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CITY OF SAN BERQRDINO - REQUEST90R COUNCIL ACTION
From: Councilman Jack Reilly Subject: Personnel Committee Report
Dept: Council Office
Date: May 10, 1988
Synopsis of Previous Council action:
,
Recommended motion:
That minutes of Personnel Committee meeting held May 5, 1988 be
received and filed.
Q). ~<.~
Sig ture
Contect person:
Phil Arvizo
Phone:
384-5208
N/A
SupportIng de.. ettec:hed:
Yes
Werd:
FUNDINO REQUIREMENTS:
Amount:
N/A
Source: (ACCT. NO.)
(ACCT. OESCRIPTION)
FInance:
Council Notel:
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PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
May 5, 1988
ATTENDEES:
Councilman Jack Reilly - Chairman
Councilman Tom Minor
Councilwoman Valerie Pope-Ludlam
Acting city Administrator - Jim Robbins
Depty. City Admin.jDevelopment - Jim Richardson
Public Works Director - Roger Hardgrave
Assistant city Engineer - Gene Klatt
Public Services Director - Manuel Moreno
Traffic Engineer - Anwar Wagdy
Personnel Director - Gordon Johnson
Council Executive Assistant - Phil Arvizo
Mayor's Executive Assistant - Richard Bennecke
1. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRAFFIC ENGINEERING SECTION - The
Committee concurred on the staff report and recommended
approval. The item will appear on the June 20, 1988 Council
Agenda.
Meeting adjourned.
Respec fully su~mitted,
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/C . nciiman J..e~k -~il1Y
v/Chairman
Personnel Co ittee
JR:ej
Attch. (1)
C I T
JC)o F SAN 8 ERN A R
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
8805-1403
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TO: Personnel Committee
FROM: James RObbins, Acting City Administrator
S~BJECT: Traffic Signs -- Reassignments
DATE:
May 3, 1988
(7429)
COPIES:
Roger Hardgrave/Jr. Moreno/Anwar Wagdy
-------------------------------------------------------------
This summary is the result of several meetings regarding the
moving of traffic signs group to Public Works from Public
Services.
The findings of the ITS Report indicate the necessity of the
reassignment. Conceptual reassignment has been approved by
the Common Council Personnel Committee. The Public Services
Director has outlined concerns and activities perceived in a
reassignment. The Traffic Engineer has submitted an imple-
mentation plan.
It is recognized that irrespective of who has the activity,
it is understaffed as are most city activities, from a
maximum desired staffing and product level. Cross training
and wide divergence of work activities have, by necessity,
been the norm rather than exception. The importance of the
function, from a management perspective, has been to maintain
constant staffing in the crew.
Acting City Administrator's Recommendation:
1. The crew of 9 functions transfer July 1, 1988.
These functions include:
(A) responsible for maintaining traffic
related signing and stripping
activities,
(B) maintaining of Neighborhood Watch
program signs, and
(C) temporary and permanent barricading
for special street use, i.e., parades
or temporary street closures.
2.
The Public Services Department shall
provide: (A) Night time storm watch,
debris removal and barricading, (8)
repair (may be contracted out); and (C)
continue to
sandbagging
guard rail
sand-
ISTEROFFICE MEMO~DUM: 8805-1403
Traffic Signs-- Reassignments
I'!ay 3, 1988
Fage 2
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blasting and removal
These functions will
projects crew.
of graffiti from structures.
be performed by a special
3. Public Services Department staff be increased by
four persons, provided the traffic impact fees are
adopted by Mayor and Common Council. The constant
staffing requirement on an annualized basis is
slightly less than one full time, however, the
activities remaining require full time attention of
a crew.
4. The implementation plan outlined on pages 3 through
5 of the Implementation Plan Report, is
satisfactory with the understanding that Neighbor-
hood Watch and temporary closure activities will be
part of the reassignment.
