Transportation Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC)

Meeting Minutes TSAC July 20, 2022 DATE: September 17, 2023 SUBJECT: Transportation Safety Advisory Committee Minutes from July 20, 2022 This meeting was held via the Zoom online platform. Meeting called to order by Michael Diluiso at 8:04 AM Members Present: • Michael Diluiso, Parking Department • Director Steven Calla, Department of Public Works • Deputy Chief John Goodwin, Police Department • Lisa Plotnick, Resident Representative Members Absent: • Chief W. Scott Wiley, Fire Department • Ben Schad, Resident Representative • One vacancy on the committee for a Resident Representative New Business: Agenda Item: Correspondence Mr. Diluiso advised he received three pieces of correspondence since the last meeting. One was forwarded by Director Calla from the resident on Revere St with the driveway issue and is with the Town Manager. Two came in the night before the meeting asking the committee to look at the traffic patterns on Court Rd and Crest Ave. He stated he will forward those concerns to the Town Manager to see if they will be included on a future agenda. Agenda Item: Approval of minutes from the June 15, 2022 TSAC meting MOTION: By Director Calla to approve the minutes as distributed SECONDED: Ms. Plotnick DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Page 1 of 6 Agenda Item: Update on past committee motions to Town Council and committee requests Director Calla asked about the council not speaking about TSAC’s recommendation on two-way roads, etc. Mr. Diluiso stated he will discuss it as part of this agenda item. He stated that he spoke with the Town Manager about the issue and that it was included as part of a package sent to his office prior to his arrival in the position. The Town Manager and Town Council President are going to attend a future TSAC meeting so this can be resolved moving forward. Mr. Diluiso provided an update to the committee on some recommendations and requests that had been submitted to the Town Council. He advised that the Town Council Rules & Ordinance sub-committee met last week and reviewed nine motions that came from TSAC. The TSAC recommendation to eliminate parking on Crystal Cove Ave between Shirley St and Hillside Ave came out of R&O with a positive recommendation. The TSAC recommendation to eliminate parking on the North side of Crystal Cove Ave between Hillside Ave and Park Ave came out of R&O with a positive recommendation. The TSAC recommendation to allow the DPW director to install stop signs where appropriate in accordance with the MUTCD came out of R&O with a positive recommendation. The TSAC recommendations for safety improvements on Veterans Rd near Daw Playground came out of R&O with a positive recommendation. The TSAC recommendation to amend the ordinances and fix the overlap where parking is simultaneously allowed and prohibited Shirley St between Perkins St and Tewksbury St came out of R&O with a positive recommendation to keep the no-parking zone in place. The TSAC recommendation to amend the ordinances and fix the overlap where parking is simultaneously allowed and prohibited on Shirley St at Washington Ave came out of R&O with a positive recommendation to keep the no-parking zone in place. The TSAC recommendation to make Cottage Ave a one-way street between Terrace Ave and Hillside Ave was held in the R&O committee while they request additional information. The TSAC recommendation to eliminate parking on the North side of Terrace Ave between Cottage Ave and Shirley Ave came out of R&O with a positive recommendation. The TSAC recommendation for a taxi stand at the Public Landing came out of R&O with a positive recommendation. Director Calla asked to be notified when TSAC recommendations are adopted by the Town Council in order to properly handle any signage installation or removal to be handled by DPW. Mr. Diluiso stated he would do so. Mr. Diluiso informed the committee that R&O will be sending an issue to TSAC because Terrace Ave between Cottage Ave and Shirley Ave is not in the ordinances as a one-way street. Page 2 of 6 Old Business: Agenda Item: Ordinance language regarding a set distance for parking from a driveway Mr. Diluiso reminded the committee that this issue had been on the agenda previously with a public hearing in March with input from the public at that hearing including concerns that parking would end up being eliminated which were echoed by committee members at the April meeting. The ticket history had been checked for tickets issued for driveway violations and calls for service for driveway complaints between March 2019 and March 2022 finding 81 tickets issued for driveway violations in that time with 154 calls for service from the police department for driveway issues between March of 2020 and March of 2022. The committee’s assessment of the issue at the April meeting