EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 19, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Glen March, Senior Engineer
Humza Javed, City Engineer
Adrian Biggs, Associate Engineer
SUBJECT: Traffic Calming Update
Recommendation
Receive and file.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 1: Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Priority No. 4: Improve Public Facilities and Infrastructure Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
The City of East Palo Alto (City) engineering staff is working to implement traffic calming measures to reduce speeding and sideshows (illegal late-night gatherings that feature car racing and/or car stunts) in the City. The process of implementing traffic calming measures is a continuous process.
On April 20, 2021, the City Council approved a Resolution adopting a Residential Streets Traffic Management Policy (Policy). The purpose of the policy was to provide guidance and uniform procedures to address resident concerns regarding traffic safety in our neighborhoods.
City Staff follows the Policy to address speeding concerns city-wide.
Analysis
Speed humps are regularly requested by residents. The City’s current practice is to install speed humps based on the recommendations presented in the City’s Mobility Plan and requested from the community through an adopted process. There are many other examples of traffic calming which can be reviewed at the following link:
<https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/design-controls/design-speed/speedreduction-mechanisms/>.
Staff also works with the Menlo Park Fire District (MPFD) to determine speed hump locations.
MPFD does not want speed humps on certain arterial and collector streets (major streets) to maintain response times and avoid damage the fire engines and other vehicles. For those streets, city staff considers speed hump alternatives, which may be significantly more expensive than speed humps. Also, city staff has adopted the MPFD speed hump standards which include gaps in the speed humps at widths equal to the wheels of fire engines which allow fire engines to drive through without slowing down as much. 2022 Annual Street Resurfacing Project (Project)
The most cost-effective means of implementing traffic calming measures is as part of a large street resurfacing project.
The construction of this year’s project will begin in July 2022 and should be completed by December 2022. As part of the Project, eight speed humps will be constructed at the following locations:
Street Location
Bell Street between Clarke Avenue and Bell Court (total: 2) Bell Street between Cooley Avenue and Henry Court
Runnymede Street between Clarke Avenue and Avelar Street (East) Runnymede Street between Cooley Avenue and Avelar Street (West) Wisteria Drive1 between Camellia Drive and Daphne Way
Illinois Street1 between Bay Road and Michigan Avenue (total: 2) Notes:
1. Speed hump requested by residents and approved by the Public Works and Transportation Commission (PW&TC).
Speed Hump Requests
Residents may request that the City install speed humps. The process and necessary forms for requesting speed humps is located on the City’s website. <https://www.cityofepa.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/public_works/page/3441/final_spe ed_hump_process_letter_and_petition.pdf>. Once the request is complete, the PW&TC may approve the request and recommend that the City Council approve the speed humps or deny the request.
Between July 1, 2021 and June 31, 2022, residents submitted three (3) speed hump requests.
Two (2) requests were approved by the PW&TC and the City Council. One (1) request was denied because the proposed location was on a bus route where speed humps cannot be placed.
City’s Community-Based Transportation Plan (CBTP)
The development of CBTP is a Metropolitan Transportation Commission Program that seeks to bring local residents, community organizations and transportation agencies together to improve mobility for low-income communities. (tap:
<https://mtc.ca.gov/planning/transportation/access-equity-mobility/community-basedtransportation-plans-cbtps>) Staff is working with the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County to update the City’s 2004 CBTP. The 2004 CBTP can be found here: (tap:
EastPaloAltoCBTPFinal.pdf (ca.gov)
<https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/CBTP%20East%20Palo%20Alto%202004.pdf>).
C/CAG is the lead agency for preparing the updated CBTPs for specific areas of San Mateo County. East Palo Alto will be included in the new CBTP for Southeast San Mateo County.
C/CAG solicited input for the CBTP from East Palo Alto residents, including having a booth at the local farmer's market. Residents identified transportation and mobility needs in the City.
C/CAG will develop a list of projects and rate the projects based on community priorities, financial feasibility, ease of implementation, etc. Staff is currently reviewing and commenting upon the draft list of projects identified by residents.
Residents requested traffic calming measures at numerous locations. Other projects include improving signalization control, adding pedestrian amenities, closing sidewalk gaps, improving lighting deficiencies, increasing bus service, and implementing safe routes to school improvements.
In the Fall, staff will provide a compressive update on the implementation of the City’s Mobility Study to the City Council including progress on short term items, as well as next steps.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associate with receiving and filing this report.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice of this agenda item by posting the City Council agenda on the City’s official bulletin board outside City Hall and making the agenda and report available at the City’s website and at the San Mateo Co. Library located at 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The action being considered does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378 (b)(5), in that it is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.