Loading...
10/09/2000CLEARWATER BEACH ENTRYWAY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY OF CLEARWATER October 9, 2000 Present: Commissioner Ed Hart Facilitator/Non Voting Chair Lucile Casey Committee Member – arrived at 4:20 p.m. David Hemerick Committee Member Bruce Littler Committee Member Dan Moran Committee Member Roger Schulman Committee Member Carl Wagenfohr Committee Member Bill Jonson Alternate Absent: Herb Brown Committee Member Hoyt Hamilton Committee Member Arthur Lupien Committee Member Bob Bickerstaffe Alternate Also present: Mahshid Arasteh Public Works Administrator Paul Bertels Traffic Operations Manager Lt. John Slack Police Department Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. Chair Hart called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. at City Hall. ITEM #1 – Approval of Minutes Approval of the October 2, 2000 minutes was continued to October 16, 2000. ITEM #2 – Old Business a) Questions pertaining to Crown Report In response to a question, Public Works Administrator Mahshid Arasteh said cost estimates for short- term changes recommended by Barry Crown should be available by October 20,2000. Members were requested to submit to Executive Assistant, Carolyn Brink in the City Manager’s office by Wednesday, all questions and comments related to the Crown Report. Mr. Crown will address each concern during an upcoming conference call. Pages 11 - 15 The dangers of multi-lane exits were stated. Concern was expressed the report assumes most accidents in the roundabout involve vehicles that have entered from Mandalay Avenue. It was felt drivers are confused because traffic patterns for ingress/egress differ at each exit. Concern was expressed the report’s solutions related to Mandalay and Coronado differ. Ms. Arasteh said the report recommends Mandalay Avenue traffic stop before entering the roundabout. Concern was expressed the change could back traffic on Mandalay through residential areas and affect causeway traffic. It was felt merging into roundabout traffic from a right-angle entry would be difficult. In response to a question, Lt. John Slack said the Police Department had been successful at moving traffic through the roundabout after the second weekend of Spring Break 2000. Ms. Arasteh reported the City has implemented recommendations listed in the last three paragraphs of page 11 and on page 12. In response to a concern that traffic has backed up to Sand Key, Ms. Arasteh said slow southbound traffic searching for parking on Gulfview backs traffic into the roundabout, which then causes northbound backups. Lt. Slack said northbound traffic is heaviest in mid afternoon. It was suggested one-way pairs on south beach and connecting the beachfront parking lots and opening access closer to the roundabout could improve traffic flow. It was noted the causeway exit handles more traffic than other exits. Lt. Slack said between 75% and 80% of northbound traffic from south beach exit to the causeway. It was suggested any modifications would require proper signage and time for drivers to understand the change. It was felt most drivers are taught that turning right from a left lane is forbidden. It was felt striping on the roundabout confuses drivers. Reducing the number of lanes to one at the Mandalay entrance to the roundabout could save money. In response to a question, Ms. Arasteh said available software does not consider lane backups and cannot provide a model for more than one lane of traffic movement. Discussion ensued regarding the traffic signal installed on the Causeway to clear the roundabout of traffic. While the signal is programmed to stop traffic for no more than 135 seconds at a time and not more than once every 8 minutes, committee members indicated they had been delayed by multiple changes of the traffic signal and by signals that had remained red as long as 6 minutes. Staff will check on this matter. It was stated the current Causeway entrance design is contrary to recommendations in Roundabouts: An Informational Guide, published by USDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. Concern was expressed proposed changes to roundabout entries will alter the current radial alignment. It was stated the guide does not support this design as it will allow drivers to enter the roundabout at a higher speed with less control. It was felt proposed changes for Mandalay seem more focused on saving money by bypassing the fountain’s vault rather than for safety concerns, which should be paramount. Ms. Arasteh said the recommended change would move the Mandalay entrance closer to the Coronado exit. It was stated the guide rates right-angle entries as unacceptable. Concern was expressed drivers would be required to look over their shoulders to check traffic before entering the roundabout. It was noted it is difficult for some residents to make that physical movement. Ms. Arasteh said during the conference call, Mr. Crown will explain his recommendations. It was stated changes should be tried before they are made permanent. It was suggested some changes could be tried during the Thanksgiving holidays through use of temporary signage, candlesticks to guide traffic, and removable lane tape. It was felt no changes should be implemented prior to the Jazz Holiday on October 19 – 22, 2000. It was requested staff calculate the percentage of traffic that enters the roundabout off Mandalay and exits onto Coronado. In response to a suggestion, it was noted staff does not request City Commission approval of road initiatives but is prepared to explain any proposed changes. Traffic Operations Manager Paul Bertels reported staff can make temporary changes overnight and carefully watch the morning traffic. If problems result, staff will not hesitate to reverse the changes. It was suggested the public be notified through press releases and government cable of temporary changes before they occur and that the public be educated that a final decision will not be made until data is collected. Consensus was for these avenues of notification to be pursued. Ms. Arasteh said staff could narrow the Mandalay entrance to one lane on a temporary basis. It was felt that proposal should not be considered until other options are explored. It was indicated changing the signal light’s pattern could help move traffic off north beach. It was suggested right lane traffic could be forced to exit onto Coronado. It was recommended staff evaluate the pros and cons of committee recommendations. It was suggested temporary changes be videotaped for review and that measurements be established. Staff will evaluate the results of the changes and report to the committee. As the button is not activated on the Mandalay Avenue crosswalk, staff was requested to make pedestrians aware of that fact. In response to a question, staff will review if hourly statistics indicate the roundabout is operating above capacity during the three highest volume days between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. . In response to a question, Lt. Slack will check details related to a recent accident after a northbound vehicle exiting at Poinsettia was struck by a vehicle that had just entered the roundabout from the causeway. Neither driver was cited. In reference to the last paragraph on page 13, it was recommended educational material include information regarding problems related to vehicles driving side by side. Regarding paragraph 2, page 15, it was felt the radius at Mandalay should be expanded, not reduced. It was suggested the fountain be replaced with a reflecting pond. It was noted the Beach by Design report recommends removing most beachfront parking. Ms. Arasteh said the CCCL (Coastal Construction Control Line) must be considered when making changes. It was stated long term plans must be considered. It was questioned if the City can afford to improve aesthetics at the cost of removing parking. It was suggested the City could offer an incentive to visitors who park on the mainland and use public transportation to the beach. It was stated an earlier attempt to involve beach merchants in a similar incentive program had been unsuccessful. It was suggested the ferry drop passengers at both the Clearwater Beach Recreation Center and at the Marina. It was felt few visitors would take the ferry if north beach is the only destination. ITEM #3 – Combined Crown Report and Charette Summary Handout The Chair distributed a summary of citizen input from the related charette and Crown Report recommendations. The summary can be expanded. ITEM #4 – New Business Videotape of Vail, Colorado Roundabout The committee reviewed videotape of the Vail roundabouts. It was noted the lanes in the Colorado roundabouts are not striped. It was noted the roundabouts are 6-feet wider than Clearwater’s roundabout. It was suggested striping in roundabouts provides drivers with a false sense of security. ITEM #5 – Next Meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for October 16, 2000, at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 5:42 p.m.