HomeMy WebLinkAbout11. 7th Street Speed - Intro ORD
AGENDA MEMO
DATE:
December 14, 2010
TO:
Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Office of the City Manager
By: John Oskoui, P.E., Director of Public Works
SUBJECTORDINANCE AMENDINGSPEED LIMITS ON SEVENTH STREET
:
BETWEEN RIVES AVENUE AND DOWNEY AVENUE
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council introduce:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY
AMENDING SECTION 3186 OF THE DOWNEY MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING
TO SPEED LIMITS ON SEVENTH STREET
.
BACKGROUND:
The California Vehicle Code (CVC) requires Engineering and Traffic surveys be
conducted periodically for roadway segments in order to post speed limits and allow
enforcement by RADAR. Roadway segments that require surveys are non-local streets
as defined in the federal-aid system maps administered by the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA).
There are three basic means by which speed limits are established. First, the CVC
identifies speed limits which apply as a maximum, in the event that no other condition is
met to establish the speed limit as less than the maximum. The current maximum limits
in California are 65 miles per hour (mph) on local routes and 70 mph on State highways.
Second, the CVC establishes specific prima facie speed limits for streets when certain
conditions are met (such as residential streets set at 25 mph). The prima facie speed
limits do not need speed studies or speed limit signs to be posted in order to be
enforced. For the purposes of setting prima facie speed limits, all streets must be
“local” streets based on functional usage as defined by the FHWA and meet the CVC
criterion for the minimum number of residential dwellings per quarter of a mile.
Third, in order to post a speed limit which varies from the maximum speed limit or a
prima facie speed limit and allow enforcement by RADAR, the speed must be
established based on an Engineering and Traffic survey. The purpose of the
Engineering and Traffic survey is to determine a speed limit which is both reasonable
and safe.
CITY OF DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA
Mayor and Members of the City Council
Ordinance Amending Speed Limits On Seventh Street
December 14, 2010
Page 2
Seventh Street is a collector road for its entire length west of Downey Avenue, which
requires the preparation of an Engineering and Traffic survey in order to establish
RADAR-enforceable speed limits. Conversely, the portion of Seventh Street east of
Downey Avenue is a local street, and thus has a prima facie speed limit of 25 mph (see
attached Location Map).
DISCUSSION:
There is no record of Engineering and Traffic surveys having been completed for the
section of Seventh Street between Rives Avenue and Downey Avenue, there is no
reference to this section of roadway in Section 3186 of the Downey Municipal Code,
and there are no posted speed limit signs. In order to address these deficiencies,
Engineering and Traffic surveys were conducted.
The Engineering and Traffic surveys have been completed, and the results were
presented to the Public Works Committee on November 18, 2010. After a brief
discussion of the results of the Engineering and Traffic surveys, the Public Works
Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the proposed speed limits to
the City Council as presented below.
Seventh Street Proposed Speed Limits
Limits Speed (mph)
Remarks
From To Current Proposed
Rives Ave. Paramount Blvd. N/A 25 N/A
Paramount Blvd. Downey Ave. N/A 25 N/A
It is proposed that a 25 mph speed limit be established for the portion of Seventh Street
between Rives Avenue and Downey Avenue.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The proposed ordinance will require the installation of four new speed limit signs at an
estimated cost of $500. Sufficient funds are available in the Public Works Department
Account 10-3145 (Traffic and Street Maintenance Program).
Attachments:
Ordinance
Location Map
S:\AgendaMemosCC2010\12-14-10\Seventh Street Speed Limits - Introduce Ordinance
ORDINANCE NO. 11-
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY AMENDING
SECTION 3186 OF THE DOWNEY MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO THE SPEED
LIMITS ON SEVENTH STREET.
WHEREAS
, the California Vehicle Code (CVC) requires Engineering and Traffic surveys
to be conducted periodically for streets such as Seventh Street in order to post speed limits and
allow enforcement by RADAR; and
WHEREAS
, the City of Downey has recently completed Engineering and Traffic surveys
for Seventh Street, from Rives Avenue to Downey Avenue; and
WHEREAS
, the results of the recently completed Engineering and Traffic surveys justify
a 25 mph speed limit along Seventh Street, between Rives Avenue and Downey Avenue.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY DOES
HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS
:
SECTION 1.
The City Council does hereby approve the Engineering and Traffic
surveys for Seventh Street, which were completed on June 4, 2010, and are incorporated herein
by this reference.
SECTION 2.
Subsection kk) is hereby added to Section 3186 of the Downey Municipal
Code to read as follows:
kk “Seventh Street. Between Rives Avenue and Downey Avenue, the prima facie speed
limit shall be twenty-five (25) miles per hour.”
SECTION 3.
The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Ordinance and shall
cause the same to be published or posted as required by law. A certified original of same shall
also be forwarded to the City Traffic Engineer.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED
thisday of , 2011.
___________________________________
LUIS H. MARQUEZ, Mayor
ATTEST:
KATHLEEN L. MIDSTOKKE, City Clerk
ORDINANCE NO. 11-
PAGE TWO
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss:
CITY OF DOWNEY )
I HEREBY CERTIFY
that the foregoing Ordinance No. 11- was introduced at
th
a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Downey held on the 14 day of December,
2010, and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Downey held on the
___ day of __ , 2011, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Council Members:
NOES: Council Member:
ABSENT: Council Member:
ABSTAIN: Council Member:
I FURTHER CERTIFY
that a Summary of the foregoing Ordinance No. , was
published in the Downey Patriot, a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Downey, on
________________, 2010 (after introduction), and on ______________, 2011 (after adoption,
including the vote thereon). It was also posted in the regular posting places in the City of
Downey on the same dates.
__________________________________
KATHLEEN L. MIDSTOKKE, City Clerk