HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/7/2025 Item 6d, Floyd and Schwartz - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
City of San Luis Obispo
Council Agenda Correspondence
DATE: October 7, 2025
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Aaron Floyd, Interim Director of Public Works
Prepared By: Luke Schwartz, Transportation Manager
VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager
SUBJECT: ITEM 6d - AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE THE SOUTH STREET AND
KING COURT CROSSING PROJECT, SPECIFICATION NO. 2001059
Staff received the following questions regarding the South & King Crossing Project. The
questions are below with staff’s response shown in italics:
1) The staff report indicates that a full traffic signal meets warrants at this
location. Is there any data on queuing for residents of King Ct trying to turn
onto Broad? How significant is the delay?
Yes, the existing intersection meets one of the eight warrants for signalization per
the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD)—the Peak
Hour Volume warrant. All other warrants, such as those based on crash history,
pedestrian crossing volume, 4-hour and 8-hour vehicle volume warrants, are not
currently satisfied. The table below summarizes average vehicle delays and
queuing on the King Street/Court intersection approaching during existing AM and
PM peak hour periods.
Approach
AM Peak Hour
(7:30AM-8:30AM)
PM Peak Hour
(3:15PM-4:15PM)
LOS
Avg.
Delay
(sec/veh)
95th%1
Queue
(vehicles)
LOS
Avg.
Delay
(sec/veh)
95th%
Queue
(vehicles)
Northbound
King Court F 143.6 4 D 30.9 0.7
Southbound
King Street C 15.4 0.9 C 21.3 0.5
1 The 95th percentile queue length represents the queue length that has a 5% chance of being
exceeded during a given period. It's a critical metric in traffic engineering used to design storage
lane lengths for intersections, ensuring that these lanes will overflow only 5% of the time and
prevent blockage of main travel lanes. This percentile value is significantly longer than the
average queue length, which better represents typical driver experience.
Item 6d – Authorization to Advertise the South & King Crossing Project Page 2
As shown above, there is notable delay for vehicles at the northbound King Court
approach during the AM Peak Hour, where drivers experience longer waits when
attempting to turn left from King Court to South Street. Vehicle delays and queues
reported in the table are based on software calculations; however, in-person
observations indicate that these values reasonably reflect existing real-word
conditions.
It should be noted that while signal warrant analysis is a key component of a proper
engineering and traffic study used to guide the decision to install a traffic signal,
satisfying one or more MUTCD warrants alone does not require installation of a
traffic signal.
2) Were King Ct residents consulted on preferences for a full traffic signal
versus the proposed ped signal?
King Street/Court residents were not directly consulted regarding their preference
for a full traffic signal vs. a pedestrian hybrid beacon. This is because staff were
not comfortable advancing a full traffic signal as a viable design option at this time
due to concerns from city emergency services. There was particular concern that
a full signal would significantly increase delays for San Luis Obispo Fire (SLO Fire)
emergency response along South Street from nearby Fire Station #1.
The proposed pedestrian hybrid beacon system has been designed to allow for
relatively low-cost conversion to a full traffic signal if desired in the future.
3) Why are we including the installation of the EVP equipment in police and fire
vehicles along with this item? Won’t this equipment be used by vehicles all
over the city?
There is concern from SLO Fire and SLO Police regarding any proposed street
design changes that present a potential to increase emergency response times,
including the installation of a new traffic signal or pedestrian hybrid beacon along
a primary emergency response corridor, such as South Street. As noted in the
City’s Draft Vision Zero Action Plan (See Chapter 5: Post-Crash Care), investment
in EVP equipment is a key recommendation to improve access to post-crash
emergency medical care, which will support the City’s overarching Vision Zero
goal. Because there was concern regarding potential increases in emergency
response times with this specific crossing project at South & King, staff is
recommending EVP equipment investments at this time and acknowledge that
these investments will also benefit emergency response at other locations
throughout the city.
Item 6d – Authorization to Advertise the South & King Crossing Project Page 3
4) Can we have in-house staff install all the EVP equipment on police and fire
vehicles to save on installation costs?
EVP equipment for SLO Fire Department will be installed by their in-house
mechanic, who is familiar with these systems. However, the SLO Police
Department and City Fleet Services Division do not have in-house staff with the
expertise and resources needed to install EVP equipment on up to 20 SLO Police
vehicles. These installations will likely need to be done by an outside contractor.
This additional cost for installation is reflected in the cost estimates referenced in
the staff report.