Attachment 1 Cut Through Traffic FINALPREPARED BY: MATT MORLEY
Director of Parks and Public Works
Reviewed by: Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney Finance
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2016\06-07-16\Cut Through Traffic\Staff Report - Cut Through Traffic FINAL.docx6/2/2016 3:03 PM MM
MEETING DATE: 06/07/16
ITEM NO: 12
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: JUNE 2, 2016
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: APPROVE A PILOT CLOSURE OF A PORTION OF SOUTH SANTA CRUZ
AVENUE TO ADDRESS CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve a pilot closure of a portion of South Santa Cruz Avenue to address cut through traffic.
BACKGROUND:
Summer weather has brought the return of cut through traffic to the Town as residents in the greater Bay
Area seek to travel over Highway 17 to Santa Cruz. Staff continues to look for ways to lessen the
impact of this traffic. One option suggested frequently by community members is the closure of South
Santa Cruz Avenue. The idea behind this closure is to eliminate the opportunity for vehicles to bypass
Highway 17 through the downtown. The downtown and neighboring residential streets receive the
greatest impact from cut through traffic. As with many of the modifications to address cut through
traffic, tradeoffs exist.
DISCUSSION:
Staff has developed a plan for the closure of South Santa Cruz Avenue at Wood Road. This is the most
southerly part of South Santa Cruz Avenue abutting Caltrans right of way. In developing the plan, staff
explored various locations for a potential closure. Several items were taken into consideration that led
to the recommended location, including:
Avoiding Caltrans right of way: Caltrans has an involved process for closing an on-ramp which
includes significant studies. Actual closures occur infrequently.
Minimizing the impact on Town businesses: The proposed closure location allows for access to
local businesses including the Toll House, Ace Hardware, and others.
Providing for a turnaround: Staff anticipates the need to redirect some vehicles back to
Highway 9. The closure location needs to provide enough space to accommodate this.
PAGE 2
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: PILOT CLOSURE OF A PORTION OF SOUTH SANTA CRUZ AVENUE
JUNE 2, 2016
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
Accommodating traffic exiting the freeway from northbound Highway 17 at South Santa Cruz
Avenue: It is important that access to the downtown from Highway 17 is preserved for
residents and businesses.
The identified location at Wood Road accounts for these considerations. The diagram provided in
Attachment 1 demonstrates the preliminary plan. Through the use of traffic cones and barricades, a
traffic circle would be constructed to provide for a U-turn and to accommodate exiting freeway traffic
and traffic from Wood Road. This would remain in place on designated days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Other locations that were considered included the portion of South Santa Cruz Avenue adjacent to Plaza
Park and locations along North Santa Cruz between Main Street and Highway 9. These were not
ultimately recommended as each allows for cut through routes within neighborhoods to avoid the
closure, affect businesses more significantly, and/ or provide challenges for traffic exiting Highway 17
northbound.
Keys to Success
This plan has been coordinated with the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and with County
Fire to ensure consideration of public safety. County Fire has asked that the closure be staffed to allow
for moving of the cones or barricades in the case of emergency access needs. Town Parks and Public
Works staff or a Town contractor would be working at the closure site to respond to immediate needs in
the field.
This plan relies on informing drivers prior to their arriving at the closure location. Staff believes that
having vehicles reach the closure and then having them turn around will significantly compound the
traffic issue in the downtown. To achieve appropriate levels of notification, staff intends to deploy six
changeable message signs on Highway 9, North Santa Cruz Avenue, University Avenue, and Los Gatos
Boulevard. These signs will direct traffic to enter Highway 17 at Highway 9.
In addition to signage, staff will input a road closure into Waze to assist with pre-emption of that system.
This will serve to notice users of that system, directing those users to other routes.
Risks
The most significant risk to the pilot is if warnings do not adequately convince drivers of the closure.
This could lead to significantly compounded traffic in the downtown as drivers who reach Wood Road
are forced back through the area. Staff anticipates that early in the closure more drivers will be forced to
turn around and anticipate that other mobile applications will identify the closure for drivers later in the
morning, leading to a greater benefit in the afternoon. Should this pilot not function as intended, staff
can remove the cones and barricades fairly quickly and easily.
On weekends with especially heavy traffic, such as holiday weekends, staff does not anticipate that a
closure with cones and barricades will be sufficient. During these weekends more significant barriers
may be needed to redirect traffic.
