Whether safety is the goal of reducing motorist speeds in neighborhoods was the topic of much discussion among the Sunnyvale City Council.
At its most recent meeting on Dec. 3, the council discussed measures aimed at curbing how fast people drive in residential areas. These measures — which include things such as speed bumps, traffic circles and radar displays — are called “traffic calming measures.” The city revamped its plan to put such measures in place, but the goal of traffic calming was a point of contention.
Chip Taylor, the city’s public works director, told the council the goal of traffic calming is enhancing quality-of-life, not safety. Traffic calming measures are to make the street more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists, he said.
“Just because [motorists] are going faster doesn’t necessarily mean it is unsafe,” Taylor said. “It is not necessarily linked, and I know people want to link those and say 30 miles per hour is dangerous and 25 isn’t, but that is not necessarily the case when you look at the data and start going through the process.”
Taylor specified further, saying that a perceived safety issue is different than a documented one. Just because lower speeds on residential streets makes them safer does not imply they were unsafe before, he added.
City Manager Tim Kirby said it isn’t as if the city is unconcerned about safety, adding that “safety is the highest priority” for the city. Various city programs that emphasize safety are already in place, he added.
Most of what traffic calming aims to achieve is to encourage responsible driving, typically by reducing speeds, and to prevent people from cutting through neighborhoods, according to the plan.
However, many residents chafed at the idea that safety wasn’t at the heart of traffic calming measures.
Bryce Beagle, chair of the city’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee but not speaking in that capacity, said traffic calming is “absolutely about safety.” Reducing speeds contributes to roads feeling nice to travel on, but he said that is simply a “superset” of safety, which, he added, is what most residents care about.
He also pushed back on the city using 7 mph over what 85% of people drive on streets as a metric, saying the speed limit should be the metric instead.
“You are just demonstrating the speed limit is not set properly,” he said. “There is a catch 22 to truly get speeds lowered on the street. Speeds are fast because the way roads are designed, but the roads are designed the way they are because speeds are fast. So, something needs to budge first.”
Members of Sunnyvale Safe Streets also gave a presentation during public comments. The group also called for using the speed limit as the threshold for traffic calming. In addition to emphasizing safety, making speed bumps and curb bulb-outs easier to navigate for cyclists was also among other changes the group proposed.
Jon Blum, with the group, said “slower traffic is objectively safer traffic.”
Other public members also joined the chorus of insisting that safety be the priority of traffic calming.
“I had to come here after two decades of complaints to find out this is not a safety organization,” said Steve Burke. “I’ve been writing to the wrong organization for 20 years. Who would have thought? Jeepers, I thought these people were here to help me.”
Angela Obeso, interim transportation and traffic manager, said changing the speed limit or adding stop signs requires a traffic study, as per state law, so those measures are outside the purview of the traffic calming plan.
Among the changes to the plan was altering the process for those living in an area that needs traffic calming. Instead of 60% of residents in the area needing to sign off, the council changed that threshold to 50% of respondents.
Only 6% of traffic calming requests result in the city putting measures in place.
Obeso told the council that the city doesn’t have much insight into why any given resident doesn’t continue to pursue the process after the initial step, which includes gathering signatures from their neighbors.
Council Member Alysa Cisneros said she would like to better understand what percent of requests drop off because a resident’s failing to follow up. She said she would like to know whether the process could be better, adding that more follow-up inquiries by city employees might be in order.
Streamlining the process to get traffic calming in a given neighborhood, providing more transparency, also came up frequently. Toward that end, the city will aim to produce informational materials that are written in “plain language.”
Council Member Richard Mehlinger said the city’s traffic calming program “hasn’t been working that well.” His motion, he said, aimed to get the city to shift from “a posture of ‘we can’t because’ to a posture of ‘we can if’.”
“Those of us on this side of the podium, eat, drink and breathe policy, but ordinary people are confused by the thicket of programs and options and buzzwords … people just want safer streets,” he said. “They don’t care which program achieves that goal. They don’t care what it’s called.”
The amended traffic calming plan passed unanimously.
Consent Calendar Spending
The council approved the following spending in one motion via the consent calendar:
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A $302,548 purchase order with Nixon-Egli Equipment Company, Inc. for asphalt paver.
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A $402,998 purchase order to Downtown Ford Sales, Inc. for six F150 trucks.
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$4.6 million for the purchase of 295 Commercial St.
The council has a study session 6 p.m. Tuesday Dec. 10 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave. in Sunnyvale. The regular meeting begins at 7 p.m.
To submit public comments ahead of the meeting, visit http://Sunnyvale.ca.gov/PublicComments; Meeting online link: https://sunnyvale-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/96111580540; meeting call-in telephone number: 833-548-0276, meeting ID: 961 1158 0540.
Previous Sunnyvale City Council Meetings:
Sunnyvale City Council Approves Lakewood Park Renovation
Sunnyvale Passing RV Parking Ordinance, Plans For City-Run Site
Sunnyvale City Council Tries To Strike A Balance Between Housing And Retail
