____________________________________________________________________________________
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
Council Meeting: _______________________
Disposition: ___________________________
Agenda Item No: 4.a
Meeting Date: July 20, 2026
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: Public Works
Prepared by: Sayed Fakhry,
City Traffic Engineer
City Manager Approval: ______________
TOPIC: CITY OF SAN RAFAEL TRAFFIC CALMING PROGRAM POLICY SUBJECT: RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL’S TRAFFIC CALMING PROGRAM POLICY; CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) DETERMINATION: EXEMPT PURSUANT TO CEQA GUIDELINE 15378(b)(5) RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy.
BACKGROUND:
The City routinely receives requests from residents regarding excessive vehicle speeds and traffic volumes on neighborhood residential streets. The authority to review these requests is delegated to the City Traffic Engineer, whose duties are provided in San Rafael Municipal Code Section 5.08.060, and which states:
It shall be the general duty of the city traffic engineer to determine the installation and proper timing and maintenance of traffic control devices and signals, to conduct engineering analyses of traffic accidents and to devise remedial measures, to conduct engineering and traffic investigations of traffic conditions and to cooperate with other city officials in the development of ways and means to improve traffic conditions, and to carry out the additional powers and duties imposed by ordinances of this city… Historically, these requests have been addressed on an ad hoc basis, without a consistent, Counciladopted framework for evaluating requests, prioritizing improvements, or selecting appropriate traffic calming tools.
In 2025, the San Rafael City Council adopted a Three-Year Strategic Plan that establishes the Council’s goals and priorities and guides the City’s work plan for that period. Within the Strategic Plan, there is Goal B.2, which is to Enhance Transportation Safety Policies and Traffic Management System. Objective B2.2 states, “Launch and evaluate pilot projects for traffic calming measures to improve neighborhood safety”.
Based on this direction, staff developed a draft Traffic Calming Policy, presented it at the April 21, 2026, meeting of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), and received feedback.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2
ANALYSIS:
The City receives many traffic calming requests from residents on residential streets. The Traffic Calming Program Policy will set objective guidelines and procedures for residents and staff to follow, and use the objective criteria to respond to requests, analyze, and prioritize traffic calming installations on residential streets. Key elements of the Policy include:
• Request and Petition Process
• Data Collection and Qualification
Thresholds
• Review and Approval Process
• Tiered Structure of Traffic Calming Tools
Based on Issue Complexity, Cost, and
Impact
• Post-Installation Monitoring
The Policy is intended to ensure that limited City resources are directed toward streets with demonstrated, data-supported traffic concerns, while providing residents with a transparent and predictable path for requesting improvements.
If approved, the Policy would apply to neighborhood residential streets, defined as streets with a minimum of two lanes (wider than 20 feet) in areas zoned Residential (R1 and R2). It may also be applied to lowvolume residential collector streets. The Policy may be initiated either by resident petition or by the Department of Public Works (DPW) for corridors identified through the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program or the City's Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP).
Principles and Guidelines of the Policy:
• The Policy process applies only to neighborhood residential streets and may also be applied to low-volume residential collector streets.
• Removal of on-street parking may be necessary to implement specific traffic calming tools. • Emergency vehicle access shall be maintained on all streets where traffic calming tools/devices are installed.
• Requests for traffic calming tools shall be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis as signed petitions are received.
• Traffic calming process begins by submitting a petition of support signed by a simple majority (50%+1) of the residents/households (one household, one signature). • Stop signs and traffic signals are not considered traffic calming measures. The installation of stop signs and traffic signals are dictated by the CA MUTCD (California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices), the official state standard for the design, installation, and maintenance of all traffic signs, road surface markings, and traffic signals.
Policy Benefits:
Adoption of a formal Traffic Calming Program Policy provides several benefits to the City and its residents:
• Consistency and Transparency: A codified, Council-adopted policy ensures that all requests are evaluated using the same objective criteria, reducing the potential for inconsistent outcomes or the perception of favoritism.
• Data-Driven Prioritization: Requiring a documented petition and a seven-day speed and volume survey ensures that traffic calming resources are directed to streets with demonstrated need, rather than isolated or anecdotal concerns.
