EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: October 18, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Humza Javed, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: Traffic Calming – East Bayshore Avenue and Woodland Avenue Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to implement traffic calming measures on East Bayshore Road and Woodland Avenue.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 1: Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Priority No. 2: Enhance Economic Vitality
Priority No. 4: Improve Public Facilities and Infrastructure Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
Various signage, striping, and traffic calming improvements were approved by the City Council citywide as a part of the Annual Street Resurfacing Project 2022 (Project). The project is currently under construction with a number of improvements scheduled throughout the month of October and November 2022. Project documents are located on the Annual Street Resurfacing web page on the City website at the following link:
<https://www.cityofepa.org/publicworks/project/annual-street-resurfacing> Since the approval of the plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) package for the Project which was done on April 5, 2022, city staff received a request to enhance traffic calming along Woodland Avenue and East Bayshore Road. In retrospect, these improvements should have been included in the original PS&E since both areas have been problematic for many years.
Analysis
Woodland Avenue and East Bayshore Road are connector roadways running in the east-west direction in the City. Both roadways have 25 MPH posted speed limits.
The City’s Mobility Study recommended a number of traffic calming/traffic controls city-wide. A stop sign was recommended at East Bayshore and Menalto Avenue which has been installed.
A speed hump was recommended along Woodland Avenue east of University Avenue which is scheduled for installation later this year.
Other improvements as approved in the Annual Street Improvements project include bike lane striping, parking lane striping, and center line striping; essentially creating “road-diets” along the two roadways to slow vehicular traffic.
Staff is recommending the installation of a speed hump in addition to one previously approved in the Mobility Study on Woodland Avenue as an additional traffic calming measure. Based on the existing traffic speed and roadways curvatures, a speed hump on Woodland Avenue between Cooley Avenue and Newell Road can be beneficial in reducing traffic speeds.
Additionally, speed limit pavement markings as well as additional signage are also recommended for driver awareness of roadway curvature and speed limits on both East Bayshore Road as well as Woodland Avenue. (See resolution, Attachment 1) Fiscal Impact
Additional costs of approximately $10,000 for this work are available in the Annual Street Resurfacing Project contingency which has been previously approved by City Council.
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 by the City Council is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a “project” pursuant to 15378(b)(4) because it is a fiscal activity which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment.
Attachments
A. Resolution
B. Woodland and EBayshore signage striping plans