8TH STREET TRAFFIC ENGINEERING ALTERNATIVES

Recommendation:

It is recommended that the City Council retain the existing conditions on 8th Street.

Background:

This item was continued from the February 2, 1999, City Council meeting.

In August 1998, concerned citizens of Hermosa Beach petitioned the City staff to study some potential problems with respect to 8th Street.

The Hermosa Beach City Council at its October 13, 1998, meeting addressed this issue. They concurred with the staff recommendation that a detailed study of the area was needed. The study proposed to incorporate principles discussed in a neighborhood intrusion study conducted by Austin-Foust and Associates in 1994. This report is the result of the above.

Citizens Issues:

The petition specifically addressed five concerns. They are listed below:

1. Build continuous sidewalks from PCH to Hermosa Avenue on 8th Street.
   
2. Close 8th Street to through traffic by closing it at Valley or Ardmore Avenues.
   
3. Change 8th Street to a one way street.
   
4. Install large speed reducing speed bumps.
   
5. Increase traffic patrol and regularly issue citations for noise and speeding.

Analysis:

The City Traffic Engineer has conducted a study of the issues and has utilized current data as well as the results of the 1994 High Accident Identification Study by Austin-Foust Associates.

In brief,

1. Placement of sidewalks is a positive method of separation between pedestrians and motor vehicle traffic. Since missing sidewalk is common throughout the City, and the placement of sidewalks may have a significant fiscal impact, this issue will be handled in a separate Council report.
   
2. Speed bumps or pavement undulations are a design feature that has not been proven to divert traffic from a street, but in certain instances will reduce travel speed by up to three miles per hour on residential streets. Prior City Council decisions in Hermosa Beach have elected not to utilize these design features on the City street system.
   
3. Enforcement of speed on 8th Street has been done on both an intensive citation basis and through the use of a mobile radar speed unit. It should continue.
   In February 1994, Austin-Foust Associates studied several alternatives relative to neighborhood intrusion as part of the Citywide High Accident Identification and Neighborhood Intrusion Study. Copies of the pertinent portions of that study are attached to the Traffic Engineer's report, attached hereto and made a part of this report.The consultants study findings in 1994 were not implemented since a consensus of the "neighborhood residents" could not be reached on any one alternative.
   
4. The two one way street alternatives studied used 8th Street and 8th Place or 8th Street and 6th Street as the couplets. Both of these alternatives placed greater traffic volume on the street opposite 8th Street while reducing the volume on 8th Street.
   Both alternatives require more circuitous travel to reach their residence. Commercial activity adjacent to these streets is also negatively effected in that present access to the commercial area would be eliminated or severely altered.
   
5. The consultant considered turn prohibitions in the 1994 study. Left turns into and out of 8th Street west of PCH were proposed. Right turns into 8th Street were also prohibited. Peak period time frames were considered for these prohibitions rather than all day prohibitions.

The recent test section using signs to prohibit turns at the Monterey Blvd. and Herondo intersection was not effective. Violations were very high. At this location Caltrans would have to approve the restrictions and prohibitions on the State highway. They have recently modified the said traffic signal to include separate signal phasing for PCH at 8th Street.

6. The alternative to close 8th Street between Valley and Ardmore reduces the through traffic on 8th Street significantly from Valley Drive and further west. It further restricts traffic from traveling west to get to Valley Drive via 8th Street. They would have to go to Ardmore Avenue, but there is not way to cross the Greenbelt unless they go to 2nd Street or Pier Avenue.

The volume levels on 8th Street drop dramatically to 600 vpd from 4100 vpd. The resulting traffic would be distributed via Valley and Ardmore Avenues in order to reach any other east or west street. In the area west of Valley Drive traffic most likely would use Hermosa Avenue and Monterey Blvd. to reach Herondo or 2nd Street.

Proceeding to the north, traffic would use Monterey Blvd. and Hermosa Avenue to reach Pier Avenue. All of these streets, especially Valley Drive and Ardmore Avenue can easily handle the additional traffic diverted from 8th Street.

With the Greenbelt on one side and limited curb parking on the other side, these two north and south corridors are ideally suited to handle the additional traffic load.

The options analyzed along with the suggestions from the 8th Street residents clearly have some advantages, but they also place additional traffic on the adjacent streets. Eventually the traffic does get distributed to the major streets such as Herondo, Pier and Hermosa Avenues.

Additional traffic and negative impacts would be present on 2nd Street and Monterey Blvd.

The closing of the Greenbelt alternative shows the most merit for 8th Street residents. Valley and Ardmore Avenues can handle the additional volume levels and ultimately the traffic proceeding east would use the major streets such as Herondo and Pier Avenues to reach PCH.

Public safety professionals, the Police Chief and Fire Chief, are opposed to the closure of 8th Street at Ardmore Avenue to through traffic. Their comments are present below.

"8th Street is a major collector street for traffic in the southwest quadrant of Hermosa Beach. 8th Street is one of the few streets that crosses the Greenbelt which divides the city. 8th Street in its current configuration is working and does not present any significant traffic related problems.

8th Street should be left as is for the following reasons:

1. 8th Street is routinely used by emergency vehicles, both Police and Fire. Any closure or obstruction would increase emergency response times.
   
2. Caltrans recently designed and installed new traffic control devices to assist motorist making a left turn on and off the highway in a safer manner.
   
3. Closing 8th Street in either direction will force traffic on to neighboring streets, which are narrower.
   
4. Signal controlled intersections on PCH will also be adversely affected with increased traffic."

In addition, closing 8th Street at the Greenbelt may negate the need to consider a stop control at 8th Street and Cypress Avenue. However, staff recommends that the 8th Street and Cypress Avenue stop control request be handled under a separate report.

Alternatives:

There are several alternatives to the recommended street closure at the greenbelt.

1. Retain existing conditions.
   
2. Implement test sections with turn prohibitions at PCH.

3. Implement 8th Street closure as a test section for 6 to 9 months and monitor progress.

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