Traffic Committee - Regular Meeting

Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Transcript
Video
Agenda

About this meeting

Government Body
Traffic Committee
Meeting Type
Traffic Committee
Location
Merced, CA
Meeting Date
July 8, 2025

Transcript

62 sections (from 74 segments)

8:54 – 9:080

Alright. Let's call the meeting to order today. Today is 07/08/2025. Roll call by department. PD?

9:101

Calvin Haygood. Fire?

9:130

Casey Wilson. Planning.

9:172

Johnny Lamb.

9:180

Public Works. Juan Almos. Engineering. Daryl Jordan. That's myself. Please remember to unmute your microphone when you are speaking.

9:28 – 10:013

Members of the audience who wish to address the traffic committee are asked to submit a request to speak form located at the podium at the back of the council chamber and submit it to the clerk, ideally before the item is called. Speakers will be allowed three minutes. Please identify yourself and your city of residence. If you intend on using technology for your presentation, please leave a copy for the record. Avoid repeating what previous speakers have said. And if two or more individuals are present as a group and wish to speak on one side of an issue, please select a single spokesperson to present your views.

10:03 – 10:280

Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during this portion of the meeting and will be allotted three minutes. Please identify yourself and your city of residence the committee will not take actions on any item that is brought to their attention at this meeting if it requires action it will be referred to staff and are listed on the next traffic committee agenda Laura do we have any requests to speak forums?

10:293

We do not.

10:300

Okay. Would anyone like to make a motion to approve the consent calendar?

10:352

I move to approve the calendar.

10:394

Second? I'll make the motion. Or sorry, I'll second.

10:450

Okay. All those in favor, aye. Aye. Those against? Aye. Passes.

10:57 – 11:113

Item E, reports. At this time, it is appropriate for any committee member to give an informational report of any work completed, training, or other items to share with the other members. Please be brief and no action may be taken on these items.

11:120

Anybody want to add anything before we get started? Nothing to report from the fire department.

11:18 – 11:372

The planning department is undergoing our general plan update. I encourage all community members to reach out, participate if you're interested. This is a blueprint for the growth of the city for the next fifteen to twenty years. So it's a pretty big deal. But that's something that the planning department's been involved in.

11:380

Thank you. PD, anything?

11:42 – 12:081

Yeah, would just like to add we have added one officer to our traffic unit, Officer Geary. He started on Monday. He'll be working full time in the traffic unit now. We also have our auxiliary motor officers that go out and do traffic enforcement as needed. But it'd be nice to see the impact that he makes with reducing collisions, which is one of our priorities this year.

12:090

Thank you. Public works.

12:11 – 12:244

Just a quick report that the streets division has finished painting all the stops throughout the city. And this week, they started painting school legends and crosswalks around all the schools.

12:240

Fantastic. Engineering, we want to thank Laura for filling in today and doing double duty. She's doing a great job today, we appreciate her being here.

12:39 – 13:043

Item F, business. F1 request 20 Five-twenty3 requesting stop signs on Cali Street. Intersection. Citizen states there have been multiple crashes and is requesting stop signs be installed at each intersection along Cali Street coming from the courts located on the West and East side of Cali Street.

13:04 – 13:180

Anybody wishing to speak on this item today in the audience? Mister, are you in the front? No? Okay. I'll bring it back to the committee then to discuss. Any comments from committee members?

13:204

If not,

13:210

I will ask PD. Anybody else? Okay.

13:27 – 14:094

I mean, it's a fairly new subdivision. And I think that it was just designed the way it is. I don't think there's a high volume of traffic in this area. I think that if there are speeders there, obviously, or it's people from the neighborhood, this is not an area where there is a shortcut to get to anywhere. It's just coldest hikes. All these are uncontrolled intersections. It should be about 15 miles per hour. And I don't know if we have any data because I don't even know. I don't think that this subdivision is older than one year. So I don't think there will be any data to meet any warrants.

14:090

Okay. Any comments from planning or fire? PD, do have any information on this?

14:20 – 14:391

Yeah. So I did look up the historical data for accidents. In May 2024, had a hit and run accident. September 2024, we had an injury accident. And in October 2024, we had a hit and run accident. And those are all the accidents that had been reported in that area.

14:404

Will that be for this one particular intersection? Because I mean, there are like four or five cross streets on this area.

14:49 – 15:081

So I guess the stop signs would need to or the request was to put them at each intersection. But I'll go back. So one was at Marcus And Kelly. That was the one in May 2024. And then the other two were at Veronica And Kelly. And those were in September 2024 and October 2024.