PAGE 3
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: PILOT CLOSURE OF A PORTION OF SOUTH SANTA CRUZ AVENUE
JUNE 2, 2016
DISCUSSION (cont’d):
This pilot project does not address traffic on local streets from Lark Avenue to Highway 9 and on
Highway 9 towards the City of Saratoga. By eliminating South Santa Cruz Avenue as an entry point to
Highway 17, staff anticipates greater queuing north of Highway 9 and into Saratoga. This may shift the
greatest impact to those areas and create cut through traffic in other locations.
Staff has heard mixed input from downtown businesses in relation to traffic. Some businesses benefit
from the increased traffic while others feel the impact from locals not trying to reach them due to traffic
levels. It is important to retain the welcoming charm of downtown for the health of the businesses
there.
This pilot program is resource intensive. An important factor in continuing the effort includes the
degree of success balanced with the financial cost and resulting impacts that spread through other
locations. The estimated costs as provided in the fiscal impact section below reflect providing these
services through the use of a contractor. Planning and coordination will involve a significant amount of
staff time. Although staff time for a pilot can be absorbed in the operating budget, the hours spent on
this project pull from other efforts.
Timing
In order to deliver this pilot project, staff will need to contract with a traffic control company to provide
the setup, breakdown, and monitoring of the traffic control equipment. Funding for this project is
identified in next year’s capital budget and will be available starting July 1. Staff recommends
implementation for the weekend of July 16 and 17. Evaluation of the effectiveness and available
funding would determine if future closures are to occur. More regular closures would also require
Caltrans coordination and approval.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council could direct staff to conduct the closure at an alternative location along Santa Cruz Avenue.
Staff has not recommended other locations as the Wood Road location eliminates all cut through routes
and alternate closure locations leave cut through options open.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Council approve the proposed pilot to close access to the southbound ramp to
Highway 17 as described in this report. The Council is welcome to provide additional comments and
direction on the proposed closure. The pilot would provide useful information that could be considered
as the Town explores other strategies to address cut through traffic.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
PAGE 4
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: PILOT CLOSURE OF A PORTION OF SOUTH SANTA CRUZ AVENUE
JUNE 2, 2016
COORDINATION:
This report has been coordinated with the Police Department and County Fire.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for this project is identified in the Fiscal Year 2016-17 Capital Improvement Budget. Costs are
estimated at $7,000 per day which includes personnel and equipment for eight hours each day.
Attachment:
1. Draft Closure of a Portion of South Santa Cruz Avenue
PREPARED BY: MATT MORLEY
Director of Parks and Public Works
Reviewed by: Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney Finance
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2016\06-07-16\Cut Through Traffic\Addendum - Cut Through Traffic FINAL.docx6/3/2016 1:15 PM MM
MEETING DATE: 06/07/16
ITEM NO: 12
ADDENDUM
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: JUNE 3, 2016
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: APPROVE A PILOT CLOSURE OF A PORTION OF SOUTH SANTA CRUZ
AVENUE TO ADDRESS CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC
REMARKS:
After the staff report was distributed on June 2, 2016, the attached public comments were received
(Attachment 2).
Attachment 1 (Previously received with staff report on June 2, 2016:
1. Draft Closure of a Portion of South Santa Cruz Avenue
Attachment (Received with this Addendum):
2. Communication received from 11:01 a.m. Thursday, June 2, 2016 through 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 3,
2016.
From: Maryam Azizi
Date: June 2, 2016 at 6:22:42 PM PDT
To: Matt Morley
Subject: Re: Traffic in Los Gatos
Hi Matt,
It was nice to speak with you today regarding the traffic in our downtown streets. I live off of Highway 9
and often the traffic on HWY 9 and N. Santa Cruz is so bad (no matter what time of day) that if we would
like to go to our downtown, we are swayed otherwise. We moved to this area because of the beautiful
downtown and now it has become a thoroughfare for the people interested in getting onto HWY 17 and
we are often dissuaded from going to town. I reached my boiling point yesterday when I went to the
downtown ACE hardware store and could not get out of it's parking lot, because there was a long line of
cars speeding to get onto 17 south..lt took me approximately 5 -10 minutes to be able to leave the
parking lot. As a taxpayer, it is very disconcerting that non - taxpayers are using these city streets for
their use to get onto the highway. Another area of congestion is where we need to turn left onto HWY 9
from massol and there is such heavy traffic on HWY 9 that would like to either turn onto N. Santa Cruz
to get onto HWY 17 or go straight onto HWY 17 and they no regard for people who need to turn that it
can sometime take up to 15 minutes to turn onto HWY 9 to go to our house (Rose avenue).
thank you for allowing me to vent my grievances and I hope that I can come to the council meeting, it
not, I would appreciate it if you would count this e-mail for the residents who are unhappy with this
situation.
