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Home My WebLink AboutCC RESO 16,268RESOLUTION NO. 16,268 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY AUTHORIZING THE INSTALLATION OF SPEED HUMPS ON PALM AVENUE, NORTH OF 22ND STREET BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of National City, California, that the public health, safety and welfare will be best protected by authorizing the installation of speed humps on Palm Avenue, north of 22nd Street, as indicated on the diagram attached hereto as Exhibit "A". PASSED and ADOPTED this 12th day of June, 1990. GEORGE H. WATERS, MAYOR ATTEST: LY7R'I ANNE PEOPLES, CIirY CLERK APPROVED AS TO FORM: GEORGE H. EISER, III -CITY ATTORNEY SPEED HUMPS STATUS REPORT increasing regularity City residents are comp bout eding and through traffic on their residential streets les ve shown that this concern is not imaginary; in Thousand Oaks a recent survey found that 87% of the motorists exceeded the speed limit of a residential street, the average 85th percentile was 37 mph. In an effort to positively respond to citizen concerns, an old device has been redesigned and is used by several California communities and others throughout the nation and the world. The device is not an "Official Traffic Control Device" but a "Pavement feature". The typical name for the device is a speed hump. The difference from previously used speed bumps is illustrated below: speed bump speed hump The speed hump is 3 inches high and 12 feet wide with the profile hat of an arc of a 57 ft radius circle. In Thousand Oaks, after titan of the speed humps, everall speeds (85th , " are ced by 30% (from 32 mph before to 22 �*rage of 30%. APPENDIX B LIST OF CALIFORNIA JURISDICTIONS WITH ROAD BUMPS ON PUBLIC STREETS JULY 1983 Jurisdiction 1. City of Brea 2. City of Claremont 3. City of Corona 4. City of Pasadena 5. City of Placentia 6. City of Sacramento 7. County of Sacramento 8. City of San Leandro 9. City of San Jose 10. City of Santa Monica 11. City of Santa Rosa 12. City of Thousand Oaks Contact Warren Siecke Ismile Noovlaksh Gilbert Calzada David Barnhart John Garcia Richard Folkers Terry Little Dan Arrellano Wayne Tanda Ray Davis Basil Andrews John Clement Phone Number (916) 449-5307 (714) 624-4531 (714) 736-2279 (213) 577-4230 (714) 993-8131 (916) 449-5307 (916) 440-5966 (415) 577-3411 (408) 277-5341 (213) 393-9975 ext. 227 (707) 576-5141 (805) 497-8611 ext. 243 SOURCE: Subcommittee Report on Pavement Undulations (Road Bumps), California Traffic Control Devices Committee (Nov.1983) 37 TABLE NO. 1 COMPARISON OF BEFORE AND AFTER SPEEDS AT 19 LOCATIONS WITH ROAD BUMPS 85th PERCENTILE SPEEDS (All Speeds are in MPH) AT BUMPS BETWEEN BUMPS Location Before After Before After Light Street (AUS) 40.4 13.0 43.5 28.0 Peacock Avenue (AUS) 32.9 18.0 33.6 25.5 Amytagest (AUS) 30.4 16.2 32.9 26.1 Cuddestonway (UK) 39.0 13.5 39.0 23.0 Motum Road (UK) 30.1 12.9 30.1 25.0 Palace Road (UK) 32.1 16.3 32.1 21.9 Abbotsburry Road (UK) 39.8 14.2 39.8 27.2 Barlsnark Road (UK) 35.7 15.4 35.7 21.9 College Walk (UK) 31.1 14.0 31.1 21.1 Esplande (UK) 19.0 13.0 19.0 16.3 Albron Street (UK) 30.3 14.0 30.3 20.9 Kelly Road (USA) 43.0 19.0 43.0 32.0 Sites Avenue (USA) 38.0 24.0 38.0 34.0 Sites Avenue (USA) 38.0 23.0 38.0 27.0 Cindy Avenue (USA) 27.0 21.0 27.0 23.0 46th Street (USA) 36.0 3E.0 26.0 Lockstead Avenue (USA) 37.0 26.0 37.0 La Canada (USA) 36.0 21.6 32.0 23.4 Lewis Avenue (USA) 34.4 23.7 33.3 30.3 SOURCE: Road Bump Briefing Paper, ITE Technical Committee 5B-15, Aprii,1985 CODE LOCATION': PALM AVE N E 22ND ST LOCATION2 .SOUTHBOUND COUNTER # ; a, m! D PAGE: ! omit DATE: 10/03g PLOT 11;004 m mNZg ma@ #OF VEHICLES 3 : !E /te, ?A_t /* : . * * * * . * * . 