15:09 – 15:390

Okay. Any other comments? For those listening at home, in order for the city to install a stop sign, we need to make sure that it meets the warrants by law to install that. And what we've heard so far today is that those warrants have not been met. So do I have a recommendation from this committee today? I'll make a motion to deny the request due to the lack of warrants.

15:394

Do you have a second? I'll make the second.

15:410

I'll second. Motion. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? It passes. Next item please.

15:51 – 16:163

Item F-two, request 20Five-twenty4 requesting speed bump to be installed on Michelle Drive citizen shares concern for safety due to vehicles traveling at high speeds westbound on Arrowwood Drive turning southbound on Michelle Drive Citizen states they have to cross Michelle Drive to collect their mail and are afraid of being hit. Citizen is requesting a speed bump to be installed on Michelle Drive to slow down motorists.

16:17 – 16:420

Thank you, Laura. Anybody in the audience wish to speak on this item today? Seeing none, bring it back to the committee for discussion. Anyone like to comment on this request? Do we have any data in this area?

16:43 – 17:091

Yeah, so I conducted a records check-in this area as well. And for Michelle and Arrowood along with other streets that Michelle intersects with, I found that there had been zero accidents reported. This is probably something that can more likely be dealt with by traffic enforcement rather than putting in a speed bump.

17:110

Juan, is this an area that PD will be refreshing any of the striping in this area?

17:174

I want to say that probably it didn't happen here. It's a fairly new subdivision. Was it? Okay. Yeah.

17:304

And the marks there should be thermoplastic, so they probably were not that stuff. They're pretty visible.

17:360

GREGORY DELL: Planning, any comments? GREGORY DELL:

17:392

No comments from me.

17:401

GREGORY

17:400

How about fire department today?

17:424

GREGORY Nothing from the

17:43 – 18:280

fire department. GREGORY Okay. Those listening at home, it is good to note that when a residential street requests a speed bump or hump of some type, we do request that they get 100% approval by that street of all the owners on that street and that the owners will participate in the cost of that installation. So if that's something they want to further pursue, they can contact the engineering department with a list of all the signatures of the people on that street that are approving this action and also their approval to pay for the installation of this item as well. But for now, do I have any direction from the committee today?

18:28 – 19:024

I have a comment. Yes. In that era, where they're allegedly driving a high rate of speed going westbound, since all that is under construction, new developments getting there, I don't remember if there is a speed limit sign on Arrowwood itself going westbound. Could that be something that we can if there is one needed there, that we can have the developer install there? If it hasn't been accepted yet, we can ask them to

19:020

do so unless it's already been accepted.

19:034

Well, I think the southern part where this is, it's already been accepted. But the development is still going on in the north part.

19:100

GREGORY DELL: That's something we can look into, Juan. I know residential streets inside subdivisions don't typically even have speed limit signs on all of them, right?

19:184

Yeah. I think everyone would probably prefer like a collector, I'm going say.

19:210

Okay, collector wood.

19:224

Yeah, because there is no houses facing that.

19:24 – 19:410

Okay. I tell you what, Rick in our department is watching over a speed study that's going on right now. And since he's here today, I'm going to ask him to note that and take a look at that, what the speed study suggests on that collector and make sure that we get signage for that.

19:42 – 20:032

I have a question. Yes. I noticed that part of the comments on this request refer to a blind corner. I would be interested to know why, if it's because of vegetation, if it's because of fencing, why there's a perception that it's a blind corner.

20:040

It's not shown in the attached pictures, is it?

20:12 – 20:300

Well, wish they were here today to comment on that, but I don't have them here today. I don't see anything blocking the vision triangle there that's required at the corners. Anybody else seen something I'm not seeing?

20:30 – 20:474

No. I was there earlier today. I was driving. I did not walk it. I did not see anything out of the ordinary or anything that caught my eye. I could have missed it, but I didn't see anything. So

20:47 – 21:030

it sounds like what I've heard so far, the only remedy is to have maybe the traffic team take a look at that area for speeding perhaps. Keep an eye on it. Okay. Do I have any direction from the committee at this time for this request?

21:032

I move that we deny the request, the speed bumps.

21:07 – 21:280

Okay. Do I have a second? Second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Those opposed? Motion carries. Okay. Looks like we're done for today. Do we have a motion by a commissioner and a second to end this meeting today?

21:282

I move that we adjourn.

21:300

And a second? Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Those opposed? Meeting is adjourned at 02:13. Thank you, everybody.

This transcript was automatically generated from the official public meeting video and is presented unedited. It reflects remarks made on the public record by elected officials, staff, and public commenters. Transcript accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.