Best,
Maryam
ATTACHMENT
From: Kaye and Stephanie
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2016 4:24 PM
To: Laurel Prevetti
Subject: Beach Traffic
Dear Town Manager Prevetti,
Last Sunday was utter chaos in Los Gatos! If you were not in town to witness the absolute shut down of
our downtown, no words can really describe what happened.
Cars were flooding into Town on Hiway 9 from Saratoga turning onto Ridgecrest and Massol.
Cars that came off 17 to cut through Town had N. Santa Cruz, University, Main, and the Boulevard
bumper to bumper at 3 mph. The frantic efforts of the drivers had them turning on any street that
might take them south. They turned onto Mariposa to San Benito and also used Olive and Andrews to
get to Monterey Ave in their efforts to get to Massol. Pennsylvania and Broadway were not moving, nor
was any other part of the Almond Grove.
Sunday beach goers truly had our Town under siege! It felt like the Town forgot it was a hot,
Memorial Weekend!
At the very least, please close the entrance to Tait and Massol at Hwy 9 on weekends. Clearly,
the only way to stop the mayhem is to close off the street at the 17South entrance on the weekends.
Please help us get our Town back!
Respectfully,
Kaye Little
Stephanie Adcock
On Jun 2, 2016, at 2:51 PM, Carolyn Hornberger wrote:
Hi Marico-
I know you're well aware of the horrible situation the weekend beach traffic is creating for our town. I
can't attend the meeting next week but I hope the solution is to close the access to the 17 south on
ramp.
I could not get my car out of the driveway on Sunday. Also, a fire truck tried to get down Bayview and
had serious difficulty. Drivers blocked the intersection in front of our house at Bayview and
Pennsylvania. This can't continue.
Thanks for working to resolve the issue.
Regards,
Carolyn Hornberger
Subject: FW: beach traffic
Original Message--- -
From: Barbara Holden
To: Barbara Spector _ _ Steven Leonardis
Marcia Jensen
Sent: Sat, May 28, 2010 12:54 pm
Subject: beach traffic
FYI,
I was coming home at 12:30 today. Intersections at level D /F:
Main St west, University
Main St west, N Santa Cruz
Hwy 9 east, N Santa Cruz (traffic backed up to Daves Ave)
Hwy 9 east, University
N Santa Cruz south, Hwy 9 & Main St
Marico Sayoc
Also, traffic was stop and go west on Hwy 9 to make the left turn onto Bachman
Rob Rennie
Subject: FW: Bayview ave- Sunday 11am
On May 29, 2016, at 11:26 AM, Goddard, Nick (SJC)
wrote:
Marico- we need to close these neighborhoods to through traffic again.
This was the same picture yesterday from 10am -3pm Thanks for allowing me to vent:)
cid:59B39E427CB D2245 BF41 E9 F4F3346B710col I ie rspa rrish.com]
Sent from my Whone
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From: John McLaren
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2016 11:33 AM
To: Town Manager
Subject: Weekend traffic!!!
Writing once again because I cannot get in and out of my house near Winchester and Dave's. The traffic situation needs
far greater remedies than the effort to paint Highway 17 Green logos on N. Santa Cruz Ave. which nobody is paying
attention to or following. Yes I sat there and observed on my bike and everybody goes straight through town to highway
the 17 on ramp. The neighborhood streets of my friends to the of North Santa Cruz (Almond Grove *) are gridlocked
back to back with additional cut through traffic.
I truly believe the only remedy is for the town to shut down N. Santa Cruz Ave. before it gets to the highway 17 on ramp
to provide a realistic deterrent for people to even think about cutting through town. Doing so would take exactly one
weekend for the problem to disappear for good.
We actually joked about this but my suggestion is we put in a tollbooth on N. Santa Cruz Ave. across from the post
office. Residents of Los Gatos, Saratoga and Monte Sereno can pass for free as can anybody that spends $20 or more in
town with merchants. Everybody else is charged a $20 fee to pass. That would solve the traffic problem instantly.
Guaranteed.
Please take this email as representation of myself and my neighbors who are increasingly frustrated with the situation
which needs an immediate remedy before we go through this every weekend this summer.
