Staff Report - Cut Through Traffic Study Session Final
Prepared by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, PPW Director, Interim Police
Chief, and Economic Vitality Manager
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 10/24/2017
STUDY SESSION
DATE: October 20, 2017
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
RECOMMENDATION:
Discuss traffic alleviation measures and provide direction to staff.
BACKGROUND:
On September 5, 2017, the Town Council received a presentation from staff entitled Town
Efforts to Address Summer Weekend Traffic.
The full staff report can be found at:
https://legistarweb-
production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/99510/Staff_Report_-
_Cut_Through_Traffic_and_Town__Efforts_Final.pdf
The staff report detailed how congestion on Highway 17 and other roadways has historically
been an issue for the Town of Los Gatos during peak commuter periods and during the summer
months (summer weekend traffic). It further detailed that with consistent population increases
and the strong economy in the South Bay and surrounding areas, there has been a
corresponding increase in vehicular use which has exacerbated these historic traffic patterns.
Of note in the report, staff illustrated how the creation and mass adoption of mapping
applications has created a new source of traffic congestion on local streets which were never
intended for highway overflow traffic.
In addition to a review of the demographic context of the current congestion and a discussion
of mapping applications the report provided; a review of how our public safety officials employ
adaptive measures for their response deployment models; the traffic alleviation measures
taken to date; a review of potential traffic strategies the Town and our partners are not
pursuing and the reasons why; and recommendations for next steps.
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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10/20/2017 1:42 PM
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
BACKGROUND (cont’d):
At the conclusion of the September discussion, the Town Council adopted staff’s
recommendation to perform a pilot reclassification of certain Town roadways . The Town
Council did not adopt staff’s recommendation to continue a temporary road turnaround at
South Santa Cruz Avenue and Wood Road next summer pending a Study Session to further
evaluate potential traffic alleviation measures.
DISCUSSION:
Through the study session, staff will cover a number of items that roll into a greater traffic
discussion. These issues include summer cut through traffic, ongoing congestion, safety, capital
improvements, and other potential alleviation measures. In preparation for the Study Session,
this report covers:
Caltrans and Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Coordination
Highway 17 Capacity
Highway 85 Capacity
Traffic Alleviation Ideas
Legal considerations
As an outcome associated with the discussion, staff hopes to receive direction on prioritized
efforts including the following:
What form does the closure at South Santa Cruz Avenue/ Wood Road take next
summer?
Should staff continue to pursue a permanent roundabout at this location?
What long term capital improvements should staff prioritize?
As additional information to guide the discussion, staff has prepared more detailed data for
review. The data are available at this website in a less summarized version:
http://www.losgatosca.gov/107/Traffic
Caltrans and VTA Coordination
Town staff met with VTA and Caltrans to discuss potential options for traffic congestion
impacting the Town. The discussion included a review of the challenges facing Los Gatos and
the opportunities for addressing them. Both agencies were supportive of t he Town’s efforts.
The outcome of the meeting drove home several points to Town staff:
The Town will need to drive projects, including identifying and competing for funding.
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
Safety is a concern for all stakeholders. Caltrans prioritizes their safety improvements
statewide, based on historical data and funds tend to flow to the locations with the
worst safety history.
Funding is limited.
Large projects require many years to complete. Early work focused on feasibility,
design, and environmental clearance help competitiveness for the future, with the risk
of expending funds for design on projects that may not ever occur.
Alignment with regional priorities, such as metering lights and express lanes, will help
advance projects more quickly.
Highway 17 Capacity
The following graph demonstrates the capacity of Highway 17 to move vehicles, as measured
southbound on Highway 17 at Lark Avenue on Saturday July 1, 2017 (a significant beach traffic
day). The graph depicts that as the flow of traffic increases towards 3,800 vehicles per hour,
the speeds decrease significantly. This is indicative of the ability for the roadway to carry
vehicles at freeway speeds. The result of excessive vehicles is a decrease in speeds, which leads
directly to a corresponding decrease in vehicle flow towards a low of 2,400 vehicles per hour.
In this instance, that is a decrease of approximately 1,400 vehicles per hour. The restriction in
flow causes the overflow onto local streets and the numbers align with the number of vehicles
entering Highway 17 at Highway 9. Note that these numbers reflect the ability of the roadway
to carry vehicles and not the demand. The actual demand likely well exceeds the 3,800 vehicles
per hour number, further exacerbating the impact to local streets.
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
This review of the freeway capacity points directly to the challenges facing Los Gatos. Without
a broader capacity solving solution for Highway 17, the Town will continue to struggle with
alleviating traffic impacts.