was that this was more of a perceived issue than an actual issue and the committee voted to take no action at that meeting by a unanimous vote of the members in attendance. Mr. Diluiso stated that this was put back on the agenda at the request of a committee member and turned the matter over to the committee for further discussion. Director Calla stated that he feels that 154 calls over 3 years seems substantial and feels it warrants a designated setback from a driveway. He added that he continues to get calls from residents asking for no parking signs to be installed near driveways and believes it is an issue. Deputy Chief Goodwin asked how far of a setback Director Calla felt would be sufficient. Director Calla stated he felt a setback of 5 feet would be enough to make a swing. He added that by ordinance the smallest driveway allowed is a 10-foot opening and if a car is parked up to the corner stone, vehicles can’t get out of that driveway. He felt that 3 feet would not be enough. Deputy Chief Goodwin asked Mr. Diluiso what other cities and towns have in their ordinance for a setback distance. Mr. Diluiso stated that he checked with his peers in other communities and those that have such an ordinance have a 2-to-3-foot setback. Mr. Diluiso broke down the police department’s calls for service over the three-year period stating 74 of those calls were in 2020 when everyone was home due to the pandemic, 57 calls in 2021 and 23 calls through March of 2022. He added that he shares some of the concerns that were brought up previously by members of the public and a member of the Town Council who came to the hearing that this proposal will eliminate a number of parking spaces around town where it is legal and people can get in and out of driveways. Spaces that have been legal for years with no issue will suddenly become places where vehicles cannot park. Deputy Chief Goodwin expressed concern that residents will be outside their homes with tape measures checking for compliance and would like language that will give officers some discretion. Mr. Diluiso agreed with the unintended consequence of people measuring and calling the police foe a car that is not impeding the driveway. Mr. Diluiso stated that he feels that if the distance is put in the ordinance, we also need to leave the current “block or impede” language because there are areas in town where a vehicle can be parked right up to the corner stone of a driveway and people can get in and out without issue and others where a vehicle can be parked several feet from the driveway and it impedes access and that is the issue with this proposal. He stated that we trust our police officers to make split-second life or death decisions and to make decisions to take away people’s freedom. The officers receive extensive academy training including traffic laws, we should trust their discretion to decide whether a driveway is being blocked or impeded. He added that many times when one of these tickets is issued for blocking a driveway, it is a resident blocking their own driveway while loading, unloading, or stopping in their home briefly so they don’t’ take up a parking space in their neighborhood. He reiterated his concern about unintended consequences of this proposal. Page 3 of 6 Ms. Plotnick stated she has lived in areas in the past where residents take enforcement into their own hands. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated he has seen the same, but since this keeps coming up, he feels we need to do something. Director Calla stated another unintended issue is that by right, property owners can have a driveway opening 20 feet wide with a minimum of a 10-foot opening and people will start installing wider curb cuts so they can make an easier swing in or out of the driveway. He stated many people opt for the smaller opening to try to help the neighborhood, but that may change and we will lose parking either way. Mr. Diluiso noted there is a member of the public present and asked if they wished to speak on the matter. Karin Chavis stated she has issues where people park with their bumper over her driveway and it leads to a situation where the driver can’t see when pulling out of the driveway. Mr. Diluiso stated he agrees that happens, and that is why the ordinance is written so that a vehicle cannot block or impede a driveway. Director Calla asked if the ordinance language covers line of sight. Mr. Diluiso stated that the ordinance language states a vehicle cannot be parked in a manner that blocks or impedes a driveway and that an officer has to go by when called and make a determination. Director Calla states he believes that the vagueness of the language is hurting the situation due to line-of-sight concerns and believes the setback is appropriate. He used an example of a speed limit that is fixed and believes the same should be applied to this situation. Mr. Diluiso