I'm truly concerned that if I needed emergency services at my home that the fire department, ambulance or police etc.
could not get to me if I needed them. This is a serious problem that demands immediate attention.
Thanks for your consideration.
John
Subject: FW: downtown traffic
From: James Manganello
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2016 11:35 AM
To: Town PPW
Cc: BSpector; Marcia Jensen; Marico Sayoc; Rob Rennie
Subject: downtown traffic
hello
my name is james manganello, and i have lived with my wife and family, in los gatos, for the last 45 years. i am writing
to complain about the traffic in downtown and on the boulevard from the beach traffic. let me make this clear. we will
not stand for this much longer, if it means taking civil disobedience action then so be it. so far the efforts made by the
town are embarrassingly inane. painting highway 17 signs on the boulevard, really? i have lived here long enough to
know that the actual cure for this malaise, is in closing the south entrance to highway 17 from Santa cruz ave. we did
this before and it immediately solved the problem. i do not want to hear that cal trans controlls that. let me tell you cal
trans doesn't control the closing of santa cruz ave at wood road... seriously, homeowners, businesses and emergency
vehicles have been severely impacted by this nightmare and we won't stand for it any longer. maybe it's time we shut it
down with a sit in. call me foolish if you must but it has come to that, due to the towns inept attempts to deal with the
problem. we will not go away. this is our town, and we intend to stand up for it. i implore you to stand up for us. we
have always supported the public works dept, and the leaders of this town, but enough is enough. thank you for your
time james manganellc
Subject: FW: Council Referral: Los Gatos: A Town Under Siege
From: Kevin Falini
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2016 3:39 PM
To: BSpector
Subject: Los Gatos: A Town Under Siege
Mayor Spector,
Siege" is defined as "a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off
essential supplies, with the aim of compelling the surrender of those inside."
The Town of Los Gatos is under siege.
Yesterday, I observed more traffic than I had ever seen in this town. It was as much traffic as I had ever seen
anywhere. What I saw today dwarfed my previous observations.
Today, I witnessed complete gridlock. I saw:
Stop and go beach traffic on Los Gatos Blvd, Blossom Hill, Lark, University, Santa Cruz, Industrial, Hwy 9 (both
directions... because people are turning left onto Massol), Bachman, Nicholson, Tait, Massol, Glen Ridge,
Peralta, Pennsylvania and Main. The entirety of the Almond Grove and Glen Ridge neighborhoods were
effectively at a standstill.
Beach traffic crawling along Andrews, between Santa Cruz and Rose, with people going up the hill to turn
left on Rose and then left again onto Hwy 9.
Cars turning right onto Andrews and then left onto Monterey, to turn right onto Hwy 9 and then left onto
Massol.
Cars turning left onto Andrews and then left onto San Benito, only to find that San Benito is not a through
street, forcing them to turn around and then go up or down Andrews again.
Frustrated drivers peeling out when they found any open space to move, driving straight into opposing
traffic when there was not and parking their cars in the middle of the road while they got out to stretch.
Many, many frustrated neighbors, standing on their porches and sidewalks, with a mix of shock, frustration
and anger. Some took pictures to send to you. All looked to each other for ideas and support. To a person,
we agreed that this must stop now.
While I appreciate the intent of the portable electric signs on Hwy 9, Winchester Blvd and Los Gatos Blvd, as
well as the new "Hwy 17" shields painted on various roads, these measures have proven to be completely
ineffective. If anything, these experiments have proven that a) people are not on our surface streets because
they don't know where Hwy 17 is and b) appealing to the common courtesy of these drivers is an exercise in
futility.
We are trapped in our homes. Our residents do not feel safe walking, riding bicycles or letting children play in
our once quite neighborhoods. With all roads blocked at the same time, we can't get to the stores and
emergency services can't get to us. This situation is more than annoying, it is unsafe.
We are a town under siege!
We must not surrender. We cannot continue to be victims. We must be bold! This is our town and it is up to
us to protect our investments, our quality of life and our safety.
Several people I met today mentioned the idea of closing the South end of Santa Cruz Ave, near Ace and the
Toll House. PLEASE DO IT IMMEDIATELY!
We should also consider longer -term solutions including closing off more streets during the weekends or
turning the whole of the downtown into a "pedestrian friendly" zone on weekends (...and maybe more
often at some point).
We need to get the cars back onto Hwy 17 and out of our neighborhoods. I am confident that the residents
of Los Gatos will work with you. We need your help now.
Thank you.
