CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: May 15, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
SUBJECT: ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. ___-23 APPROVING THE FUNDING FOR THE 2023 INTERSECTION AND CROSSWALK IMPROVEMENTS
PROJECT AND THE USE OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT
FUNDS TO PAY FOR THE CROSSING GUARD PROGRAM FOR THE
2023/2024 SCHOOL YEAR
SYNOPSIS
The City conducted a study analyzing the crossing guard program that the City has funded annually since 1995. The study includes proposed infrastructure solutions that will provide permanent safety improvements and remove the need for crossing guards. These proposed improvements will provide increased safety for pedestrians all hours of the day, exceeding the three hours per day of limited weekday coverage during the school year that the current crossing guard program offers. The purpose of this item is to request that City Council approve the request to fund the proposed intersection and crosswalk improvements project, as identified in the study, as well as the crossing guard program for one additional school year (2023/24) using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as recommended by the Budget Committee.
DISCUSSION
Background
Since 1995, the City has funded a crossing guard program during each school year at nine intersections throughout the City. Over the past 10 years, this program has incurred costs exceeding $1,000,000. Over the last five years, the average cost increased approximately 12 percent annually including FY 2022/2023 expenditures of $144,780 and projected expenses of $165,191 for FY 2023/2024
Analysis
Historic accident data shows that most accidents in the City occur within intersections and crosswalks. As identified in a study conducted by the City’s consultant, Traffic Patterns (“consultant”), improving intersection safety will reduce vehicular accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles, help the City meet regional Vision Zero goals, and continuously provide safer pedestrian crossings.
Crossing guards provide limited benefits, as guards are only present on weekdays during specific times of the day (i.e., during school drop-off and pick-up times) and only during the school year.
Outside these times, pedestrians must cross busy roads and intersections without assistance. In addition, for crossing guards to control traffic, they must first insert themselves into the traffic flow with limited sight visibility of oncoming vehicles. The proposed improvements, such as flashing stop signs and beacons, will provide further advanced visual warnings to motorists of the presence of pedestrians at intersections. Speed humps will provide physical barriers to slow vehicles.
An initial study was conducted in 2021 that analyzed the nine City intersections at which crossing guards are currently deployed. This study was updated in March 2023 by the consultant, which collected additional bicycle and pedestrian counts to guide the selection of appropriately engineered solutions. The vehicle and pedestrian counts collected in the field were compared against the Criteria for Adult Crossing Guards outlined in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA-MUTCD), which provides guidance on when crossing guards should be considered. Only four of the nine intersections met the minimum criteria for considering the use of crossing guards. City staff notes that within the CA-MUTCD guidance, crossing guards should be considered when other forms of traffic control are not reasonable or until such time that traffic control measures, such as those proposed in the study, are implemented. The updated study provides recommendations for proposed improvements and additional traffic control measures that would eliminate the need for crossing guards in the future.
After evaluating the intersections, staff developed a strategy for each intersection that would provide varying levels of improvement to augment and emphasize pedestrian safety. These improvements include additional signage and striping, flashing beacon systems, speed humps, and traffic signal improvements. The updated Intersection Improvement Study (attached) further outlines specific enhancements for each intersection. The locations have been prioritized based on the most recent school-age pedestrian count data.
Since the proposed improvements are not expected to be completed before the 2023/24 school year starts, staff requests authorization to appropriately allocate approximately $166,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to continue the crossing guard program for one additional year.
On April 25, 2023, City staff presented the 2023 Intersection and Crosswalk Improvements Project and crossing guards funding proposal to the Budget Committee, which recommended that the City Council consider approval of the proposed engineering solutions and the request to use ARPA funds to pay for crossing guards for one additional year.
FISCAL IMPACT
The following table outlines the estimated cost of improvements proposed for each of the nine prioritized intersections identified in the study.
Priority Intersection Name Cost of Proposed
Improvements
1 Boyd Rd & Patterson Blvd $100,000
2 Pleasant Hill Rd & Paradise Ln $50,000
3 Viking Dr & Ruth Dr $85,000
4 Oak Park Blvd & Wendell Ln $75,000
5 Gladys Dr & Helen Rd $125,000
6 Viking Dr & Odin Dr + Viking Dr & Morello $125,000
7 Contra Costa Blvd & Ellinwood Dr $100,000
8 Monument Blvd & Buskirk Ave $100,000
9 Gregory Ln & Brandon Rd $40,000
Construction Cost Estimate: Design/Staff: $40,000
Total: $840,000
Funding for the proposed intersection and crosswalk improvements project would be allocated from the following sources:
Measure K unallocated fund balance: $700,000
Sidewalk Maintenance/Gap Closure (M-4): $100,000
Pedestrian and Bicycle Program (MK-3): $ 40,000
Total: $840,000
Funding for the crossing guard program (FY 23/24) would be allocated from the following sources:
American Rescue Plan Act funds: $ 166,000
As noted earlier, the existing crossing guard program has incurred costs of over $1,000,000 the past 10 years, with an average cost increase of 12 percent annually over the past five years. When projecting future costs for the next four years, funding the crossing guard program from FY 2024/2025 through FY 2027/2028 would cost approximately $884,000. The proposed project would pay for itself in less than four years.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the City Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center, and at the Pleasant Hill Police Department. The agenda and staff report are posted on the City’s web page.
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Move to approve the request to fund the proposed intersection and crosswalk improvements project, as identified in the study, and authorize the use of ARPA funding to continue the crossing guard program for the 2023/24 school year as recommended by the Budget Committee.
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDED ACTION
Alternatively, the City Council may choose to reduce the project’s proposed scope and/or remove some of the intersections listed, with the funding adjusted accordingly.
Conversely, City Council may choose not to allocate any additional funding for the proposed intersection improvements or may decline to use ARPA funds for the crossing guard program, and may provide direction to staff on follow-up or recommended changes.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Proposed Resolution
Exhibit 1 - Intersection Improvements Study, dated March 24, 2023 Prepared by: Ananthan Kanagasundaram, City Engineer
Reviewed by: Ethan Bindernagel, Community Development Director/Assistant City Manager Approved by: June Catalano, City Manager