• Community Engagement: The petition requirement and BPAC review process ensure that traffic calming measures reflect genuine, majority-supported neighborhood interest, and that the broader public has an opportunity to weigh in before installation.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3
• Public Safety Safeguards: The requirement for San Rafael Fire Department approval of Tier 3 (active) devices, such as speed humps and traffic circles, helps ensure that emergency response times and access are not compromised.
• Fiscal Responsibility: The tiered structure allows lower-cost, lower-impact tools (Tier 1) to be deployed quickly without a full petition and survey process, while reserving more resourceintensive tools (Tiers 2 and 3) for locations where survey data confirms a genuine need.
Staff will bring forward any necessary implementation details, forms, and fee or funding recommendations, administratively or in future Council actions, as appropriate.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
The Policy was presented to BPAC at a Special meeting on April 21, 2026, and BPAC and the public provided feedback to staff, including adding a volume threshold to the criteria and tier system for traffic calming tools, and making it clear that households (owners and renters) can equally sign a petition of support.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Policy was developed by staff within the Department of Public Works' approved budget. Therefore, the adoption of the Policy has no direct fiscal impact. Future fiscal impacts will occur on a project-byproject basis as individual traffic calming requests move through the process, including costs associated with speed and volume surveys, design, and installation of approved devices. These costs will be absorbed from the yearly budget appropriated for the Roadway Safety Implementation Program and, where applicable, presented to Council for budget authorization.
For fiscal year (FY) 2026-27, $150,000 has been budgeted for the implementation of the traffic calming program. Tier 1 improvements can typically be accomplished within this same budget. A limited number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 improvements could be accomplished within the existing budget but would likely require additional funding, or be delayed to a future fiscal year, depending on the number of requests/petitions of support received.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
In Accordance with Public Resources Code Section 21065, “Project” means an activity which may cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), organizational or administrative activities of governments are explicitly excluded from the definition of a "project" if they will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. Adoption of the Policy is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines, as the policy itself will not result in changes to the environment. An environmental impact assessment will be provided as part of the Council approval process for any Tier 2 and Tier 3 installation to be considered.
OPTIONS:
The City Council has the following options to consider in this matter:
1. Staff’s recommended action (Adopt resolution adopting City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy).
2. Accept and approve Traffic Calming Policy with suggested edits/modifications.
3. Direct staff to return with more information.
4. Take no action.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that Council adopt the resolution approving the City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 4
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution
a. Exhibit A: City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy RESOLUTION NO.
RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL’S TRAFFIC CALMING PROGRAM POLICY; CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) DETERMINATION:
EXEMPT PURSUANT TO CEQA GUIDELINE 15378(b)(5)
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael routinely receives requests from residents regarding excessive vehicle speeds and traffic volumes on neighborhood residential streets; and WHEREAS, historically, such requests have been addressed on an ad hoc basis, without a consistent, Council-adopted framework for evaluating requests, prioritizing improvements, or selecting appropriate traffic calming tools; and
WHEREAS, San Rafael Municipal Code Section 5.08.060 delegates the authority to the City Traffic Engineer to determine the installation of traffic control devices and to coordinate with other City officials in the development of ways to improve traffic conditions; and WHEREAS, in 2025, the San Rafael City Council adopted a Three-Year Strategic Plan establishing the Council's goals and priorities, including Goal B.2, to “Enhance Transportation Safety Policies and Traffic Management System,” and Objective B2.2, to “Launch and evaluate pilot projects for traffic calming measures to improve neighborhood safety”; and WHEREAS, consistent with this direction, City staff developed a draft City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy (“Policy”) establishing objective criteria and procedures for requesting, evaluating, prioritizing, and implementing traffic calming measures on eligible residential streets; and
WHEREAS, the draft Policy was presented to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) at a Special Meeting held on April 21, 2026, at which BPAC and members of the public provided feedback to staff, which feedback was considered in finalizing the Policy; and WHEREAS, the Policy establishes a Request and Petition Process, Data Collection and Qualification Thresholds, a Review and Approval Process, a Tiered Structure of Traffic Calming Tools based on issue complexity, cost, and impact, and Post-Installation Monitoring procedures; and
WHEREAS, the Policy applies to neighborhood residential streets, defined as streets with a minimum of two lanes (wider than 20 feet) located in areas zoned Residential (R1 and R2), and may also be applied to low-volume residential collector streets, and may be initiated by resident petition or by the Department of Public Works for corridors identified through the Safe Routes to School Program or the City's Local Roadway Safety Plan; and WHEREAS, the Policy is intended to ensure that limited City resources are directed toward streets with demonstrated, data-supported traffic concerns, while providing residents with a consistent, transparent, and predictable process for requesting improvements; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), the adoption of the Policy is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it is an organizational and administrative action that will not result in a direct or indirect physical change to the environment, and any Tier 2 or Tier 3 installation considered under the Policy will be subject to separate environmental review as part of future Council approval.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL RESOLVES as follows:
1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct.
