Discussion of the Covington Miramonte Traffic Light

 

The Appointees to the new Planning and Transporation Commission

Extension of the Application Period for the Design Review Commission (home reviews) due to lack of applicants

 

There are the candidates for the PTC, except as noted

Jonathan Baer

Ronit Bodner

Phoebe Bressak (applied for Design Review )

Jeannie Bruins

Jim Chang

Bob Jones

Malika Junaid

Kenneth Lorell

Robert Mabe

Michael McTighe

Sally Meadows

Jerry Moison

 

Discuss the Agenda of the forthcoming Joint City-School Special Meeting

 

Establish an ad hoc committee of Carpenter and Fishpaw and 7 residents to consider alternatives for the Civic Center Campus – Renovations? Redesign? Finance?

 

 

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CONSENT CALENDAR

PRE-MEETING: The minutes look pretty good. I appreciate that staff is capturing more names of speakers.  Also the descriptions of the actions taken are useful.  Readers may want to see the losalsopolitico.com version of minutes.

PRE-MEETING: This is just the final language restructuring the land use planning, design review, transportation, bicycle-pedestrian functions in our city.  It has been through at least 3 public meetings and now it is at the last step, where it can be passed by consent.  Nothing new here.

PRE-MEETING: more of  same as 2.

PREMEETING: The City says it is getting a better deal from this provider and is making the change to the new provider. Details in a prior agenda packet.

PREMEETING: This report detailing our City’s Compliance with Disaster Preparedness will pass by consent.  The report makes for some great reading if you are a fan of disaster movies.  It contains some great maps of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills showing 1) earthquake shake sensitivity, 2) Flood zones 3) landslide zones 4) fault zones 5) liquefaction zones 6) fire hazard zones and 7) dam failure zones. But where is the tornado map?

PREMEETING: The  ($240K) bid for the resurfacing was about half a much as expected  ($450K).  So the city expects to just repair some segments of extra streets.

• Edge Lane,Pritchett Way, Pritchett Court, Lincoln Avenue, Pasa Robles Avenue, EI Sereno, EI Sereno Court, Becker Lane Riviera Drive, Kircher Court, Jones Lane

DISCUSSION

PRE-MEETING:

Scores of residents who live at or near the intersection have spoken for at least 30 minutes at the beginning of the last 3 or 4 city council meetings.  An informational engineering meeting in the Grant Center was postponed, so that this item could be placed on a City Council Meeting agenda for exploration. Residents say a traffic light will make it more dangerous for students, walkers and bikers. They have gathered over 300 signatures objecting to the traffic light.  A different group in the Carmel terrance area has gathered over 60 signatures supporting the traffic light.

The engineering report says the signal would operate in 4-way stop mode for 22 to 23 hours of the day. For one or two hours it would be set on either 1) a 60 second cycle that would still generate queues of vehicles. [LALAHPOLITICO take this to mean that each car would start from a stopped or nearly stopped condition to pass through the green light. No vehicle could speed through the intersection.] 2) the signal could alternatively be set additionally offer a “scramble phase” when the signal stops all vehicle traffic, and walkers and bike walkers rare allowed to cross diagonally if desired.  “The plan also includes constructing built-up asphalt comers at the intersection to protect areas for students to wait without adding vehicle lanes. This would also provide a protected area for students to dismount or re-mount their bicycles to walk through the intersection.”

PRE-MEETING: LALAHPOLITICO has stumbled into this intersection in her car around 2:30 pm a few times. Yes there is a queue in all 4 directions for cars.  I can recall one ineffective crossing guard being there. The students arrive at 5 second intervals and a large fraction unfortunately exercise their California right to seize the intersection and to not look both ways and to not assess the situation.  Thus there can be  a continuous stream of students that does not stop. They keep coming and coming.  Yes, the crossing guard does stop the students and to gather them into groups.  But that was only on one of the four corners.

Putting 4 guards, one on each corner, might be an effective substitute for a traffic signal.  Each guard could gather groups on each corner by making all walkers and bike walkers stop and wait for a group to form. Then all 4 guards could signal each other and  simultaneously halt the vehicular traffic.  Then the walkers could cross diagonally as with the “scramble phase.”

How about we compare  the salaries of the 4 guards to the cost of the light.  The light is a robot and will not call in sick. But part-time employment for locals is nice too.

PRE-MEETING: The City want to design pretty signs that entice and direct cars from the major through fares into  to our retail areas – to downtown and also to Loyola corners. Good idea. Right now it’s just a task force that is forming.  Once everything is all planned LALAHPOLITICO hopes that the retail property owners will be ASSESSED for the signs.  I don’t want the city to pay for it, but just to allow it.

PRE-MEETING: The Staff recommendation is to select the Planning and Transportation commissioners from this list.

Jonathan Baer, Ronnit Bodner, Phoebe Bressack, Jeannie Bruins, Jim Chiang, Bob Jones, Malika Junaid, Kenneth Lorell, Robert Mabe, Michael McTighe, Sally Meadows, Jerry Moison

There was only one applicant to the Design Review Commission (review plans for homes, almost always 2-story plans) so the staff recommended extending the application period.

PREMEETING: An ad hoc committee is to be assembled to consider alternatives for the Civic Center Campus, given the recent poor poll results for the bond measure.  Val Carpenter and Jarrett Fishpaw will be the City representatives. Up to 7 residents of Los Altos also will be selected.    City staff has already created a draft list of alternatives — the draft was shared with the “bond outreach” group.  These were the PRO-BOND residents who attempted to help the city and the consultant sell the bond by giving Powerpoint presentations around town. Earlier these people were also on the committee of 30 that designed the site plan for the Community Center Master Plan.

PREMEETING LALAHPOLITICO:  Here is the concerning part. ” Residents who were actively involved in outreach will be considered [for the committee] before others.” Is that ever a mistake!  The group should include individuals who were CON-bond for one reason or another.  It looks like the city is NOT going to learn from its mistakes. It is closing ranks and is just stuffing the group with YES men and YES women.  How about some diversity here!?

PREMEETING: This items goes with the next item.  It will cost from $250-$240 plus expenses to send a delegate to San Diego in September.

PREMEETING: Marcia Sommers will talk about proposed State (?) legislation that will have impacts on local governments.  If she goes to San Diego, she can help shape the League positions and lobbying on that legislation. There is no information on the legislation in the attachment.

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

PREMEETING: For FY 2012-2013 the rate will go up from $3.03 to $3.25 per unit.  This is a 7.25% jump. The city will earn an extra $300K which will be used for either sewer operations or capital expenditures.

COUNCIL REPORTS AND DIRECTIONS ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

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