TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Clifford G. Finley, Public Works Director
DATE:September 12, 2023
SUBJECT: Stop Sign Installations at 12 Intersections (MI 2033) RECOMMENDATION:
1. Adopt resolution approving stop signs at the following 12 intersections:
· Golden Crest Avenue at Erinlea Avenue
· Homestake Place at Erinlea Avenue
· Comstock Place at Erinlea Avenue
· Erinlea Avenue at Antelope Place
· Mountain Trail Avenue at Golden Crest Avenue
· Mountain Trail Avenue at Antelope Place
· Prospector Place at Golden Crest Avenue
· Antelope Place at Golden Crest Avenue
· Deer Valley Avenue at Golden Crest Avenue
· Remington Place at Deer Valley Avenue
· Spring Canyon Place at Deer Valley Avenue
· Campbell Avenue at Fordham Avenue
2. Find that the Project is Categorically Exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to 14 CCR 15301.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Minimal staff time and costs required to prepare the resolution and perform the stop sign installation at approximately $500 per intersection are included in the Adopted FY 2023-24 General Fund Operating Budget.
BACKGROUND:
The California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD) is published by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The CA MUTCD establishes guidance in the use of approved traffic control devices such
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3 as traffic signs, roadway striping, traffic signals, bicycle facilities, and other roadway conditions where it is necessary to guide, warn, direct and advise road users to promote roadway safety and efficiency for all modes of travel including vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Staff follows the guidelines in the CA MUTCD when considering or reviewing stop sign control at intersections.
Stop sign control is not currently provided in some intersections within the City’s older neighborhoods. This is because it was not previously a standard practice to install them in the 1960’s through 1980’s, in addition to the fact that California Vehicle Code Section 21800 requires the driver of any vehicle approaching from the minor street of a 4-legged intersection or the terminating leg of a T-intersection to stop and yield the right-of-way. The current CA MUTCD guidelines do however recommend the installation of stop signs facing the minor street of a 4-legged intersection, or on the terminating leg of a T-intersection if certain conditions exist, in order to better clarify and regulate right-of-way at an intersection.
The current version of the City’s Road Design and Construction Standards Plate 3-10 which is titled “Standard Intersection and Corner Sight Distance Requirements at Intersections and Driveways” addresses the line-of-sight requirements for uncontrolled intersections (Attachment #1), which requires intersections to provide a minimum “sight distance triangle” available for vehicles approaching the intersection on the minor leg approach when it is 40 feet away from the intersection to see cross traffic on the intersecting street. Whenever an intersection without a stop sign is reported to the City for consideration of stop sign control, a field study of the area is completed by staff to assess whether the CA MUTCD guidelines or Road Standards Plate 3-10 are met at any of the area intersections. If the guidelines are met, stop sign control is added to better clarify and regulate the right-of-way.
The City originally received a resident request for stop signs within the Deer Ridge Neighborhood for the intersection of Golden Crest Avenue at Erinlea Avenue. Upon field review of that intersection, it was confirmed that site distance was limited, and a stop sign was warranted. While in the neighborhood, staff investigated the traffic conditions in all 11 T-intersections throughout the neighborhood and found similar conditions exist at all 11 locations. As such, staff determined that the addition of stop signs is appropriate at all 11 locations to better clarify the rules of the road, address impaired sight distance issues, and enhance the overall safety of the intersections. These 11 intersections are as follows:
NEIGHBORHOOD #1 – DEER RIDGE (Attachment #2):
1. Golden Crest Avenue at Erinlea Avenue (T-Intersection): Golden Crest Avenue facing southbound traffic.
2. Homestake Place at Erinlea Avenue (T-intersection): Homestake Place facing northbound traffic.
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3 3. Comstock Place at Erinlea Avenue (T-intersection): Comstock Place facing northbound traffic.