2 2 3 w 3 # 45 2 55 ED (MPH) SPEED DATA STATISTICS rage speed of all vehicles - 5 Median speed (me -2 MPH h Percentile Speed - 5M 15th Percentile Sp -_ MPH Number \f vehicles > z p - ! % Cent vehicles > s MPH - 0I Pace Speed (10om) -S-# Per Centmmsin pace-3= TO: FROM: SUBJECT: City of National City Office of the City Attorney 1243 National City Boulevard, National City, CA 92050-434 George H. Eiser, Ill —City Attorney (619) 336-47 r— Edgar Monroy, Traffic Engineer City Attorney Speed Humps DATE: NovellDer 819-69 • HA £- AYR 0661 rri You have asked for my comments on the advisability of installing speed "humps" in the City, and specifically, in the vicinity of 22nd Street and Palm Avenue. If, from an engineering standpoint, installation of speed humps will reduce vehicle speed, and will not create its own safety problems (e.g. adverse effect on vehicle control), I would have no objection to their installation. In considering this matter, our foremost concerns are promoting public safety and protecting the City from liability. With respect to the liability issue, I believe this situation is one in which the City would enjoy so-called "design immunity" under Government Code Section 830.6. Under Section 830.6, a public entity is generally not liable for injuries occurring due to a structure or improvement on public property if the plan or design of the structure or improvement was approved by the legislative body (City Council) or by another authorized officer or body of the public entity, and there is a reasonable basis for the approval of the plan or design. George H. Eiser, III, City Attorney GHE/tls cc: Risk Manager DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: City of National City Risk Management 1243 National City Blvd., National City, CA 92050-4397 (619) 336-4240 April 9, 1990 Edgar Monroy, Engineering Department Kassia W. Kossyta, Risk Manager Speed Humps I apologize for the excessive delay in responding to your request regarding installation of speed humps on National City streets. A review of records reveals no current or past claims related to speed bumps or humps. Other agencies' experiences include: Chula Vista does not use them. County of San Diego City of San Diego Coronado Encinitas Oceanside Santa Rosa is aware of their use in only one parking lot. At that location they have not had any problems. They were in another parking lot a number of years ago, until the County Administrator damaged his car driving over them. did not respond. However, another source said they are considering their use. does not use them. at this time does not allow them, but is considering their use as a traffic diverter. does not use them. Considers them "axle breakers." uses them in 2 parking lots and on one street. Have had 3 claims in the past five years. One involving excessive speed and a vehicle bottoming out was dropped. Santa Rosa has settled two case. One involved a bicyclist traveling the wrong way on a one way street who said he did not see any warning signs. The second dealt with a passenger in a car whose driver thought the speed humps were crosswalks. From a liability standpoint, the risk manager does not recommend them. Page 2 April 9, 1990 "Speed Humps" Thousand Oaks has had street humps since about 1981. They have not had any claims. They are used as traffic diverters. Originally, 4" high humps as used in England were tried. They were found to be too high. They now use 2" and 3" high berms that are 12' wide. Although they do "not advocate their use" they recommend them if all other avenues have been exhausted. Other comments: they should not be used on every street, they may slow down emergency vehicles, and the residents must want them. CALTRANS Unknown. No one returned calls. The matter of traffic humps was also discussed with two defense attorneys who handle street design liability cases. Both offered similar comments. "First, avoid putting anything in the street." Use speed humps only as a last resort. The fact that a driver was going faster than the posted speed does not negate a claim. If they are used, research it, look into what other entities have done. Consider having an independent engineering review of design and location. Sign them appropriately. Another facet to look at, is will street maintenance be impacted? It is my understanding, that the street sweepers cannot go over street humps, which could create another problem. In terms of city liability, traffic humps represent a potential exposure. I concur with the above recommendations, they should be used