Item 7 - Additional Materials posted 10-17-23M EMQRAN DLJ M CityofPoway
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
(Agenda Related Writings/Documents provided to City Council or Staff after distribution of the
Agenda Packet for the October 17, 2023 Council Meeting)
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
CONTACT:
SUBJECT:
October 17, 2023
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
Carrie Gallagher, City Clerk ~
(858) 668-4535 or cgallagher@poway.org
Item 7 -Midland Road Safety Improvements
Attached please find correspondence received after the agenda posting deadline.
Reviewed/Approved By:
Assistant City Manager
1 of 14
Reviewed By:
Alan Fenstermacher
City Attorney
Ap;~
Chris az e
City Manager
October 17, 2023, Item #7
From:Anna Quint
To:City Clerk
Subject:Council Meeting Agenda #7 10/17/23
Date:Wednesday, October 11, 2023 7:08:59 PM
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EXTERNAL EMAIL
Please add speed cushions on Midland near Midland Elementary.
Thanks so much.
Anna Quint
Sent from my iPhone
2 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
From:M. Chavez
To:City Clerk
Subject:Item No. 7 - Midland Road Safety Improvements
Date:Monday, October 16, 2023 2:36:46 PM
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Dear Mayor Vaus and Councilmembers,
On September 18, I sent an email of my concerns to Mayor Vaus and
Councilmember De Hoff, and City Engineer Tracey Beach on September 22. I
would like to share part of that email with all of you as my comments for city
council meeting tomorrow with a few revisions of additional information I
have learned after reading the Agenda Report dated October 17, 2003
(“Report”).
In August, I visited my family in Poway. My cousin had commented to me
about the way people speed down his street, and was told that speed bumps
and cameras were not an option as confirmed by the Report.
Three of us were in his car backing out into Midland Road, I honestly
thought we were going to be broadsided. The driver didn’t slow down; they
swerved their vehicle around us. I was shocked. I was just as surprised to
be walking down to the Saturday Farmer's Market and the speed people were
traveling on Midland going in both directions of traffic.
If you search the internet for the safest cities in California, Poway is listed as
one of the safest, but probably not if you are a pedestrian or cyclist on
Midland Road like 69 year-old Grace Uyeki killed on December 3, 2022 by a
truck driver failing to yield a right-of-way, claiming he didn't see Uyeki and
her dog. (Community mourns loss of Poway woman struck, killed by vehicle
(10news.com)
I understand from the report, there will be extra patrols in the area by the
Sheriff's Department. If the area around Midland Road were known as a
speed trap, maybe people would slow down and be more vigilant. The City of
Poway would probably make enough in fines for a designated traffic officer.
As of the time of drafting this email, I hadn’t heard back from Traffic
Investigator Tracy Wallace to find out the number of fatalities, hit-and-runs,
incidents involving vehicle versus pedestrian and/or vehicle versus cyclists.
During my visit in August, I saw there are horses ridden across Midland
Road, as also indicated on page 8 of 13 showing horse crossings.
I have lost many of my immediate family. I don't want to lose a family
member to a reckless driver while he is walking his dog, or he's backing out
of the driveway.
3 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
I
Respectfully,
Michelle
Michelle Chavez
1014 Humphrey Drive
Suisun City, CA 94585(925) 787-0374
4 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
From:barton100@cox.net
To:Peter De Hoff
Subject:MIDLAND ROAD TRAFFIC CALMING
Date:Friday, October 13, 2023 11:21:22 AM
Attachments:Poway Speed Cushions.docx
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EXTERNAL EMAIL
Dear Peter De Hoff,
I see the issue of Midland Road Traffic Calming is finally on the agenda for the
council meeting of the 17th. This neighborhood campaign of ours has been a longslog, born of residents chatting about the “Midland Speedway” as long as five yearsago, through frustrating communications with city departments in subsequent years,to the embracing of it as a full-on crusade following the deaths last year of StevenMcHenry and my dear friend and HOA Board colleague, Grace Uyeki. We havediligently followed city protocols in our appeals, but it has often seemed like an uphillbattle with no hope in sight.