As additional consideration in the discussion, Attachment 1 provides a summary of research
regarding “induced demand” that results from roadway expansion. Induced demand is the
measurable increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) attributable to increases in roadway
capacity. As it applies to the widening of Highway 17, there is a potential over time for the
increased capacity to fill up the roadway. Elements that impact this could in clude development
policies in Santa Cruz County, roadway capacity beyond the summit, and local economic
factors.
In addition, the Town has previously taken a position of strong opposition to the widening of
Highway 17, establishing Policy TRA-4.1 within the General Plan which states “Highway 17
should not be widened to provide additional travel lanes south of Lark Avenue.” This led to the
submission of Envision Silicon Valley projects without the inclusion of a Highway 17 widening.
Later the VTA and Caltrans included the widening in the Envision Silicon Valley list of projects
and the Town requested removal of that item in compliance with the General Plan. As a result,
Highway 17 widening is not included in the long-term plans, making regional support and
funding of a project difficult.
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
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10/20/2017 1:42 PM
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
Highway 85 Capacity
Similar to Highway 17, Highway 85 also reaches its vehicular capacity. This generally occurs on
weekdays, especially during the morning commute. The result of the Highway 85 congestion is
increased traffic utilizing Highway 9 as a bypass to Highway 85, in turn creating additional
morning congestion on Highway 9 as that roadway capacity is exceeded.
Currently discussions are ongoing through the VTA on Highway 85 modifications that include a
corridor study. More information can be found at the VTA agenda for the State Route 85
Corridor Policy Advisory Board (PAB):
http://vtaorgcontent.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Site_Content/sr85_092517_packet.pdf
The Town has a representative on this PAB.
Traffic Alleviation Ideas
Attachment 2 identifies a wide range of traffic alleviation ideas, ranging from local
infrastructure projects to working with the traffic application companies. The Attachment
provides staff’s professional judgement regarding the effectiveness of a proposed measure to
address cut through traffic, congestion, and safety, as well as an estimated time for
implementation. The Council may choose to use the Attachment to identify priorities. Below is
a summary of the items with the current and next steps in ital ics.
South Santa Cruz Avenue at Wood Road Roundabout - Under previous direction, the Town
Council has authorized staff to move forward with a study and preliminary design for this
project. When completed, this project would serve multiple purposes, including acting as a
gateway to the downtown and slowing traffic leaving Highway 17 as it enters downtown. In
addition, the roundabout would provide a means of closing southbound Santa Cruz Avenue at
the Highway 17 onramp with the use of limited additional traffic control devices and setup
costs.
The installation of a roundabout would not necessitate permanently closing South Santa Cruz
Avenue, but would rather allow for ongoing management of traffic through Town, including
during summer cut through traffic days as well as during other events, such as major accidents
on Highway 17 where the Highway is closed or otherwise impacted.
Staff continues to work with the consulting firm W-Trans on the roundabout to develop early
submittals for Caltrans review. Attachment 3 provides the first version of the conceptual view
of the roundabout. The next steps include staff providing comments to W-Trans, revisions by
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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10/20/2017 1:42 PM
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
W-Trans, and submittal to Caltrans for review in the next two weeks. In spring 2018, Caltrans is
expected to identify which Caltrans process, if any, is most appropriate for the project. Reaching
this point will help determine future costs, including environmental, permitting, and ultimately
construction costs. Staff will continue to provide updates through Council reports and the
budget process as appropriate.
Highway 9 Corridor Study – At the October 17, 2017 Town Council meeting, the Council
authorized a corridor study for the portion of Highway 9 from the westerly Town limits to Los
Gatos Boulevard. As noted above, this corridor experiences capacity challenges, especially in
the westbound morning peak traffic period. This study will review the corridor to identify
potential safety and traffic flow improvements, including an analysis of current traffic signal
functions, the potential addition of traffic control devices at Massol, and other improvements .
The results of the Study are anticipated in March 2018.
Highway 9 at Highway 17 Ramp Improvements – This project would upgrade the interchange at
the location. It is identified in the Highways part of the Measure B program, making it eligible
for competitive funds. Staff anticipates the Highway 9 Corridor Study will provide information
on this location and recommends deferring any additional efforts on advancing this project until
that Study is complete.
Ramp Metering - Ramp metering serves to even out the flow of traffic onto the highway and
freeway system. This has been a priority project for both Caltrans and VTA, and both are willing
to complete metering onramps throughout Los Gatos. Currently no funding is in place for this
project, but given the regional priority provided to metering, staff believes that, with Town
support, funding may become available through Measure B or other external funding sources.
With respect to cut through traffic, metering is effective in that drivers are often not willing to
exit a freeway knowing they will need to queue at a metering light to return to the freeway.
