STC Traffic, Inc.
5865 Avenida Encinas, Suite 142‐B, Carlsbad, CA 92008
www.stctraffic.com
May 17, 2022
Andrew Lee, E.I.T
Assistant Engineer
Cathedral City
68700 Ave Lalo Guerrero
Cathedral City, CA 92234
[email protected]
RE: Ramon Road, Cathedral City Mid‐Block Crossing Basis of Design 1 Introduction
Cathedral City was recently awarded a HSIP Grant to construct a High‐Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) signal near the intersection of Ramon Road/Avenida La Paloma, to address pedestrian and bicyclist collisions between Candlewood Drive and Shifting Sands Trail. This technical memorandum evaluates the optimal location and control type for the proposed mid‐block pedestrian crossing. Provided in this memo is a review of existing vehicular volumes and pedestrian crossing locations; an evaluation of two potential pedestrian mid‐block crossing alternatives; an evaluation of the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) Warrant per the CA MUTCD; and a recommended alternative for crossing location, configuration, and signal control type. The project site and two potential crossing locations are highlighted in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1 Project Site and Alternative Locations
2 Existing Conditions
Ramon Road currently operates with a posted speed limit of 40 MPH within the project study area. The roadway accommodates two‐way traffic with three lanes in each direction separated by a 12‐foot median between Landau Boulevard and Whispering Palm Trails. Sidewalks are provided along both sides of the roadway for the entire length of the study area.
Average daily traffic (ADT) data was collected in the vicinity of the two proposed crossing locations for a 24‐hour period on Tuesday, March 29th, 2022, which represents a typical day for traffic count purposes (non‐holiday) while schools were in session. Based on the ADT data, Ramon Road carries approximately 29,614 vehicles in a given day, with a peak hourly volume of 2,073 vehicles (3:00PM – 4:00PM). 85th percentile speeds along Ramon Road, within the vicinity of the potential crossings, was found to be 44 MPH in the eastbound direction and 42 MPH in the westbound direction.
2 Video data was collected along the corridor to identify the number and location of midblock pedestrian crossings between Landau Boulevard and Whispering Palm Trails during the data collection effort mentioned above. A pedestrian crossing analysis was conducted based on this video data between the hours of 7:00AM and 7:00PM. A total of 57 pedestrians were observed crossing Ramon Road during the analyzed period. Scatter plots, which indicate where each pedestrian crossed the corridor by the hour, are provided in the Attachments. Pedestrian crossing locations were condensed into four main locations as indicted in Figure 2 below. The analysis indicates that 29 pedestrians (51%) chose to cross Ramon Road just west of Candlewood Drive and nearly 75% of all mid‐block crossings occurred between Candlewood Drive and Landau Boulevard. The peak hour of pedestrian crossing activity occurred between 4:00PM and 5:00PM with 14 mid‐block crossings between Landau Boulevard and Whispering Palm Trails.
Figure 2 Pedestrian Crossing Analysis of Ramon Road (7:00AM TO 7:00PM)
3 Review of Alternatives
This section provides an evaluation of the two potential mid‐block crossing locations, Alternative “A” and Alternative “B”. A summary of each alternative’s benefits and/or challenges is provided in the subsequent sections below, which will aid in selecting the new mid‐block crossing location.
3.1 ALTERNATIVE A
The Alternative “A” mid‐block crossing location is located on the west side of Ramon Road & Shifting Sands Trail between the signalized intersections of Ramon Road/Landau Boulevard (approximately 960’ west) and Ramon Road/Whispering Palms Trail (approximately 350’ east). Below is a summary of benefits and or challenges associated with the mid‐block crossing, if installed at this location:
The new crossing could utilize the existing median curb cut located just west of Shifting Sands Trail. However, this would require the modification of the existing driveway cut on the south side of Ramon Road, just west of Shifting Sands Trail. The driveway modification is necessary to accommodate construction of a pedestrian ramp. If modifications to the existing driveway cut is not feasible, the new crossing would fall west of the driveway and the existing median curb cut will need to be filled.
Limited right‐of‐way (ROW) is available on the north side of Ramon Road at this location. This will make placing a traffic signal pole and other traffic signal related equipment, within existing ROW, challenging.
Given the limited amount of ROW, a Case “C” ramp would likely have to be placed on the northern sidewalk, which will require all pedestrians to “ramp down” and then “ramp up” regardless of if they are using the mid‐block crossing.
