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Staff Report1pWN OFj� DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: MEETING DATE: 09/01/15 ITEM NO: S COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT AUGUST 21, 2015 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL 7 , LES WHITE, INTERIM TOWN MANAGE`J ACCEPT THE STAFF REPORT ON CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Town Council accept the staff report on cut through traffic and modify the list of VTP projects to add traffic signal upgrades and a corridor study for the greater Highway 17 and Highway 85 area. BACKGROUND: Local roads continue to experience high levels of traffic as travelers leave the freeway in the search for a more expeditious route. Although this has been a Los Gatos issue for many years, the growing economy and the advent and growth of mobile phone applications that direct vehicles to alternate routes, such as local residential streets, has exacerbated the situation. Staff from the Town Manager's office, the Police Department, and the Parks and Public Works Department have been diligently working to reduce this traffic. DISCUSSION: The approach to cut through traffic has focused on three outcomes — short term mitigation, midtenn relief, and long term reductions. Staff has implemented multiple measures towards these outcomes. It is important to note that each action taken has the potential for creating other local impacts that warrant careful consideration. The Parks and Public Works Department has hired a consultant, Traffic Patterns, to evaluate and identify measures to align with this approach. The evaluation and mitigation measures are a work in progress and will culminate Labor Day weekend with the end of the summer travel season. Lessons learned may drive actions for future years. Short Term Mitigation — This summer, staff has implemented various measures over several weekends to try to mitigate the impact of traffic. These measures address the traffic where it impacts the community and not at the source. These short term measures are important steps and staff has used the opportunity to try various changes to measure and observe the impact on PREPARED BY: MATT MORLEY 7 Director of Parks and Public Works Reviewed by: Town Managel ,� / Town Attorney 2f— Finance PAGE 2 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC AUGUST 21, 2015 DISCUSSION (cont'd): traffic. These changes are temporary in nature and not sustainable on an ongoing basis due to the high cost of expenditures and reliance on overtime, and the impact on staff that need to be present on weekends to evaluate the effects of each change. Examples of measures explored include: (1) The installation of portable changeable message signs: These signs have been positioned in locations targeted to encourage traffic to return to Highway 17. Staff optimized the locations of these signs each weekend. (2) Placement of signage to change the use of Tait and Massol Avenues: This began with advisory signage discouraging all but local traffic. The advisory signage proved relatively ineffective and subsequent alterations expanded this measure to close Tait and Massol Avenues at Highway 9. The street closures had a much greater impact, although some traffic found alternate routes onto neighborhood streets. The Police Department has been active in providing flexible service and solutions while working collaboratively with Parks and Public Works. This included efforts: (1) to manage traffic gridlock at intersections with increased traffic enforcement and control and (2) to manually control the intersection of Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue during one busy weekend as a subsequent effort. Manually controlling the intersection allowed for quick adjustments to vehicle and pedestrian congestion, and allowed for the testing of several scenarios. This information provided the Parks and Public Works Department and the traffic consultant the opportunity to see and evaluate those scenarios. The Police Department will continue to deploy additional resources through the Labor Day weekend, monitoring cut through traffic and remaining adaptive in adjusting traffic control measures in congested areas (Downtown and residential streets). As a result of the work of the Police Department, temporary weekend changes have been made to the controller programming at West Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue. The intersection has been adjusted to run as a four way intersection, with West Main Street having a dedicated eastbound and a dedicated westbound movement. This differs from the base configuration, which is for those two movements to occur concurrently. Additional adjustments will allow for improved pedestrian movements. By adding this extra phase to the intersection, staff hopes to eliminate a conflict between east and westbound traffic that allows for a limited number of vehicles to pass through on each cycle. (Visual descriptions will be provided at the Council meeting). Additionally, Parks and Public Works staff has adjusted signal timing on Winchester Boulevard near Lark Avenue. The expected outcome from these adjustments is delayed access to Town streets from the Town limits. The changes developed from initial data collection from the consultant demonstrated that total drive times in traffic through the Town and along the freeway to be approximately equal; however, the drive time through the initial stretch of the cut through PAGE 3 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC AUGUST 21, 2015 DISCUSSION (cont'd): path is significantly quicker. The modifications test slowing that initial stretch and measuring the impact on traffic and directions provided by mobile navigation applications. These changes do affect local traffic in the same way they affect cut through traffic, and therefore, may not provide great permanent solutions. Midterm Relief— As the Labor Day holiday weekend approaches, staff is expecting a high level of traffic congestion. With that in mind, staff will carry forward a number of the successful efforts. In addition, staff has been working with Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrans, and Waze to implement additional measures. VTA and Caltrans have been very willing to discuss