REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Sean Crumby, Director of Public Works
Subject:
title
Adopt Resolution No. 2021-52 authorizing the establishment of 15 miles per hour school zone speed limit on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive
body
Statement of Issue:
Conditions near Oak View Elementary School related to the pick-up and drop-off activities on Oak Lane have raised several concerns from the community, leading to an investigation of whether a reduced school zone speed limit would be appropriate and effective. The California Vehicle Code allows a local jurisdiction to lower the speed limit on streets adjacent to schools to 15 miles per hour when appropriate conditions exist.
Financial Impact:
None. Funding for the implementation of the recommended speed limits is included in the Public Works Department operating budget.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 2021-52, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Authorizing the Establishment of 15 miles Per Hour School Zone Speed Limit on Oak Lane Between Cypress Drive and Mandrell Drive.”
end
Alternative Action(s):
Do not adopt the resolution and continue using the existing 25 miles per hour school speed limit on Oak Lane from Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive.
Analysis:
Residents of the Oak View community engaged with city staff regarding safety concerns with school related pedestrian and traffic activity on Oak Lane adjacent to Oak View Elementary School during school hours. One application to potentially address these concerns was to consider a 15 mile per hour school zone speed limit. The California Vehicle Code allows a local jurisdiction to declare a 15 miles per hour speed limit when certain criteria are met and the reduction is supported on the basis of an engineering and traffic survey.
City staff investigated the community concerns and performed an engineering and traffic survey in accordance with procedures set forth by the State of California vehicle code section 22358.4 and section 627 and compliance with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). All speed limits must be established in conformance with the State adopted procedures in order to gain legal support for enforcement of the posted speed limit. Staff first determined that Oak Lane met the following initial qualifying criteria for consideration of a reduced school zone speed:
1) Oak Lane is a residential street
2) Oak Lane does not have a speed limit outside of the school zone greater than 30 mph
3) Oak Lane does not have more than 2 through travel lanes
4) The reduced school zone speed limit is within 500 feet of school grounds
Staff then completed the following elements used to establish speed limits as established by the California Vehicle Code:
1) Review accident history
2) Review the street segment to identify roadway characteristics and conditions that may not be readily apparent motorists and pedestrian and bicyclist safety
3) Sample existing travel speeds at representative locations within the roadway segment.
The current speed limit on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive is 25 miles per hour. Attachment 2 documents that staff identified roadway characteristics within Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive that may not be readily apparent to motorists, accident history, and existing travel speed sampling. The most compelling conditions supporting the reduced school zone speed limit are the daily conditions that exist on the street during the typical pick-up and drop-off times. Oak View Elementary generates a higher level of school pedestrian activity than most schools and the neighborhood surrounding the school is heavily parked at almost all times of the day. The level of activity makes the area in front of the school very congested. Vehicles travelling at a 25 mph speed limit would represent a significant increase in risk of accidents. In reality, very few motorists are able to drive that fast during those active periods. The accident history does not appear to be a significant factor in considering a reduced school zone speed limit on Oak Lane since no reported accident occurred within the 5 year period during any school activity periods.
Staff supports the reduce school zone speed limit to improve traffic, pedestrian and bicycle safety in school zone speed limit. The recommended action and the supporting documents will allow for full enforcement of the updated posted speed limit by the Huntington Beach Police. Attachment 1 shows a diagram of the current and recommended updated speed limits. Attachment 3 presents the resolution adopting the speed limit on Oak Lane between Cypress Drive to Mandrell Drive.
Environmental Status:
None required.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Infrastructure & Parks
Attachment(s):
1. Oak Lane Speed Limits
2. Oak Lane Engineering and Traffic Survey Report
3. Resolution No. 2021-52 Oak Lane speed limits