When you and Brian Pepin proposed discussion of a Vision Zero plan at Council, I felt
my heart lift with hope, only to have Mayor Vaus refuse to consider it, dismissing outof hand something he admitted knowing little about. Later, following our submission of
a neighborhood petition with a multitude of signatures, City Engineer Tracy Beach
eagerly followed policy by holding a special forum with the Traffic Safety Committee
that again brought my hopes up. Now, we have reached a new crossroad.
I am certain beyond all doubt that the danger that begins at Ground Zero at the
intersection of Midland and Edgemoor, where the speed limit changes from 25 mph to
35 mph, will not cease with bigger and brighter warning signs. Determined drivers willignore them just as they ignore the current ones. It is not an informational problem. It
is a behavioral problem, one requiring a design impediment to force traffic to slow
down. Speed Bumps were suggested, but considering the need to
accommodate Emergency vehicles, SPEED CUSHIONS (see attached) seem like the
most effective scientifically proven, state-of-the-art answer. Unfortunately, we face
obstruction from some closed-minded members of the TSC whose excuses are
unfounded and who will not budge from the status quo. One member, when
questioned as to why they would not consider any speed impediments, simply andpetulantly said, "I don't like them."
I sincerely hope that your position on the Council gives you the power to overrule this
unacceptably unprofessional attitude and to put in place a solution that will WORK,rather than the "lipstick on a pig" proposal that seems obviously meant to placate
good citizens seeking relief from the danger and fear continuing to grow in the area
surrounding Midland Elementary, in hopes that we will all just go away.
I can't express how critical I feel Tuesday's Council meeting will be. I am urging you to
hold firm and do not approve any action that does not include a speed impediment.
Please don't let the mayor or anyone else steamroll over you. Have courage. There
are hundreds of anxious residents in your district who will back you up. They will be
5 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
I
ever grateful, and they will not forget this vote.
Respectfully,
John Barton
6 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
From:John BartonTo:Brian PepinSubject:Re: Great comments at CouncilDate:Friday, October 13, 2023 11:16:41 AMAttachments:Poway Speed Cushions.docx
EXTERNAL EMAIL
Dear Brian,
Once again, I read over your encouraging correspondence, concurring with our neighborhood's views on Midland Road Traffic Calming. It is not an informational problem. It isa behavioral problem, one requiring a design impediment for resolution. Considering the need to accommodate Emergency vehicles, SPEED CUSHIONS (see attached) seem like the most effective scientifically proven, state-of-the-art answer.
Unfortunately, we face an uphill battle against some closed-minded members of the TSC whose excuses are unfounded and who will not budge from the status quo. One member, when questioned as to why they would not consider SPEED CUSHIONS, simply and petulantly said, "I don't like them."
I sincerely hope that your position on the Council gives you the power to overrule this unacceptably unprofessional attitude and to put in place a solution that will WORK, rather than the "lipstick on a pig" proposal that seems obviously meant to placate good citizens seeking relief from the danger and fear that continues to grow in the area surrounding Midland Elementary, in hopes that we will just go away.
I can't express how critical this Tuesday's Council meeting will be. I am urging you to hold firm and do not approve any action that does not include a speed impediment. Please don't let the mayor or anyone else steamroll over you. Have courage. There are hundreds of anxious residents who will back you up. They will be ever grateful, and they will not forget this vote.
Best regards,John B.
7 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
From:barton100@cox.net
To:Anita Edmondson
Subject:MIDLAND ROAD TRAFFIC CALMING
Date:Friday, October 13, 2023 11:25:54 AM
Attachments:Poway Speed Cushions.docx
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EXTERNAL EMAIL
Dear Ms. Edmondson,
Belated congratulations on your recent appointment to the City Council!
For thirteen years, I have been a resident of the Old Poway Park neighborhood, at theintersection of Midland Road and Edgemoor Street, where I am on the Board of theHOA for Poway Park Meadows. My wife and I have watched with delight as theneighborhood has grown into a destination retreat for many Powegians and folks wellbeyond our borders, with quaint shops and great restaurants having been added tothe popular weekend Farmers Market, as well as the lovely Old Park itself.
Unfortunately, our city has not kept up with the traffic infrastructure demanded by thisgrowth. For seven tenths of a mile along Midland Road from Edgemoor Street goingsouthbound to Hilleary, right past Midland Elementary School, the illegal speedinghas become untenable. Neighbors call it the “Midland Speedway.”