Kevin Falini
Subject: FW: COUNCIL REFERRAL: Tait Avenue Sunday Accident
From: Cynthia
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2016 3:44 PM
To:BSpector
Subject: Tait Avenue Sunday Accident
Hi Barbara,
It was nice to speak with you after the APR Saratoga meeting last Tuesday.
The traffic wake -up call happened this afternoon on Tait Ave. 6th grader from Fisher was struck by a car. Fortunately he
is ok. The traffic congestion was horrible today.
Police and paramedics had a hard time reaching the scene.
It's time for this to change before something more serious happens.
Warm regards,
Cyndi Stewart
Sent from my iPhone
From: Kim Roper
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2016 4:57 PM
To: Council
Subject: Weekend traffic problems & damaged Hernandez Roadway
Dear Town of Los Gatos Council Members,
I live on Chestnut Ave., off of Hernandez. My sister was coming for a visit on Sunday, May 29, 2016. 1 told her to come up
the back way off of Highway 9 and turn onto Ridgecrest. Earlier in the year a section of this road was wiped out by a
fallen tree resulting in only a single lane where drivers must stop in each direction and take turns. A curtesy that is almost
never followed. My sister called letting me know that traffic was at standstill. She was stuck in traffic closer to Beck. I
walked over to the section of Hernandez that is damaged. Right when I got there I saw a driver trying to make a U -turn. It
did not end well. Thankfully one lane of traffic could still get through. I, with the help of my neighbor, had to direct traffic in
both directions until my sister made it through. Something really needs to be done with this particular "alternative to
Highway 17 ". This section of roadway is also pretty congested every evening during the commute hours. Drivers headed
towards town almost never stop to let drivers go in the other direction. I have had to physically get out of the car when I
am not the driver and walk over to the oncoming traffic to make them stop so that we can get through. What does the
town intend to do about the beach traffic? I'd also like to know when will this section of Hernandez get repaired?
Sincerely,
Kim Rnnar
Los Gatos, CA 95030
From: Julie Conlisk
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2016 12:27 PM
To: Council; Rob Rennie; Steven Leonardis; Marcia Jensen; Marico Sayoc; BSpector
Subject: GRIDLOCK HOLDS US HOSTAGE
Attachments: IMG 0896.MOV
You are all well aware of the problem. The residents of this town deserve better. The fact that there were no measures put in place for Memorial Day
weekend to keep this from happening is unacceptable.
The access to Hwy 17 on ramp from N. Santa Cruz avenue needs to be closed every weekend throughout the summer.
This video was taken on Sunday afternoon at 12pm This is the traffic coining down Hernandez Avenue. People are coining from Hwy 9 down
Ridgecrest to Hernandez and Pennsylvania Avenues. It's bumper to bumper for hours.
Brian and Julie Conlisk
From: S Chou
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2016 5:07 PM
To: Town Manager; Police, Town PPW; Council
Cc: Sylvia Chou
Subject: Beach Goers need to STAY on Hwy17
RE: Traffic Mess on Saturday & Sunday, May 28 -29, 2016
Dear Ms. Prevetti, Chief Frisby, Mr. Morley, Los Gatos Town Council,
I have been a homeowner and resident on Tait Avenue since 1993. The past two days between 1lam to 3pm have
been the worst as far as traffic gridlock to date (at least on Tait Avenue between W. Main & Bean Avenue). The
motorists were not residents, not visitors, but people cutting through Los Gatos to get on the SB Hwy17 onramp
towards Santa Cruz.
I assume by the time you read this, you will have been notified of some of the traffic issues, reported and unreported
but witnessed such as:
The 100 block of Tait: 10 year old boy vs. Car.
64 Broadway: Homeowner rage /meltdown.... using garden hose on motorists to which PD had to intervene
Pennsylvania & Bayview: Motorist rage /meltdown.... throwing items from car
Hernandez: Motorist frustration... Illegal U -turn and part of car in the ditch resulting in additional traffic blockage
Tait Avenue and many other streets: Driving the Wrong Way, Illegal U- turns, running Stop signs, fender benders.
I read in the LG Weekly Times - May 18, 2016 that $200,000 has been set aside for beach traffic control, and a
quote from Matt Morley (PPW) regarding a "...pilot of closure of S Santa Cruz Ave.... ". I am also aware of a Study
conducted last year regarding beach traffic. Other than the big green paint job on N. Santa Cruz pointing the way
to Hwy 17, 1 saw NO traffic control, NO PD presence and NO PPW presence this weekend.
