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02-09-1983 - Minutes TC CITY TRAFFIC COTIMISSION MINllTES OF A REGULAR MEETING February 9, 198a . AGENDA MOTION MINUTES � � ROLL CALL PRESENT Commissioners: G. ShdW, M. Baumann D. Smith, D. Yarger Staff: g. Dennis, P. Kelley, Lt. Dawson ABSENT Commissioners : R. S1dtC � APPROUAL OF MINUTES MOTION M. Baumann � i ' SECOND D. Smith . � Meeting of January 12, 1983 AYES Unanimous ; I i-_____________________________--_�-.._ __�__^,_________._-__---�----.._-_-_____e�___ i ; l I CO�JSENT CALENDAR � � A. Almond Avenue & Cypress Street NWC ! Req uest for Dwy Vision Zone � D.J, Harney�_Exec,_ Di_r, _ ; 5ociety of St. Vincent De Paul j 180 S. Cypress Street i '�range, CA 92666 . RECOMMEND: Approve - - � ; 3. 11871 Prospect.St.reet - . � �equest for Loading Zone ; )ianne Beverly ! 3everly's Play School � 11871 Prospect Street' � �range, CA 9Z666 � � �ECOMMEND: Deny � i �. N. Side Tafit Avenue E/0 Lime Street 2equest for No Pk� Anytime Zone � Jrange Traffic Division ! �ECOMMEND: Appro��� MOTION M. Baumann � � SECOND G. Shaw ' AYES Unanimous � � CITY TRAFFIC CONII�IISSION MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING - February 9, 1983 `'� Pa, e 2 AGENDA � MOTION MINUTES " CONSIDERATION ITEP�IS 1 . S. Side �lalnut Ave btwn Lincoln/Sha uck The subject location is an undeveloped Request for Paved GJalkway parce1 of land with approximately 310 feet Gordon �9itchell , Principal of unimproved frontage on the south side Cambridge Elementary School of Walnut Avenue. A number of proposals 425 N. Cambridge Street regarding development have been submitted Orange, CA 92666 to and reviewed by. the City. None of the proposals have materialized, and there has RECOMMEND: Pursue installation. (i .e. been no active interest in site development include in SB-821 program or request th . since 1973-74. Dedication of right-of-way funds in 19�3-84 budqet) with a status to the 40-foot secondary Arterial Highway report to be given at the April meetinq. Standard has been made to the City. Pedes- � tri an traffi c on �Jal nut i n t�he sub j ect area is resultant of Cambridae Elementary School and Orange Hiah �School , both having frontage or access to l�alnut, west of the unimproved site. The particular walking route (i .e. , use of the south side of ti�Jalnut in lieu of the fully improved north side of the street) is the result of the --- - -- - - - crossing guard function at Tustin and Walnut. � The guard has been instr.ucted to cross all students to the south side of ►nlalnut and then across Tustin. This avoids an uncontrolled crossing of ��lalnut, west of Tustin. At the present time, there are 50-75 students who use this route daily. � - Vehicular traffic on Walnut adjacent to the site durina the peak pedestrian period ranges from 480-500 vehicles. The major problem is during periods of inclement weather when the pedestrians use the bike trail , which is immediately adjacent to the eastbound travel lane. It is the opinion of the Traffic Division that a paved, separated walking surface along the south side of Walnut between Lincoln and Shattuck would provide a safer condition than � present1y exists during the periods of inclement weather. The $1 ,550 cost estimated to grade and surface the walkway is not presentlu budgeted or otherwise available from current Traffic Engineering funds. It is possible that the City's SB-821 , Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement . Allocation Program, could support the walkway installation if the County of Orange, who administers the State programs, is rece�tive to an adjustment in, or addition to, the City's proc�ram priorities. { � CITY TRAFFIC COMMISSION � MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING February 9, 1983 Page 3 AGENDA MOTION MINUTES ' ' � ; � I The Commission could either; � 1 ) Continue this item until its April 13, �i 1983 meeting wherein a decision should have �; been reached regarding SB-821 funds, and; � if these funds are not available, a � 1983-84 budget request could still be � submitted, or, � 2) Pursue installation (�i .e. include in i SB-821 �rogram_ or request the _funds in � . 