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Home My WebLink About06/01/2010, C10 - SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL GRANT APPLICATION U Date council N��Junnee 1, 2010 AQen0A RCPORt Item Number C,I CITY O F SAN LUIS O B I S P O FROM: Jay D. Walter, Director of Public Works -70W Prepared By: Jake Hudson, Traffic Operations Manager SUBJECT: SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL GRANT APPLICATION RECOMMENDATION 1. Approve the project to install speed feedback signs and school warning beacons on Los Osos Valley Road near Laguna Middle School. 2. Direct staff to seek funding for the project from the Safe Routes to School grant funding program provided by the State. 3. Approve the minimum ten percent (10%) funding match of$4,500 from the Annual Traffic Safety Budget required for the grant funding program. DISCUSSION Background The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced a call for funding school safety projects under the 9th Cycle of the Safe Routes to School Program (SR2S) (Attachment 1). The deadline for submitting grant applications is July 15, 2010. In order to be eligible for the grant funding, the City must commit a 10% local match of the total project cost. The project recommended by staff for the SR2S grant application is the installation of speed feedback signs and school warning beacons on Los Osos Valley Road (LOVR) in front of the Laguna Village Middle School (Attachment 2). Staff seeks Council support for the recommended project, approval to submit an application for the grant funding, and budget approval to provide the required local funding match should the City's grant application be successful. As mandated by the State Vehicle code, a speed limit must be established based on the prevailing speed. Unfortunately this code gives the City little to no discretion in determining speed limits different than the prevailing speed. The 50 and 45 mph speed limit designations along this LOVR corridor have been criticized for being excessive given the adjacent school and side street traffic. The signage for the school zone speed limit has also been criticized for not being prominent enough. Although the speed limit designations along this corridor are posted as mandated by Caltrans, the number of speeding violations remains relatively high. During 2009, approximately 130 speeding citations were issued within the vicinity of the school, primarily in violation of the school zone speed limit, which is in effect while school children are present. One of the only courses of action the City has for reducing prevailing speeds and increasing compliance with the current speed limit designation is to physically change the characteristics of the roadway. It is staff s opinion that the most cost effective solution for accomplishing this is to install speed feedback signs and school warning beacons on LOUR. Based on studies completed C!o- I ' � 1 SR2S Grant Application Page 2 by several other California cities (including Garden Grove, San Jose and Fremont) these devices have reduced speeds by an average of 13%, with reductions ranging from 6% up to 24%. The City has also successfully employed these devices on Johnson Avenue and Santa Rosa Street, however the exact effectiveness at these location as yet to be studied in detail. 1970's Flashing Signals on LOVR In 1974, overhead flashing signals were installed on both approaches to Oceanaire with signs that indicated a 25 MPH school zone speed limit when flashing as shown in Figure A below. Some years after these devices were installed, the State prohibited the use FIGURE A: 1974 SCHOOL ZONE FLASHING SIGNAL of flashing signals to establish when school speed zones are in effect. They did so on the premise that 5 p drivers should obey a school zone speed limit not just when the flashing beacons are active, but at any time in which children are present. It is staff's assumption that these flashing signals were removed shortly after the prohibition.. 3. The City has recently received a citizen request to reinstall these , devices. However, the City is unable -- --_--- to reinstall the school zone flashing signal devices due to the prohibition established in the California Vehicle Code and California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices which prohibited the devices and required their removal. The speed feedback signs and school warning beacon devices proposed as part of the SR2S grant application are not the same type of devices as previously prohibited. The proposed devices will provide a warning for the school crossing ahead as opposed to establishing when the school zone speed limit is in effect. The timing of the citizen request to reinstall the prohibited devices and the staff request to pursue this grant is coincidental and unrelated. CONCURRENCES The Police Department concurs with staff's recommendation. The Police and Public Works departments have worked closely as part of the City's Traffic Safety Program, which has led to the identification of this location as a high frequency violation point and the measures to improve compliance. FISCAL IMPACT The total project cost is estimated at$45,000, staff proposes to fund 90% ($40,500) of this project from the State's SR2S grant funding program and the 10% ($4,500) local match from the City's Traffic Safety Program account. Currently the Traffic Safety Program account has a C10 SR2S Grant Application Page 3 l balance of$31,593, after the transfer of funds for this project that account will have a balance of $27,093. There is sufficient funding to support the project's local match requirement. The remaining$27,000 will be used to support various traffic safety projects identified in the 2008 Annual Traffic Safety Report. Should the SR2S grant funds not be awarded to the City, the $4,500 local match requirement will be returned to the Traffic Safety Program Account via a budget amendment request. PROJECT COSTS FUNDING SOURCES Engineering $5,000 SR2S Grant Funds $40,500 Construction $30,000 90558 10% Local Match $4,500 15% Contingencies $4,500 15% Construction Management $4,500 Miscellaneous(Permits,Printing,etc.) $1,000 Total Project: 1 $45,000 IlTdtal Funds Available: $45,000 ATTACHMENTS 1. State DOT call for Grant Applications 2. Vicinity Map & Project Exhibit .lku�imai.09�.dd.f.�ab�&ubGc.xa(ks cat{267D. _Da(IetlP� _9._�'4�C.9C9�_4BB_r4&IS@r. &L4SIS£�.14�44 arArNe n44[L.11QG lAttachrhent STATE OF CALIFORMA-BUSINESS-TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AGENCY ARNOLD SCHWAMEREGGEP,Goven o DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 50 1UGUERA STREET SAN LUIS OBISPO,CA 93401-5415 PHONE (805)549-3111 FAX (805)549-3329 TDD(805)549-3259 Flexyour power!' Lq://www.dot.My/dist05 Be energy effident! April 15,2010 Jay Walter Director of Public Works City of San Luis Obispo 919 Palm Street San Luis Obispo,CA 93401 Dear Mr. Walter: We are now accepting applications for the Ninth Cycle of the Safe Routes to School Program (SR2S)with applications due to our office by July 15,2010. The amount of funding available for Cycle 9 is$24.25 million and is contingent upon being included in the 2010/11 State Budget Act These funds are not to be confused with Federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS)funds associated with SAFETEA-LU. Applications must be for capital projects such as sidewalks,pathways,bike lanes,traffic calming,etc. (with up to 10 percent available for non-infrastructure activities such as education, encouragement and enforcement). Only cities and counties are eligible to compete for these funds. To view the updated SR2S Guidelines and Application,please visit: I www.dot.ca.p-ov/hg/LocalPrograms/saferoutes/saferoutes.htm If you have any questions,please contact Mikie Wickersham,of my staff,at(805)549-3074. Sincerely, GARIN SCHNEIDER District Local Assistance Engineer Caltrans improves niobiW across Cafifornza* Attachment 2 VICINITY MAP & PROJECT EXHIBIT S I = LiS,T Aft y w v � 0 s oiiiiiiiiiiiiii, -rt LAGUNA DDLE ' SCH L o O� O ■ GP (Zt12 � �Qy m �o CUCgRgCN 412`1�G S 00� �O O,p o 5Q°o� F�92 2