4. Erinlea Avenue at Antelope Place (T-intersection): Erinlea Avenue facing northbound traffic.
5. Mountain Trail Avenue at Golden Crest Avenue (T-intersection): Mountain Trail Avenue facing westbound traffic.
6. Mountain Trail Avenue at Antelope Place (T-intersection): Mountain Trail Avenue facing northbound traffic.
7. Prospector Place at Golden Crest Avenue (T-intersection): Prospector Place facing southbound traffic.8. Antelope Place at Golden Crest Avenue (T- intersection): Antelope Place facing northbound traffic.
9. Deer Valley Avenue at Golden Crest Avenue (T-intersection): Deer Valley Avenue facing westbound traffic.
10. Remington Place at Deer Valley Avenue (T-intersection): Remington Place faces southbound traffic.
11. Spring Canyon Place at Deer Valley Avenue (T-intersection): Spring Canyon Place facing westbound traffic.
Similarly, a resident requested stop signs at the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Fordham Street. Staff concluded stop signs are recommended for this location for the same reason they are recommended for the intersections within the Deer Ridge Neighborhood.
NEIGHBORHOOD #2 (Attachment #3):
12. Campbell Avenue at Fordham Avenue (4-way intersection): Fordham Avenue faces eastbound and westbound traffic.
On April 26, 2023, the Traffic and Transportation Advisory Commission (TTAC) reviewed these 12 intersections for adding stop sign control (staff report is attached as Attachment #4). After considering public input from four speakers and discussion, TTAC voted 5-0 to recommend City Council approve the installation of stop signs at only two (2) of the 12 intersections, Golden Crest Avenue at Erinlea Avenue in the Deer Ridge Neighborhood, and Campbell Avenue at Fordham Avenue. TTAC did not support the installation of stop signs at 10 of the proposed intersections within the Deer Ridge Tract, citing the following factors:
1. Neighborhood opposition to adding stop signs to intersections within the Deer Valley Neighborhood (other than Erinlea Avenue at Golden Crest Avenue) due to aesthetic concerns.
2. The Deer Ridge tract is an older and low-traffic volume neighborhood without a significant history of “failure to yield” incidents or accidents.
3. State law already requires the driver of any vehicle approaching from the minor street of a 4-legged intersection or the terminating leg of a T-intersection to stop and yield the right-of-way.
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3 Due to the above factors, the TTAC only supported stop sign installation at the intersection of Golden Crest Avenue at Erinlea Avenue (T-intersection) within the Deer Ridge tract.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Staff recommends the installation of stop signs at all 11 locations in the Deer Ridge Neighborhood and the single location in Neighborhood #2 in order to mitigate sight distance issues such as corner landscaping, corner perimeter or structure walls, curbside parked vehicles, and/or horizontal or vertical road curvature, and to improve neighborhood roadway safety.
After the April 26, 2023 TTAC meeting, staff re-evaluated traffic conditions at the 12 intersections and confirmed that stop signs should be installed at each intersection to better clarify the rules of the road because the intersections do not meet the sight distance requirements of Road Standards Plate 3-10. Stop signs can mitigate sight distance issues such as corner landscaping, corner perimeter or structure walls, vehicles parked within driver sight lines, and horizontal or vertical road curvature by ensuring approaching traffic stops, and fully evaluates cross traffic for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists before proceeding into the intersection.
