SR-052466-6B,,~~~
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMO
DATE: May 20, 3966 r- '
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TO: City Manager _,_.,
FROM: Parking and Traffic Engineer
SUBJECT: Street name sign program ~~~' ~ c: K L a ~ \;h
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This, is to present to you the current planning and opera-
tional status of the street name sign program.
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Prior to beginning an installation program, this office
made a series of operational policy decisions. These
decisions, and our reasons for them, are as follows;
1. Wherever practicable, new street signs would
be bracket-mounted to the side of existing
street light or traffic signal poles. In the
case of traffic signal poles, one sign blade
would be attached to each signal pole on the
"near" right-hand corner. Our reason for this
was twofold in that, first, this eliminates
the cost and the cluttered appearance that
separate street sign posts would cause, and
second, it places the street name sign in the
most obvious location for the driver to see.
2. Whenever two sign blades were to be mounted
on the side of any street light pole (or other
fixture) they were to be mounted one above
the other, so that both signs could be seen
by drivers approaching from either direction.
We arbitrarily instructed our work crew to
place the north-south street name in the upper
position for the sake of uniformity.
3. New sign posts, when required, should be in-
stalled on the northeast and the southwest
corners of each intersection at or near the
end of the curb radius on the east-west street.
This policy was established in the interest
of providing uniformity of location, so that
drivers would find our street signs in approxi-
mately the same location at every intersection.
4. New sign posts should be installed not less
than 27 inches behind the face of the curb,
City Manager
Street name sign program
P4ay 20, 1966
Page 2
so that even our longest sign blades vaould
not extend into or over the street roadway
where they might be hit by trucks, buses,
etc., turning corners.
5. Existing street sign posts, if in the proper
location and of the proper size, should be
left in place. This policy was established,
obviously, to conserve both material and labor.
Previous street sign programs have used sign
posts varying from 2-1/2" to 4" I.D. with
the signs mounted on the sides of the post
in a cantilevered position at right angles
to each other and parallel to the curbs.
Sign posts under previous programs were in-
stalled within a few inches of the face of
the curb.
To this date, we have found no existing sign
posts in the field which are either in the
proper location or of the proper size to fit
the hardware purchased as a part of this
program. It is estimated by our work crew
that approximately 80% of the sign posts
they have encountered thus far have been the
4" I.D. pipe which will not fit the hardware
fittings we have purchased.
In those instances where the existing sign
post has been of the proper size, its proximity
to the curb has prohibited its use with the
new street name signs to conform to our
established policy as indicated in paragraphs
2 and 4 above, Installation of the new sign
on the existing post, using the standard cap
and right angle fitting, would extend the sign
blade out beyond the curb line, exposing it
to potential damage. If we were to cantilever
the new signs on the existing post at the
same elevation, we would effectively be hiding
from view one of the two street names from
approaching drivers. On the other hand, we
could not place one above the other, as in
the case of street light standards, since
the lower sign would be so low as to create
a hazard to pedestrians.
City Manager Page 3
Street name sign program
May 20, 1966
Considering all of these factors, and in an
effort to expedite the installation of our new
street name signs, it was determined that the
most desirable. procedure would be to install
new posts of the proper size and in the proper
location at each intersection, and that the
existing posts should be removed.
6. We established an installation policy of sign-
ing our major east-west thoroughfares first,
beginning with Ocean Park Boulevard, Pico,
Colorado, etc. When these were completed, we
had intended to begin signing major north-south
streets. However, it has since been determined
that it would be easier, and accomplish the same
- --results,-to-confine--our-s-gning-activit-ies to -- ---
east-west streets. In this manner, we can
maintain a more efficient fabrication and in-
stallation program. We have therefore modified
our installation program to confine it to
east-west streets, with our work crew attempting
to split its effort approximately equally to
areas north and south of the Santa Monica
Freeway.
7. In the interest of operating efficiency, and
attempting to expedite the actual installation
of these new street signs, our work crew in-
stalls the new signs and posts, relocates any
necessary traffic signs (i.e., STOP signs,
parking or bus stop signs) on an entire street.
When this street is finished, we notify the
Street Division, which then removes any old
posts on that street which are no longer needed.
The old posts are stored at the municipal yards
until some determination is made as to their
reusability for other purposes, or for salvage
value.
The above statements reflect the major operational policies
which this office has adopted. The current status of the
program, briefly, is as follows:
1. To this date our work crew (consisting of one
permanent employee and one "as needed" employee)
City Manager
Street name sign program
May 20, 1966
Page 4
has installed approximately 1,400 new street
name signs, either on new posts or on street
light or traffic signal standards.
2. It is estimated that there are approximately
1,800 more signs to be installed, most of them
on new posts,
3, To complete this project, we will have to
purchase an estimated 700 new posts at a cost
of approximately $6,300 and additional sign
blades and miscellaneous hardware at an es-
timated cost of $3,900. This money, together
with funds for labor costs, is included in the
196b-67 budget request of the Street Division.
4. Based on current projections of work produc-
tion, it appears that we will not complete
this program before early 1967, due to the
limited staff available.
If there are any questions concerning this program which
have not been answered, please let me know.
JDNejh
eco City Engineer
Joseph D~. Nadon
,,Parking and Traffic Engineer
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