This is a health and safety issue for residents and visitors in their car or on foot.
The solution: Close S. Santa Cruz Avenue leading to the SB17 onramp on weekends, Memorial Day - Labor
Day. Provide signage at strategic locations - No Thru Traffic to SB17 -. Issue Press Release. The first weekend of
implementation may be painful when beach goers must double back to Hwy17, but the word will get out.
YOU, as paid Los Gatos employees and elected officials have the responsibility and accountability to provide for the
health and safety of the residents and visitors by not putting us at risk.
Do the right thing. Do it now.
I am requesting a reply to this email with your Plan, prior to next weekend (June 4, 2016).
Thank you.
S. Chou
Subject: FW: Council Referral Google Maps/Waze - downtown traffic
From: Marsie Sweetland
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2016 1:09 PM
To: Marcia Jensen; BSpector; Marico Sayoc
Subject: Google Maps /Waze - downtown traffic
Hello,
I wanted to see if the town of LG had any plans in place to help block or mitigate having hwy 17 traffic
overflow into town? We live downtown (near Vice Mayor Sayoc on Edelen) and we spent over 30 minutes
driving from our home to the High School yesterday, and even longer going from a party near Courtside back
home.
It seems like blocking the downtown on -ramp during busy weekends could be a solution - - -if that data could be
properly put into the google maps algorithm (eventually it would "learn", but it would be great if it could be
proactively done with Google.)
Either way, some solution is needed - -it was like 5 miles of Fantasy of Lights traffic yesterday -- through all of
the streets feeding to the hwy 17 onramp- -going all the way up to Withey Rd.
Thanks,
Marsie
Marsie Sweetland
On May 29, 2016, at 2:55 PM, Sheila Bannan wrote:
Hello Rob,
We have another traffic nightmare in the Almond Grove on this Memorial weekend. I thought
there was a plan in place to try to minimize and divert the traffic headed to the beach.
Apparently there was no plan for this weekend.
Jerry called the non emergency police number regarding this traffic situation and was told that
there was no plan to divert traffic.
When he said he would not be able to return home if he had to leave he was told it would just
take longer.
Massol is completely backed up as well as the other streets and now cars are speeding down
the alley behind my house.
I urge you and the other council members and the police to decide on a plan and get it started. I
hope the plan includes blocking access to 17 from North Santa Cruz Ave. since that seems to
be the reason the Almond Grove area is so impacted.
Thank you,
Sheila Bannan
Subject: FW: Traffic Sample on Massol
From: Wilfrid Houdc
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2016 11:31 AM
To: Rob Rennie
Subject: Traffic Sample on Massol
Good Morning Mr Rennie,
On Saturday 5/28 and Sunday 5/29 1 took a sample of the number of cars driving South (one way only)and passing 315
Massol Ave.
Here are the results:
Saturday 5/28 From 2:OOPM to 2:15 PM Icounted 162 cars. (avg.10.8 per minute)
Sunday 5/29 From 2:15 PM to 2:30 PM I counted 156 cars. (avg. 10.4 per minute)
It appears that beach traffic should not be allowed to turn right on Massol from highway. 9 on weekends and holidays..
Sincerely,
Wilfrid Houde
Los Gatos 95030
1
twNOv
I i
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: JUNE 6, 2016
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
MEETING DATE: 06/07/16
ITEM NO: 12
ADDENDUM B
SUBJECT: APPROVE A PILOT CLOSURE OF A PORTION OF SOUTH SANTA CRUZ
AVENUE TO ADDRESS CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC
REMARKS:
After the addendum was distributed on June 3, 2016, staff received the following comment from a
Council Member and the attached public comment (Attachment 3).
What is your basis for July 16/17 start date? Specifically what are the action items and their
timing?
Funding to mitigate cut through traffic will be available July 1, pending approval of the Capital
Budget. Staff will need to put a contract in place for the services to effect the closure. Staff anticipates
costs of $7,000 per weekend (not per day as stated in the original Council report) based on estimates
from a traffic control company, which includes setup and takedown of cones, barricades, and six
message boards as well as monitoring for each day. Sundays are more expensive due to overtime
rates. This cost also includes the cost to have the Town Traffic Engineer inspect the work each day.
Attachment 1 (Previously received with staff report on June 2 2016•
1. Draft Closure of a Portion of South Santa Cruz Avenue
Attachment 2 (Previously received with Addendum on June 3 2016)•
2. Communication received from 11:01 a.m. Thursday, June 2, 2016 through 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 3,
2016.