T~e above recommendations have been considered and reviewed
c~. departmental management staff. They concur.
l~R~~
Acting City Administrator
JER: dem
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REVISED
AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR
TRANSFERRING
THE TRAFFIC SIGNS AND MARKINGS FUNCTION
FROM PUBLIC SERVICES TO
PUBLI C WORK S
BAClr;GROUND
Cur~ently the Traffic Signs and Markings function is structured under
the Public Services Department. However, Work Orders for s1gn1ng and
pavement mark1ngs 1nstallation/replacement are 1nit1ated by the
Traff1c Eng1neer, w1th1n the Public Works Department. Standard
Trazf1c Engineer1ng Pract1ce recommends that the Traff1c Eng1neer take
d1re=t control of the signing and striping operat1on, scheduling,
fie- d supervision, routine replacement programs, etc. However, due to
the =urrent structure, the Traffic Engineer, has not been able take
pos;~ive and direct control of these important functions. A need to
rec~ify this deficiency was recognized and taken to the City Counc11
Per~onnel Committee, who approved it conceptually to consolidate the
Sig~s and Markings function within the Public Works Department, under
the Traffic Engineer. The minutes of this meeting were accepted and
filed by the Mayor's Council.
El.<i sting Structure (Publi,_ Services):
1. The existing Signs and Markings crew consists of nine (9)
positions:
1 - Maintenance Supervisor, Range 2132
1 - Lead Maintenance Worker, Range 1093
1 - Traffic Sign Painter, Range 1083
4 - Maintenance Worker II, Range 1077
2 - Maintenance Worker I, Range 1069
2. Not only are the existing Signs and Markings Crew responsible for
maintaining traffic related signing and strip1ng act1vities, but
they also perform other non-traffic programs, such as:
a) Night t1me storm watch, sandbagging, debr1s removal,
barricading,
b) Guardrail repair;
c) Mainta1ning the Neighborhood Watch program signs,
d) Temporary and permanent barr1cading for spec1al street
uses, l.e., parades or temporary closures; and
e) Sandblasting and removal of graffiti from structures
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This utilization of the crew to perform
functions has prevented the City from
maintenance programs, traffic controls
placement, nighttime sign reflection
traffic functions.
non-traffic related
performing Important
Inventory, routine re-
Inspection, and other
3. The existing staff of nine Is Inadequate to handle the workload
generated by our large and fast-growing City. This deficiency
has been recognized In an analysis report conducted by the
Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS), cated March 1985. (See
Attachment 1 for OTS Summary of Recommendations)
Proposed Struc~_LP~~llc Works):
1. Functions:
While the Intent of bringing the Signs and Markings function
under the direction of the Traffic Engineer Is to maximize the
operational efficiency and reduce City liability, additional
vital functions and responsibilities will be added to the
existing workload. Those acditional functions are:
a) Implementation of a signing & marking inventory program
through a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).
The program will Inspect, rate and index all of the
traffic control devices within the City. It Is
anticipated the survey will identify significant amounts
of traffic controls as substandard and/or defective.
Therefore an Intensive replacement program must be Imple-
mented to Improve public safety and reduce the City's
liability risk.
b) Conducting annual surveys to update the aforementioned
Inventory program.
c) Implementing a routine nighttime Inspection of regulatory
signs for their reflectivity.
Taking into account the responsibility of maintaining the Traffic
Signing and Marking function, in addition to the new programs
listed above, it Is essential to keep all traffic related
functions under the control of the Traffic Engineer. Therefore,
the non-traffic related duties, such as nighttime storm-watch,
sandbagging, debris removal and barricading, must remain within
Public Services. The Traffic Signs and Markings crew will not
have the necessary heavy-duty equipment to perform these duties.
2. Organizational Structure:
Currently, the Traffic Engineering Section is structured under
the Engineering Division, within the Public Works Department. The
section is responsible for wide variety of traffic ~ng;neer;ng
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tasks, plus close interfacing with Traffic Signals Mainten-
ance function, which is a separate section of the Engineer-
ing Division. The proposed transfer of the Signs and
Markings function, would be structured within the
Engineering division. A direct day-to-day supervision of
this function wi 11 be assigned to the Traffic Engineer. A
future goal of the Traffic Section is to consolidate the
Traffic Signs and Markings, and the Traffic Signals
Maintenance functions with the Traffic Engineering, into a
separate Division.
