Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: MARCH 15, 2022
TO: CITY COUNCIL
SUBMITTED BY: JEFFREY W. COLLIER, ACTING CITY MANAGER
PREPARED BY: MEG McWADE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
DAVID ROSEMAN, CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER
SUBJECT: HIGHLAND AVENUE TRAFFIC SAFETY AND PARKING ENHANCEMENTS
SUMMARY
Consideration of Transportation and Circulation Commission (TCC) recommendation to install a new all-way stop with marked crosswalks at Highland Avenue and Baker Avenue and restripe Highland Avenue south of Orangethorpe Avenue to provide marked parking spaces and additional angled parking along the west curb.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt Resolution No. 2022-XX.
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-XX - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING THE INSTALLATION OF AN ALL-WAY STOP CONTROL AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHLAND AVENUE AND BAKER AVENUE Approve implementation of various traffic safety and parking enhancements on Highland Avenue south of Orangethorpe Avenue as recommended by the City Traffic Engineer.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statements:
Infrastructure and City Assets
Public Safety.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Fiscal Year 2021-22 Adopted Operating Budget includes adequate appropriation for minor costs associated with the installation and maintenance of signs and markings by City crews. However, City crews cannot complete installation of the recommended improvements in a timely manner. Additionally, removal of the existing pavement markings requires specialized equipment that the City will have to contract out at a substantial cost. The City included these recommendations as part of a comprehensive package of traffic and parking controls that it cannot split into smaller components for installation. Staff recommends that the City retain a contractor to implement all the traffic and parking changes at one time to minimize disruption to the neighborhood.
Staff estimates the cost to implement the recommended improvements totals approximately $35,000. If City Council approves this item, staff will budget the work in the upcoming 2022-23 Capital Improvement Program.
DISCUSSION
Council Member Zahra arranged a meeting in August 2021 between City Traffic Engineering staff and residents from the neighborhood west of Highland Avenue and south of Orangethorpe Avenue based on community requests. Residents relayed their frustration over a shortage of available on-street parking, aggressive driver behavior on Highland Avenue and pedestrian safety concerns for those crossing Highland Avenue to access parking and the shopping center. City traffic engineers agreed to conduct a review of the parking and traffic controls along Highland Avenue to determine if the City could enhance traffic safety and pedestrian access to the shopping center and shorten red zones to provide additional parking spaces.
Staff conducted field observations of traffic operations and parking occupancy along Highland Avenue at various times of the day and night. Observations of traffic flow confirmed resident reports of a significant number of pedestrians crossing Highland Avenue, along with motorists exceeding the posted speed limit and failing to yield to pedestrians crossing the street. Staff observed pedestrians crossing Highland Avenue not only at Baker Avenue but mid-block in the general vicinity of the intersection as they walked back and forth between their homes, parking spaces and the shopping center. In consideration of the wide street, the number of pedestrian crossings and the heavy traffic, staff determined that installation of a marked crosswalk at Baker Avenue could provide a pedestrian safety enhancement. The installation of the marked crosswalk would serve to concentrate pedestrian crossings at a single, more visible and expected location for motorists. The crosswalk would also provide a clear pedestrian landing area on the east side of the street so pedestrians would not dart out between parked cars or walk in driveways.
In support of the proposed crosswalk, staff also determined it appropriate to install an all-way stop at Highland Avenue and Baker Avenue. The intersection carries up to 8,000 cars per day, which satisfies the California Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD) traffic volume criteria for consideration of an all-way stop. Furthermore, the City has five reported crashes in five years at the intersection, which an all-way stop may have prevented. In addition, all-way stopping at the intersection provides several ancillary benefits including enhancing pedestrian crossing safety, calming southbound traffic heading towards a roadway terminus and increasing parking on the westside of Highland Avenue. Since all motorists must come to a stop, the City can reduce red zones currently in place on the westside of Highland Avenue which allows additional parking without compromising motorist safety. This additional parking should partially offset a new red zone installed on the east side of Highland Avenue to provide visibility of the new northbound stop sign and crosswalk.
In reviewing parking along Highland Avenue, City traffic engineers determined that the City could increase the number of on-street parking spaces by extending the angled parking currently only south of Baker Avenue to 400 feet north of Baker Avenue. This change in parking would create 11 additional on-street parking spaces along the west curb of Highland Avenue north of Baker Avenue. Additionally, staff determined that marking the remaining on-street parallel parking spaces with painted “T” markings would improve parking organization within the parking zones, which maximizes the number of vehicles that could park in a given area. TCC approved these recommendations for City Council consideration. Staff included the TCC Staff Report as an attachment to this report.
The City Traffic Engineer considers the recommended changes to traffic and parking controls outlined in this report as a part of a comprehensive package of improvements that the City should not separate out for individual consideration due to the interdependence of the various elements. For example, expanding the angled parking north of Baker Avenue depends on installation of the all-way stop to not compromise motorist visibility of conflicting traffic.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Resolution No. 2022-XX
Attachment 2 - Upper Highland
Attachment 3 - Lower Highland
Attachment 4 - TCC Staff Report
Highland Avenue Traffic Safety and Parking Enhancements March 15, 2022 - Page PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 3