Attachment (Received with this Addendum):
3. Communication received from 11:01 a.m. Friday, June 3, 2016 through 11:00 a.m. Monday, June 6,
2016.
PREPARED BY: MATT MORLEY
Director of Parks and Public Works
Reviewed by: Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney Finance
S:\COUNCB- REPORTS\2016 \06 -07 -16 \Cut Through Traaic\Addendunr B -Cut Through Traffic FINAL.docx6 /6/2016 3:54 PM MM
From:
On Jun 5, 2016, at 5:14 PM, Lucille Weidman
Mayor Spector and Town Councilmembers:
What would the results be of metering access onto southbound 17 off South Santa Cruz to perhaps one
car every 45 -60 seconds? CalTrans meters on -ramps all the time. It would be a meter that Los Gatos
could turn on and off as needed and change the delay times of the green light events as needed. The
town might need to have some kind of "Awareness Signage" that turns on at the north, east and west
entrances to Los Gatos so drivers are aware of the consequences of trying to go through town.
It would probably require someone official (Highway Patrol or LGPD on motorcycle) to be visible in the
area of the metering light to deter more than one car per green light event. The metering light might
deter enough drivers to avoid going through town in the future.
Just as the recent signage indicates, drivers coming from Saratoga, Campbell, and Blossom Hill
directions need to get on southbound 17 via Highway 9.
If the metering light makes it less beneficial for drivers to go through town and residential streets to
get to areas south of Los Gatos, they will stay on southbound 17 and /or access southbound 17 at
Highway 9.
Respectfully,
Sam Weidman
From: Barnaby James
Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2016 12:00 AM
To: Council; Town Manager
Subject: Feedback about Ramp Closure Experiment
I understand the town is considering experimenting with closing the south bound HWY 17 onramp from
North Santa Cruz Ave. I am very encouraged the town is taking action and I'd just like to reiterate the
feeling of many people in the town that this is a huge issue that the town collectively needs to solve.
Clogged streets "lock in" residents who may not be able to return to their homes
Creates an enormous disincentive to visiting down town businesses on weekends both for residents and
actual visitors
Creates a hazard to EMT services - I made a video of one of many times I have seen this happen along
Los Gatos Blvd where an ambulance had to drive on the opposite side of a divided road to make
progress. See htips: / /www.voutube.com /watch ?v= LSSOBikbpHe
I think for the ramp closure experiment to be representative it would ideally take place over several
weekends and needs to be heavily advertised in advance (possibly using the electronic billboards that
suggest staying on / rejoining HWY 17).
Thanks!
Barnaby James
Los Gatos, CA
ATTACHMENT
From: Richardsons
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2016 10:20 PM
To: Council
Subject: Beach traffic
I just rode my bike downtown on a Saturday around I I:OOAM. Thankfully, Massol and Tait Ave's were
coned off for the Highway 9 traffic. Those streets were much quieter / safer because of them being
coned off.
I wanted to voice my recommendation as to how to handle beach traffic: I have posted this suggestion
on Nextdoor.com
Leave Lark Ave as the only on ramp to Highway 17 South during the beach traffic crunch time. The
traffic "APP'S" would advise all who use them that driving through town is a dead end. It would also
force those that come South on 85 to Highway 9 (Saratoga Ave exit) to go back to Lark Ave.... hopefully
encouraging them to stay on 85 in the first place. That would leave downtown to those who want to
stroll, shop, and or taste. The city could set up temporary signs so stating and possibly using the "amber
alert" signs on the freeways.
Please consider my idea?
Thanks
Lainey Richardson
55 year resident living in La Rinconada
ATTACHMENT
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COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: JUNE 7, 2016
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
MEETING DATE: 06/07/16
ITEM NO: 12
DESK ITEM
SUBJECT: APPROVE A PILOT CLOSURE OF A PORTION OF SOUTH SANTA CRUZ
AVENUE TO ADDRESS CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC
REMARKS:
After the addendum was distributed on June 6, 2016, the attached public comments were received
Attachment 4).
Attachment 1 (Previously received with staffrenort on June 2 2016-
1. Draft Closure of a Portion of South Santa Cruz Avenue
Attachment 2 (Previously received with Addendum on June 3 2016)-
2. Communication received from 11:01 a.m. Thursday, June 2, 2016 through 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 3,
2016.
