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10/16/2000CLEARWATER BEACH ENTRYWAY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY OF CLEARWATER October 16, 2000 Present: Commissioner Ed Hart Facilitator/Non Voting Chair Lucile Casey Committee Member – arrived 4:15 p.m. Hoyt Hamilton Committee Member Bruce Littler Committee Member Arthur Lupien Committee Member Dan Moran Committee Member Roger Schulman Committee Member Carl Wagenfohr Committee Member Bob Bickerstaffe Alternate Bill Jonson Alternate Absent: Herb Brown Committee Member David Hemerick Committee Member Also present: Mahshid Arasteh Public Works Administrator – arrived 4:45 p.m. 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 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. ITEM #1 – Approval of Minutes Member Littler moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of October 2, 2000, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #2 – Old Business Roundabout Control Traffic Signal Concern was expressed the traffic signal on the Causeway is malfunctioning and drivers are ignoring the red light. Staff will monitor. It was requested members contact the City during office hours should they witness a malfunction. ITEM #3 – Finalize Questions for Crown Report AND ITEM #4 – Schedule for Roundabout Modifications Experiment/Coronado Exit Traffic Operations Manager Paul Bertels said he had spoken with Barry Crown since staff had forwarded committee comments to him. It was noted the committee had requested Mr. Crown to answer their questions in writing. Written answers to committee questions by staff and Mr. Crown were distributed. Mr. Crown is reluctant to write answers as he already has fulfilled his contract with the City and is addressing committee inquiries and concerns as a favor. Discussion ensued regarding the planned conference telephone call with Mr. Crown. Concern was expressed oral responses cannot be reviewed. It was stated the Crown report answers 67 questions. Concern was expressed, while it appears the roundabout was designed around one center, the geometry of proposed changes creates three circles. It was stated the roundabout is elliptical in shape. The safety of changing the radial alignments was questioned, especially as it relates to pedestrians. It was indicated the report only proposes to realign Mandalay. Discussion ensued regarding Mr. Crown’s advice against adding a north beach lane and recommendations such as softening curbs, and restriping options. It was felt the Vail roundabout, with 3-lane entries, works well because it is not striped. Ms. Arasteh said the traffic shown in the video is light. Mr. Crown had said striping is necessary due to capacity problems and the need to use all available space. It was noted Mr. Crown has recommended striping the inner 2-½ feet of the roundabout to keep cars away from the fountain. As the Vail roundabout is 6 feet larger than the City’s, it was requested staff determine if the roundabout can be enlarged without increasing vehicular speeds. It was noted exit conflicts differ from entry conflicts. It was felt problems relate to vehicles exiting from the left lane. Mr. Bertels said reducing the height of the fountain would cost about $125,000. It was noted drivers can see oncoming traffic at all entrances. It was stated drivers have a perceptual problem regarding the height of the fountain. It was recommended major expenditures be delayed until less expensive cures are tried. It was stated the public charette had supported lowering the fountain. It was suggested the spray be calibrated so roundabout vehicles do not get wet. It was stated the wind gauge should be relocated to more accurately measure wind speed. Mr. Bertels stated staff continues to petition FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) to add instructional signage east of bridge 43. It was felt a barrage of signs overwhelms drivers approaching the roundabout. Discussion ensued regarding signage that would help drivers negotiate the roundabout. Lt. John Slack reported the City previously had received FDOT approval to install an electronic sign 300 feet west of Island Way to provide traffic-related information. He estimated a sign would cost $225,000. When traffic is backed up, drivers would have time to observe the sign’s directional information related to the roundabout. It was requested staff check if money is available for the sign. The committee reviewed questions to ask Mr. Crown. A board member offered to accompany staff to re-measure the roundabout. Public Works Administrator Mahshid Arasteh said the roundabout’s size is dictated by the number of lanes on the causeway bridge. The new bridge will create a new traffic pattern. The need for a beach parking garage was stated. It was reported the first meeting for public comment related to Beach by Design is scheduled for November 1, 2000 at the Harborview Center. It was recommended the City convert Gulfview and Coronado to one-way pairs on a temporary basis. It was requested staff research why the City had rejected previous attempts to resolve south beach traffic problems with one-way pairs. Staff has estimated temporary changes recommended by the committee would cost $2,500 to implement, including police services. Mr. Crown had recommended against the temporary fixes, stating the changes would provide the City with a false sense of security and result in severe backups during Spring Break. It was felt the changes would be worthwhile if accidents are reduced. Lt. Slack reported 3 accidents had occurred in the roundabout during the first 2 weeks of September. Mr. Bertels said he is reluctant to test the committee’s recommendations due to liability issues. In response to a suggestion, Ms. Arasteh said candlesticks would not be necessary to direct right lane traffic onto Coronado if lane-striping is removed in the roundabout. The dominant movement through the roundabout is from the east toward the south. Mr. Crown has stated removing the striping would reduce capacity and increase backups. Consensus was to table the committee’s recommendations for temporary fixes. ITEM #5 – New Business – None. ITEM #6 – Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for October 23, 2000, at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 5:41 p.m.