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MEETING DATE: FEBRUARY 7, 2022
TO: TRANSPORTATION & CIRCULATION COMMISSION
FROM: PUBLIC WORKS/TRAFFIC ENGINEERING DIVISION
SUBJECT: HIGHLAND AVENUE SOUTH OF ORANGETHORPE AVENUE
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND PARKING ENHANCEMENTS
SUMMARY
Consideration of City Traffic Engineer’s recommendation to install a new all-way stop with marked crosswalks at Highl and 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. The recommended changes in parking and traffic controls are a result of a n engineering review conducted in response to public requests for parking relief and pedestrian safety enhancements.
RECOMMENDATION
Concur with the City Traffic Engineer’s proposed reconfiguration of traffic and parking controls along Highland Avenue south of Orangethorpe Avenue and recommend approval of the various proposed modifications to Council a s outlined in Exhibit “A” (Attachment 1) and Exhibit “B” (Attachment 2).
DISCUSSION
In August of 2021, Councilman Zahra arranged for a meeting between City traffic engineers and residents from the neighborhood west of Highland Avenue and south of Oranget horpe Avenue. Residents relayed their frustration over a shortage of available on-street parking , aggressive driver behavior on Highland Avenue, and pedestrian safety concerns over crossing Highland Avenue to access parking and the shopping center. As an o utcome of the meeting, City traffic engineers agreed to conduct a review of the parking and traffic controls along Highland Avenue to determine if traffic safety and pedestrian access to the shopping center could be enhanced and if red zones could be shortened to provide additional parking spaces.
Highland Avenue south of Orangethorpe Avenue is a north/south residential collector street that is posted with a 25 miles per hour speed limit. This segment of Highland
TRANSPORTATION & CIRCULATION
COMMISSION AGENDA
Highland Avenue – Traffic Safety and Parking Enhancements February 7, 2022 - Page 2
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Avenue terminates in a cul -de-sac a little over a quarter mile southerly of Orangethorpe Avenue. Along Highland Avenue there are six driveways providing access to residential complexes, two driveways providing access to the shopping center to the east, and only one intervening “T” intersection at Baker Avenue. This segment of Highland Avenue has a curb-to-curb roadway width of 64 feet providing one lane of traffic in each direction with two-way left-turn lane striping north of Baker Avenue. Highland Avenue carries approximately 5,500 vehicles per day and Baker Avenue carries approximately 3,000 vehicles per day . On-street parking is permitted on both sides of the street with angled parking provided south of Baker Avenue.
Overnight parking is permitted between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Staff conducted multiple 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 crossin g Highland Avenue , along with motorists exceeding the posted speed limit and failing to yield to pedestrians crossing the street. Pedestrians were observed crossing Highland Avenue not only at Baker Avenue but mid -block in the general vicinity of the inter section 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, it was determined that the 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 for a c lear pedestrian landing area on the east side of the street so that pedestrians wouldn’t be darting out between parked cars or walking in driveways.
In support of the proposed crosswalk, it was also determined that the installation of an all-way stop at Highland Avenue and Baker Avenue would be appropriate. 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. Furt hermore, there have been five reported crashes in five years at the intersection , all of which may have been prevented if the intersection was all- way stop controlled. In addition, all -way stopping the intersection provides several ancillary benefits from enhancing pedestrian crossing safety , to calming southbound traffic heading towards a roadway terminus, to increasing parking on the westside of Highland Avenue. Since all motorists must come to a stop, the extended red zones currently in place on the westside of Highland Avenue can be reduced, thus allowing additional parking without compromising motorists’ safety. This additional parking is anticipated to partially offset the new red zone that would be installed on the east side of Highland Avenue to prov ide visibility of the new northbound stop sign and crosswalk.
In reviewing parking along Highland Avenue, City traffic engineer ing staff determined that the number of on -street parking spaces could be increased by extending the angled parking currently o nly south of Baker Avenue to 400 feet north of Baker Avenue. This change in parking would create an additional 11 on-street parking Highland Avenue – Traffic Safety and Parking Enhancements February 7, 2022 - Page 3
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spaces along the west curb of Highland Avenue north of Baker Avenue . Additionally, it was determined that marking the remai ning on-street parallel parking spaces with painted “T” markings would improve parking organization within the parking zones thus maximizing the number of vehicles that could be parked in a given area.
The City Traffic Engineer considers each of the recom mended changes to traffic and parking controls outlined here within as a part of a comprehensive package of improvements and should not be separated out for individual consideration since the various elements are interdependent. For example, expanding the angled parking north of Baker Avenue is dependent on the installation of the all -way stop in order to not compromise motorist visibility of conflicting traffic.
With concurrence of this matter by the Commission, City traffic engineers will reach out one additional time to both the community and the property owners to outline the various proposed changes in traffic and parking controls and the anticipated benefits of those changes prior to consideration by Council.
David Roseman
City Traffic Engineer
DR/LLG staff:kn
Attachment 1 - Exhibit A
Attachment 2 - Exhibit B
cc: Police Traffic Bureau
ExisƟng No Stopping AnyƟme
JOIN BELOW
JOIN ABOVE
HIGHLAND AVENUE
BAKER
AVENUE
NOT TO SCALE
ORANGETHOREP AVENUE
UPPER HIGHLAND AVENUE
North of Baker Avenue
Proposed Parking DraŌ
EXISTING NO STOPPING ANYTIME
PROPOSED NO STOPPING ANYTIME
8’
NOTE: Remove all conflicƟng striping
Sheet 1 of 2
Exhibit “A” (AƩachment #1)
12’
34’
8’
10’
STOP 12’
18 Proposed Marked
Parallel Parking Spaces
14’
27 Proposed Diagonal Parking Spaces
14 Proposed Marked
Parallel Parking Spaces
20’
64’
8’
12’
10’
14’
10’
18’
25’
8’
12’
26’
12’
4 Proposed Marked
Parallel Parking Spaces
JOIN BELOW
JOIN ABOVE
HIGHLAND AVENUE
HIGHLAND AVENUE
BAKER
AVENUE
NOT TO SCALE
LOWER HIGHLAND AVENUE
North of Baker Avenue
Proposed Parking DraŌ
8 ExisƟng Unmarked Parking
Spaces in Cul‐de‐sac
5 Proposed Marked
Parallel Parking Spaces
EXISTING NO STOPPING ANYTIME
PROPOSED NO STOPPING ANYTIME
Sheet 2 of 2
Exhibit “B” (AƩachment #2)
STOP
STOP
8’
20’
64’
36’
28 Proposed Diagonal Parking Spaces
20’ 18’ 18’
9 Proposed Marked
Parallel Parking Spaces
8’