3 The limit line for eastbound traffic on Ramon Road would fall to the west of the existing driveway that serves Outpost Market. When the mid‐block crossing is activated and pedestrians have a walk symbol, vehicles exiting Outpost Market onto Ramon Road could impede into the crosswalk and conflict with the pedestrians who assume they are protected and safe to cross. A solution to this challenge could be to close the existing driveway cut, which may not be desirable to the business owner.
The spacing of the crosswalk between existing signalized intersections may also inhibit effective vehicle progression on Ramon Road. When installing a new traffic signal, uniform spacing to existing upstream and downstream signals is desired. This new crossing would be located approximately 960’ west of Ramon Road/Landau Boulevard and approximately 350’ east of Ramon Road/Whispering Palms Trail.
Westbound traffic on Ramon Road would have approximately 350’ of queue storage before impeding into the intersection of Ramon Road & Whispering Palms Trail, which may not be desirable based on the conditions viewed during a recent field visit.
3.2 ALTERNATIVE B
The Alternative “B” mid‐block crossing location is located on the west side of Ramon Road & Candlewood Drive between the signalized intersections of Ramon Road/Landau Boulevard (approximately 600’ west) and Ramon Road/Whispering Palms Trail (approximately 700’ east). Below is a summary of benefits and or challenges associated with the mid‐block crossing, if installed at this location:
There are no existing curb cuts to be utilized. The new crossing will construct new curb cuts in the existing median.
The existing landscaping located on the northern and southern portion of Ramon Road provide sufficient space to install a traffic signal pole and other traffic signal related equipment (i.e. controller cabinet).
Given the available ROW, Case “D” pedestrian ramps would be able to be installed on both sides of the roadway. Case “D” ramps provide an ADA compliant transition to the crosswalk while also providing at least 4’ of unobstructed area for pedestrians not utilizing the mid‐block crossing. There are no driveways that would cause conflicts with the crossing, providing a reasonably safer option than Alternative “A”.
The location of the crosswalk is more centrally located between the signalized intersections at Landau Boulevard and Whispering Palms Trail, which may provide for better vehicle progression and coordination conditions on Ramon Road in comparison to Alternative “A”. Westbound traffic on Ramon Road would have approximately 650’ of queue storage before impeding into the intersection of Ramon Road & Whispering Palms Trail. Eastbound traffic on Ramon Road would have approximately 550’ of queue storage before impeding into the intersection of Ramon Road & Landau Boulevard. The spacing between adjacent signals is more equal at this location, limiting occurrences of spillback queue from adjacent signals to the greatest extent possible.
This location is closer to the shopping plaza where approximately 75% of pedestrian activity was observed.
4 This location overlaps with the ‘Ramon Road Widening Project’. When placing traffic poles and related equipment, consideration will need be taken to ensure traffic equipment does not conflict with the ‘Ramon Road Widening Project’ improvements.
3.3 RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE
Based on the information provided in the previous section, STC recommends the placement of the new mid‐block crossing at the location identified by Alternative “B”. The mid‐block crossing configuration and control type for the recommended alternative is discussed in subsequent sections. 4 Warrant Analysis
A PHB warrant analysis was conducted based on the recommended Alternative “B” location. The primary goal of this PHB warrant is to confirm conditions have not significantly changed since the original PHB warrant was completed for the HSIP grant, which was conducted in October 2020 during the Covid‐19 pandemic. The PHB warrant analysis is based on the latest adopted California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA‐MUTCD) Section 4F.01. Using the 4:00PM to 5:00PM scatter plot found in the Attachments, the area immediately surrounding the Alternative “B” mid‐block crossing location experienced 9 pedestrian crossings. ADT data shows a total of 1,983 vehicles traveled on Ramon Road during the same peak hour. Additionally, Ramon Road experienced an 85th percentile speed of 44 MPH, which classifies Ramon Road as a high‐speed roadway under the CA MUTCD guidelines of installing a PHB.
These volumes are shown in relation to MUTCD Figure 4F‐2 below. The existing roadway width is about 86 feet, measured curb‐to‐curb.