Attachment 3 (Previously received with Addendum B on June 6 2016):
3. Communication received from 11:01 a.m. Friday, June 3, 2016 through 11:00 a.m. Monday, June 6,
2016.
Attachment (Received with this Desk Item):
4. Communication received from 11:01 a.m. Monday, June 6, 2016 through 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, June
7, 2016.
PREPARED BY: MATT MORLEY
Director of Parks and Public Works
Reviewed by: Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney - Finance
SACOT-NCIL REPORTS\2016 \06 -07 -16 \Cut Through Traffic\Desk Item -Cut Through Traffic FINAL.docx
From: Greg Marrone
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 2:43 PM
To: Town PPW; Matt Morley
Cc: BSpector, Marico Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; Steven Leonardis; Rob Rennie
Subject: Almond Grove access over weekend
To Whom It May Concern:
I see that the town again is limiting access into the Almond Grove off highway 9 (the turn at Massol) and
also from Ridgecrest (Hernandez onto Ellenwood a week or two back) during times of high- volume
beach traffic, and am trying to understand the logic. The problem, as I understand it, is congestion in the
neighborhood streets. So the solution is to require the residents to drive into highly congested areas in
order to get home or in order to move within the neighborhood ?? This seems utterly ridiculously to me—
you solve the problem of congestion (i.e. access) by restricting the access even further. How is one to
make sense of this?
I find it particularly annoying that a week or two ago you had cones up at the entrance to Ellenwood from
Hernandez. Thus, a trip from my house on Overlook to my mother's house (at the top of Bachman)
would have required waiting in a three -block line of cars down to the corner at Glenridge, presuming you
did not cone off Glenridge as well. Again, if these traffic control "solutions" are intended to aid the
residents, I suggest a re -boot.
I tried calling Public Works about this, but no one actually answers the phone there near as one can tell. I
also understand that there is a council meeting tomorrow night that will cover this issue, but cannot make
the meeting. Accordingly, I have copied the council members hoping this resounding "no" will end up in
their packets.
Sincerely,
Greg Marrone
From: Barbara Holden
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 5:06 PM
To: Matt Morley
Cc: Marico Sayoc; Steven Leonardis; Rob Rennie; BSpector; Marcia Jensen
Subject: closing south entrance 17
Dear Matt:
I am very excited about your proposal to close S Santa Cruz at Wood on heavy beach traffic days. I hope
you are getting lots of traffic counts before & during to see how much help it gives us.
Thank you!
Barbara F. Holden
ATTACHMENT 4
From: Kevin Falini
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 11:08 PM
To: Laurel Prevetti
Subject: Re: Council Referral: Los Gatos: A Town Under Siege - I will try to attend - In case I cannot,
here are the key points I have in mind
Laurel,
Thank you for your note.
I will try to be at the Town Council Meeting tomorrow night by the time Item 12 is covered but I
am not certain that this will be possible. I am the president of a small HOA and we are holding
a general meeting tomorrow night which also begins at 7:00 PM.
In case I am not able to attend, here is the key points on my mind:
As I have shared previously, I am very supportive of closing the south end of Santa Cruz
Ave. However, a single weekend test is little more than lip service and almost certainly doomed
to failure. It won't prove anything. If used to test the success of failure of the idea, it
will simply suggest that we are helpless. We are not.
Very few experiments of any kind yield valid results after a single trial and there is no reason to
believe that this would be the case with this test. With the proposed closure, there will be a
learning curve, aided by both formal and informal, personal and electronic communication and
socialization. This will simply not happen in one or two days on a given weekend. There will be
return traffic in the first weekend and possibly a lot of it. That return traffic will dissipate over
time as people come to understand that Santa Cruz Ave is closed as a route to 17S EACH AND
EVERY WEEKEND, ALWAYS AND FOREVER.
This will not be bad for business. It will be the best thing to happen to downtown businesses in
the last few years. Most people I know who live outside of Los Gatos simply refuse to come to
town anymore, calling it "an absolute disaster" even on weekdays. Talking about "how bad Los
Gatos is" has become a common rant for people in neighboring communities. While the streets
are jammed with weekend beach traffic, the parking lots are empty. Nobody in their right mind
would come to Los Gatos to shop or dine in this environment and very few do. Almost none of
the beach goers stop to do business in Los Gatos, for fear of losing their place in the endless line
of traffic they have joined.
Please feel free to share the above thoughts with the Town Council.
Again, I appreciate your efforts. They are directionally correct. Now we need to follow -
through. A check swing won't do the trick.
Thank you.
Kevin