Consider Directing Staff to Install Flashing Pedestrian Crosswalk Signs at Two Locations: 1) Maitland Drive and Mecartney Road, and 2) Mecartney Road and Belmont Place. (Councilmember Oddie)  [Continued from January 20, 2015]
Consider directing staff to install flashing pedestrian crosswalk signals at two locations, Maitland Drive in McCartney Road and McCartney Road and Belmont Place. This item was placed on the agenda at the request of Councilmember Odie. You may proceed. Thank you, Madam Mayor. So again, take into consideration some of the comments earlier. I'll go through the referral and then maybe entertain some some changes to it. But another thing I heard from from folks living out on Bay Farm and Harper Bay was pedestrian safety. And there's two intersections in particular that they identified as being particularly dangerous and particularly busy. One is Maitland Drive and McCartney Road, and the other is. I'm sorry. It should be Maitland Drive and Island Drive. I think I made a mistake on that. And McCartney Road and Belmont Place. And the referral is to direct public works to install flashing pedestrian crosswalk signs similar to what we did on Otis after we had a tragic pedestrian death there. And since I've made this referral, I've been asked to also ask about Broadway and San Jose. So given the discussion we had earlier, you know, I'm amenable to changing this and maybe getting a report back on, you know, as the mayor said, what the priority areas are as far as crosswalks and and flashing crosswalks. But, you know, these are two that, you know, somebody said in one of the communication that they're medium priority. But the folks at Harper Bay, you know, they're kind of getting tired of being medium priority. They would like to have a little bit more attention. And, you know, I hope that through this process, we could give that to them. So just a moment in response to your comment. I really appreciate that. So now follow up. Yes. Member Ashcroft. Sure. The one amendment I would make is rather than. Well, and again, we demand the language, because rather than having city council direct a city department, we'll go through the city manager. But to implement that particular remedy, I think I would want to hear from a department like Public Works as to whether the flashing pedestrian crosswalk signs really are the best the best remedy. Because if I'm picturing the what is that down at the corner, at the far edge of the shopping center that we're talking? Because that's that's a big wide interface. Yes, it. Is. You know, maybe that's the best remedy that that. Well, and my point yeah. My point is just that probably as council members and laypersons, you know, I mean we all have some special here and other but it's we're not as well equipped to decide what something needs to be done. I agree to address the issue of pedestrian safety. This might be one thing to consider, but there's probably a whole toolbox that public works. And I know the Transportation Commission looks at these things to the police department as well. I'm amenable to, you know, modifying it or, you know, coming back with a different referral if if my colleagues would prefer. But, you know. If I can make a station manager. And this, I think goes towards what comments have been made so far, I'd recommend if we. How do I put this? Demote this from a council referral to putting it into the public works queue as three individual intersections and will go to work, as Councilmember Ashcraft said. There are many tools in the toolbox that they would have to study it and recommend the best one and or bring it back in and you can see how that works. Juxtaposed to the one guarding the bridge as the bridge. And because those are very two different scales of request, I would just add one more thing. Normally an individual or a group of neighbors would make a request and it would go into the queue and we would follow up and do the studies and public outreach. And there's a process which we'll talk. About when we come back. But we also view this body, each of you, as elected. Representatives. From the people. And when you bring these. Our assumption is that you're representative of more than one neighbor. So I understand, you know, and that's part of the balancing. Act of why some things, of. Course, referral or when it goes to the Q. So if we can take these and I can insert them into the Q. As. As if. Any neighbor lets in a quest, we'll bring them back to you and you can see. The difference in the. Procedures. I'm fine with demoting it. The neighbors that I spoke to basically said they had no response. But I know we have a new team at Public Works, so this was before the new team got in place. Member Ashcraft And I would also remark that I'm not sure how widely known this public works system is. So maybe just by holding this public meeting and discussing it will help increase public awareness because I, I think, you know, it's one of those things that some people know about, but maybe not widely across the island. So we can we can always do a better job of spreading the word. But with that, I would be happy to live approval of the motion as the Council referral as amended. I just have a question for staff before we have a second. Do we still have the TTC in place, the Transfer Transportation Committee, I mean, which goes through requests like for stop signs and things like that. We end and one of the controversies over that in the past was the use of state warrants, etc. Is that. Still in place, that. Process staff? Does that work? And we work with the immediate neighbors and public notice for the process. And if there's an appeal from any one neighbor, then it gets elevated to the Transportation Commission for a public hearing. Their decision is appealed by anyone which has happened in the recent past. It comes to this body. Okay. Okay. Well, perhaps one of the issues then is and this is a side note is to, you know, improve the way in which we let our residents aware of that process. So. So and so we have a motion, a second. And I'd like to comment that when we get to the the other items that we were going to be discussing at our special meeting, I did have a suggestion in regards to having an open house that we will be talking about allowing our department to improve that communication. So we will be discussing that at that point. So we have a motion and a second all those in favor I oppose and motion passes unanimously. Thank you very much. And I really appreciate staff's assistance in helping us through that. Thank you. Thank you. Next item. As 3-D and 3-D. He insisted directing staff to collaborate with the East Bay Regional Park District on acquisition and expansion of Crab Cove. This item was placed on the agenda at the request of Vice Mayor Matt, R-S.C..