About five years ago, concerned citizens began corresponding with the city throughemails and phone calls, with little result. The campaign grew in earnest last yearfollowing two fatalities in eight months, both within sight of the school. One occurredon a Farmers Market Saturday morning, as my dear friend and HOA colleague wasstruck and killed in the middle of the crosswalk at Edgemoor while walking her dog.
This intersection at Midland and Edgemoor is Ground Zero for the crisis. It is the lineof demarcation where the speed limit changes from 25 mph to 35 mph going south onMidland. Cars will drive along past the park and shops like dogs pulling on a leashuntil they get to Edgemoor. There, they hit pedal to the metal, roll through thecrosswalk and roar past the Elementary School, desperate to make it to Poway Road,with nothing to temper their acceleration until the stop light at Hilleary, seven tenths ofa mile later.
Following the submission of a petition signed by a substantial number of local folks,
Tracy Beach, the City Engineer, called a special meeting of the Traffic Safety Council
to consider action to be taken to alleviate the crisis. While we are grateful for the
attention and the empathy shown by Tracy and some others on the committee, theirrecommendations for bigger and brighter signage simply will not address the chaos
we, in the community, witness throughout the day, every day.
Clearly, determined drivers will ignore any new signs just as they ignore the currentones. This is not an informational problem. It is a behavioral problem, one requiring a
design impediment to force traffic to slow down. Speed Bumps were suggested, but in
consideration of the need to accommodate Emergency vehicles, SPEED CUSHIONS
(see attached), seem like the most effective scientifically proven, state-of-the-artanswer. Unfortunately, we face obstruction from some closed-minded members of the
TSC whose excuses are unfounded and who will not budge from the status quo. One
member, when questioned as to why they would not consider any speed
impediments, simply and petulantly said, "I don't like them."
8 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
I
I sincerely hope that your position on the Council gives you the power to overrule this
unacceptable and unprofessional attitude and to put in place a solution that will
WORK, rather than the "lipstick on a pig" proposal that seems obviously meant to
placate good citizens seeking relief from the danger and fear that continues to grow in
the area surrounding Midland Elementary, in hopes that we will all just go away.
I can't express how critical I feel Tuesday's Council meeting will be. I am urging you to
hold firm and do not approve any action that does not include a speed impediment.
There are several hundred anxious residents who will back you up. They will be evergrateful, and they will not forget this vote.
Respectfully,
John Barton
9 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
From:barton100@cox.net
To:Caylin Frank
Subject:RE: INCIDENT ON MIDLAND ROAD
Date:Saturday, October 14, 2023 1:39:32 PM
Attachments:Poway Speed Cushions.docx
EXTERNAL EMAIL
Dear Caylin,
I see the issue of Midland Road Traffic Calming is finally on the agenda for the City
Council meeting of the 17th. You know the long history of our struggle, so I’ll try to
keep this brief. I am sorry we did not have a chance to discuss this in person, as
planned, but perhaps we will meet face to face sometime soon, hopefully to celebrate
the implementation of a genuine, workable solution.
I go back to your email expressing your “commitment to action over talk,” and notneeding a “fancy, large scale campaign” to address this problem, and I couldn’t agree
more.
The danger that begins at Ground Zero at the southbound intersection of Midland andEdgemoor, where the speed limit changes from 25 mph to 35 mph, will not cease with
the $150,000+ project of bigger and brighter warning signs recommended by the
TSC. Determined drivers will ignore them just as they ignore the current ones.
This is not an informational problem. It is a behavioral problem, one requiring a
design impediment to force traffic to slow down. Speed Bumps were suggested, but in
consideration of the need to accommodate Emergency vehicles, SPEED CUSHIONS
(see attached) seem like the most effective scientifically proven, state-of-the-artanswer.
I appreciate Tracy Beach and several members of the Traffic Safety Commission for
their empathy and efforts in pursuit of a solution. Unfortunately, a few othersexpressed little interest in disturbing their personal status quo. One member, when
questioned as to why they would not consider SPEED CUSHIONS, was clearly
irritated and simply said, "I don't like them."
I sincerely urge you to ignore this antiquated resistance to change and to put in place
a solution that will WORK, rather than the proposed “window dressing” that seems
like a (perhaps) heartfelt, but misguided attempt to placate the good citizens of this
neighborhood who are seeking relief, with a hope that we will just shut up and goaway.
