Transportation Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC)

Meeting Minutes TSAC January 19, 2022 DATE: September 16, 2023 SUBJECT: Transportation Safety Advisory Committee Minutes from January 19, 2022 This meeting was held via the Zoom online platform. Meeting called to order by Michael Diluiso at 8:11 AM Members Present: • Michael Diluiso, Parking Department • Director Steven Calla, Department of Public Works • Deputy Chief John Goodwin, Police Department • Chief W. Scott Wiley, Fire Department • Ben Schad, Resident Representative • Lisa Plotnick, Resident Representative Members Absent: • John Eade, Resident Representative Mr. Diluiso advised the committee that the Council Clerk is reaching out to Mr. Eade to inquire on where he stands with moving forward with this committee. New Business: Mr. Diluiso stated that if there were no objections, he would take some items out of order while waiting for Director Calla to join the meeting. There were no objections. Agenda Item: Request for a Taxi Stand at the Public Landing Mr. Diluiso stated that this was sent to him by the Town Manager after a resident inquired with his office. Mr. Diluiso shared the map of the Public Landing parking regulations on the screen that is posted on the town website. He added that there is a taxi stand designated on the map, but he believes that the portable sign may not have gone out last summer due to the change in Harbormaster. There was a space designated with a portable sign that was able to accommodate a taxi without taking away a parking space. Mr. Diluiso opened the floor for public comment on this subject. There was no public input so the discussion was brought back to the committee. Director Calla joined the meeting. Mr. Diluiso stated he thinks if the Harbormaster puts out the temporary sign during the boating season that should resolve the issue. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated he would not be in favor of taking away a parking spot for the taxi stand. Mr. Diluiso Page 1 of 6 stated that in the past, the sign was placed in the cross-hatched area in front of the Harbormaster parking since the driver would be in the vehicle. Mr. Diluiso stated that the ordinance requires the Town Council to designate taxi stands so this will require a motion. MOTION: By Chief Wiley to recommend that the Town Council designate a taxi stand at the Public Landing where it had previously been placed SECONDED: Deputy Chief Goodwin DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Agenda Item: Discuss proposal to amend stop sign ordinance to include streets intersecting Morton St Mr. Diluiso stated this would include Douglas St, Russel St, Read St, Fairview St, Amelia Ave, and Pleasant Park Rd where they intersect with Morton St. He said this came in back in November after a car accident near Douglas St and Morton St and that town ordinance 10.20.020 is the schedule of stop intersections where stop signs are listed. Director Calla recommended an ordinance amendment to allow the installation of a stop sign anywhere a stop sign is warranted where any less significant road intersects with a major road. Mr. Diluiso reviewed the current town ordinance. Director Calla stated it seems confusing that stop signs can’t be installed where they should without them appearing in the ordinance and recommended amending the ordinance to allow signs to be installed that comply with state law. Deputy Chief Goodwin agrees. Director Calla stated that he can understand listing stop signs placed at unusual locations, but signs should be able to be installed where they are warranted by law without the need to update the ordinance before signs can be installed in accordance with state law. Mr. Diluiso recommended postponing this issue to the next meeting in order to go through the ordinance and law more closely and draft appropriate ordinance language to achieve this goal without inadvertently eliminating other needed language. MOTION: By Deputy Chief Goodwin to postpone this issue to the committee’s next meeting SECONDED: Chief Wiley DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Agenda Item: Discuss conditions on Crystal Cove Ave between Shirley St and Hillside Ave related to parking and traffic direction Mr. Diluiso advised this issue came up during a previous public hearing and brought up the Google satellite map to show the area being discussed. The issue presented was that this section of roadway does not accommodate two-way traffic and parking. He added that if the committee wanted to move forward with this it would require a public hearing. He opened the floor up to public comment on this issue. Nobody wished to be heard so he returned the discussion to the committee. Director Calla stated he is not in favor of making this or any similar change until we have a consistent policy. Mr. Diluiso stated that while the Town Council has not adopted such a policy, TSAC did adopt a policy defining Page 2 of 6 how issues like this will be handled by the committee back in May of 2021. He continued that as long as we are following the policy that we as a committee adopted, we are doing the right thing whether or not the Town Council adopts a similar policy or not, and submitting consistent recommendations based on that policy will help that issue. Director Calla asked about parking restrictions on Crystal Cove Ave. Mr. Diluiso stated there were none on the books. Director Calla asked Deputy Chief Goodwin what would happen if parked cars completely blocked the road and he stated it would depend on the situation but cars could be towed in the interest of public safety. Mr. Diluiso stated that there is an ordinance prohibiting parking any vehicle in a manner that does not leave a 10-foot-wide unobstructed travel lane. