13. Tri-school area & Scenic Cir. gate
CITY OF
CUPEIQ"INO
City Hall
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014-3255
(408) 777-3354
FAX: (408) 777-3333
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Summary
AGENDA ITEM
13
AGENDA DATE Februarv 20. 2007
SUBJECT AND ISSUE
Recommendations regarding the evaluation of Traffic Safety Issues in the tri-school area
including Monta Vista High, Kennedy Middle, and Lincoln Elementary Schools.
Recommendation to defer discussion of the reopening the Scenic Circle gate into Blackberry
Farm as a separate Item.
BACKGROUND
At its regular meeting of October 17, 2006, City Council asked that staff return to Council with a
recommendation regarding the most effective way to proceed with evaluating school commute
safety in the tri-school area, (Monta Vista High, Kennedy Middle, and Lincoln Elementary
Schools) specifically with respect to travel along McClellan Road and the potential for re-
opening of the Scenic Circle gate into Blackberry Farm.
Over the past several years, the City has taken many steps toward improving the safety of
students in this area. A list of many of those activities is shown on Attachment "A".
DISCUSSION
During the presentation of this item at the October 17 City Council meeting, the Bicycle
Pedestrian Commission recommended that a task force be appointed for the purpose of
ultimately making a recommendation regarding re-opening of the Scenic Circle gate. This task
force presumably would hold public meetings on the issue and return to Council with
recommendations.
While a task force, under some circumstances, may be a useful venue for the deliberation of
many topics, staff recommends a different approach in this case. Because the Scenic Circle gate
is a controversial topic, and the community is generally polarized on the issue, it would be
difficult to create an objective panel to lead a task force. Also, since the Bicycle Pedestrian
Commission is already on record with a position on the matter, it would be inappropriate for the
BPC to act as an objective forum for receiving public input.
Printed on Recycled Paper
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However, most importantly, the re-opening of the Scenic Circle gate to allow access to
Blackberry Farm is a separate issue with strong feelings on both sides. Further, it is only a
peripheral issue with respect to traffic safety surrounding the more immediate concerns in the
vicinity of Monta Vista High School, Lincoln Elementary School and Kennedy Middle School.
Tri-school Traffic Safety Issues
There have been many activities related to the traffic safety around the schools as noted above
and there have been many meetings between school district, City and Sheriff s representatives,
as well as neighborhood area residents and parents. These meetings have been going on for some
time resulting in many of the efforts and achievements described in Attachment "A" and these
efforts have been and are focused on the main problems in the area. These include:
1. Traffic congestion converging at McClellan and Bubb Roads during drop-offs or
student drivers at Monta Vista High School, Kennedy Middle School and Lincoln
Elementary School.
2. Congestion spilling over the entire area including the side streets off of Bubb and
McClellan Roads. McClellan Road also backs up as far as east of Stelling Road
when De Anza students are present.
3. The problem is further compounded by traffic congestion on Rainbow Drive
between Stelling and Bubb Roads for drop-offs at Regnart Elementary School.
Since this activity is continuing, the formation of a new task force is not considered necessary
and would not likely add significantly to the efforts now under way and those that have
proceeded over many years. It is important in any effort, forum or evaluation in the form of a
task force or other vehicle to recognize some fundamental facts over which the City of Cupertino
has very little control. These are:
. Parents continuing the practice of driving kids to school one student at a time.
. High School students who are new drivers cannot drive other young people.
. School District( s) inability, for whatever reason, to provide busing services to
elementary and high school destinations.
. Continuing perception by many that the tri-school traffic problem is the City's sole
responsibility.
Staff recommends, therefore, that the Council take no action on the formation of a new task force
on tri-school safety and acknowledge the efforts that are and have been underway for many
years. Those efforts should be allowed to continue and, to the extent that others may wish to join
in this activity, should be encouraged.
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However, if Council still feels it necessary to take action to supplement the efforts now under
way and those that have proceeded over many years to improve tri-school safety, we suggest that
it authorize the Public Safety Commission to study and conduct public hearings on this issue. An
objective panel exists in the Public Safety Commission; additionally, the topic of school
commute safety falls naturally under the jurisdiction of the Public Safety Commission.
The Commission's study should be tightly focused on potential solutions to the fundamental
problems identified above, i.e., the parents practice of driving kids to school one at a time, and
the inability of the school districts to provide busing services to their students. The Commission
would then return to City Council with recommendations once all public input has been solicited
and the issue discussed and studied at length.
Scenic Circle - Blackberry Farm Gate Re-opening
The Council has already decided to maintain the closure of the Scenic Circle gate into
Blackberry Farm. Staff recommends that any subsequent consideration by the Council of the
issues surrounding the re-opening of the Scenic Circle gate be deferred to another Council
meeting and taken up as a separate item apart from the School Traffic safety issues noted above.