I can't express how critical I feel Tuesday's Council meeting will be. Sadly, I am out of
state this week and I learned I am no longer able to attend remotely. It is my sincerewish that you do not approve any action that does not include a speed impediment,
even on a trial basis. There are hundreds of anxious residents in this neighborhood
who will back you up on this. They will be ever grateful, and they will not forget this
vote.
10 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
Best regards,
John B
11 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
US Department of Transportation
3.11 Speed Cushion
DESCRIPTION AND GENERAL PURPOSE
A speed cushion consists of two or more raised areas placed laterally across a roadway
(see Figure 3.11.1). The height and length of the raised areas are comparable to the
dimensions of a speed hump. The primary difference is that a speed cushion has gaps
(often referred to as "cutouts") between the raised areas to enable a vehicle with a
wide track (e.g., a large emergency vehicle, some trucks, some buses) to pass though
the feature without any vertical deflection.
Another difference between a speed cushion and a speed hump is the common
practice for the top of the speed cushion to be level. Like a speed hump, the profile of a
speed cushion is gentle enough to provide a comfortable ride when traversed at a
speed of approximately 20 to 25 MPH.
[A speed cushion is also known as a speed lump, speed slot, and speed pillow.]
The cutouts in the speed cushions are positioned such that a passenger vehicle cannot
pass it without traveling over a portion of the raised pavement.
A speed cushion is often a preferred alternative to a speed hump on a primary
emergency response route or on a transit route with frequent service.
[Two field studies of three speed cushions measured reductions between 5 and 7 mph for
85th percentile speeds (Source: FHWA, Engineering Speed Management Countermeasures: A
Desktop Reference of Potential Effectiveness in Reducing Speed, July
2014) https://www.highways.dot.gov/safety/speed-management/engineering-speed-
management-countermeasures]
12 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
Figure 3.11.1. Speed Cushion with Passage that Straddles Centerline
(Source: Jeff Gulden)
APPROPRIATE APPLICATION
Appropriate Application – Speed Cushion
Type of Street Generally appropriate for both local and collector streets
Intersection or
Roadway Segment
Placed at a midblock location; as an example, Pennsylvania recommends a
distance of 150 feet from an unsignalized intersection and 250 feet from a signalized intersection Should not be placed on a sharp curve; ITE Guidelines for the Design and
Application of Speed Humps recommends a minimum horizontal curve radius
of 300 feet
Roadway Cross-Section Can be used on a single-lane one-way or two-lane two-way street (examples are shown in Figures 3.11.2 and 3.11.3)
Typically installed with an urban cross-section (i.e., curb and gutter)12
13 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7
Can be applied on a cross-section both with and without sidewalks or bicycle
facilities
Speed Limit Appropriate maximum speed limit is 30 mph or less (per ITE Guidelines for
the Design and Application of Speed Humps); many jurisdictions follow the
same maximum speed limit (e.g., South Carolina, Pennsylvania); others have chosen a 25 mph maximum (e.g., Delaware, Pasadena)
Vehicle Traffic
Volume
Appropriate measure if the daily traffic volume is relatively low; a variety of
maximum volumes are in use for speed humps; as examples, Pennsylvania
sets a maximum daily volume of 3,500; South Carolina uses a maximum of 4,000; on a local level, Pasadena, CA uses a daily volume maximum of 4,000, with at least 1,000 vehicles in each direction
ITE Guidelines for the Design and Application of Speed Humps recommends
consideration only if no more than five percent of the overall traffic flow consists of long-wheelbase vehicles
Emergency
Route
Appropriate for a primary emergency vehicle route and on a street that
provides access to a hospital or emergency medical services
An emergency vehicle can cross a properly designed speed cushion at a speed near the speed limit
Transit Route Appropriate for a bus transit route
Access Route Appropriate along the primary access to a commercial or industrial site
Grade Can be installed on a crest vertical curve only if there is adequate stopping
sight distance or warning signs are provided IT E Guidelines for the Design and Application of Speed Humps recommends consideration only on a street with a grade of 8 percent or less; many jurisdictions adhere to that maximum (e.g. Pennsylvania, South Carolina) but
others follow a lower value: Delaware – 6 percent; Minnesota and Pasadena, CA – 5 percent
14 of 14 October 17, 2023, Item #7