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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2003 0507 CC REG ITEM 09CAw CITY OF MOORPARK AGENDA REPORT CI G TO: The Honorable City Council FROM: Kenneth C. Gilbert, Director of Public Works Richard Diaz, Police Chief �14 DATE: April 25, 2003 (Council Meeting 5 -7 -03) SUBJECT: Consider Establishment of the Speed Law Outreach Workeffort [SLOW] Program DISCUSSION A. Background The City has had very limited ability to respond in a pro- active way to citizen concerns about vehicular speed in residential neighborhoods. The Transportation and Streets Committee [Mayor Pro Tem Millhouse and Councilmember Harper] routinely hear complaints from concerned citizens, and the response options available are few. Staff has developed a new draft program which would enable the City to be more responsive to these problems. The acronym for the program is SLOW - Speed Law Outreach Workeffort. The program outline was modeled after a similar program developed and implemented by the City of Santa Barbara. B. C.I.T.E. Program [Santa Barbara] The Santa Barbara Police Department administers a program they call C.I.T.E. [Citizen Involved Traffic Enforcement] . Under that program, citizens may receive training on the use of a radar gun, and then conduct a speed survey on their street. One of the benefits of that program is that citizens often learn -- after using the radar gun -- that vehicles they thought were speeding were only traveling at or slightly higher than the 25 MPH speed limit. This program provides for the logging of license numbers of speeders and the mailing of a follow -up letter to the registered owner of the vehicle. The letter advises the registered owner that the speed violation was observed and requests future compliance with the speed laws. SLOW 0305 () 00 031 SLOW Program April 25, 2003 Page 2 C. SLOW A copy of the program description for the proposed new SLOW Program is attached as Exhibit 1. This program would allow the City to respond to citizen complaints about vehicle speed in residential neighborhoods by conducting a speed survey. But unlike the C.I.T.E. program, the SLOW program would utilize the Moorpark Police Department Citizens Patrol to perform the speed surveys. Speed surveys could also be initiated by the Police Department. Like the C.I.T.E. program, the SLOW program includes means to enable the mailing of letters to "speeders ". The program would be administered by the Moorpark Police Department's Community Services Supervisor. The draft program also provides opportunities for the "complaining party" to observe the speed survey while it is being conducted, so that they can see first hand the actual speeds being traveled by the perceived offending parties. It is the view of staff that this program will provide some analytical tools, which are now lacking, to assist in responding to problems of vehicle speed in residential neighborhoods. D. Fiscal Impact It is anticipated that there would be no additional costs incurred by the City or the Police Department, as the result of implementing and administering this new program. The program would only require the diversion of existing resources to this program. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Approve the implementation of the SLOW program, as described in the program description attached as Exhibit 1. Attachments: Exhibit 1: SLOW Program Description SLOW-0305a 000032 S. L. O. W. Speed Law Outreach Workeffort City of Moorpark May 2003 I. Overview & Introduction Excessive vehicular speed is a common problem in residential neighborhoods throughout Moorpark. But we are not unique. Every City experiences this problem to one degree or another. Concerned residents often ask City officials to do something to "solve" the problem. Experience has shown, however, that engineering solutions to this behavior problem are limited, often cost prohibitive and not very effective. The other option -- increased traffic enforcement -- is not possible for extended periods, given the limited resource and other priorities of law enforcement. The end result is that local agencies often have no permanent solutions when these concerns are raised. This presents a more pro- active program designed to be more responsive to citizen concerns about excessive speed in residential neighborhoods. The City of Moorpark Speed Law Outreach Workeffort [SLOW] is designed to intervene when such problems arise, by undertaking certain data gathering, analysis and intervention efforts to improve public awareness of this problem. II. Program Description A. Citizen Requests: Complaints regarding excessive vehicle speed in residential neighborhoods are to be conveyed to the Moorpark Police Department's Community Services Officer, the SLOW Program Coordinator [Note: wherever the term Program Coordinator appears in this report, it shall mean the SLOW Program Coordinator or his /her designee]. A SLOW Request Form attached shall be filled -out for each such complaint received. The information requested by the form is needed not only to document the nature of the perceived problem, but to also enable the SLOW Team to provide feedback to the complaining party about the results of the investigation to be undertaken. As discussed below, the complaining party may also be offered the opportunity to observe the investigation as it takes place, in order to see first hand the speed data gathering process and the actual speed of the vehicles being observed. B. Vehicle Speed Investigation: A speed investigation shall be undertaken by the City for each SLOW Request form received for residential streets and /or for collector streets with a speed limit of no more than 40 MPH. Data shall be gathered utilizing the SLOW Survey form attached. Slow Program-0304a 000033 SLOW May 2003 Page 2 C. Citizen's Patrol: Members of the Moorpark Citizen's Patrol shall be utilized as SLOW Field Teams, to undertake the speed investigations. Data would be gathered utilizing the SLOW Survey form attached. D. Speed Investigation Guidelines: 1. A SLOW Field Team would be deployed to the location of the alleged problem. 2. Speed readings of passing vehicles would be logged, using the SLOW Survey form. A speed detection radar gun would be used to gather this information. 3. In order to develop statistics about the nature and extend of any perceived "speeding" problem, the total number of vehicles passing the survey site during the survey period, shall also be recorded on the survey form(s). 4. If possible, the license number and description of all "speeding" vehicles should be recorded on the survey form(s). E. SLOW Field Team Operational Parameters: 1. SLOW Field Team members should always keep safety in mind when performing speed surveys. Field Team members should not step into traffic or block the roadway. 2. SLOW Field Team members should not attempt to contact or interact with any speed law violators. The Program Coordinator will make all police contacts with violators. 3. Radar gun use, training, care and calibration will be provided by the Program Coordinator. F. Results: All SLOW Survey forms will be provided to, and be reviewed and analyzed by, the Program Coordinator. G. Violator Contacts: If deemed necessary, the Program Coordinator may send letters to the registered owner(s) of vehicles observed exceeding the speed limit. H. Field Observers: If deemed useful and appropriate, the Program Coordinator may make arrangements to enable the complaining party to be present and to observe the speed investigation in progress. Such an effort can be useful in that complaining parties may be allowed to observe the actual speed of vehicles being surveyed. Experience has shown that vehicles believed to be speeding were proven by the radar gun to be traveling at speeds which were at or only slightly greater than the 25 MPH prima facie speed limit for residential streets. Slow Program-0304a 0.000z"q M XOM [Speed Law Outreach Workeffort] Request for Speed Investigation Name: Address: Telephone Number(s): Nature of Problem: Location Street segment]: Days / Times when Problem is most Severe: Other Comments: Slow Program_0304a 0006 Location: 60]A [Speed Law Outreach Workeffori] Speed Investigation Survey Form (Street address / location) Start Time: End Time: Date: Total Vehicle Count: Vehicle Time Seed License Number Description 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Remarks: Slow Program_0304a 0000 z