- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
City of Lakeport reviews traffic issues
City Manager Kevin Ingram presented a traffic safety update to the Lakeport City Council at its first meeting of the year on Jan. 3.
In his comments and written report to the council, Ingram presented observed trends in received traffic safety related complaints to the city.
Ingram said the city began tracking safety related complaints in June 2015 and more recently began providing updates to the City Council.
In 2022, the city only received five written complaints, the most notable for which related to Westside Community Park when large events were taking place, he said.
Traffic issues at the park came up in 2022 in relation to the new apartment project to be built next to the Parkside Subdivision.
Ingram said city staff are planning to review red curbing along access driveways and fire hydrants near the park, will work with youth sporting organizations on traffic issues and plan to have law enforcement conduct direct traffic enforcement during larger events.
The council approved a local road safety plan in March that addressed the city’s most problematic areas. That plan is meant to help the city obtain grant funding, and Ingram said the city is working with the Lake Area Planning Council, or APC, on those grants.
Five areas he discussed that also have actions recommended in the local road safety plan are the pedestrian crossing on Lakeport Boulevard between Larrecou and Forbes; Lakeshore Boulevard corridor between Giselman and Lange; the North Main, Clearlake Avenue and North High Street corridor; and the Eleventh Street and Forbes flashing stop sign.
Regarding Lakeport Boulevard between Larrecou and Forbes, Ingram said the city has contracted with a traffic engineering firm to prepare a project study report that will address bike and pedestrian improvements along with the study of a mid-block crossing near the Bell Alamo shopping Center. He said there is $1.2 million in funding through the Lake APC for the completion of this project.
Ingram said there is a separate traffic engineering study underway that’s related to the proposed courthouse project on Lakeport Boulevard adjacent to the Vista Point outlook that is looking specifically at intersection improvements at Bevins and Larrecou along that corridor.
Ingram said city staff have not received any new traffic related complaints involving the Lakeshore Boulevard corridor between Giselman and Lange.
He said it will be studied in a project study report that is underway for a new Safe Routes to School project as well as through the Sustainable Communities Transportation Planning grant the city recently received.
Ingram said the city’s goal for that area is the construction of a contiguous sidewalk from the city limits to 20th and Hartley.
For the corridor including North Main, Clearlake Avenue and North High Street Corridor, Ingram said additional signage and enhanced pavement markings have been completed in the corridor in accordance with the local road safety plan’s recommendations.
At that point, Ingram said there had been some accidents related to turning movements at Clear Lake and Main and staff was working with the city engineer to identify possible mitigation measures.
There also had been additional collisions in the intersection at 11th and Forbes streets since the last report to the council, Ingram said.
As a result, staff recommended installing flashing LED-embedded stop signs at this location, like those located at the intersection of Third and Main streets, which are proven to make unsignalized intersections safer by slowing people down and reminding drivers to make a full and complete stop.
Ingram said the city is cognizant of the impact of flashing lights on neighbors, so they are looking at installing signs that are active during the daytime but will turn off at night so as not to be a nuisance.
During the meeting Ingram also reported that staff had discussed in a recent meeting the value of parking a speed trailer in problem areas to slow speeds.
However, the Lakeport Police Department’s speed trailer has exceeded its life so Chief Brad Rasmussen is looking for grant funds to replace it.
Ingram also reported that recent federal court decisions have called into question the legality of enforcement methods such as tire chalking, but in the weeks before the council meeting, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that tire chalking is not a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
As a result, he said that, given its staffing challenges, the Lakeport Police Department is studying the potential use of officer trainees in order to have parking enforcement in the downtown area.
During public comment, Dr. David Browning noted, “We all know lakeport has many traffic safety challenges.”
He said driving habits are going downhill everywhere, not just in Lakeport. People run right through stop signs, do U-turns everywhere and are parking on the wrong side of the road. He questioned what could be done to educate the public.
Nathan Maxman pointed out that in other cities people can text concerns and complaints to code enforcement.
City Clerk/Administrative Services Manager Kelly Buendia said the city’s website has a “How Do I” section that explains how to file a complaint. Those complaints go to her office and she routes them to the correct department.
Buendia said the city keeps a separate database of traffic safety complaints.
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