Staff Report
Fullerton Active
Transportation Committee
MEETINGDATE: OCTOBER19, 2022
TO: ACTIVETRANSPORTATIONCOMMITTEE
SUBMITTEDBY: PUBLICWORKS/TRAFFICENGINEERINGDIVISION
PREPAREDBY: DAVIDROSEMAN, CITYTRAFFICENGINEER
SUBJECT: PROPOSEDREMOVAL OF MARKED CROSSWALK ON
CHAPMANAVENUEAT HARTPLACE
SUMMARY
The City Traffic Engineer has recommendedthe removal of the marked crosswalkon ChapmanAvenueand Hart Place as a part of a safety study of ChapmanAvenue. The Transportationand Circulation Commission has considered the matter, heard public testimony, and has acted to recommendedremovalof the crosswalkto the City Council at a futuremeeting. The City TrafficEngineeris comingbeforethe ActiveTransportation Committee (ATC) to seekcommentsand feedbackon the matter.
RECOMMENDATION
Considerthe proposedremoval of the marked crosswalkon ChapmanAvenue at Hart Place and providefeedbackto the City TrafficEngineer.
DISCUSSION
At the August 1, 2022, Transportation & Circulation Commission (TCC) meeting, the City Traffic Engineer presented findings and recommendationsfrom the Chapman Avenue Traffic Safety review. The TCC concurred with all six recommended traffic safety enhancements, which included a recommendationto pursue the removal of the uncontrolledcrosswalk on Chapman Avenue at Hart Place. The TCC was advised at the time that signs would be posted at the crossing providing public notice of the proposed crosswalk removal. Additionally, the TCC was advised that if staff received public feedbackin oppositionto the removal that the matter would be brought back to the TCC for reconsiderationbasedon the publicfeedbackreceived.
ProposedRemovalof the MarkedCrosswalkon ChapmanAvenueat Hart Place October19, 2022 - Page2
CaliforniaVehicleCodeSection21950.5 requiresthat public noticebe providednot less than 30 days prior to the removalof a markedcrosswalkand that the public be allowed to be heard on the matter. In accordance with State law, staff posted the marked crosswalk on Chapman Avenue at Hart Place on August 17, 2022, identifying it for removal. City staff received one call in opposition to the planned crosswalk removal, one call in supportof the removal, and a petitionrepresentingnine of the elevenhomes on Hart Place south of Chapman Avenue supporting the removal. Since there was public interest expressed, the matter was brought back to the TCC at their October 3, 2022, meetingfor a public hearingand to considerthe public input received. In addition to the public input received, two members of the ATC expressed opposition to the removal of the crosswalk to the TCC. The reasons expressed by the two members includeda potentialfuturebikewayconnectionoutlinedin the City’s 2012BicycleMaster Plan and the opinion that the matter should be referred to the ATC for their consideration. The TCC consideredthe input receivedfrom the public and the two ATC membersand then actedto move the recommendationfor crosswalkremovalforwardto City Council.
As was discussed at the August 1, 2022, TCC meeting, the crosswalk proposed for removal provides a direct connectionfrom a residentialcul-de-sac south of Chapman Avenue to a short discontinuous residential street north of Chapman Avenue. This crosswalkis the only uncontrolledcrosswalkon ChapmanAvenuebetweenthe CA-57 freewayand HarborBoulevardand there is a signalizedcrossing475 feet to the west at VictoriaDrive that can providepedestrianswith the full protectionof crossingthe street under signalized control. Observations of pedestrian crossings revealed that few pedestrianschooseto use the existingcrosswalkand that the crossingactivityfalls well below that which would suggesta crosswalkis warranted. Additionally, the removalof the crosswalk will not prohibit pedestriansfrom crossing at the intersectionif they so chooseto cross the street at that location. In considerationof the low pedestrianusage, the high speedof traffic on ChapmanAvenue, the lack of a pedestriancrossingattractor on either side of the street, and the presenceof a signalizedintersectionwithin500 feet, the City Traffic Engineer recommended, and the TCC concurred, that removal of the crosswalkwas a prudentcourseof action.
Attachments:
Attachment1 - Exhibit “A” VicinityMap