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Traffic Control Policy

The Intent Of The Traffic Control Policy Is:
  1. To establish and circulate procedures designed to resolve traffic issues.
  2. To allow for a step by step, easy to follow and easy to understand process invoking the use of observation, analysis and response toward traffic related complaints and/or concerns.
  3. To ensure that the designed strategies pursuant to the traffic control procedures do receive all necessary reviews and approvals in the effort toward mitigating traffic related complaints brought to the department’s attention.
  4. To offer a system that provides methods of addressing the following:
    1. Safety
    2. Circulation
  5. To offer a system that provides methods designed to reduce the following:
    1. The hazardous patterns and incidents of conflict between the following groups:
      1. vehicular
      2. bicycle
      3. pedestrian
    2. The negative effects of the following existing conditions:
      1. congestion at local schools
      2. cut through traffic
      3. misdirected commercial truck traffic
      4. noise and air pollution
The structure of the traffic control policy will be able to provide:
  1. Education of the objectives and procedures through the following methods:
    1. By review of existing roadway conditions to verify conformity through local agencies and regulations governing the appropriate display of signs and roadway markings.
    2. By review of properly submitted complaints and the procedural responses that will then inform complainants of the intended departmental actions designed to provide mitigation of the traffic complaint(s).
    3. Through the invited and encouraged participation of citizens and business interests within the community to attend and/or communicate in the public forum format offered through the regular meetings of the Public Safety and Traffic Commission (PSTC).
  2. A system of obtaining regulated enforcement as an initial method of attempting to mitigate a traffic related concern in which enforcement is determined to be the most appropriate initial response.
    1. To implement standard or directive enforcement as determined by the TTAC, the PSTC or the City Council, depending on procedural requirements, as the initial method of mitigation.
    2. To implement alternative methods (deployment of decoy vehicle, speed display trailer or stealth radar) of enforcement which employ other strategies than the standard or directive method(s), as determined by the TTAC, the PSTC or the City Council, depending on procedural requirements, as a primary or secondary method of mitigation, contingent upon the analysis and recommendation from the TTAC.
  3. A method by which the exhaustion of educational and enforcement options produce a reasonable alternative recommending a more severe form of a traffic mitigation strategy, through the recommendation of engineering (traffic calming) solutions designed to introduce physical elements of traffic control onto the roadway system.
    1. A Technical Traffic Advisory Committee (TTAC) review would first provide an engineering recommendation after initial methods of mitigation are both considered and employed, and determined to be ineffective.
    2. The TTAC’s engineering recommendation to the Public Safety & Traffic Commission (PSTC) would provide a forum in which interested parties would be invited an opportunity to present testimony in addition to viewing a visual presentation (if available) demonstrating the engineering design and its presumed impacts.
    3. The PSTC would consider any engineering recommendation from the TTAC in the capacity of an advisory board to City Council, and would therefore produce a recommendation for approval or denial of the engineering strategy to be heard and decided upon by the City Council.
The Methods by which complaints generated from traffic conditions can be directed toward the City to receive a review and potentially recommended action are as follows:
  1. To submit request or complaint (see below) to Lomita City Hall:

    Written correspondence to:
    Community Services Department
    Lomita City Hall
    PO Box 339
    Lomita, CA 90717

    1. Request / obtain Traffic Investigation Request form.
      1. Available online
      2. Available at City Hall
    2. Provide letter/written request or complaint.
      1. Must be legible writing (typing preferred)
      2. Must provide contact information
        1. Name
        2. Address
        3. Phone
        4. Email (if available)
      3. “Applicant” is subsequently mailed a Response Form indicating what steps will be taken by the Department.
      4. Attend Public Safety and Traffic Commission (PSTC) meeting and provide oral or written testimony to commissioners.
        1. Oral testimony may be directed to commissioners during “Oral Communications [from the] - Public”.
        2. PSTC meetings are typically scheduled for 6 PM on the fourth (4th) Wednesday of each month in the City Council Chambers.
  2. Properly submitted requests or complaints are then:
    1. Reviewed and categorized by the Community Services Department.
    2. Reviewed by the Technical Traffic Advisory Committee (TTAC) if applicable, in accordance with procedures.
    3. Reviewed by the Public Safety and Traffic Commission (PSTC) if applicable, in accordance with procedures.
    4. Reviewed by the City Council if applicable, in accordance with procedures.
Technical Traffic Advisory Committee (TTAC):
TTAC generally evaluates the following scenarios to determine method of analysis and recommendations:
  1. Existing legal roadway conditions.
  2. Context of traffic issue:
    1. School zone
    2. Residential neighborhood
    3. Commercial district
  3. Significance of threat to public safety and welfare.
  4. Type and frequency of violations reported.
  5. Known history:
    1. Recorded data
    2. Previous methods of resolve
  6. Other factors of influence, evaluated by traffic engineer.
Public Safety and Traffic Commission (PSTC):
PSTC considers recommendations formulated by the TTAC, in addition to advising the City Council on programmatic proposals and issues.
  • Generally meets: 4th Wednesday of each month at 6 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers. Parking lot is located east of (behind) the city hall on 242nd St.
  • Applicants that have already submitted requests or complaints that are to be reviewed by the commission will be mailed an agenda in advance of the meeting, indicating the order of items to be considered by the commission.
  • Citizens may attend and observe the meeting or may wish to present oral testimony to the commission during the orderly discussion of that item.
Traffic Calming:
If, after consideration and classification by the TTAC, and if necessary, review by the Public Safety and Traffic Commission determines that methods of Education and Enforcement have been exhausted, Traffic Calming solutions can be considered by the following process:
Phase I:
  1. Direction to TTAC to identify possible options and their associated financial impact as well as potential funding sources.
  2. Direction to traffic engineer to recommend effective, feasible strategy to physically manipulate the existing right-of-way conditions or roadway conditions to provide a physical modification to the existing conditions.
Phase II:
  1. Recommend temporary engineering device(s) used as a "test case", in which data will be collected to ascertain the validity and feasibility of recommending approval or opposition to a permanent engineering device within the study area.
  2. Recommend permanent engineering devices or designs intending to alter, modify, divert or impede traffic circulation patterns within the study area.
  3. All Phase II recommendations require City Council approval.
Requesting Specified Signs to be Posted:
All requests will be reviewed for validity, feasibility and necessity in accordance with applicable agency guidelines. In every case of new traffic conditions being implemented by virtue of the placement or installation of signs or pavement and/or curb markings, approval is required by the City Council.