3. Staffing:
realizing the existing staffing deficiency and the new
functions to be added with the OTS program, a staffing level
of 15-20 is reasonable for thi s Ci ty when compared to
simi lar juri sdicti ons. (See Attachment 2 for OTS Survey
Recommendation). However, considering budget constraints,
we recommend the transfer of the existing staff of nine (9)
positions to Public Works, as the first phase of the
program. This is consistent with the recommendations of the
Personnel Commi ttee on November 19, 1987. Future staff
buildin9 will follow along with improved operation and im-
plementation of the listed programs.
I"-~lementation Plan
1. Effective date:
The transfer of 9 staff positions, equipment, materials and
budget for Signs and Markings function is to be effective
July 1. 1988.
2. Personnel:
Ideally, the most direct approach to implement the reassign-
ment is to physically relocate the Signing and markings
functions and personnel to Public works/Engineering. By
doing so, job titles, duties and salaries remain the same,
and no 1 ay-off or bump i ng wi 11 occur. However, in the
interest of fairness, it would be desirable to give existing
personnel the choice of transferring with the function, or
remaining within Public Services. Therefore, the following
plan should be implemented.
a)
Transfer the four vacant
Public Services/Street
Works/Engineering Division.
positions currently in
Division to Public
These positions are:
1 - Maintenance Lead Worker
1 - Maintenance Worker II
2 - Maintenance Worker I
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b)
Incumbents of the existing Street
desire to transfer, could fill
positions by transfer.
c) The position of Traffic Sign Painter wlll be reassigned,
at the same title and pay, to Public Works/Engineering.
Sign/Painting crew. who
the foregoing vacant
d) The remaining four positions are to be filled by transfer
of Incumbents. Any unfilled positions will be filled by
open/promotional recruitment.
e) All Incumbents. who transfer to the same position they
currently hold, will maintain the same position. same pay-
level, and will not serve a probationary period. Addi-
tionally, their accrued vacation and sick-leave will not
be lost.
A concern over the seniority Issue has been raised by current
personnel. It must be made clear that Incumbents who are
transferred to Public Works/Engineering will be the most senior
personnel for those positions within the department.
Additionally, since our goal Is to expand the Traffic Signs &
Markings function to 15-20 positions, chances for lay-off are
very slim, and Incumbents who transfer will remain as senior
staff within their classification.
To avoid disruption of the Signs & Markings operation, current
personnel within Public Services must continue maintaining their
duties within the Traffic Signs & ~arklngs function until all
positions are filled by Public Works.
3. Equipment:
All equipment, including stripers. sandblaster. tools. radios, and
vehicles currently utilized by the existing Signs and Markings
crew are to be transferred. Actual Inventory to be made prior to
July 1. 1988.
4. Materials:
All materials. Including signs, blanks, posts, markers. paint.
etc.. currently utilized by the existing Signs and Markings crew
are to be transferred. Actual Inventory to be made prior to July
1. 1988.
5. Budget:
Create Section 307 In Public Works Department for tracking and
cost accounting of Traffic Signs and Marking activities. All
personnel costs of old Section 405 tobe transferred with work
duties and equipment.
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6. Work Space:
Ultimately, it is proposed that the new Signs and Markings
crew occupy the vacant space located between the Signal and
the Survey Shops. However, since the proposed space is
smaller than the current space, it will be necessary to main-
tai n the exi sti ng spaces for 3-6 months until the new space
is modified to accept the transfer.
7. Field Communication:
The Signs and Markings crew are currently utilizing a two-way
radio system with a frequency allocated only for
communication with the Publ ic Services Department. A change
must be made to the local government frequency, in order to
allow communications with the rest of the Public Works
Department.
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ATTACHMENT I
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ENGINEERING (Continued)
2 - Rworqanize the Traffic Bnqineerinq 'unction
Reor~iz. the 'tr.rn.c bI'lin..rin'l rwtct10n plecin'l the
.-ploy... re.pon.ibl. ror the in.t.ll.tion Md _intenMc.
or tr.rri.e .i'Jlll. ad tr.rric MrJci.np, Md the -ploy...
re.pon.ibl. ror the _inten."c. or tuUic d",.l. directly
under the control or the City 'tr.rric blVin..r. It i. .1.0
r_ended tlYt the 'tr.rric bI'lin.erinv rwtetion b. 'liven
the .tlJti.. or . ruJl di.9'i..ion or the Public IfOrJc. ~~re.ent.
