TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, Acting City Manager
FROM:
Richard Thompson, Community Development Director
Nhung Madrid, Senior Management Analyst
Erik Zandvliet, T.E., City Traffic Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Approve the Removal of Parking on the East Side of Sepulveda Boulevard between Tennyson Street and Longfellow Drive as Recommended by the Parking and Public Improvements Commission (Community Development Director Thompson).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the removal of on-street parking on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard between Tennyson Street and Longfellow Drive as recommended by the Parking and Public Improvements Commission.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Installation of the identified "No Parking Anytime" restriction requires modification to the existing signage. These changes could be funded through existing Public Works Department operating budget.
BACKGROUND:
In November 2013, the City received a request from a local resident to prohibit vehicles displaying illegal advertisements from automobile parking on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard near 500 South Sepulveda Boulevard. The complaint stated that the vehicle was parked in the same place every day, and needlessly blocks the curb lane, which causes drivers to quickly merge to the left.
The Traffic Engineer reviewed the request and during his field observations taken during various times of the day, he found that street parking is very light throughout the day between Keats Street and Longfellow Drive. Curb parking is moderate (three to five vehicles) during the day on the segment between Tennyson Street and Keats Street, primarily due to the convenience of street parking in close proximity to several street-facing business entrances at 500 South Sepulveda Boulevard. In addition, parking is prohibited at all times between Artesia Boulevard and Tennyson Street, and between Longfellow Drive and Duncan Avenue. All three properties in this street along this segment the parking lots are about 75% occupied during the day. Since the west side of the street is located in the City of Hermosa Beach, only the east side is under consideration. The Traffic Engineer also analyzed the collision history for this street segment during a two-year period between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012. During this period, there were two collisions in which northbound drivers hit parked cars. This collision rate is higher than expected based on statewide average collision rates.
Based on the collision history involving parked cars, reduced sight distance due to a horizontal curve and sufficient off-street parking supply, the City Traffic Engineer recommended removal of parking on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard between Tennyson Street and Longfellow Drive at all times.
Since Sepulveda Boulevard is under the jurisdiction of the State of California (Caltrans), staff contacted them about the request to prohibit street parking. Mr. Yunus Ghausi, Senior Transportation Engineer for this area responded that Caltrans has long supported parking restrictions along Sepulveda Boulevard to improve traffic flow, subject to the submittal of documentation of the public meeting in which it was discussed.
DISCUSSION:
In order to meet the requirements of Caltrans, on March 27, 2014, the Parking and Public Improvements Commission held a public meeting and discussed the Traffic Engineer's recommendation to remove parking on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard between Tennyson Street and Longfellow Drive. The Commission heard from two speakers, one in support and one opposed to the recommendation. The speaker opposed to the recommendation is also a business owner within the affected area.
The Commission discussed issues related to traffic collision history, traffic safety, possible traffic calming measures, available off-street parking for the affected businesses, signage, and the consequences of prohibiting on-street parking permanently. The Commission voted 2-1 to approve staff's recommendation to prohibit street parking and to request Caltrans to install a speed limit sign. The staff report, attachments and final minutes have been provided in Attachments 1 and 2.
If the parking prohibitions are approved by City Council, staff will submit a request to Caltrans for their approval before permanent installation of signs can be performed by Public Works. Approval from Caltrans typically takes eight to twelve weeks.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the removal of on-street parking on the east side of Sepulveda Boulevard between Tennyson Street and Longfellow Drive as recommended by the Parking and Public Improvements Commission.
Attachments:
1. March 27, 2014 Parking and Public Improvements Commission Staff Report with Attachments
2. March 27, 2014 Parking and Public Improvements Commission Final Minutes