Stop Signs:
Stop signs must meet traffic accident warrants and are not to be used or placed for purposes of slowing speeding traffic. A formal evaluation by the consulting traffic engineer will provide a recommendation.

Parking Restrictions:
Requests must be reviewed for feasibility. Target area (survey area) must be established for the intended (or requested) parking restriction.

Surveys:
Surveys may be mailed out to the occupants of a survey area that relates to a target area once determined, as ordered by the PSTC. Normally, surveys require a minimum participation/ response (Validity Criteria) of 51% and also an approval response of a minimum of 51%.

Note: The PSTC would have the authority to lower or raise the minimum level of participation and subsequent responses received by the city in response to its mailed survey, referred to as the “validity criteria”, by virtue of a majority vote, based upon specific conditions or circumstances deemed significant.

Public Hearing:
A public hearing may be held in lieu of a survey being mailed out, as recommended by the PSTC. A public hearing would require a staff recommendation and notification of occupants within 300 feet of the perimeter of the target area.

A date and time will be established for the public hearing in which interested parties would be invited to speak to the PSTC and provide testimony on the matter.

In addition, written testimony in lieu of oral testimony can be submitted. All written testimony must be received a minimum of 48 hours prior to the hearing date so that it may be gathered and included in the public hearing commentary.

Street Sweeping (Temporary Parking Restrictions):
Lomita city resolution ( 2007-68) was passed by the City Council on December 17, 2007, mandating that all city streets be subject to street sweeping times posted on both sides of each street. Two hour time frames are typically selected:

6 AM to 8 AM; 8 AM to 10 AM; 10 AM to 12 PM; 12 PM to 2 PM

As non-posted streets become posted, the streets sweeping schedule will change and expand. Currently, streets are swept on Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays (mornings).
The time frames are scheduled according to available times already existing within the current street sweeping schedule. The commission may further investigate time frames to determine if an existing time on an existing posted street requires a change due to added posted areas that would better serve to accommodate the entire area.

Procedure to Implement Street Sweeping:
The City will implement the street sweeping posting of signs either through resident requests or through a planned progression, instituted by the City. On streets which receive no resident requests, city staff will follow the same procedures as described below.

If a resident, or residents, request their street be swept: a written request (form to be determined) must be completed and signed by the requesting party. The requesting party must be a resident or a property owner on the street(s) proposed for sweeping. With any request for posting a street, both sides of the street will be posted. Every effort will be made by staff to post each side on a different day. Times and days proposed, however, must be in accordance with the existing schedule to allow for a reasonably ‘geographically efficient’ route for the street sweeping service.

Staff will review the request and determine if estimated costs of posting a requested area can be accomplished within the existing budget. If not, a budget amendment will have to be passed prior to implementation of the new schedule.

If the request can be approved and implemented, staff will send notification to all affected residents. The notification will include information on the pending street sweeping posting, the tentative scheduling and other pertinent information.

Appeal for Street Sweeping Implementation Process:
Within 30 days of receipt of the notification to post street sweeping signs, an appeal can be filed directly to the City Council. The appeal process consists of submitting a written request from a resident and/or owner not in favor of having the street posted for street sweeping. The City Council’s decision will be final.

If the 30 day appeal period has passed and no appeal has been received, staff will resume implementing the new route schedule. Once a street has been newly posted, a 30 calendar day grace period is required in which motorists in violation of the newly posted street sweeping signs are issued written warnings. After the 30 day grace period has concluded, violations against the posted time frames will be issued a citation, currently with a $40 bail amount.