The table below identifies the sources of visual impairments observed at these 12 intersections, which the proposed stop signs are intended to mitigate:
Intersection Cause of Visual
Impairment
Location of
Visual
Impairment
Golden Crest Avenue at Erinlea
Avenue
Landscaping and parked
vehicles
NW Corner
Homestake Place at Erinlea
Avenue
Landscaping, parked
vehicles, and horizontal
road curvature
NE & SE
Corners
Comstock Place at Erinlea Avenue Landscaping and parked vehicles
NE & SE
Corners
Erinlea Avenue at Antelope Place Parked vehicles and
horizontal road curvature
SE & SW
Corners
Mountain Trail Avenue at Golden
Crest Avenue
Landscaping, parked
vehicles, and horizontal
road curvature
NE & SE
Corners
Mountain Trail Avenue at Antelope
Place
Landscaping and parked
vehicles
NE & SE
Corners
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3 Prospector Place at Golden Crest
Avenue
Landscaping and parked
vehicles
NE & NW
Corners
Antelope Place at Golden Crest
Avenue
Landscaping and parked
vehicles
SE & SW
Corners
Deer Valley Avenue at Golden
Crest Avenue
Landscaping, parked
vehicles and horizontal
road curvature
NE & SE
Corners
Remington Place at Deer Valley
Avenue
Landscaping and parked
vehicles
NE & NW
Corners
Spring Canyon Place at Deer Valley
Avenue
Parked vehicles and
horizontal road curvature
NE & SE
Corners
Campbell Avenue at Fordham
Avenue
Landscaping and parked
cars
NE & NW
Corners
It should be noted that stop signs are not proposed to control speeds or alleviate traffic volume concerns. They are intended to help assign and regulate the right- of-way at intersections and to minimize conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The Thousand Oaks Police Department (TOPD) has reviewed the proposed installation of the 12 stop signs and concurs with staff's recommendations that they will enhance safety. When stop signs are installed, orange flags will be added to the signs on a temporary basis to bring attention to the change in traffic conditions. The flags would be removed after two months.
TOPD will also be notified of the new stop sign installations.
It should also be noted that if the Deer Ridge development was constructed today as a new development, stop sign control would be required to be installed at all intersections identified in this report.
Community Outreach: A total of 161 notices were mailed to properties within proximity of the proposed stop sign locations to notify residents of the April 26, 2023 TTAC meeting. The same 161 properties were notified of the September 12, 2023 City Council meeting. This includes all residents within a 300-foot radius of the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Fordham Avenue as well as the entire Deer Ridge Community located in the southeast quadrant below the intersection of Lynn Road and Wendy Drive. Community outreach is a key component of the installation of stop signs whenever recommended for placement within a residential neighborhood.
Staff is cognizant that some residents prefer aesthetic concerns be considered when traffic control devices are proposed within residential zones. However, neighborhood aesthetics are not a component of State and City engineering guidelines to determine if stop sign control is warranted. Despite the potential aesthetic impacts, staff continues to believe that stop signs should be installed at Stop Sign Installations at 12 Intersections MI 2033
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3 all of the 12 proposed intersections in order to improve overall roadway safety.
This action also matches the City’s approved Road Standards and is in conformance with the latest version of the CA MUTCD.
Pursuant to Section 4-3.202 of the Thousand Oaks Municipal Code, stop sign installations are approved via resolution of the City Council. Staff recommends approval of a resolution authorizing the installation of the proposed stop signs (Attachment #5) at all 12 intersections, which will be consistent with other intersections citywide that have stop sign control posted at the terminating approach or at the minor street.
The project consists of minor alterations (installation of stop signs) of public facilities (streets) and is therefore categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 (maintenance of an existing facility) of the CEQA Guidelines.
CIP PROJECT PRIORITY (as outlined in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 CIP Program Budget)
Priority One — Addresses Health & Safety, legal and regulatory requirements, or a top City Council Priority.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
D. Maintain strong commitment to public safety (including Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Management) to ensure City remains one of the safest Cities in the United States with a population over 100,000.
F. Provide and enhance essential infrastructure to ensure that the goals and policies of the Thousand Oaks General Plan are carried out and the City retains its role and reputation as a leader in protecting the environment and preserving limited natural resources.
PREPARED BY: Jim Mashiko, Sr. Civil Engineer
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – City of Thousand Oaks Road Standards Plate 3-10 (Sight Distance Triangle)
Attachment #2 – Vicinity/Location Maps (Deer Ridge – Locations #1 – 11) Attachment #3 – Vicinity/Location Maps (Location #12)
Attachment #4 – April 26, 2023, TTAC Staff Report
Attachment #5 – Resolution
DPW:590-50\ev\Council\2023\091223\MI 2033\Stop Sign Installation 12 intersections staff report.docx