Agenda Report
Fullerton Transportation and
Circulation Commission
MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2022
TO: TRANSPORTATION & CIRCULATION COMMISSION
SUBMITTED BY: PUBLIC WORKS /TRAFFIC ENGINEERING DIVISION
PREPARED BY: DAVID ROSEM AN, CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION TO REMOVE THE SOUTH LEG
CROSSWALK AT THE INTERSECTION OF HARBOR
BOULEVARD AND SOUTHGATE AVENUE
SUMMARY
The City Traffic Engineer has developed a new operational scheme for the Harbor Boulevard and Southgate Avenue traffic signal to address traffic congestion on Harbor Boulevard and improve access to and from the Fullerton Town Center. This new traffic signal operation necessitates the removal of the east/west crosswalk on the south leg of the intersection. Consider the City Tra ffic Engineer’s recommendation for the intersection traffic improvement project wh ich includes the removal of one crosswalk at the intersection.
RECOMMENDATION
Concur with the City Traffic Engineer’s recommended traffic signal improvement project at Harbor Boulevard and S outhgate Avenue which necessi tates the removal of the south leg crosswalk at the intersection, as shown in Exhibit “A ” (Attachment 1) and forward the recommendation to City Council for approval.
DISCUSSION
City staff has received numerous complaints pertaining to vehicle queues on Harbor Boulevard at the northerly ent rance to Costco, as well as congestion at the signalized intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Sout hgate Avenue. As a re sult of the high customer demand for Costco gasoline and the popularity of the commercial businesses within the Fullerton Town Center, traffic is routinely backed up on Harbor Boulevard
Recommendation to Remove the South Leg Cr osswalk at the Intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Southgate Avenue
October 3, 2022 - Page 2
accessing both the Costco fuel station driveway and the s hopping center driveway at Southgate. The northbound queue fr om the northern Costco dr iveway routinely blocks an OCTA bus stop and can extend to the S outhgate intersection impacting flow through that intersection. The resulting congestion at the Harbor and Southgate intersection creates queues within the s hopping center parking lot impacting both exiting and entering traffic.
City staff approached Costco to work towards a resolution of the existing queuing and traffic congestion issues on Harbor Boulevard, as well as those within the parking lot of the shopping center. After much discussion, a series of improvements, both on Harbor Boulevard and within the shopp ing center parking lot, were proposed. One of those improvements is to modify t he operation of the traffic signa l at Harbor Boulevard and Southgate Avenue to facilitate ingress and egress to and from the shopping center to reduce queuing and improve traffic flow.
The current traffic signal at Harbor Boul evard and Southgate Avenue simply provides a green light to traffic exiting the shopping cent er that is simultaneo usly displayed with a green light to Southgate Avenue. This si multaneous display of green lights requires every motorist exiting the s hopping center driveway to che ck for and yield to conflicting vehicular and pedestrian movem ents at the intersection. This operation is very inefficient as most motorists exiting the s hopping center driveway slow for potential conflicting movements if they are present or not.
The proposed new operation of the traffic signal will facilitate traffic exiting the shopping center driveway by adding right-turn and le ft-turn arrows. To efficiently operate the arrows and not negatively impact traffic flow on Harbor Boulevard, it is necessary to concentrate the pedestrian crossings of Har bor Boulevard at the intersection to one crosswalk. The northerly crosswalk is the natu ral choice to remain since pedestrians in that crosswalk would not conf lict with the high volume of le ft-turns exiting the shopping center, both bus stops are north of the intersection, and the northern crosswalk currently accounts for over 80% of all Harbor Boulev ard crossings. By re moving the south leg crosswalk, the green time allocated to the exiting left-turn arrow can be maximized to clear the queue waiting to exit the shopping center. The ri ght-turn arrow exiting the shopping center driveway will also be active both when the southbound left-turn arrow leading into the shopping center is acti ve and when the left-turn arrow exiting the shopping center is active and there are no pedes trians in the north leg crosswalk.
When there is conflicting traffic approaching the intersection from Southgate, the shopping center left-turn arrow will be exti nguished, and a green li ght will be displayed as it is today. In addition to the new a rrows and the elimination of the south leg crosswalk, several other minor traffi c signal and signage changes will be made at the intersection to facilitate the new operation and improve safety. In the opinion of both the City Traffic Engineer and the Cit y Engineer, this new operation will significantly improve intersection operations without impacting progression on Harbor Boulevard.
Subsequently, the City Traffic Engineer has developed a tra ffic signal modification plan, the City’s Traffic Signal Maintenance Company, Yunex Traffic, has provided a quote to complete traffic signal and signage work , and Costco has agreed to fund the Recommendation to Remove the South Leg Cr osswalk at the Intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Southgate Avenue
October 3, 2022 - Page 3
implementation of the project. To facilitate the new traffi c signal operation, the City will also be upgrading the traffic signal’s computer, which is being funded through an OCTA Measure M grant. Initial traffic signal timing necessary to provide the intended operation will be provided by the City Traffic Engineer.
