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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
IT- E E
DATE: June 5, 1873
TO: Perry Scott, City Manager
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FROM: Doug McAteer, City Engineer
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RETtlRfJiD 70 TH'
CITY Cl.ER3t'.~ OFrI~
FO~i Fii1NG.
SUBJECT: Fence and Median Island down the Center of Pico Boulevard,
between Fourth Street and Lincoln Boulevard.
SUMMARY: The City Council, at its meeting of May 15, 1973,
instructed the administration to stop all work on the fence,
and to report back to them certain items they had requested.
This is the administration's report and recommendation that
the fence and median island be constructed as previously
approved.
As you know, at the meeting of May 15, 1973, the City Council
instructed the administration to stop all work on the subject fence,
By letter dated May 16, 1973, I instructed the contractor,
C. T. €c F., Inc., to stop all work on the fence and median strip, due
to the action of the City Council. All work has ceased.
Attached is the Traffic Engineerls memo to me dated June 5,
1973, furnishing certain information requested by the Council.
It is my recommendation that the City Council be requested to
approve the completion of installation of the fence in question, as
originally approved.
DM:fs
Attachment
DOUG cATEER
Cit Engineer
~~
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
1 TER-DEPARTMENT MEMO
DATE: June S, 1973
TO: City Engineer
FROM: Parking $ Traffic Engineer
SUBJECT: Pico Boulevard Fourth Street to Lincoln Boulevard
The City Council at its meeting of May 15, 1973, deferred the
construction of a pedestrian channelization median and chain link
fence in Pico Blvd. from Fourth St. to Lincoln Blvd. so that certain
accident reports, maps and response regarding the proposed work from
the Higfi School Administrators could be obtained and submitted to the
Council Members.
On Friday morning June 1st, a meeting was held in the office of the
principal of Santa Monica High School. In attendance were Mr. Sam
Waldrip deputy superintendent for the Unified School District, Mr.
Terry Pearson, principal of Samohi, Mr. Porter Leach, vice-principal
of Samohi, my assistant, Mr. David Alvarez and myself. We discussed
in full the background and neasons for the pedestrian channelization
median on Pico Blvd., the installation of a traffic signal at Sixth
St. and Pico Blvd., the projected traffic signal improvements on Pico
Blvd. at Fourth St. and Lincoln Blvd., the use of the west side of
Seventh St, between Michigan Ave. and Pico Blvd. by parents for pick up
and discharge of students in lieu of the hazardous location currently
being utilized on Pico Blvd. in the vicinity of Sixth St. This area
is no longer needed for school bus loading operations since we in-
stalled anew school bus loading area on Olympic Place south between
Fifth Street and Sixth Street (see map 1). In summation, Mr. Waldrip
stated the School District's position in this matter was that they
were not opposed to the fence, they recognized the need to control jay
walking, and that certainly some minor problems particularly in edu-
cating parents where to pick up their children might arise, but in
essence the District's opinion on the pedestrian controls on Pico Blvd.
is essentially unchanged from two years ago. We agreed to furnish Mr.
Pearson a map (map 1) showing proposed approaches to the new passenger
loading area for pick up and discharge of students. Mr. Pearson agreed
to inform the parents in time for the fall semester of the new passenger
loading area and the map can be mailed out with his August bulletin.
This morning I met with Chief of Police Reinbold and Assistant Chief
Constable to discuss their view points on the pedestrian channelization
median on Pico Blvd. and they expressed approval of the fence as a means
of deterring jay walking and encouraging the students to cross Pico Blvd.
at tfie safety of signalized intersections. This favorable response was
also the consensus of nine other policemen ranging from officers to cap-
tain whom I have had the opportunity to discuss this matter with during
the past several weeks.
Page 2
In response to Council's instructions we are submitting the attached accident
summaries of six locations for the years 1971, 1972, and 1973 through May 25th,
1973. These summaries cover the three locations and the years that information
was requested by Mr. Swink in his letter to Council May 15, 1973. In addition
to these areas Fifth St. at the Post Office and Pico Blvd. at the College which
were under discussion at the Council meeting of May 15th, are included for
Council information along with that area of Fourth St. between Broadway and
Olympic Blvd. where the existing pedestrian fence is located on Fourth St.
between Olympic Blvd. and Colorado Ave.
In order to up date our traffic data we had pedestrian volume counts taken
on Pico Blvd. between Fourth St. and Lincoln Blvd. on Monday May 21st, 1973,
from 7A.M. until 4P.M. for a total of 9 hours. In addition we had counts
taken on Wedesday, May 24th, 1973 for the 32 hours when children are going
to and from school and are in noon recess. The counts were taken in two loca-
tional areas from Fourth St. to Sixth Sts. (see summary sheets A and B) and
between Sixth St. and Lincoln Blvd. (see summary sheets G and D).
In order to more graphically illustrate to Council the thinking behind the
pedestrian channelization we have prepared a profile of the Pico hill at
Sixth St. You will note on map 2 the required site distance from motorist to
pedestrian varies from 170' at 25 miles an hour to 275' at 40 miles an hour.
These distances are shown from the crest of the hill which is the point that
the motorist could first observe a pedestrian jay walking either east or west..
of Sixth St. These distances are derived from the State Traffic Manual Chap-
ter 10 titled School Crossing Protection. We should further point out that
while attendance at City College is not mandatory, attendance at High School
level and below is mandatory to a certain age. Therefore, both the School
District and the City have a responsibility to provide for school pedestrian
safety, and we quote from Chapter 10 "And the children should be required to
walk somewhat longer distances to avoid locations that may be a considered
risk".
Since the installation of a traffic signal at Sixth St. and Pico Blvd. will
entirely affect driver behaviour patterns in this area, to refrain from com-
pleting the pedestrian channelization median might after the Baldwin case
decision of last year place the city in an untenable position in the event
that a student while albeit jay walking did get injured and or killed. In
view of the obscurred sight distance on Pico Blvd. at Sixth St., the high
incidence of student jay walking both east and west of Sixth St. and the
annual increases of traffic volumes we must respectfully recommend that the
City Council permit the pedestrian channelization median to be completed.
' 9/; -r`ye`"'-"'L
J. .Wrenn
P king $ Traffic Engineer
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Attachments 12
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