" .
Con.ider .ddin'l an. .ddi. ti.OIlal rrarri.c D'lin..rin'l AJ.d. to
the tr.rri.c en'lin..rin'l runeti.on cc.pluent. 17Ii.. p.UOll
i.. nec....ry to incr.... the tr.rri.c en'lin..rin'l runction.
c.JMbilJ.ty or d.t. collection, to nrenvthell lI:t:i.tIent Prevention
Progr_, Md to decr.... the tum-.round tu. IIith r..pect
to M....rin'l ci.tizen. co.pl.int. Md .U'1'1..tion..
3 - Increas. Traffic Control Device Maintenance Manpower
Con.id.r incr...in'l the tr.rric .i'1fl Md turric _rJcin'l
in.tlJllati.on ."d ..intenolJlc. section by Tour "'intenMc. JlorJc.r.
01... Jlith oIJl ..tiMted 65,000 'tr.rric Si'1ll., 20,000 P.rkin'l
Stall., 650 Cro..-Jlalk., 2,500 'tr.rric Legelld., Md ov.r .
hundred .il.. or str..t. to .trip., the pr..ent starrin'l lev.l
or this section i. in.dequ.t..
4 - Develop a Continuinq and Comprehensive Identification
and Surveillance of Accident Locations Proqram
Encour.'l. the Polic. D.~rUlent to inv..tipt. .11 er.rric
accidents occurinv on the City'. str..t sy.t.. At the
pr.sent tiJI., the Polic. D.~rtlllent i. not recordin'l ap.
proxiMt.ly 50 p.rcent or the accidents occurinv on the
str..t .yst..
Encour.'l. the Poli.c. D.~rtlllent ."d the Tr.rric En'lin..r to
...t Md conr.r ror the d.v.lopment or a .utu.lly exceptebl.
COIlput.riaed 'trerric Accident Record Syst_. Cert.inly
the Ci.ty n.ed. only on. Co.put.rized '1'ratric Accident Record
Sy.t..
.
Provid. the rrarric bI'lin..rin'l runctiOll IIi th a cOllput.r t.min.l
loc.ted at th.i.r orric.., so tlYt th.y would hav. i_edi..t.
.cc... to the 'tr.rric Accident Record Syst_ tor th.ir pro'lr_
to reduc. accidellu within the Ci.ty.
5 - Imarove Traffic Siqn and Traffic Markinq Installation
an Maintenance
Conduct oIJl annu.l nivhttiJI. inspection ot all STOP, YIELD,
and JlARMING Sign. tor r.rlecti.vity Md visibility. Reflectiv.
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sh..tUlg CM loot good during tUl/light hour., but.
nighttia. in.pection c_ d.Urain. ir rerlective sh..tag
M. lo.t it. rerlectivitl/. :7Ii. ...ill .1.0 grHUl/ enh4nc.
th. Citl/'. li&bilitl/ po.ition.
Con.id.r .dd.inl/ ~r ..Jnt.....anc. IIork.r 1'. to th.
..Ult....MC. Work.r 1'. to th. ..int."Mc. .Urr. 271.
pr......t .Urr con.isting or <:h. 'OrMn MId .ev.... .plol/...
CMnot pouibll/ ..inuJn th. tr.rric .ign Md ..rking .l/.t..
Con.id.r ..t&blishJnI/ rovr on. -.n .i_ ..int....MC. cr.....
in.tM" or u.ag two men cr...... :71... -.plOl/... ...ill Il.v.
to b. equipped ...ith . pick-up trvc.Jr Md tJec....rl/ tool..
.' .
Reclac. the .-clunt or p.v_ent Mdcinl/ Md curb ..rking
..intenMc.. 271is CM b. don. by reduclnl/ or .liain.ting
p.intJng p.rkinl/ or'., .1i.ai.n.tJng th. Mir pa or double
striping p.rking sUll IJn.. UI th. .hopping center Md in
the gar..g.., Md ~Mtly reducing the -..ount or red curb tlYt
is pr......tllJ ..int..ined. :71. r... 8ngln..r, in lIOd.m tia..,
Iw. n_.r ...... . City ...ith .I. mud red curb ..rking g._
uistJng in $.In "rn.rdJno.