the traffic concerns and are working to accommodate Town requests. Concerted efforts by both organizations to work with the Town is leading to some initial successes. Primarily, Caltrans has committed to issuing an encroachment permit to allow the Town to place portable message signs along Highways 85 and 17, just prior to popular Town exits, for the Labor Day weekend. These signs will provide language advising drivers to use Highway 17 to Santa Cruz. In developing this message, Town staff and Caltrans considered several messaging options, including the use of travel times. Because travel time information is dynamic and the portable signs have no way of automatically updating, Caltrans was not willing to allow travel time information on the signs. Town staff concurs with this direction. Town staff has also formally requested similar messages for Caltrans permanently installed changeable message signs and it is likely that Caltrans will allow the message advising drivers to use Highway 17 to Santa Cruz. There are three signs, one in each direction on Highway 85 approaching Highway 17 and one on Highway 17 approaching Highway 85. These signs do have the ability to post travel times, however, in discussions with Caltrans, VTA, and the Town's consultant, all concurred that posting freeway travel times, especially times that reflect lengthy delays, may actually induce local cut through traffic as drivers look to avoid those delays. There is no real time measure of travel times on local streets, so providing accurate travel time comparisons is not possible at this point. In spite of the public popularity of the request, Caltrans has declined any discussion on closing freeway off -ramps or on- ramps. They have, however, expressed an interest in exploring metering traffic at on- ramps. Caltrans maintains that metering changes driver behavior and may be a way of mitigating impacts. Navigation applications, the most popular of which is Waze, have provided additional challenges to managing traffic flow. These applications work on data gathered by users over time. The biggest impact has developed because Waze does not distinguish between residential, collector, and arterial streets. Staff has reached out to Waze directly and Waze has expressed a willingness to de- prioritize a limited number of residential streets in their algorithm. Waze has not yet done this for any other jurisdiction, so this will be a pilot effort. Staff provided a limited list of streets for this effort. The list is limited in the pilot effort to encourage Waze to implement the change prior to Labor Day, to provide observable areas for measuring the impact, and to ensure Waze remains engaged (removing streets from the algorithm is counter to their business model). PAGE 4 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC AUGUST 21, 2015 DISCUSSION (cont'd): The street segments provided to Waze are: o Massol Avenue from Highway 9 to Main Street o Tait Avenue from Highway 9 to Main Street o Main Street from University to Santa Cruz Avenue o Main Street from Massol to Santa Cruz Avenue Massol and Tait Avenues have been the residential streets that have experienced the greatest impact. Deprioritizing Main Street is intended to focus traffic to Santa Cruz Avenue, and avoid the use of University Avenue and Main Street past the high school. Staff acknowledges there are other impacted residential streets, but none to the extent of Massol and Tait Avenues. If successful, the next steps will include a broader discussion with Waze representatives. Long Term Reductions — The efforts undertaken over the last several weeks will provide the groundwork for longer term efforts to establish sustainable reductions in cut through traffic. Initial concepts worth exploring include: o Traffic Signal upgrades to provide for expanded functionality, such as signal timing associated with real time demand. This is likely a large capital project that would occur in the next three to five years. Funding opportunities may arise through the Envision Silicon Valley and Valley Transportation Plan (VTP) 2040. Staff has added the project to the Town's VTP 2040 submittals. o Caltrans has recommended a corridor study for the greater Highway 17 and Highway 85 area. A corridor study will help to identify deficiencies in the highway and freeway system. Staff will look for opportunities for funding this study as well and is including aproject in the VTP 2040 submittal. o Infrastructure modifications — As the Town's consultant finalizes his report, there may be opportunities for other infrastructure modifications. Town staff will review these and include them in a follow up Council report prior to the end of the calendar year. o Traffic flow modifications, especially in the Downtown, continue to be an area of interest. These measures could include closing of portions of Santa Cruz Avenue or realigning traffic to flow in a one way direction. These are ideas that take some preparation and likely warrant a trial event prior to implementation. o There are many varied alternatives to these measures. Staff will continue to explore these opportunities in follow up work efforts. PAGE MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC AUGUST 21, 2015 CONCLUSION Staff continues to gear up for Labor Day weekend and expects modifications implemented that weekend to further inform longer term cut through traffic reduction efforts. The successes to data are encouraging; however, expectations should remain tempered. Town Council should accept this report and provide comments on the measures discussed as well as the addition to the VTP 2040 of traffic signal upgrades and a corridor study for the greater Highway 17 and Highway 85 area. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: This is not a project as defined under CEQA and no further action is required. FISCAL IMPACT: Total fiscal commitments to date total approximately $33,000. o Consultant - $15,000 o Portable Changeable Message Signs - $10,000 o Staff Overtime - $8,000 Future commitments may include the following: o Portable Changeable Message Signs for the Freeway - $3,000 o Additional Staff Overtime - $5,000 Staff anticipates submitting a mid -year budget adjustment for the unanticipated costs associated with cut through traffic.