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Traffic studies seeking to find solutions to traffic congestion
By Nathan R. Huff
Los Gatans are fond of saying that in their town everyone talks about traffic but no one ever does anything about it. However, times may be changing. The Los Gatos Town Council quickly and unanimously moved to begin five separate traffic studies as part of a larger town effort to minimize the number of hours drivers spend in gridlock.
At a combined cost of approximately $47,751, the studies will all be completed by TJKM Transportation Consultants and presented to the council by Nov. 1, with the exception of the Downtown Operational Traffic/Route 17 ramp closure study, which won't come to council until January 2000. Residents, business owners and town officials are hoping the results of these studies will help the town make much-needed improvements in both the flow and sheer number of automobiles.
The following studies were funded:
* Old Town Traffic Study: At an estimated cost of $10,580, the Old Town Traffic Study has five components. First, traffic engineers will be looking at past accident statistics and doing approach counts for the Elm Street stop sign at University Avenue. The final report may advocate replacing the existing two-way stop with a four-way stop.
Whether Los Gatans are a bunch of scofflaws or just in need of an additional crosswalk will also be a subject of study at the Elm Street and University Avenue intersection. Engineers will be considering establishing a possible crosswalk on the north approach of University at Elm Street, making the area slightly more pedestrian-friendly.
The third study will involve radar, aerial photographs and accident reviews to determine if narrowing University Avenue south of Elm Street and lowering the speed limit to 20 mph could decrease the number of accidents while not increasing traffic congestion.
TJMK consultants will also be analyzing the sight difference out of the new Old Town parking garage as well as counting cars exiting the lot.
Finally, using the findings from the pedestrian study at Elm and University, a study will look into the possibility of additional crosswalks across University Avenue between Elm and E. Main streets.
* Downtown Operational Traffic Study and Evaluation of Route 17 Ramp Closure Study: In the most elaborate of the five studies, the goal of the $32,400 undertaking is to have a comprehensive report on downtown traffic once the Old Town project is complete, which most assume will bring additional traffic into the already congested area.
Engineers will be looking at congestion and delay at intersections with and without signals throughout the downtown area, counting cars at morning, midday and evening peak hours. The study will also take into account parking availability, driver origins and destinations, and accidents over the past three years. Analysis of the commuter traffic that occasionally clogs downtown streets will be used to estimate traffic flow if the southbound 17 ramp from Santa Cruz Avenue were closed during peak commuting hours. TJMK will return a preliminary report to the council in December, with the final report complete with recommendations coming in January.
* Evaluating existing Traffic Calming Policy: This study entails the comparison of Los Gatos's traffic information gathering programs with those of other comparable communities. At a cost of $2,326, the intent of the study is to evaluate the current policy and examine the criteria for evaluating traffic-calming requests in the future.
* Peer Review of County Traffic Study at Englewood Avenue: Town Traffic Engineer Gary Kruger and his staff will evaluate the results of the county's traffic study of Englewood Avenue, looking at county recommendations for congestion easement. The results of the $565 study will be presented to the council at its Oct. 18 meeting.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