1983-84 budget) with a status report to ' be given at the April meeting. I� �� � MOTION D. Yarqer � � SECOND C. Shaw � AYES Unanimous '1 `I :; 2. 1074 N. Tustin (Post Office) P�r. Natch addressed the commission. He read � Mequest for Review of Turn Prohibition a letter he sent addressed to the rlayor °� . r. Noel Hatch dated January 8, 1983. The following are ,� 19901 Yorba Linda Blvd excerpts of the letter: P�1r. Hatch stated � Yorba Linda, CA 92686 that on the eveninq of November 19, 1982 �� he made-ar�-�-�-1e�al- -l�f�-tu-r-n--ou-t-o�-��ae---- . RECOMP1END: Retain existing prohibitio Post Office on Tustin. Avenue. He was issued a citation for an illegal left turn. I This was his first time to have ever entered this Orange Post Office. On leaving he failed to s�e the sign. He was disturbed ' at a $41 .00 fee for the ticket which is � � -. al so cha�rged -ag-ai-nst a persons dri vi ng - � record as a moving violation. He telephoned ; Bernie Dennis and asked how many illegal � left turn� had occurred at this Post Office over the aast year. He answered that the � ci�y didn't keep violations by Post Office reference as such, but by block number. � Mr. Hatch asked Bernie why the `no left turn' siqn was at the Post Office. Bernie . said because the Post Office asked to locate them because exiting traffic was. � backing up waiting for people to turn left. There are approximately 10,000 people going in and out of the Post Office daily and the � �� lona range solution was a signal light ; which would cost approximately �40,000. �1r. Hatch asked how lona it would be before ; the city put the traffic signal in. Bernie � replied he didn't know. P1r. Hatch called � � Bernie again and asked how many tickets were � written in the vicinity of the Post Office for an illegal left turn. Bernie replied he didn't know. �1r. Hatch then called Police traffic and asked the secretary �: �. � �. � CITY TR.AFFIC COI�'Il�IISSION MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING � February 9, 1983 Page 4 AGENDA MOTION MINUTES " if she could give him the number� of left turn violations located at 1000 Tustin ; Avenue, the Post Office. She said yes. ' Sergeant Flannigan then came on the phone. j He emphasized that he had no intentions of ; providing the .information. P9r. Hatch � asked who the girl was who answered the i telephone. Sgt. Flannigan refused to release the name of the secretary and was _. not c�oi nc� to provi de the i nformati on requested on the number of tickets. Mr. -- Hatch stopPed at Tustin Avenue, Orange Post Office. He sat there for ]9 minutes and � observed 83 cars leave the Post Office, all but three made right turns. He thinks it's appaulinc� and a serious matter when good law-abiding citizens make an uninten- tional left hand turn out of the Post Office and are citied with a movinq violation. This type of police action causes disrespect and distain for all law enforcement agencies. Sot. Flannigan's actions, refusing to pro_v_ide_.�he__i_nformation__or the__secretary_'s name smacks of th� worst kind of corruption. The compounding problems and placing the burden on the unsuspectina oopulace is � unpopular, morally wrong and can only create di stai r� for the-1 aw:-- The errors -�hat -have- - - . been created by the Post Office department = shoul d not be--corrected -by ara 1.ndi rect__..tax _ through moving violations on the backs of unaware citizens. Mr. Hatch suggests the following as solutions to the problem: 1 . The city be willinq to accept the facts as they really are and ignore all left turn violations. 2. Post haste write a letter to Postmaster General with a carbon to the President, including photoaraphs dipicting the appauling condition. 3. If the Post Office department refuses to pay for the lights the city should pay for �them. � � � 4. �40,000 light installation seems far in excess of the necessary signaling. 