This discussion could be advertised throughout the Scenic Circle neighborhood and the rest of
the school community so that all interested stakeholders will be encouraged to participate in the
discussion. The Council could then either re-affirm its original decision to keep the gate closed
or consider other options.
FISCAL IMPACT
This action will have no immediate significant fiscal impact. However, staff notes that if the
Stevens Creek Corridor area beyond the Scenic Circle gate were to be re-opened to the tri-
schools commute, the resulting requirements for provision of facilities dedicated to safety and
accessibility for a safe route to school could have a significant cost impact on the Stevens Creek
Corridor project.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council take no action with respect to a Tri-School Traffic
Safety Task Force proposal and in so doing support the current actions under way by
representatives of the City, School Districts, Sheriffs Office, neighborhoods and parents
regarding the evaluation of Traffic Safety Issues in the tri-school area including Monta Vista
High, Kennedy Middle, and Lincoln Elementary Schools. If Council decides against the staff
recommendation, it can take the alternate course of authorizing the Public Safety Commission to
conduct a tightly focused study of this issue and return to Council with recommendations once
all public input has been solicited and the issue discussed and studied at length.
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It is recommended that the City Council defer, as a separate item, the discussion of the re-
opening the Scenic Circle gate to a future Council meeting with notice to the adjacent
neighborhoods and other stakeholders on the issue.
Submitted by:
@ft -G~ftsA'~'
tc.Ralph A. Qualls, Jr. :
Director of Public Works
Approved for submission:
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David W. Knapp
City Manager
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ATTACHMENT A
TRI-SCHOOL TRAFFIC SAFETY ACTIVITIES
1. The Monta Vista High School, Kennedy Middle School, and Lincoln Elementary School
Safe Routes to School (SRlS) project that
. Designed and constructed a drop-off area in the high school's parking area
adjacent to McClellan Road and a special accessible sidewalk ramp along the
westerly commute to the tri-schools destination
. Established a school safety zone along the McClellan Road frontage of Mont a
Vista High School and Lincoln Elementary School that included a warning
beacon to the west and enhanced crosswalks with pedestrian-activated in-
pavement lights
. Installed other access improvements;
2. Preferential parking zones and the student parking program in the adjacent Monta Vista
neighborhood, and provision of seasonal parking privileges for Monta Vista High School
students at Blackberry Farm near the high school;
3. Installation of road bumps along Byrne Avenue to help calm the traffic along the street,
much of which is generated by the tri-school commutes;
4. In concert with the school administration, adjustment of the Lincoln Elementary School
drop-off area and connecting McClellan crosswalk, and provision of a crossing guard;
5. Periodic upgrading of signing and striping in the McClellan Road and Hyannisport,
Presidio, and Ft. Baker Drives school areas;
6. Periodic deployment of the radar wagon;
7. Traffic enforcement around the schools, including speed, traffic controlled intersection,
lane, and crosswalk encroachment violations;
8. Safe Moves Comprehensive Traffic Safety Program;
9. Altrans program to explore commute alternatives;
10. Sheriffs deputy traffic instruction in the schools;
11. Hyannisport, Presidio, and Ft. Baker Drives parking restrictions;
12. Sheriffs Office Kennedy traffic circulation plan.
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From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Dolly Sandoval2
Tuesday, February 20, 20079:03 AM
Kimberly Smith
David Knapp
Fwd: Cupertino City Council meeting, Feb. 20,2007 Item #13
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Kimberl Smith
Kim - Don has asked that this letter be read at the council meeting.
Can you please set that up?
Thanks,
Dolly
>
>Dear Mayor and Cupertino City Council Members,
>
>In regards to the notice announcing the Febuary 20, 2007, Cupertino
>City Council Meeting, Agenda item #13, #2: The deferral of the
>re-opening of the Scenic Circle gate into Blackberry Farm as a separate
>item;
>
>In light of the two arrests made by the Sheriff"s Department this fall,
>one a possession of marijuana and the other a DUI involving teenagers
>late at night parked on Scenic Circle, and people continuing to enter
>and exit the park regardless of the No Trespassing sign and the non~
>functional fence, plus teenagers smoking and littering in the park as
>well as on our street, I am suggesting that rather than defer the issue
>to a later date, that it be closed and not re-considered in the future.
>
>It is the responsibility of city government to prevent and stop crime
>rather than creating environments that encourage crime.
>
>The liability to the City of Cupertino must also be considered.
>
>1 am requesting this email be read at the meeting as I am unable to. attend.
>
>Thank You,
>
>Don Bautista
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