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
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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
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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).
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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.
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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.