As shown in the figure above, the pedestrian volumes are slightly below the threshold guidelines, with 9 pedestrians per hour (pph) rather than 20 pph. However, using engineering judgement, it is expected that some of pedestrians currently crossing at other locations along the mid‐block and adjacent signalized intersections would utilize the new crossing due to the convenience of the new crossing location, reasonably safer crossing conditions, and/or the new median fencing that may be installed as part of this project. Furthermore, as indicated in the original PHB warrant, a recent pattern of vehicle‐pedestrian
5 collisions was identified to be occurring at night at the rate of approximately two collisions per year since 2017, including a pedestrian fatality in August 2018.
Based on these results and first hand observation, STC agrees with the original PHB warrant findings and supports the installation of a signalized mid‐block pedestrian crossing based on pedestrian safety concerns and recent crash history.
5 Mid‐Block Crossing Configuration
The roadway and median geometry at the Alternative “B” location allows for flexibility in the configuration of the type of pedestrian crossing provided. Two alternative crossing types are shown in high level concepts below (Figure 3).
Figure 3 Pedestrian Crossing Type Alternatives
The first alternative (option one) involves a typical straight crossing along Ramon Road that would be completed in a single phase. Option two includes a staggered or “z” crossing, which would be completed in two phases. Staggered crosswalks have the benefit of enabling pedestrians to only focus on one direction of traffic at a time and directs them to always be facing oncoming traffic. Option 2 is the preferred mid‐block crossing configuration, if sufficient funding is available, as it provides greater visibility for pedestrians. The ultimate configuration of the mid‐block crossing will be evaluated during the preliminary design phase.
6 6 Pedestrian Signal Operations
The latest adopted California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA‐MUTCD) Section 4F.01 defines a PHB as the following:
01 ‐ A pedestrian hybrid beacon is a special type of hybrid beacon used to warn and control traffic at an unsignalized location to assist pedestrians in crossing a street or highway at a marked crosswalk.
01a ‐ A conventional traffic control signal operation with a standard signal face displaying green, yellow and red (steady and/or flashing red) indications, at a mid‐block crosswalk is an alternative to the pedestrian hybrid beacon.
Considering the mid‐block crossing will be placed between two traditional traffic signals, STC recommends installing a conventional traffic control signal operation as defined by ‘Standard 01a’ of the CA‐MTUCD to provide consistency with the adjacent traffic signals located along the corridor. Introducing a typical PHB signal at this location may be confusing to drivers who are not used to seeing this type of signal in this setting, which may lead to compliance issues. Additionally, STC recommends the installation of a staggered or “z” crossing if sufficient funding is available. The combination of these two recommendations will provide a reasonably safe environment for pedestrians utilizing the new crossing of Ramon Road.
Further details regarding the design and operation of the mid‐block crossing will be assessed in subsequent discussions with the City.
7 Next Steps
Through discussions with Cathedral City and the project team, the City has decided to move forward with Alternative B for placement of the new mid‐block crossing. The City has started the process of writing a Scope Change to Caltrans to change from HAWK signal operations to standard pedestrian signal operations with 3‐section signal heads. The design team will move forward with design of a pedestrian signal at Alternative B location. The 30% design will evaluate the pedestrian crossing configuration, median fencing placement and constructability, and other design related elements.
ATTACHMENT
24‐Hour Vehicle Counts……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….A1 – A3 Pedestrian Count Scatter Plots…………………………………………………………………………………………………….A4 – A15
City of Cathedral City
Ramon Road
W/ Candlewood Drive
24 Hour Directional Speed Survey
CTCRAWCA
Site Code: 232-22268
Counts Unlimited, Inc.
