TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Stephanie Katsouleas, Public Works Director
Derrick Abell, Police Chief
SUBJECT:Title
Installation of Retractable and/or Removable Safety Bollards at Strategic Locations in Downtown Manhattan Beach (Public Works Director Katsouleas).
PROVIDE DIRECTION
Line
_________________________________________________________
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council discuss and provide direction regarding the work plan item to consider installation of retractable and/or removable safety bollards in Downtown Manhattan Beach.
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications with receiving this report. Any future fiscal implications will be determined based on City Council direction to proceed with bollard installations.
BACKGROUND:
On Friday, March 9, 2018, City Council held a meeting to review past work plan items and evaluate/recommend new items for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018/19 work plan. One action item proposed and discussed was the installation of retractable and/or removable safety bollards for added pedestrian protection in the downtown area where many community events are held. There was overwhelming support to further explore this capital improvement project, and staff was directed to bring back the topic for further discussion.
Currently, the City provides pedestrian protection during community events by parking city vehicles at the event boundaries and by using street barricades (e.g., saw horses, fencing/railing and signage). While the truck barriers can be an effective tool to prevent a vehicle from reaching a crowd of pedestrians, it takes the vehicle out of service for any other purpose for hours because it is parked well before, during and after the event until the crowds have dissipated.
Please recall that in July 2017, the Engineering Division completed a capital improvement project to install crash-rated, removable bollards at the head of the Pier to protect pedestrians and bicyclists. These safety bollards were embedded at various depths into a 30-inch thick continuous concrete grade beam below ground that is tied to several seven foot deep concrete caissons for stability and strength. The permanently fixed bollards are capable of effectively stopping a 6,000 lb. vehicle while travelling 30 MPH (miles per hour) and the three removable bollards are capable of stopping a 5,000 lb. vehicle travelling 20 MPH. The removable bollards allow service vehicles onto the pier for maintenance and repairs, as well as for emergency vehicle access. The permanent and removable bollards were installed for approximately $140,000. Crash-rated bollards, like those installed at Manhattan Beach Pier, are certified to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards to resist a specific level of impact (e.g., designed based on combination of speed and weight of a vehicle). Still, there are a variety of safety bollard options available and that can be further explored to protect pedestrians that range from simple manual assist to full automated retractable bollards.
DISCUSSION:
There are several locations in downtown Manhattan Beach where crash-rated bollards should be considered. Staff created a visual overview of proposed closure locations along with a list of related City-sponsored events (Attachment 1). They are also listed here from the smallest area of protection to the largest area of protection:
1. Option 1 - Farmers Market (two intersections): Bollards would be placed on 13th Street at Valley Drive and Morningside Drive.
2. Option 2 - Minor Events at the Pier (one intersection): Bollards would be placed on Manhattan Beach Boulevard on the west side of Ocean Drive. This affects the Tour de Pier event.
3. Option 3 - Major Events at the Pier (two intersections): Bollards would be placed on Manhattan Beach Boulevard at the north and south boundaries of Ocean Drive, and on the west side of Manhattan Avenue. Events affected include Pumpkin Races, 6-man Volleyball Tournament, Manhattan Beach Open, Hometown Fair 10k, Grandview Gator 5k, and the Pier-to-Pier Run.
4. Option 4 - Major Downtown Area Events (as many as 14 intersections): Bollards would be placed at nearly all intersections of Manhattan Beach Boulevard between the Pier and Valley Drive, and along Manhattan Avenue between 5th Street and 12th Street, and along from 9th Street to 15th Street. Ocean Drive would also require additional bollards south of Manhattan Beach Boulevard depending on the event. Events include Holiday Fireworks and Annual Pier Lighting.
The actual cost to install safety bollards at each of these proposed locations is unknown at this time and would depend on the desired crash-rated design parameters sought. For example, designing for a 5,000 lb. car traveling at 20 miles per hour will be less expensive than designing for an 8,000 lb. truck traveling 35 miles per hour. Additional research would be undertaken before staff could make any recommendations on the ideal design parameters desired, which would likely be tailored to each location. Nevertheless, staff estimated that full implementation could cost as much as $2 million.
City Council may wish to consider a hybrid approach whereby City vehicles would continue to be used for pedestrian protection at intersections impacted by the larger events (e.g., fireworks, pier lighting) while proceeding with installation of safety bollards at intersections that are more frequently impacted by City events.
Please note that over the past six to eight months, staff has routinely searched for grants that would help offset the cost of this pedestrian safety measure. Unfortunately, we have not identified any grants (e.g., U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Transportation, Measure R, Measure M grant programs) for which installation of safety bollards would meet eligibility criteria.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that City Council direct staff to proceed with further exploring Options 1 through 3 above to install safety bollards at the four intersections most frequently impacted by City-sponsored events, as follows:
• Manhattan Beach Boulevard/Ocean Avenue (three sides)
• Manhattan Beach Boulevard/Manhattan Avenue (one side)
• 13th Street/Morningside Drive (one side)
• 13th Street/Valley Drive (one side)
The next steps would be to assess the design parameters desired, the types of bollard options that best meet the desired parameters, and the estimated cost for full implementation. City Council may also wish to consider an alternative approach for installation of safety bollards.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
No public outreach has yet been conducted on this topic. Appropriate public outreach will be undertaken depending on the direction given by City Council.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachment:
1. Downtown Streets Impacted