2. The City Council finds that adoption of this Resolution and the Policy is not a “project” subject to CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), as it constitutes an organizational and administrative activity of the City that will not result in a direct or indirect physical change to the environment. Any future Tier 2 or Tier 3 traffic calming installation considered under the Policy shall be subject to separate environmental review, as applicable, at the time such installation is presented for Council approval.
3. The City Council hereby approves and adopts the City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy, attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by this reference.
4. The City Manager, or designee, is hereby authorized and directed to implement the Policy, and fee or funding recommendations reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes of the Policy, and to bring such items forward administratively or through future Council action as appropriate.
I, LINDSAY LARA, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of San Rafael, held on Monday, the 20th day of July 2026, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers:
NOES: Councilmembers:
ABSENT: Councilmembers:
Lindsay Lara, City Clerk
Exhibit A: City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy 1 July 20, 2026
Resolution # XXXX
City of San Rafael Traffic Calming Program Policy
Traffic Calming Program Goals and Intent
The primary goal of the Traffic Calming Program (TCP) is to address traffic-related concerns, such as excessive speed and volume, on neighborhood residential streets (streets with a minimum of two lanes (wider than 20’ width) where land use is Residential Zone (R1 and R2)). The goal of the Policy is to effectively manage traffic-related concerns, considering the benefits and disbenefits of traffic calming measures.
Traffic calming improvements may be installed on selected City of San Rafael streets, subject to resident input, recommendations from the City Public Works Department (DPW), and relevant public safety agencies.
Principles and Guidelines of the Traffic Calming Program • The TCP process only applies to neighborhood residential streets and may be applied to low-volume residential collector streets.
• Removal of on-street parking may be necessary to implement specific traffic calming tools.
• Emergency vehicle access shall be maintained on all streets where traffic calming tools/devices are installed.
• Requests for traffic calming tools shall be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis as signed petitions are received.
• Traffic calming process begins by submitting a petition of support signed by a simple majority (50%+1) of the residents/households (one household, one signature). • Stop signs and traffic signals are not traffic calming measures.
Request Submission
The process contains several steps. TCP begins with an inquiry by a resident or group of residents (Applicant) to the City Traffic Engineer regarding traffic-related concerns, such as speeding. The best way to communicate with the City Traffic Engineer is through SeeClickFix (SCF). See link below:
SeeClickFix - San Rafael
2 Alternatively, the TCP can be initiated by DPW for corridors that are part of the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program or are included in the City Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP).
Initial Review and Determination
The City Traffic Engineer will determine whether the concern falls within the scope of the Policy, including the eligibility of the street, and whether it can be resolved by installing signs, striping, channelizers, or combinations thereof. The determination will be provided to the Applicant.
Starting Traffic Calming Process
If the City Traffic Engineer determines that the traffic calming process is appropriate, DPW will begin by sending a Sample Petition of support to the Applicant via email or mail.
If traffic concerns cannot be resolved simply by adding signs, striping, channelizers, etc., a petition of support signed by the majority (50%+1) of residents in the neighborhood (block or blocks) and any cul-de-sacs that travel that block or blocks with no other options will be required to verify a widespread concern about traffic issues. The City will provide a sample petition of support. The Applicant will need to circulate the petition for signature among residents (owners & renters) living in the block(s) requesting TCP.