Consid.r purch..in'1 M 1,500 dollr .porlJ dJ.Sf1<<I..r ..chJn..
Usinl/ the ucllin. ...ill grMtll/ apro". the productivitlJ or
this cr.... Md it ...,uld b. .ltc.edinl/llJ cost .rrectiv..
Consid.r .-plolJin'1 . l&bor.torlJ to t.st the striping ut.ri.l.
rec.ived blJ the CitlJ. :71. r.sting L.Ib CM insure tMt the
citlJ i. rec.iving ut.ri.l. ...ting th.ir .peciric.tion..
Con.id.r d.ting .Ill tr..rric .i9lls equipped ...ith r.rlective
sh..ting lIhen th.lJ l..v. the shop. :7Ii. could b. don. using
..t..l dlJ" or . r.lt pen. 271. indic.tion could re.d S. 3 IS.
:7Iis ...Hl identirlJ the si911 .I. the proputlJ or the CitlJ Md
...ill grMUlJ MhMC. the Citi.. prevent.tiv. uint."MC.
pro'll''' ror r.pl.c_ent or sign..
6 - Improve Traffic Siqnal Maintenance
IlIIprov. tr..rric sign..l uint."MC. p.rticul..rl!i in the .rH
or c.l_ing the controll.rs .I1ld clMnin'1 th. sign..1 1."...
Md r.rlector.. .uso, .11 in.t..ll.tions .hould b. checked
to 1Mk. c.rt..in th.t the vehicle cl...rMc. int.",.l n.ed.
SUt. .I1ld N.tion.l Sund.rd..
7 - Improve Police and Traffic Enqineerinq Liaison
It is .U'1g..ted th.t occ..ion.lllJ the Citl/ rr..rric Engin.er
rid. .long ...ith th. ni'lht Polic. Shirt C~der to vi.... tr.rric
condition. .nd to b. b.tt.r ..ppr;..ed or the Polic. rr..rric vi....
point. In .dditicn, it i. Ilop. tll..t th.re ...ill b. v.rl/ close
coop.r..t1.on b.t....." th. two runction. in tll. "I'M or the rr.rr1.c
Accid."t Record SlJst.. .nd in the rr.rric Studl/ .Ire.. In ..dd1.-
tion, 1.t i. .u'lgese.d tht CitlJ rr.rric En'lineer occ.sion.lllJ b.
invited to .ttend the Chi.r'. SUp.",isorlJ St.rr Ife.ting to .ddres.
.utu..l tr..rric concern..
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ATTACHMENT 2
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It is suggested the City consider adding one more Traffic
Engineering Aide to this sections compliment. The additional
manpower is necessary to develop an accident reduction
program, including the maintenance of the traffic accident
location file. Also to improve the response time with
respect to answering citizens concerns and complaints with
respect to traffic, and to increase manpower assigned to
the collection of traffic data such as traffic volumes,
turning movements, speed and delay surveys, and pedestrian
counts.
Recommendation .2
Reorganize the Traffic Engineering Function
R~r~iz. the Tnffic Engin..ring 1'unctiOll plaCing tlI. _plOli...
r.spon.ibl. for the inst.llation and Mintenanc. Of tr.ffi.c si'1ll.
.nd traffic MrkiJlg., and tlI. -plolie.. re.pon.ibl. for tlI. Mint.-
nanc. of tnffic .i9Jl.ls dirllCtlli und.r the control of the Citli
Tr.ffic Engin.er. It i. al.o recOllSllended tlIat the Tr.ffic Engine.r-
ing 1'unction b. given the st.ti. of . full divi.ion of tlIe Public
/lork. D.partlllent.
Con.id.r adding one addi tional Traffic Engin..ring Aid. to the
tnffic engin.ering function cOlllpli.JJJent. T:li. p.non is nec....rli
to incz.... the traffic engin..ring functions C.pllbilitli of d.ta
collection, to strengthen the Accident Prevention progr.., .nd
to decrease the turn-around tillle ...i tlI respect to an.wering ci tiz.ns
cOlllplaint. and sugg..tion..
