AGENDA ITEM #13
TOWN OF FAIRFAX
STAFF REPORT
May 3, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Loren Umbertis, Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Receive report regarding Traffic Improvement Project at Cascade Drive at Cypress Drive and Hickory Road to improve Safety to vehicles accessing Cascade Drive ________________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Town Council receive information regarding a Traffic Improvement Project at Cascade Drive at Cypress Drive and Hickory Road to improve Safety to vehicles accessing Cascade Drive.
DISCUSSION
The Department of Public Works has received concerns about the safety of vehicles accessing Cascade Drive from Hickory Road and Cypress Drive due to vehicles being parked at points close to the intersections reducing sightline visibility necessitating drivers to extend further, and potentially unsafely, into the roadway of Cascade Drive to determine if it is safe to access Cascade Drive.
Staff from the Public Works Department investigated and determined there was validity to the concerns and asked Parisi Transportation Consultants, a local and well-respected traffic safety engineering firm, to review the road conditions and present a recommendation to the Town of Fairfax, the result which is currently presented to the Town Council for informational purposes.
As per the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) parking within 20’ of an intersection is typically restricted to allow vehicle drivers adequate sight lines at intersections to improve visibility of pedestrians and oncoming traffic. Currently no red zones exist at any of the intersections at the Cypress or Hickory intersections where they meet Cascade Drive. When vehicles are parked close to the edges of the intersections, the available sight distance is reduced for vehicles desiring to access Cascade Drive.
To enhance safety, Town Staff and Parisi Transportation Consultants have planned to install street markings at intersections of Cascade Drive and Cypress Drive and Hickory Road and to add No Parking red zones at corners of “Doc” Edgar Park to improve sightline distance for vehicles entering into traffic flows onto Cascade Drive.
The improvements described in the attached rendering will improve safety by allowing greater sight line distances allowing vehicles to safely access Cascade Drive. The improvement will remove some spots that have had parked vehicles occasionally, however, parking is typically not constrained for local residents so the loss of some parking spots should not significantly impact the neighborhood.
This project is operational in nature, thus it does not require Council approval and the estimated cost is below the Town Manager’s signature authority. However, staff wishes to share information with Town Council ahead of the project.
2 FISCAL IMPACT
Costs associated with adding the pavement markings and red curb painting are estimated to be less than $5,000. There will be ongoing maintenance in future years to refresh the markings as they normally fade over time.
ATTACHMENTS
Cascade Dr Between Cypress Dr and Hickory Rd Improvement Plan dated April 5, 2023 from Parisi Transportation Consultant
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REVISIONS 04/05/2023
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1" =20'
CASCADE DR BETWEEN CYPRESS DR & HICKORY RD
1 14018
1 TOWN OF FAIRFAX 800 Bancroft Way, Ste 203
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 343-6400
Know what'sbelow. Callbefore you dig.
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0 20' 40'
IMPROVEMENT PLAN