This might be an effective component among many contributing i mprovements to manage
traffic. Ramp metering does have the downside potential of creating queues that extend onto
local streets. If Council is interested in this option, direction is needed for staff to communicate
this interest to Caltrans and VTA.
Downtown One Way Streets – The idea of one way streets in the downtown has been a topic of
conversation a number of times. This can take several forms, including making University
Avenue and Santa Cruz Avenue one way in opposite directions and/or switching s ide streets
between University Avenue and Santa Cruz Avenue to one way and adding diagonal parking.
Staffs observations are that these projects may not have great impacts on traffic flow with
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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10/20/2017 1:42 PM
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
respect to cut through or commute traffic and may make significant alterations to traffic in
residential areas along University Avenue. These improvements may take form in terms of an
economic vitality discussion with larger street improvements in the downtown. This option
cannot be sufficiently analyzed without some form of third party analysis, which would need to
be identified as a Council Strategic Priority in the next goal setting session.
Highway 17 Widening – As identified above, Highway 17 suffers from capacity constraints. The
effective widening of Highway 17, according to Caltrans, would require expansion to the
summit. Caltrans would likely want to undertake this project through a comprehensive study
identifying the corridor needs, likely from Highway 280 through the County limits.
Improvements would be accomplished in phases based on such factors as cost, complexity, and
benefit. This project would take significant time, measured in decades, to implement and faces
numerous hurdles including funding, environmental analysis, right of way acquisition, etc. Due
to the Town’s current position on this project vis-a-vis the General Plan, the Council may wish to
discuss this in depth with the next General Plan update.
Freeway Changeable Message Signs – In follow up conversations, Caltrans has suggested that it
is open to utilizing its freeway changeable message signs for travel time data. The physical
infrastructure is in place and some programming changes would be required. Sign locations are
on southbound Highway 17 approaching Camden Avenue, eastbound Highway 85 approaching
Winchester, and westbound Highway 85 just past Almaden Expressway.
Providing travel time data on changeable message boards must be factual data driven
information. That travel time data may influence drivers to remain on the freeway, especially
when travel time aligns with driver expectations. However increased travel times may cause
drivers to seek out alternative routes. An official request to Caltrans from the Parks and Public
Works Director may be enough to begin implementation of this item if directed by Council.
Pilot Reclassification of Town Streets – At the September 5th meeting, the Council directed staff
to implement a pilot reclassification of streets designated as “residential collector” to the
“residential” classification. Staff is compiling the list of streets and will be formally notifying the
mapping companies in the next thirty days.
Work with Mapping Companies – Coordination with mapping companies continues. Most
recently Waze reached out to understand which residential streets were being impacted by cut
through traffic. Staff provided that information to Waze and the review of that information is in
progress.
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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10/20/2017 1:42 PM
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
Intersection Markings and Monitoring – The Town may wish to pursue ideas around controlling
intersections through additional signage, markings, and monitoring. This would act as a traffic
management effort to aid in keeping intersections clear. Improvements such as signage and
markings would serve to build awareness. Automated camera based enforcement could also
be explored for both practicality and legality. If Council is interested in this option, this could
come forward as a potential Capital Improvement Project for consideration in the next budget.
Weekend Events – Weekend events geared towards road closures have been considered for
traffic management including several events on Santa Cruz Avenue this summer. While these
events were deemed successful from a community building perspective, staff did observe
significant traffic impact changes. Staff examined the possible use of events in place of a temporary
closure and determined that the closure remained a necessity. For example, a closure of North
Santa Cruz Avenue (from Main Street to Bachman Avenue) without the ramp closure would result in
traffic traversing along University Avenue and through the Almond Grove to reach southbound
Highway 17, resulting in a significant impact to residential neighborhoods. Similarly, any closure
that involved South Santa Cruz Avenue would result in traffic exiting southbound Highway 17 being
directed into the Almond Grove area, likely at Broadway Avenue and would result in eliminating
access to businesses such as the Toll House and Ace Hardware and residents on Wood Road.
It should be noted that road closure events have proven to be resource intensive for the event
sponsor, whether it be the Town’s resources or other organizations. Event safety must remain
a priority and with that comes associated costs such as traffic control that can be significant.
The series of events that took place this summer demonstrate some of the options and the
feedback received from those events may drive future direction. If the Council would like a
temporary summer closure of the ramp in 2018, this direction should be provided so it can be
brought forward in the budget process. In addition, Council should provide input on how the
summer closure should work with events in future summers.
Traffic Signal Upgrade – The Town has a $500k grant to start this work and is currently working
on a scope for an upgrade to a more robust system. Concurrently, staff continues to explore
other opportunities for funding additional smart technology element s for the project. This
project is underway.