PO Box 1178
Corona, CA 92878
Phone: (951) 268-6268
email: [email protected]
Eastbound
Start 1 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76
Time 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 999 Total
03/29/22 1 1 3 0 6 25 35 36 26 4 0 0 1 0 138
01:00 1 0 0 0 7 20 15 23 6 10 1 1 2 0 86
02:00 1 0 0 2 2 6 16 13 6 4 1 0 0 0 51
03:00 0 0 0 0 4 10 11 13 9 2 2 1 0 0 52
04:00 0 0 0 0 6 20 55 50 19 4 1 1 1 0 157
05:00 1 0 1 3 16 44 69 39 21 7 1 0 0 0 202
06:00 7 2 5 9 38 131 143 72 34 11 2 0 0 0 454
07:00 24 7 12 25 150 279 194 90 13 5 2 0 0 0 801
08:00 18 6 13 27 159 270 188 67 17 6 1 0 0 0 772
09:00 12 6 11 42 160 280 184 52 19 3 3 0 0 0 772
10:00 23 11 18 43 177 334 185 54 21 3 4 0 0 1 874
11:00 26 6 16 41 209 343 229 65 26 10 0 3 0 0 974
12 PM 25 12 24 38 185 360 225 66 30 5 0 0 0 0 970
13:00 22 13 24 56 159 364 259 75 15 6 3 0 0 0 996
14:00 38 12 30 65 316 410 209 64 24 7 0 1 0 0 1176
15:00 37 15 16 62 299 490 257 68 14 4 2 0 0 0 1264
16:00 30 10 16 68 247 406 264 75 22 4 1 0 0 0 1143
17:00 20 6 19 63 218 417 281 80 32 8 7 2 0 0 1153
18:00 26 8 17 50 185 344 216 79 19 4 1 0 0 0 949
19:00 19 1 15 56 164 308 192 67 15 7 1 0 0 0 845
20:00 9 4 3 34 93 239 212 67 26 8 1 0 1 0 697
21:00 10 0 4 20 75 156 149 93 27 6 2 1 0 0 543
22:00 10 1 3 12 58 144 136 82 43 6 3 2 0 0 500
23:00 5 2 4 11 13 50 89 57 26 13 2 5 2 0 279
Total 365 123 254 727 2946 5450 3813 1447 510 147 41 17 7 1 15848 Daily 15th Percentile : 31 MPH
50th Percentile : 38 MPH
85th Percentile : 44 MPH
95th Percentile : 49 MPH
Statistics Mean Speed(Average) : 38 MPH
10 MPH Pace Speed : 36-45 MPH
Number in Pace : 9263
Percent in Pace : 58.4%
Number of Vehicles > 55 MPH : 213
Percent of Vehicles > 55 MPH : 1.3%
A1
City of Cathedral City
Ramon Road
W/ Candlewood Drive
24 Hour Directional Speed Survey
CTCRAWCA
Site Code: 232-22268
Counts Unlimited, Inc.
PO Box 1178
Corona, CA 92878
Phone: (951) 268-6268
email: [email protected]
Westbound
Start 1 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76
Time 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 999 Total
03/29/22 0 0 0 0 5 32 38 20 6 5 0 0 0 0 106
01:00 0 0 0 1 5 17 15 24 6 1 1 1 0 0 71
02:00 0 0 1 0 0 3 11 10 7 0 2 0 0 0 34
03:00 1 0 2 0 3 17 27 23 9 4 3 0 0 0 89
04:00 11 2 0 2 7 26 78 56 36 12 6 1 0 0 237
05:00 7 6 2 6 31 81 80 72 41 13 4 2 2 0 347
06:00 18 12 10 42 92 184 170 61 32 12 2 0 0 0 635
07:00 151 57 112 143 177 131 76 13 2 3 0 0 0 0 865
08:00 118 49 67 111 196 160 102 35 15 1 1 2 0 0 857
09:00 64 35 31 80 198 188 129 40 10 3 2 0 0 0 780
10:00 98 37 69 91 200 199 100 28 6 0 0 0 0 0 828
11:00 121 41 51 120 206 175 82 29 4 4 0 0 0 0 833
12 PM 106 40 109 121 185 172 72 34 6 2 1 0 0 0 848
13:00 114 35 62 149 185 141 84 30 10 0 2 0 0 0 812
14:00 117 51 120 167 187 138 75 14 4 1 0 0 0 0 874
15:00 133 59 64 121 188 135 78 21 6 3 1 0 0 0 809
16:00 121 61 88 148 188 143 64 19 7 1 0 0 0 0 840
17:00 116 54 99 162 166 147 76 14 1 1 0 0 0 0 836
18:00 89 52 45 123 201 165 80 31 9 3 0 0 0 0 798
19:00 49 23 44 94 210 182 98 21 6 3 1 0 0 0 731
20:00 28 7 7 37 112 186 140 44 17 2 1 1 0 0 582
21:00 20 4 5 24 77 134 121 51 26 10 1 0 0 0 473
22:00 11 2 3 3 35 70 83 49 22 4 2 0 2 2 288
23:00 4 5 1 2 2 8 18 23 40 27 31 17 10 5 193
Total 1497 632 992 1747 2856 2834 1897 762 328 115 61 24 14 7 13766
Daily 15th Percentile : 19 MPH
50th Percentile : 33 MPH
85th Percentile : 42 MPH
95th Percentile : 49 MPH
Statistics Mean Speed(Average) : 32 MPH
10 MPH Pace Speed : 31-40 MPH
Number in Pace : 5690
Percent in Pace : 41.3%
Number of Vehicles > 55 MPH : 221
Percent of Vehicles > 55 MPH : 1.6%
A2
City of Cathedral City
Ramon Road
W/ Candlewood Drive
24 Hour Directional Speed Survey
CTCRAWCA
Site Code: 232-22268
Counts Unlimited, Inc.
