TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Clifford G. Finley, Public Works Director
DATE:February 14, 2023
SUBJECT: School Crossing Guard Program Standards and Policies RECOMMENDATION:
1. Adopt resolution establishing the City of Thousand Oaks School Crossing Guard Program Standards and Policies.
2. Approve budget transfer in an amount not to exceed $18,340 from A/C #001-5580-612-1210 (Crossing Guard, Regular Pay - Hourly) to A/C #001- 5580-612-5699 (Crossing Guard, Consultant Services – Other).
3. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Minimal staff time to prepare staff report included in Adopted FY 2022-23 General Fund Budget. Program funding for future fiscal years will be included in the biennial General Fund Operating Budget process. Budget transfer of salary savings is requested to cover the costs for the 2023 Crossing Guard Program vehicle and pedestrian counts.
BACKGROUND:
There are 24 City-managed and funded school crossing guard locations serving 20 Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) school campuses citywide, consisting of 15 elementary and five middle schools. Each location costs the City an estimated $16,000 annually in direct and indirect costs. The program is funded from the General Fund with no outside support. On April 20, 2022, staff presented the Traffic and Transportation Advisory Commission (TTAC) with a recommendation, based upon application of existing City policy, to close five existing crossing guard locations for the 2022-23 school year. TTAC unanimously approved staff’s recommendation.
School Crossing Guard Standards and Policies
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3 On June 14, 2022, City Council considered TTAC’s recommendation. City Council declined to act on the recommendation and directed staff to return with additional information on the program before taking any action. A comprehensive report on the program was provided on August 30, 2022. City Council voted 5-0 to have TTAC review current standards and policies and recommend revisions to the City Council.
At the October 19, 2022, TTAC meeting, staff presented a history of the crossing guard program and information from agencies across Ventura County on their crossing guard programs and practices. Staff received feedback from the TTAC members on potential changes to the crossing guard standards and policies.
At the November 16, 2022, TTAC meeting, staff presented a draft Crossing Guard Program Standards and Policies for consideration. TTAC requested additional modifications to include alternative criteria that addressed concerns that residents have expressed in the past. These alternative criteria were included in the final policy. At the December 7, 2022, TTAC meeting, TTAC members approved a revised Standards and Policies resolution (Attachment #1) on a 4-0 vote.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Crossing guard standards exist to objectively evaluate the need for crossing guards by comparing data collected against well-researched requirements.
Locations meeting both pedestrian and vehicle minimum thresholds indicates a potential need for supervision to assist students to find gaps in traffic flow to cross the street.
Most municipal agencies use the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to set their minimum standards for crossing guard placement.
Current City standards for required pedestrian and traffic volumes make it easier for a location to qualify for crossing guard placement than the statewide MUTCD standards. As a result, agencies of a similar size to Thousand Oaks typically have fewer crossing guard placements.
The updated City Crossing Guard Program Standards and Policies are more accommodating than the existing policy and will remain more generous than the state MUTCD standards. They also provide a clear and objective set of standards to determine if locations are eligible for crossing guard placement.
The updated standards will apply to all crossing guard locations citywide, and includes the addition of four significant changes, as recommended by TTAC:
1) Annual decisions for approving new crossing guard locations and closure of existing locations will no longer be considered by TTAC and City Council and will School Crossing Guard Standards and Policies
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3 instead be reviewed by the Public Works Director or designee in strict compliance with the proposed objective standards. Decisions of the Public Works Director to deny a new crossing guard location or close an existing location are appealable to the City Council, after the Director’s annual program report is presented to TTAC. 2) The State MUTCD minimum standards should be adopted for signalized intersections since it is uncommon to have crossing guards at signalized intersections because crosswalks at signalized intersections effectively control traffic and provide appropriate gaps and timing information for pedestrians to cross. Based on the most currently available counts, adopting this element of the standards is unlikely to impact any existing signalized crossing locations that are already in place.
3) Four alternative criteria are added for consideration. These alternative criteria address unique circumstances where crossing guard locations may fail to meet one of the criterion or address locations where roadway speeds and widths are higher than typical. Only one criterion may be applied per location. The four criteria are as follows:
a) 75 Percent MUTCD Alternative: If a location, regardless of intersection type, fails to meet the City minimum standard for AM and PM pedestrian and vehicle conflict counts, the location will still be eligible for a crossing guard if all three of the remaining criteria meet the higher MUTCD minimum standards. b) Traffic Volume Alternative: If both AM and PM vehicle counts at an uncontrolled intersection exceed 1,000 vehicles but the location does not achieve the minimum pedestrian standard, the location is eligible for a crossing guard so long as each of the pedestrian counts is not less than ten.
c) Speed Limit Alternative: If the highest speed limit for an uncontrolled intersection exceeds 35 mph, the City’s minimum standard for vehicle conflicts may be lowered by ten percent.
d) Roadway Width Alternative: If the width of the longest crossing leg of an uncontrolled intersection exceeds 40 feet, the City’s minimum standard for vehicle conflicts may be lowered by ten percent.
4) Any school recommended for closure for failing to meet minimum standards shall have a one-year grace period. If a school fails to meet the minimum criteria, closures will be recommended but not implemented until the school has failed to achieve the minimum standards for a second consecutive year.
Each spring, staff will conduct an annual pedestrian and vehicle count of all existing and any proposed locations formally requested. All counts will be School Crossing Guard Standards and Policies
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3 conducted per MUTCD guidelines to ensure accurate pedestrian and vehicle counts representative of a typical school day.
Annually, the Public Works Director shall provide the TTAC with a comprehensive report on all crossing guard locations. The report will include a list of approved or denied requests for new locations and any location proposed for closure. A public forum for residents to provide testimony and comments on the report will be provided. This report will be presented to TTAC no later than 60 days after the Public Works Director has made their determination. After the TTAC meeting, City Council and CVUSD shall be notified of any new locations to be added or closed for the upcoming school year.
Staff recommends adoption of the resolution establishing the revised City School Crossing Guard Program Standards and Policies. The recommended changes to standards and policies do not impact existing locations this current school year.
Based on counts conducted in 2022, staff estimates that five crossing guard locations will qualify for closure for the 2023-24 school year, with additional closures possible in 2024-25. Three of these locations have been without a crossing guard during the current school year due to lack of adequate staffing to station guards at these locations. However, the exact number of locations impacted will not be known until the next annual counts are completed by April 2023. A professional engineering firm from the City’s on-call consulting list will be retained to conduct the traffic and pedestrian counts via a task order at a cost not to exceed $18,340 to ensure timeliness, accuracy of the counts, and consistency with MUTCD standards.
This action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act because this action will not result in a direct or foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goal:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
PREPARED BY: Mike Houser, Transit Program Manager
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – Resolution
DPW:590-70\mh\ev\Council\2023Crossing Guard Program Review Standards and Policies staff report.docx