School Busing – As directed by the Town Council through the annual Capital Improvement
Program Budget (CIP), Town staff has begun the feasibility study effort around providing school
busing as a congestion management program. The project consultant will be in contract with
the Town soon and this will allow for the outreach efforts to begin, with anticipated completion
of the feasibility in the spring of 2018.
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
Automobile Trip Reduction Initiative – On October 17, 2017 the Town Council approved th e
submission of a grant request which, if successful, will allow for implementation of a program
to reduce trip reduction through building awareness and trial implementations of innovative
improvements. This project, modeled after successes with the Safe Routes to School program,
should influence the approach residents take to transportation. If the grant is awarded later
this year, the program would be implemented in two years.
Legal Considerations
Litigation Against Mapping Applications
The Town Attorney has done preliminary research regarding other litigation filed against
mapping application companies and was not able to discover any litigation filed in the United
States related to cut through traffic. The Town Attorney also asked various colleagues at the
League of California Cities Annual Meeting about potential legal recourse against mapping
application companies and was not able to ascertain any information that any other city or
town was researching potential litigation against mapping application companies. Although
preliminary research did not divulge any current legal action against mapping application
companies, litigation can always be filed against anyone, including the mapping application
companies.
However, it is the Town Attorney’s opinion that such a lawsuit would not result in the mapping
application companies “coming to the table” for a quick settlement simply because the Town
filed a lawsuit. In all likelihood, litigation against the mapping companies would be highly
contested and would likely result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal expenses before
either a trial or settlement would be reached. This opinion is based upon the fact that Google
bought Waze for $1.1 billion in 2013. Today, Waze boasts over 50 million monthly active users,
and many of their real-time reports of accidents and other road hazards are also incorporated
in Google Maps. Millions of people use Waze it to find their way around gridlock. Waze core
position is that public roads are intended to be used by all citizens.
In addition to its core principles and tremendous amount of funding the mapping applications
companies are spending, the mapping application companies would potentially argue that 47
U.S.C. Section 230 provides immunity from liability for providers and users of an "interactive
computer service" who publish information provided by others. The Town Attorney
recommends that the Town not file litigation against mapping applications. If the Town Council
disagrees, it should direct the Town Attorney to obtain outside counsel to bring forth a more in
depth analysis of the potential legal action and probability of success in Closed Session.
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www.losgatosca.gov
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
Closing Streets
Although many residents have suggested that the Town “cone off” or selectively close streets,
this is not legally possibly. The State has pre-empted the entire field of traffic control. Any
right of a local authority to interfere with the free flow of traffic (such as a street closure) must
be derived from an express delegation of authority from the Legislature. For example,
California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 21101.6 expressly prohibits local jurisdictions from
placing gates or “other devices” to restrict access to a street to “certain members of the
public…while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.” This Vehicle Code Section
was enacted specifically due to a court case from 1979 (City of Lafayette v. Contra Costa County
- 91 Cal. App 3d 749). In Rumford v. City of Berkeley (19 82) 31 Cal.3d 545, 550, the Court held
that local jurisdictions do not have the authority to partially close a street to some traffic while
leaving other traffic free to use it, and more particularly, that it does not provide authority for a
local jurisdiction to place a physical barrier across a street in order to close it to through traffic
while allowing its use for neighborhood purposes.
On the other hand, the State has granted local authorities the requisite power to regulate
various aspects of traffic on their streets and highways. For example, the Police Chief does
have the ability to implement local temporary road closures fo r “public safety,” only in the most
extreme circumstances, and in accordance with the requirements set forth under Section 21 100
of the CA Vehicle Code (CVC). Examples of this would include maintaining a crime scene,
providing access for emergency personnel in relation to an in-progress call for service, a special
event or parade, etc.
In addition, as set forth above, Vehicle Code Section 21101(f) allows for closing a portion of any
street to implement the Transportation Element of the Town’s comprehensive General Plan.
CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS:
All of the above efforts require significant resource allocation in both staffing and capital
investment. Staff will not be able to address all of these items as immediate priorities and a
prioritization is necessary not only among the identified projects, but also with other Town
priorities. Staff has prepared a matrix as Attachment 2 to assist with understanding timelines
and as a working document to help identify priorities.
The results of this Study Session can feed directly into the Council Strategic Priority setting
session.
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SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION TO DISCUSS TRAFFIC ALLEVIATION MEASURES
DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2017
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10/20/2017 1:42 PM
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
COORDINATION:
The preparation of this report was completed by the Town Manager, Town Attorney, Interim
Police Chief, Parks and Public Works Director, and Economic Vitality Manager.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item. Future budgeting actions will occur through
the annual budget process.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. Induced Demand
2. Traffic Alleviation Ideas Matrix
3. Preliminary Roundabout Rendering