PO Box 1178
Corona, CA 92878
Phone: (951) 268-6268
email: [email protected]
Eastbound, Westbound
Start 1 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76
Time 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 999 Total
03/29/22 1 1 3 0 11 57 73 56 32 9 0 0 1 0 244
01:00 1 0 0 1 12 37 30 47 12 11 2 2 2 0 157
02:00 1 0 1 2 2 9 27 23 13 4 3 0 0 0 85
03:00 1 0 2 0 7 27 38 36 18 6 5 1 0 0 141
04:00 11 2 0 2 13 46 133 106 55 16 7 2 1 0 394
05:00 8 6 3 9 47 125 149 111 62 20 5 2 2 0 549
06:00 25 14 15 51 130 315 313 133 66 23 4 0 0 0 1089
07:00 175 64 124 168 327 410 270 103 15 8 2 0 0 0 1666
08:00 136 55 80 138 355 430 290 102 32 7 2 2 0 0 1629
09:00 76 41 42 122 358 468 313 92 29 6 5 0 0 0 1552
10:00 121 48 87 134 377 533 285 82 27 3 4 0 0 1 1702
11:00 147 47 67 161 415 518 311 94 30 14 0 3 0 0 1807
12 PM 131 52 133 159 370 532 297 100 36 7 1 0 0 0 1818
13:00 136 48 86 205 344 505 343 105 25 6 5 0 0 0 1808
14:00 155 63 150 232 503 548 284 78 28 8 0 1 0 0 2050
15:00 170 74 80 183 487 625 335 89 20 7 3 0 0 0 2073
16:00 151 71 104 216 435 549 328 94 29 5 1 0 0 0 1983
17:00 136 60 118 225 384 564 357 94 33 9 7 2 0 0 1989
18:00 115 60 62 173 386 509 296 110 28 7 1 0 0 0 1747
19:00 68 24 59 150 374 490 290 88 21 10 2 0 0 0 1576
20:00 37 11 10 71 205 425 352 111 43 10 2 1 1 0 1279
21:00 30 4 9 44 152 290 270 144 53 16 3 1 0 0 1016
22:00 21 3 6 15 93 214 219 131 65 10 5 2 2 2 788
23:00 9 7 5 13 15 58 107 80 66 40 33 22 12 5 472
Total 1862 755 1246 2474 5802 8284 5710 2209 838 262 102 41 21 8 29614
Daily 15th Percentile : 26 MPH
50th Percentile : 36 MPH
85th Percentile : 44 MPH
95th Percentile : 49 MPH
Statistics Mean Speed(Average) : 36 MPH
10 MPH Pace Speed : 31-40 MPH
Number in Pace : 14086
Percent in Pace : 47.6%
Number of Vehicles > 55 MPH : 434
Percent of Vehicles > 55 MPH : 1.5%
A3
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
7AM - 8AM
X1X2 X3
A4
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
8AM - 9AM
X5(2)X4
A5
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
9AM - 10AM
X6 X7
A6
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
10AM - 11AM
X9
X10
X11X12X13 X8
A7
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
11AM - 12PM
X16X15
X17
X18X19X14
A8
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
12PM - 1PM
X20
A9
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
1PM - 2PM
X21
X22
X23
X24
X25X26
A10
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
2PM - 3PM
X27 X28X29
A11
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
3PM - 4PM
X32 X33(2)X34 X30
X31
A12
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
4PM - 5PM
X41X42 X44X43X45X46 X47X48
X35
X36X37
X38(2)
X39
X40
A13
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
5PM - 6PM
X49
A14
Ramon Road Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings
6PM - 7PM
X52X50 X51
X53
A15