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated this may be a good time with the new Town Council to introduce them to this policy and let them know what the guidelines are that will guide the committee’s decision making. Mr. Diluiso stated that the policy adopted by TSAC was sent to the Town Manager’s office, but he is unsure if it made it to the Town Council since that office was in flux at the time. Director Calla voiced concerns about sending consistent decisions and reiterated that we need to keep sending the same recommendations to the Town Council. Mr. Diluiso stated it may be better to send the TSAC street width policy to the Town Council along with a recommendation that has been made rather than send the policy on its own. Deputy Chief Goodwin and Director Calla believe the committee should keep moving this issue forward and the Town Council will need to either agree with the policy or stop placing these road width issues on the agenda because they’ll keep getting the same recommendations. MOTION: By Deputy Chief Goodwin to schedule this matter for a public hearing SECONDED: Director Calla DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: Mr. Diluiso stated that due to being in the middle of winter, a snow date will be set for the hearing as well as the initially scheduled date VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Agenda Item: Discuss ordinance language regarding a set distance for parking from a driveway Mr. Diluiso stated this item came out of previous committee discussions about a driveway issue on Revere St where members wanted to create a set distance for parking next to a driveway. He reached out to other communities and that they have a 2-to-3-foot rule. He stated he is not opposed to this discussion, but he would request that the current language about blocking or impeding a driveway also remain for the situations where that minimum distance is not enough. He believes we would need to advertise the hearing. Director Calla asked if a 5-foot restriction would eliminate the need for the impede language. Mr. Diluiso stated if we implemented a 5-foot rule, we would lose parking spaces in every neighborhood. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated he just drove from the Revere line to Magee’s Corner and most vehicles are in compliance with a 3-foot limit. He is concerned people will be outside their homes with tape measures and will call the Police department regularly. Mr. Diluiso stated that the reality is that there are places where people can park right up to a driveway and there is no issue getting in and out and others where 3 feet can still cause an issue. He added that if the committee wants to go forward this can be advertised and scheduled for a public hearing. MOTION: By Deputy Chief Goodwin to schedule this matter for a public hearing SECONDED: Director Calla DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: Director Calla added that he’s happy with a 3-foot offset but we would need to clearly define where the 3-feet starts from, such as from the inside radius of the corner stone. Mr. Diluiso stated the advertisement will not include a specific number, just a set distance so we can get public input. Page 3 of 6 VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Old Business: Agenda Item: Continuation of discussion regarding lack of crossing guards Mr. Diluiso asked if any members had anything to add to last month’s discussion on this issue. Director Calla stated he did not understand how this issue fell under the committee’s purview. Mr. Diluiso stated this was put on our agenda at the direction of the Town Manager because the Superintendent asked for input, and he stated at the October meeting that he would leave it on for the next agenda in case anyone had more recommendations they would like to add. It was originally on the November agenda, but the committee did not have a quorum at that meeting and did not meet in December, so this is the first time the committee has met since that October meeting when this was originally discussed. Hearing no further input from the committee, Mr. Diluiso stated this would be removed from future agendas. Agenda Item: Proposal to make Cottage Ave a one-way between Terrace Ave and Hillside Ave Mr. Diluiso reminded the committee that we had a public hearing on this, measurements were taken, and Director Calla took the slope measurements finding that Faun Bar Ave between Crystal Cove Ave and Beacon Circle was the gentlest slope of the three that were measured. Mr. Diluiso opened the floor to public comment on this issue. Nobody wished to be heard and the discussion was brought back to the committee. Mr. Diluiso stated his only related concern about this issue is a sign at Prospect Ave and Harbor View Ave that says no right turn, however, the ordinance language does not agree with that sign. By ordinance, that right turn is allowed. Director Calla reiterated that per the committee’s policy, Cottage Ave does not accommodate two-way traffic with parking and needs to either be a two-way street with no parking or a one-way street from Terrace Ave to Hillside Ave. Mr. Diluiso added that per the street width policy, it does not meet the requirement for two-way traffic since it is not 20 feet wide. He added that the committee’s previous recommendation that was sent back to review was to make Cottage Ave a one-way from Terrace Ave to Hillside Ave. Mr. Diluiso confirmed that the no right turn sign does not comply with the ordinance, but Director Calla stated that he would be in favor of leaving that sign in place and amending the ordinance. Mr. Diluiso stated he will handle that signage issue under a different agenda item later in the meeting. MOTION: By Director Calla to recommend that Cottage Ave become a one-way street from Terrace Ave to Hillside Ave SECONDED: Mr. Schad DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Mr. Diluiso stated that per the previous discussion, the TSAC street width policy will be sent along with the recommendation. He also stated that he will hold the ordinance change recommendations until the new Town Council has the Rules & Ordinance committee in