Ms. Cudd said the one on Saratoga Blvd. just flashes and it does say church but there is no speed limit posted on the sign. Mr. Cardenas stated that it could be just an advisory speed. Ms. Cudd said she did not see the speed limit at all, just the yellow flasher. Mr. Cardenas mentioned he could be wrong but they are verifying this and will have the pictures as well. He said the church zone could be an advisory speed with the flashers or it could be a regulatory speed with the flashers. He said either way, it would be the recommendation of this committee to do something like this. It is the TAC consideration to Traffic Engineering; it does not go City Council. Mr. Price suggested Mr. Cardenas present the complete facts at the next meeting. Mr. Weckenmann agreed with Mr. Price and requested that this information be presented quickly. He stated this seems to be a dangerous situation; the faster it can be corrected the better. j. Discussion on No Cell Phone Use While Driving: Mr. Jacobi discussed an article from the University of Texas on the Uptick in U.S. distracted driving deaths and stated he wanted to reiterate his desires to see more restrictions on handheld electronic communication devices. He wanted to say this because he read this article and got confused when he read it. The article stated the number of people killed in distracted - related crashes rose to 3,331 in 2011 and this is up from 2010. However, later in the article they admitted they did not have very good data in 2010. Additionally, Mr. Jacobi mentioned 387,000 people were injured in 2011 due to distracted driving. He stated these numbers cannot be ignored. He will keep reporting these as he learns more and maybe someday in the future we can take some action on it. Mr. Price asked how districted driving is being defined. Mr. Jacobi responded they are focusing on the handheld distractions and is certain there is the occasional hamburger and spilled coffee as well. k. Status of Nile Road: Item tabled for next month. I. Stop Warrants on Santa Fe. St. and Del Mar Blvd.: Mr. Cardenas said attachment "E" is the accident history for this intersection in the last five years. He wishes to install a temporary stop all way condition on Santa Fe St. and Del Mar Blvd. If you look at the contributing factors for these accidents almost all of them are the stop sign conditions. Motorists are driving past the stop sign on Del Mar Blvd. and hitting the other vehicles on Santa Fe St. He said all the accidents except for two are t -bone or side impact, which are the most severe and deadly type of accidents. Mr. Cardenas said he wants to try out the temporary stop condition as measure in the course of a year to see if the accidents are reduced by half. In theory an all - way- stop will reduce these accidents by half if not more. He stated it is not the fault of the person driving on Santa Fe St. but the person driving through the stop sign on Del Mar St. but if you were to stop on Santa Fe St. this collision would be avoided. Mr. Price stated he does not disagree with this at all but he is stopping a major thoroughfare for a residential street and this bothers him. Mr. Villarreal said it bothers him as well because he drives this road everyday and there are waves of people going to the hospital in the morning and waves coming back in the afternoon. Mr. Jacobi mentioned if motorists drive through the stop sign on Del Mar St. why they would not do it Santa Fe St. too. Mr. Cardenas said if the person on Santa Fe St. stops then the person on Del Mar St. that drove through the stop sign is not going to be hit. However, this portion of Santa Fe St. is scheduled to be Page 4 of 6 on a road diet. If your concern is with traffic volumes, they are not what they are perceived to be. The volumes are so we can make a road diet and is two -lanes in each direction right now, the plan is to make it a three -lane section with a continuous left turn lane and include the bike lanes on Santa Fe St. Another item concerning traffic volumes is there are more volumes on Everhart Rd. and Yorktown Rd. then there is at this intersection. He said Everhart Rd. and Yorktown Rd. is an all - way -stop. Mr. Cardenas stated this would only be a temporary condition to see what happens with the accidents and said the road diet will also help with the safety of this intersection as well. They will do advance warning with their message boards for a few weeks before the stop condition is installed. Mr. Jacobi asked what unit of measurement he will use to determine whether or not is successful. Mr. Cardenas responded the accident history. m. Report on City Striping Program: Mr. Cardenas reported this is a three -year striping program and will cost about $100,000 that is within the Signs and Markings Operating Budget. He said the contract expired at the end of July 2012 and they have not renewed it. The contract has been drafted by the consultant and will go out for bids through our Purchasing Department. Mr. Cardenas said there is a list of streets that need striping. If we know a street is on a bond list or is going to be torn up within a year or so; we definitely do not want to spend money striping it. We also work closely with the Street Services Department where they seal coat a new street and we do the striping. Mr. Jacobi said he brought this up because two residents have asked him about it because they have difficulty knowing which lane they are in at night. He said at night is very difficult to see the striping. He said this is a safety issue and it maybe a police issue as well because changing lanes without signaling since you do not know where the lane is. Mr. Jacobi asked if residents have questions about a particular street or road and would like to see some action taken, how should they go about making their desires known? Mr. Cardenas said they could contact the Call Center at 826 -2489 and a work order will be generated. Mr. Cardenas said there are two types of striping, the water base and thermo plastic striping. He mentioned they do not stripe many residential streets. Mr. Jacobi said the residents are talking about the major roads. n. Discussion of TAC Vacant Position: Mr. Cardenas reported the City Secretary's Office has been contacted about the vacant position and they have already put the word out. They will inform us of any applicants. Mr. Price asked if there were any recommendations from the members. The members had no recommendations. o. Discussion of Bicycle ft Pedestrian Sub - committee Vacant Position: Mr. Jacobi said at the last meeting the committee was asked to recruit someone that would be interested in serving the Bicycle ft Pedestrian Subcommittee. Mr. Jacobi stated he got the word out at Driscoll Hospital since he used to volunteer there. He commented that Mr. Gerardo Gomez with Driscoll Hospital was interested in the vacant position. In addition, Mr. Gomez has the medical background that is a requirement for this position and he is a bicyclist as well. Mr. Jacobi mentioned Mr. Gomez was in the audience. Mr. Jacobi said he sent and email to Maggie and Mr. Rock nominating him for the subcommittee. Ms. Cudd stated that it sounds like Mr. Gomez is very well qualified for this position. Page 5 of 6 IV. Staff Recommendations requiring Committee Review for Recommendations / Actions a. Appointments to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Sub - committee: Mr. Jacobi motioned to nominate Mr. Gerardo Gomez to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee. Committee seconded. Motion Passed. b. Request to Recommend Speed Limit Change on McArdle Rd. from Weber Rd. to Staples St. with Possible Action Taken: Ms. Cudd motioned to recommend changing the speed limit to 35 mph on McArdle Rd. between Weber Rd. and Staples St. Six (6) members voted to approve changing the speed limit with one (1) member voting against it. Motion Passed. c. Request to Recommend "Speed Zone" on McArdle Rd. between Rodd Field Rd. and Ennis Joslin Rd. with Possible Action Taken: No action taken. Additional information requested for the next meeting. V. Identify items to be placed on a future agenda • Accident History for Del Mar Blvd. and Ocean Dr. • Scheduling of Bond 2012 Projects • Speed Limits on County Rd. 69 from FM -624 to County Rd. 52 VI. Public Comment - Mr. Gerardo Gomez talked about being nominated to the Bicycle 6t Pedestrian Subcommittee. He thanked the committee and Mr. Jacobi for nominating him to this position. VII. Adjournment - Meeting adjourned at 3:51 p.m. Page 6 of 6