California Vehicle Code Section 21950.5 requires that public notice be provided not less than 30 days prior to the removal of a mark ed crosswalk and that the public be allowed to be heard on the matter. In accordance wit h State law, staff posted the south leg crosswalk at Harbor Boulevard and S outhgate Avenue on September 1, 2022, identifying it for removal. At the time this report was written, staff has received only one correspondence questioning both the removal and the method of public notification. The individual also inquired if the City would cons ider providing a new signalized crosswalk approximately 600 feet north, at Harbor Boulevard and Rosslynn Avenue, where she has a business. The City Engineer provided the individual with further information on the proposed removal of the crosswalk by em ail and notified her that the Traffic Commission would be hearing this matter at this meeting.
Should the Commission concur with the City Traffic E ngineer’s recommendation to remove the south leg crosswalk, this matte r will move forward to City Council for final approval. If final approval is obtained for t he crosswalk removal, the proposed traffic signal improvement project will commence. Should either the Commission or City Council decide to keep the south leg crosswalk, the proposed traffic signal improvement project will be discarded, and the intersection will remain as it is today.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Exhi bit “A” Vicinity Map
Agenda Report
Fullerton Transportation and
Circulation Commission
MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2022
TO: TRANSPORTATION & CIRCULATION COMMISSION
SUBMITTED BY: PUBLIC WORKS /TRAFFIC ENGINEERING DIVISION
PREPARED BY: DAVID ROSEM AN, CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION TO REMOVE UNCONTROLLED
CROSSWALKS ON CHAPMAN AVENUE AT FORD
AVENUE AND AT MALDEN AVENUE
SUMMARY
Consider the City Traffic Engineer’s recommendation to remove one of the two uncontrolled crosswalks on Chapman Avenue at its intersection with Ford Avenue and at its intersection with Malden Avenue and to upgrade the remaining crosswalk at each intersection with high visibility pedestrian activated rectangular rapid flashing beacons.
RECOMMENDATION
Concur with the City Traffic Engineer’s recommendation to remove the west leg crosswalks at both the Chapman Avenu e and Ford Avenue intersection and the Chapman Avenue and Malden Avenue intersection, as shown in Exhibit “A” (Attachment 1), and forward the recommendation to City Council for approval.
DISCUSSION
The City was awarded a Highway Safety Im provement Program (HSIP) Grant through Caltrans for the installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) at fifteen uncontrolled crosswalks in t he City. RRFB systems are hi gh visibility yellow rapid flashing beacons that are used to warn ap proaching motorists of pedestrians in the crosswalk. The beacons are activated by pedestrians by pushing a pedestrian button on the side of a pole at each end of the crosswalk.
Two of the intersections identified for the RRFB systems in the HSIP grant are Chapman Avenue at Ford Avenue and Chapman Avenue at Malden Avenue. These two
Recommendation to Remove Uncontrolled Crosswalks on Chapman Avenue at Ford Avenue and at Malden Avenue
October 3, 2022 - Page 2
intersections have two uncontrolled cros swalks crossing Chapman, similar to a signalized intersection, alt hough neither intersection is signalized. This type of uncontrolled crosswalk arrangement is unco mmon and is not consistent with current safety best practices. The grant provides funding for one RRFB system, or one crosswalk, at each intersection, assuming the City would remove the other. By removing one crosswalk at each intersection, pedestri an crossings will be concentrated at the remaining two crosswalks, where the RRFB systems can be most effective.
The previous City Traffic Engineer review ed the two intersections and ultimately determined that removal of the west leg cr osswalk at each intersection was the most prudent course of action. The transportati on design plans for the two intersections, outlining the removal of the one crosswalk and the installati on of the RRFB system at the other are provided in Exhibits “B” & “C” (Attachments 2 & 3) for the Commission’s reference.
California Vehicle Code Section 21950.5 requires that public notice be provided not less than 30 days prior to the removal of a mark ed crosswalk and that the public be allowed to be heard on the matter. In accordance with St ate law, staff posted notices at the two marked crosswalks slated for removal on Septem ber 1, 2022. At the time this report was written, City staff has received no inquiries from the public regarding the removal of either crosswalk.
Therefore, based on the antic ipated pedestrian safety benef its of the grant funded RRFB project and the lack of public interest in the removal of t he two crosswalks, the City Traffic Engineer recommends that the Commission concur with the recommendation to remove the two crosswal ks and forward the recommendation on to City Council for approval.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Exhi bit “A” Vicinity Map
Attachment 2 - Exhibits “B” Chapman & Ford
Attachment 3 - Exhibit “C” Chapman & Malden