place. Page 4 of 6 Agenda Item: Proposal to eliminate currently posted on-street time limits along Shirley St from Irwin St to the vicinity of Beacon St and allow businesses to request a limited number of time restricted spots adjacent to their storefronts Mr. Diluiso reminded the committee that Director Calla stated at the last meeting that he would like to see this change be made town-wide. Mr. Diluiso stated that he cannot find another community through his peers in the industry that has done away with on-street time limits in business districts. He understands that the goal of this is to remove the mis-matched signs and ordinances, but when staffing allows for enforcement again, it creates a situation where the balance between the needs of the businesses and residents is gone and people can park as long as they want. Director Calla stated he never said to take away the time limits, what he said was to create a consistent limit which would be petitioned by the businesses. Mr. Diluiso stated that is why this came up to begin with was to discuss whether we adjust the signs to meet the ordinance or the ordinance to meet the signs. The CBD project and the MAPC recommendation was referenced again. Mr. Diluiso again addressed the inequities of only allowing businesses to ask for timed spots in front of their buildings and asked that the committee go through and make consistent time restrictions for the business areas and once consistent time restrictions are in place, language should be added to the ordinance making a business responsible for the cost of changing signage if a request is made and granted to change those times. Director Calla reiterated that his goal is consistency. Mr. Diluiso stated that if the committee were to take no action, Shirley St from Irwin to Perkins on the East side and Washington Ave to just past Beacon St on the West Side would revert to 30-minute parking from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The only remaining question would be in front of Go-Go by the Ocean where there is a 15-minute parking spot posted that is not in the ordinance. Director Calla asked why we’re restricting parking in front of the marina. Mr. Diluiso stated that it dates back to the businesses that used to be there. Director Calla stated he disagrees with time restrictions in that area. Mr. Diluiso stated that it is to strike a balance where the businesses have parking during the day and the residents have parking at night. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated that the time restrictions being inconsistent doesn’t allow for proper enforcement. Mr. Diluiso reiterated that is why we need to make the time restrictions consistent and conforming with the ordinances. He added that the time restricted zone can be rolled back, but the question is what should the time restriction be. Mr. Diluiso stated that if the committee votes to recommend to eliminate the time restrictions, then that is what he will bring to the Town Council, but as the Parking Department representative, he cannot support it. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated that this issue may need to be looked at by professionals outside the committee. Mr. Diluiso stated he is not opposed to that, but do we ask them to just look at Shirley St or ask them to look at everything town-wide. Deputy Chief Goodwin and Director Calla said it should be town-wide. MOTION: By Deputy Chief Goodwin to ask the Town Manager to have a study done of the time-restricted parking in all business districts town-wide SECONDED: Director Calla DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Agenda Item: Page 5 of 6 General committee discussion of parking, traffic. transportation, and committee issues for possible inclusion on future agendas or other action as the committee sees fit Mr. Diluiso had two items to bring up. He received an email asking for temporary handicapped parking signs in the center until the permanent signs are installed in the CBD and asked Director Calla if that can be done. Director Calla asked if those signs were in ordinance and Mr. Diluiso stated they are not. Director Calla is concerned that poles may have been moved and would like come suggestions from Mr. Diluiso or the Town Council for where the signs are to be placed and is concerned if the signs moved in the spring. He also asked the members to think about things that we could do as a committee to get the word out to the public to try to improve traffic safety in town. He cited examples where he is tailgated or passed when driving at the posted speed limit and mentioned that back after Thanksgiving, he was struck by a car backing out of a driveway. Mr. Diluiso asked for suggestions such as public information campaigns or other things that can be done to educate the public to try to be proactive before something else happens. Ms. Plotnick stated she will try to come up with some ideas. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated they are always looking at grant funding for traffic safety programs and explained how the Police Department uses data to drive their enforcement areas. Mr. Diluiso asked the remaining members of the public if they had anything they’d like the committee to look at. Karin Chavis mentioned that she had asked for a town-wide review of one-way/two-way traffic, parking etc. and recommended that this be brought up again. Mr. Diluiso stated that he did send a request to the Town Manager for this to be done and stated he would send it again. John Morgan made a suggestion to Chief Wiley regarding Code Red messages in different languages and the Chief said he would look into it. Mr. Morgan offered his assistance in helping with pedestrian safety suggestions. Mr. Diluiso stated he would be happy to hear any suggestions he may have. MOTION TO ADJOURN: Deputy Chief Goodwin SECONDED: Lisa Plotnick VOTE IN FAVOR: Unanimous Meeting adjourned at 9:33 AM Date Minutes Approved: September 20, 2023 Page 6 of 6