City Council
MEETING DATE: 7/22/2015
TITLE:
Title
Second Reading and Adoption of Amendments to the 2015 City Speed Limits Ordinance
End
FROM:
Pat Milos, Community Development Director
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends City Council provide a second reading and approve an amendment to the existing 2015 City Speed Limits Ordinance.
Body
BACKGROUND:
On June 22, 2015 the City Council approved the first reading of an amendment to the existing 2015 City Speed Limits Ordinance, effectively lowering the speed limit on the section of Cathedral Canyon Drive north of East Palm Canyon Drive to the intersection of Terrace Road, from the current posting of 40 MPH to a new posting of 25 MPH.
On April 18, 2015 City Council approved the 2015 Speed Limits Ordinance No. 751, authorizing revised Speed Limits on widened roadway segments at: 1. Ramon Road (Date Palm Drive to Neuma Road), 2. Ramon Road (Neuma Road to the East City Limits at Da Vall Drive), and 3. East Palm Canyon Drive (Perez Road to the West City Limits at Golf Club Drive).
DISCUSSION:
Starting in 2013, and more recently in early 2015, City staff received concerns from Cove Area residents about the 40 MPH Speed Limit posted on Cathedral Canyon Drive from East Palm Canyon Drive to Terrace Road (especially the segment between Kings Road and Terrace Road). When conducting Speed Surveys on this roadway segment, it was discovered that this segment was listed on the City General Plan as a Secondary Highway (an undivided 4-lane road). In actuality the roadway is an undivided 2-lane Local Collector road, within a predominately residential neighborhood.
City staff hired Darnell to re-survey the speed limits on this lower Cove segment of Cathedral Canyon Drive. Darnell submitted his Traffic Survey report and recommendations to the City Engineer and Staff on May 19, 2015.
On June 3, 2015 City Staff and Darnell presented Darnell’s Cathedral Canyon Drive Engineering and Traffic Survey Report to the Planning Commission. Darnell explained how he analyzed Cathedral Canyon Drive (from Kings Road to Terrace Road) under guidelines detailed in the California Vehicle Code Section 240 (CVC 240). This Vehicle Code Section provides the guidelines for Traffic Engineers to determine if a roadway is within a business or residential district. Darnell counted all of the residential driveways that fronted directly onto Cathedral Canyon Drive in relation to the length of this roadway segment verified that the roadway had only one lane of travel in each direction and the road did not exceed 40 feet of overall driving width. Darnell determined that 30 homes on the subject segment took drive access directly off Cathedral Canyon Drive which exceeded the minimum requirement under CVC 240 and determined that this segment of Cathedral Canyon is a residential district, which may be posted at 25 mph to comply with the State Law under the California Vehicle Code, and can be enforced by City Police officers using radar.
A number of Cove area residents spoke in favor of reducing the speed limit on Cathedral Canyon Drive (Kings Road to Terrace Road). The Planning Commission heard the public’s comments and recommended to also include the segment of roadway on Cathedral Canyon Drive from East Palm Canyon Drive to Kings Road in the reducing of the speed limits. This recommendation will make the roadway speed limits consistent and not force drivers to negotiate differing speed limits on the same roadway segment.
On June 3, 2015 the Planning Commission approved and recommended the following to the City Council:
Recommended Cathedral City Speed Limit 2015 Speed Limit 2015 Speed Limit
Revisions on the following roadway (Existing) (Proposed)
segments:
Cathedral Canyon Drive
(East Palm Canyon Drive to Kings Road) 40 MPH 25 MPH
Cathedral Canyon Drive
(Kings Road to Terrace Road) 40 MPH 25 MPH
At the June 22, 2015 City Council Meeting the City Council approved the Planning Commission's recommendation and the first reading of the proposed ordinance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Public Works will incur a small amount of labor and cost to update the speed limit signs as part of the traffic safety budget.
ATTACHMENTS:
1: SPEED LIMITS RECOMMENDATION by Darnell & Associates, dated May 19, 2015 (2 pgs.)
2: Revised 2015 SPEED LIMITS ORDINANCE, for June 22, 2015 Council consideration (3 pgs.)