Traffic calming improvements come together

First, a traffic circle to reduce speeds and provide new crossing opportunities and refuge islands for pedestrians has been proposed for the intersection of Vera Avenue and Valota Road. That would cost $900,000. 

Data show people often drive in excess of 25 mph there and as fast as 50 mph, and the proposed improvements will bring speeds down to 20 mph, said Clarence Mamuyac of ELS Architecture, the company in charge of designing the new community centerpiece.  

“This is the big ticket item of the three,” he said.

The second intersection identified — Hudson Street at Madison Avenue — already has a traffic circle and calming measures, but Mamuyac said cars can still zip through there at high speeds. 

So his team has proposed tightening the intersection by expanding the curbs on all four corners for $450,000. The traffic circle would also be slightly reduced in size and the crosswalks would be shorter.

Improvements for the third intersection identified — Valota Road at Madison Avenue — range from $30,000 to $110,000 and could entail the installation of a traffic circle, raised crosswalk or a traffic diverter called a chicane, which would be coupled with curb extensions. 

Mamuyac said implementing all three proposed improvements would cost $1.7 million.

Another option is to pilot each of the improvements with temporary markers, paint and cones for about $100,000 to $150,000 to test their effectiveness. But such a pilot wouldn’t be possible at Vera Avenue and Valota Road, Mamuyac said.

While several councilmembers appeared interested in the pilot approach, Parks and Recreation Director Chris Beth said those measures could not be included in the current project and funding for them would have to be approved separately by the council in the next fiscal year.  

He said about $15 million in park impact fees has been set aside for the YMCA project, and some of that money could be spent on the permanent traffic calming measures, but not the pilot ones.  

City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz added that there isn’t currently enough money for traffic calming.

“In addition to the legal piece, we don’t have enough money in the $15 million to both fully fund the entire construction of the project plus traffic calming,” said Stevenson Diaz. “We can use that source if those traffic calming measures are needed for the project, but $15 million won’t pay for the building and traffic calming.”

The council approved the design for the new Veterans Memorial Senior Center and YMCA complex earlier this year. The two buildings encompass 80,000 square feet and will be home to two swimming pools — one indoor, one out — open year-round, a 300-seat theater, a cafe, gym and plenty of recreation and hangout space intended for daytime and nighttime uses. The project will replace the aging senior center currently located at Red Morton Park.

City Attorney Veronica Ramirez said park impact fees couldn’t be used for traffic calming until the project is officially approved and the California Environmental Quality Act process is complete. And that wouldn’t be until May or June of 2019 at the earliest, Beth said.

Councilman John Seybert suggested looking into alternative capital funding sources to get the traffic calming improvements moving forward sooner. 

“It makes sense to me to get this work done right away, it’s a good front-end of a project, it builds a lot of goodwill in terms of moving towards a significant change in a neighborhood,” he said.

Each of the intersections and proposed improvements are a result of four neighborhood workshops devoted specifically to traffic in around the project site.

In other business, the council officially received $450,000 from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority to study the feasibility of a public ferry service in Redwood City. 

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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