reiterated his point about the varying roadway geometries where cars can be parked at different distances from a driveway in different locations and cause an issue at one and not another because of the differences in roadway and driveway configurations. Mr. Diluiso stated that his final concern is that this issue was publicized, a hearing was held, and the committee had a unanimous vote to take no action on this issue and now three months later it is back on the agenda being revisited and he is concerned about consistency. Deputy Chief Goodwin stated he didn’t feel that was a fair statement and Director Calla agreed since his stand on the issue hasn’t changed. Mr. Diluiso clarified that he isn’t concerned about consistency with the members of the committee, he is concerned about consistency with the decision coming out of the committee as a body because a recommendation was already made on this issue. MOTION: By Deputy Chief Goodwin to recommend a five-foot setback from a driveway as measured from the inside radius of the corner stone SECONDED: Director Calla DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: 3-1 Director Calla, Deputy Chief Goodwin, and Ms. Plotnick voted yes, Mr. Diluiso voted no. Agenda Item: Discuss resident request for a No Parking zone on Tileston Road Mr. Diluiso stated he drove by the area and it is near the new four-unit development. He added that it looks like a normal driveway but operates like an access road. Since this came up after an issue with a mulch fire and the Fire Chief isn’t here this morning, he asked if the committee would like to postpone the issue. MOTION: By Deputy Chief Goodwin to postpone this issue to the committee’s next meeting SECONDED: Director Calla DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Page 4 of 6 Agenda Item: Discuss parking on Somerset Avenue near 88 Somerset Ave and at the intersection with Pleasant Street Mr. Diluiso stated that the committee’s earlier recommendation regarding parking setback from driveways will resolve part of this issue if adopted by the Town Council and he is aware that the committee may not want to discuss the intersection issue until after the discussion with the Town Manager and Town Council President. Deputy Chief Goodwin asked for some clarification on the issue and Mr. Diluiso reviewed the previous discussions. MOTION: By Deputy Chief Goodwin to postpone this issue until after the committee meets with the Town Manager and Town Council President SECONDED: Director Calla DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Agenda Item: Discuss parking on Cross Street near Ocean View Street Mr. Diluiso recapped the issue and provided the measurements he said he would take after the last meeting. He showed a map with the street widths varying from 31 feet 4 inches to 28 feet 1 inch and stated that there are currently no parking restrictions on Cross St between Oceanview St and Buchannan St. He added that this is a bit of a different situation than the others the committee is postponing action on since this is a main road leading to the Middle/High School as well as the golf course, fields, etc. and that according to the street width policy this street would accommodate parking on one side with two-way traffic, but would need the center line moved to avoid cars crossing the line when cars are parked. Director Calla expressed concern about maintaining lane width if the center line is moved but is in favor of parking on one side only on the golf course side with language allowing parking on the cemetery side during funerals. Deputy Chief Goodwin agrees that discretion would be in order during a funeral. MOTION: By Director Calla to eliminate parking on the Westerly side of Cross St between Oceanview St and River Rd except during funeral services SECONDED: Ms. Plotnick DISCUSSION OF THE MOTION: None VOTE IN FAVOR OF MOTION: Unanimous Agenda Item: 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 gave Karin Chavis a chance to speak and she commented on the Council’s reaction to the items from TSAC at the previous night’s meeting. She mentioned she has previously asked for a town-wide survey on one-way/two-way/allowed parking. Last night the Town Manager mentioned that ARPA funds were still available and feels like this is a good time to ask the new Town Manager to have such a study conducted. Mr. Diluiso stated that the request for the study was included in a package of information left for the incoming Town Manager and it will be brought up at the upcoming meeting between the committee and the Town Page 5 of 6 Manager and Council President. He also explained the delay in some of the TSAC items that were making their way through the Council. MOTION TO ADJOURN: Deputy Chief Goodwin SECONDED: Director Calla VOTE IN FAVOR: Unanimous Meeting adjourned at 8:45 AM Date Minutes Approved: September 20, 2023 Page 6 of 6