City Council approves traffic-calming plan
Project includes speed humps, other safety features
The streets around Harriet Avenue could look a little different to drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists beginning next fall.
On Nov. 7 the Campbell City Council voted 3-1 to approve a traffic-calming project in the neighborhood around Harriet Avenue. The project will include the installation of speed humps, a pedestrian hybrid beacon system at McCoy Avenue, bulb-out sidewalks at McCoy Avenue, green bike lanes with painted buffer marks and wider sidewalks over San Tomas Aquino Creek.
The targeted streets are near Westmont High and Forest Hill Elementary schools. Neighbors there have been seeking a solution from the city to address speeding and pedestrian safety, particularly for students traveling to and from the schools.
Neighborhood residents last year sought solutions from the council. City staff suggested installing a traffic light on Harriet Avenue, but residents vehemently opposed the plan, with some saying the signal would not reduce speeding but would instead see drivers speed up to make it through green lights. The council rejected the plan in October 2016.
Currently, Harriet Avenue carries 6,000 cars each day on a 70-foot-wide street, according to the staff report.
Staff said the sidewalk is narrow on the east side of Harriet Avenue. There are already striped bike lanes between McCoy and Westmont avenues and a marked crosswalk with a flashing beacon system to warn drivers of pedestrians. The crosswalk also feeds into a resident’s driveway.
The pedestrian hybrid system is a traffic control device activated by a button that prompts drivers to slow down and stop when a pedestrian goes through the crosswalk.
According to the staff report, the proposed speed humps — which are longer than regular speed bumps and don’t bulge out as much — will be 3 inches high and 14 feet long. They will be placed between Keith Drive and San Tomas Aquino Road, between McCoy Avenue and Silacci Drive, Inskip Drive and Elam Avenue, and Elam Avenue and Adrien Drive.
The cost for the entire project is estimated at $564,400, with $100,800 for the design phase and $463,600 for construction and installation of the crossing systems and street and sidewalk improvements.
Traffic engineer Matthew Jue told the council there is federal money available to help fund the project. City staff will also look into possible additional funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Councilwoman Susan Landry chose to recuse herself in part because of her past work with residents in the neighborhood on traffic issues. Councilman Jeffrey Cristina cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he didn’t like the addition of speed humps in the conceptual plan.
Even though Mayor Liz Gibbons voted for the project, she also express concern over installing speed humps.
“When we get to those speed humps, there is an opportunity to drive around them and into the bike lane,” Gibbons said. “That’s making me a little nervous.”
According to Jue, construction could begin in fall 2018.
The targeted streets are near Westmont High and Forest Hill Elementary schools. Neighbors there have been seeking a solution from the city to address speeding and pedestrian safety, particularly for students traveling to and from the schools.