5. Swin� two cables across Tustin Avenue, . each supporting a yellow blinking light in both directions on Tustin Avenue, coupled with a blinking red light facing the Post Office. Attached to the bottom of the red lights a sign reading 'no left turn' . The yellow lioht would serve to caution i CITY TR.AFFIC CO?�Il�IISSION MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING � February 9, 1983 Page 5 AGENDA MOTION MINUTES ' - traffic going both directions on Tustin Avenue, alerting them to eminent da�nger of right turns leaving the Post Office and the . � - potentia1 violation of a left turn. Cost should in no way exceed $20,�00. Mr. Hatch requested nf Mr. Baker the following: 1 . To obtain the number of left turn violations � at the Post Office. � 2. In the defense. of _j�usti ce� and._faa r� p.l_,ay _ _� would you kindly do all__in your power_to ; eliminate the necessity of� me attending a judges trial and the consequence of this ticket. � ' � End of excerpts from Mr. Hatch's letter. Discussion: � Commissioner Shaw: Commission is only � advisory to Council . The history of posting for no left turn at Post Office is as follows: : It was pos�ed in 1977 for no left turn. In 1979, Post Office was reposted for right turn - onl�r. It was posted due to- hazards from � ' vehicular traffie on .Tustin and resultant � cQngestion in the Post� Office parking lot from � vehicles waiting to turn left onto Tustin. It � i s beyond_.�the_ Commi ssion'_s_ power _to make a . _ + recommendation to any court for a jury trial . � " � On Mr. Hatch's letter: The local agency has_ � � taken steps felt appropriate at this time. ' There will possibly be a signal in the future. Cost of installation: $40,000 appears to be accurate. On the cabled. flasher: By your suggestion, you (�1r. Hatch) concur that left � turns should not be allowed. Additional comments: The posting is not intended to be a . revenue generator. A certain percent of � drivers will disobey the law regardles5. � � Commiss�oner Smi�h: She use� the Post •Of-Fice � frequently and agrees that the posting bothers , her, but is in favor of the posting because � traffic would back-up in the Post Office ; parkinq lot if left turns were allowed.� She believes the siar�s should be there. ; Mr. Natch: Agrees signs should be there, � especially since Post Office requested the -. City put signs there but people don't really look for signs. He didn't see it, his family . didn't see it, it was dark, and no other place CITY TRAFFIC CO�Il�SISSION . MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING � Page 6 February 9, 1983 . AGENDA MOTION MINUTES ' has this kind of prohibition. Feels it is a trap because people are unaware a�d the � problem should be corrected. The bail schedule is too high. Maybe the ticket should . ; . be $5 or $10 as an educational purpose. Young people cannot afford a $41 ticket. Wants his � citation dismissed. Chief Traub says C.T.C. . can do that. �, Further discussion ensued between the Commi ssi oners,=Mr�. _Hatch,..and .Lt,_Dawson _of the Orange_Poli.ce Department. ___The discussion included: The insistence by Mr. Hatch� that 1 . The Traffic Commission dismiss his ticket � and�, . 2. The number of left turn citations at that location be provided, and 3. The name of the Police secretary that received his telephone call be�_�provided. The Commission� reiterated th�t posting of the turn restriction at the Post Office was l . Not political in nature 2. - Not intended to generate revenue for the , __ . _ __ - City _ _ � , 3. Installed for citizen safety 4. It is properly and adequately posted. , _ Commi ss�oner..Yarger: _ Moti_or� for Chi ef of � . � � Po1ice not to write letter, do not dismiss � . � ticket for following reasons: 1 . Commission feels right turn only signing at Post Office is adequate and appropriate. i 2. Mr. Hatch by his own admission did make , an ill�gal left turn. � � Commissioner Smith: Seconded. ` Motion carried. � �