only as a control of last resort. If traffic humps are installed, as with any improvement, they should be well researched. If the CALTRANS Manual has a standard, it should be considered. Site selection should be carefully evaluated. If traffic humps are used, warning signs must be erected. Copy: City Attorney City may test humps iri t ie road 7 The speed humps may be coining. Still • in the experimental stage, these raised sections of pavement — nicknamed street humps — may be installed and tested over a six-month period on two yet -to -be selected tho- roughfares in the Skyline District stud Paradise Hills where speeding motorists persist. The San Diego City Council Trans- portation and Land Use Committee ILIS approved spending;1t,00o for in- stallation of the humps to test whether long-term use on other city streets is safe. Fourth District Councilman lies Pratt, who proposed the teat, said that, if the plan is ratified by the full council, "during the test period, the speed humps will serve as a constant reminder to speedsters to slow down when they're driving through these rt neighborhoods and to respect the res- idents and children on those streets." Pratt said he hopes that the humps will significantly slow down motor- ists in areas where speeding is chron- ic. Studies have shown average speed can be substantially reduced on some city streets, thus freeing police to concentrate on other matters. Speed humps are much larger than the more familiar speed bumps, which are commonly used on private property, for example in shopping malls and apartment -complex park- ing lots. Speed humps have proved success- ' ful in controlling speed, Pratt said. The humps extend across the trav- eled way, each up to 12 feet long and 4 feet wide, and typically arcing to 3 inches high. They are well -marked. They have been installed in limit- ed use on public streets in the United States but have been more widely used in Europe," Severo Esquivel, deputy city manager, said in a report to the eounciL The jury remains out on whether 'the devices are safe. In some test cases, vehicles are re- ported to have gone out of control after crossing a series of humps at high speeds, according to transporta- tion studies. "There is unanimous consensus among all agencies that have studied the undulations in the fact that they do effectively decrease prevailing speeds at varying degrees, depending on their height," Esquivel said. The decrease in speed can be even - spread throughout the entire -length of toad by spacing the undula- Pleasesee HUMP& B-$ COL 1 H . City seeks to slow speedsters Continued From B-1 tions at varying intervals, he said. Other studies show that the humps divert significant amounts of traffic to adjacent roads and thus reduce traffic and noise. "There is still not enough evidence to demonstrate conclusively what overall effects these pavement fea- tures have on traffic safety," Esquiv- el said. Most cities• using the devices over the past several months — including Phoenix, Sacramento and Pasadena — still regard the humps as an ex- perimental roadway design, not a traffic -control device. In Pasadena, the experiment has been suspended because too many bumps have been installed in some areas, causing "somewhat . uncon- trolled proliferation," Esquivel said. Elsewhere, no safety problems have cropped up because the humps usually have been installed on resi- dential streets with light traffic and few accidents. Drawbacks include delays for emergency vehicles, trucks and buses, which must pass over the humps at speeds of less than 20 miles an hour to avoid "significant jolts to the vehicle, discomfort to occupants and jostling of cargo,"-Esquivel said. The humps cause all traffic, .in- cluding passenger ears, to slow down, reducing the average speed, according to studies. • A street where cars are averaging I40 mph hi a 30-mph zone, without 1 speed humps, could see a reduction in average speed to about 32 miles an tour with humps, road studies in other cities show. A list of San Diego streets to be considered for installation has been sent to City Manager John Lockwood for study. i