Upon receiving the signed petition of support, staff will schedule a speed and volume survey by a vendor for a full week, including the weekend (7 days), to see if the street(s) qualify for traffic calming. The same process applies if the DPW initiates the TCP.
A residential street will qualify for TCP:
• if 85% speed is over 7 mph of the posted speed (for a 25 mph posted speed, 85% is at or above 32 mph, for 4 hours of a day (7 am to 7 pm). • if 85% speed is over 5 mph of posted speed (for a 25 mph posted speed, 85% is at or above 30 mph, for 6 hours of a day (7 am to 7 pm).
• Or if 85% speed is at or above 30 mph over 5 mph of the posted speed (25mph) for consecutive 2 hrs. of a day at residential streets in front of entrances to the schools, community centers, parks, and senior centers/housing
• If Average Daily Traffic Volume (averaged over 7 days) or averaged over 5 workdays is equal to or exceeds 1,000 vehicles per day.
After the survey is conducted, if the street(s) do not qualify and meet the speeding or volume threshold based on the data obtained, the petitioners will be informed of the result of the survey via email, and no further action is needed. 3 If the street(s) qualify and meet the speeding or volume threshold based on the data obtained, City staff will analyze possible solutions to the traffic concerns cited in the petition of support.
These solutions will be presented to the City Advisory Traffic Committee (CATC), an internal committee composed of various City departments. Based on recommendations from CATC at this meeting, one option will be selected, and plans will be developed for implementation.
Staff will prepare the conceptual traffic calming plan to be presented to CATC. After CATC’s comments and approval, the concept plan will be presented to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) for feedback and input from the BPAC and the public. The City will notify the Applicant(s) of the BPAC meeting date.
If traffic calming devices are approved, they will be installed when funding is available.
For this Policy, three tiers of Traffic Calming are considered:
Tier 1: Not requiring a neighborhood petition of support or speed and volume survey.
Examples include Speed Warning Signs, Curve Warning Signs, Pedestrian Warning Signs, and channelizers. These types of traffic calming need only approval by the Director of Public Works and City Traffic Engineer, and in most cases, no petition and speed and volume survey are needed.
Tier 2: Passive Traffic Calming Tools such as Electronic Radar feedback signs, Bulb Outs, Chokers and Narrow Median Islands, etc., requiring petition of support from residents as explained above and a speed and volume survey and will require review by CATC and BPAC.
Tier 3: Active Traffic Calming tools such as Speed Humps, Traffic Circles, and Turn Restrictions require specific approval from the San Rafael Fire Department (SRFD) in addition to petitions of support, a speed and volume survey, and review by CATC and BPAC.
After Installation Study
After a year of installation, staff may monitor results as deemed appropriate to assess the effectiveness of specific traffic calming tools. A Before-and-after TCP speed survey should be compared to find the effectiveness of the specific tool used. Based on this evaluation by the Public Works Department, CATC may recommend modifying or removing the traffic calming measures.
4 Tools/Devices Used to Control Traffic Speed and Volume There are many traffic control tools/devices that can be used on residential neighborhood streets. They range from simple warning signs to electronic radar warning signs, bulb-outs, etc.
A list of tools/devices that are available for implementation includes:
Tier 1:
• Speed Warning Signs
• Curve Warning Signs
• Pedestrian Warning Signs
• Channelizers and Striping
Tier 2
• Electronic Speed Radar Signs
• Narrow Median Island
• Pedestrian Refuge Island
• Chokers and Bulb-outs
• Chicanes
• Traffic Islands
• Lowering speed limit to 20 mph if AB43 is applicable
Tier 3
• Turn Restrictions (only subject to approval of SRFD)
• Traffic Circles (only subject to approval of SRFD)
• Speed Humps (only subject to approval of SRFD)
By no means are these tools inclusive, as other tools/devises may become available due to changes in technology and will be added to the list.
Reapplying
If the street did not qualify for TCP based on the speed and volume survey, residents can reapply after 2 years from the notice of non-qualification.
Process for Removing Traffic Calming Devices
The City Traffic Engineer may remove or modify any installed traffic calming measures for public safety reasons without additional action.