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sr-061273-7j_ / ''t } ~^~ S ~ S CITY OF SANTA MONICA IT- E E DATE: June 5, 1873 TO: Perry Scott, City Manager i° FROM: Doug McAteer, City Engineer ~{ ~~ ~' ~~° ~6 JUr~i I ~ ii7> 1W9S :Se~Ji G..: 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 JJW/vb Attachments 12 ', ., PARKING $ TRAFFIC ENGINEERING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION,ryFORM p~ / ~y LflCATIOPd B"e~m ~~~~ `Y~' S~ To `Ovoco5~6 ®~~~~ YEAR PEDESTRIAN INJURY OTHER INJURY •TOTA L L pct/s~E,~1 S x.971 ® (~ q„eV~cv~ ceFr,r~er ~~Jd 1972 ~ ~CC/t9~S ® N®. `/1/l~f~/lS 1973 (To ,4 ® ~ ~tG/~~/V7S Date) j ®®~ ~~yp)1§ ®~~S ~IC+PP.j / t j" A~~J ~ ~ I s~ ~~ O~~ry~6~W /A ~ n~~ o ~{ /~ !/A! G ~ 1 ~, -PARKING $ TRAFFIC ENGYNEERING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION FORM _ LOCATION B / S L1!!~ ~- ~ _~ YEAR PEDESTRIAN I JJURY OTHER INJURY • T OTA L i L / ~~ ~/dElo73 1971 (7 ~ ~ B ,~ ,L n~u.~eS 03 Au>~1.~~.~s 1972 O ~ /.3 r~ ~~ y 8 ,~C"~/~,~s X973 To ® t~ ~ ~ / ~~~ Date) N PARKING F, TRAFFIC ENGINEERING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION FORM .g., t - LOCATION ~ ~~ - (,E~1~5~e to ~ha~dN°~ C~ YEAR PEDESTRYAN INJURY OTHER INJURY -TOTAL 1971 • ~ hJv~y ® ~cC/d~'s 1972 ..~ ® /, ~ 2 ~ INJUR/e; 1973 ~. ~- `7°" b 4~ fgCE/G~~s CTS Date) ~ eh/dP~®G.~ I~I 7 PARKING $ TRAFFIC ENGINEERING ACCIDENT INVEiSTIGATghON FORM [,OCATION ~' Sl°• - Pjhop~wa ~o C~OyM~tG YEAR PEDESTRIAN INJURY OTHER INJURY • TOTAL yy ~~ AcUa~txA3 1971 ~ ® `Z.. ~' .~ ~n/d+~/eS /® AGGi~flo~t 1972 ~ ~ ®> , / h,~~y ,V IYCCB~LA~'r 1973 ® ~ `~ 2. Z .Zp®U t('/~S CTa Date) _ - -- _ 1 ..... _.. .. _.,... _ _.. ..... _..., .._.. .. . ._.... ,.. ...... ...... ~.,,.__. _..... F /fir i-rm I PARKING ~ TRAFFIC ENGINEERING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION FORggT ___ GQCATION .~ ~ °° a+Q.~l~S~ea~.x. fio QlZON~ _.__ YEAR PEDESTRIAN I!JJURY OTHER INJURY •TOTAL ~GIsS @.~ls 1971 ~y ~: 4 ' ! ~ fl`ud~ J ~, AG~~~~~~-S 1972 I ~ S , u i~-t¢.S Z I ~+ ~ 1973 ~ L) ~ ® ~® ~enleaKll3 J CTo Date) C?7 '~ PARKING $ TRAFFIC ENGIA'EERING ~ , ACCIDENT~INVESTIGATION FORM/. - LOCATION ~""ot~ ~ - ~b ~' S^~ /d ZG~ J~ YEAR PEDESTRIAN INJURY OTHER INJURY •TOT AL ®® /O ~ccsd4f" 19 71 ~• ~.. C6 ~ '9 ®~/SAC/~J ' ~ /~ i ,(3 /gLCllA~i~~ 1972 ~. 4 IH jto~®~.~' , ~ ~~+6C/A'd'M f ~ 1973 (To ®ol/GO.~~ d Date)