The Team Engineer also .cecommends that the City consider
adding additional traffic control device maintenance manpower
to the maintenance of signs, signals, and markings. First
the traffic signal maintenance function is staffed with
one Supervisor, Four Traffic Signal Electricians II, and
one Traffic Signal Electrician I, for a total of six
Employees. It is recommended that one Laborer or
semi-skilled Laborer be added to this function for work
not requiring or involving a journeyman electrician. For
example, this employeoe could relamp signal heads and clean
signal lenses and ref lectors as this work does not require
a licensed or trained journeyman. In some cities this
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la~orer position if filled by an electrical apprentice
being trained to someday become a journeyman. In addition.
the City should consider increasing the number of personnel
now assigned to the maintenance of traffic signs and traffic
markings. During the Team Visit. the Traffic Sign and
Marking Section consisted of one Foreman and seven men.
It is estimated by the director of Public Services that
there are some 65.000 Traffic Signs of all descriptions
now installed within the City limits, 350 crosswalks, 2.500
Pavement marking legends. over 20,000 parking spaces to
stripe, along with over 100 miles of streets to stripe.
During the Team visit. the condition of the traffic signs
and markings in the City was very poor. in fact the poorest
condition observed by the Team Engineer in any City in
California that the Team has visited over a 100,000 popula-
tion. The poor condition of traffic control devices. in
the opinion of the Team Engineer, is not due to a lack
of application or supervision by City Employees. but due
to the need of additional manpower to maintain these devices.
It is suggested that the City consider adding at least
Four Maintenance Worker Ones to the traffic sign and marking
maintenance functions. Even this staffing level will be
less than usually found in Cities of the size of San
Bernardino. In addition. the Team Engineer will suggest
additional ideals for consideration to improve the efficiency
of the operation, and/or to decrease the amount of devices
maintained in the section under Signing and Striping Instal-
lation and Maintenance of this report.
Recommendation .3
Increase Traffic Control Device Maintenance Manpower
Consider increuing the traffic Si911 and traffic ..rki.ng inStalla-
tion and lUi.ntenance section bl/ 'our HoIi.ntenance Workers enes.
With an esti.JDated 65,000 'traffic Si9lls, 20,000 Parking Stalls.
650 Cross-Walks. 2,500 'traftic lAgfUlds, and over a hundred lIIiles
ot Streets to stripe, the prufUlt statting level ot this section
is inadequate.
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III. IDENTIFICATION AND SURVEILLANCE OF ACCIDENT LOCATIONS
.' ,
While the Traffic Engineering section does make many recomme-
ndations with respect to street design, installation of
traffic control devices, and traffic operations to decrease
traffic accidents there is no continuing, coordinated,
or comprehensive identification and surveillance of accident
locations program. The basic reason is that the City lacks
an efficient accident location file and the Police Department
is not recording all of the traffic accidents occuring
on the city street system. This estimate is based on the
Teams experience in over one-hundred cities in California,
where the ratio between Injury Accidents and Property Damage
Accidents is approximately 2.8 to 3 property damage accidents
to one injury accident. The factor of 2.8 was used to
develop the following table:
Type of Reported Estimated Number
Accident Accidents 1983 of Accidents 1983
Fatal 19 19
Injury 1264 1264
Property 1881 3539
DamaQe Only
Total 3164 4822
This table shows that there are approximately 52' more
accidents actually occuring on the street system than
reported by the Police Department. It is extremely impor-
tant for the Traffic Engineer to have as nearly as possible
100' of the accident experience to correctly identify
mitigating measure3 for the reduction of traffic ac-
cidents. It is very fortunate that the Police Depart-
ment is in the process of installing a computerized system
for various Police needs as well as a Computerized Accident
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Record System. It is exceedinq important that the Police
Department and Traffic Enqineerinq mutually desiqn the
Computerized Accident Record System so that it will meet
the needs both of the Traffic section of the Police
Department and the City Traffic Enqineer. Certainly the
City needs only one Traffic Accident Record System, but
the Traffic Enqineers requirements must be met. if this
system is to be effective. In addition, it is suqqest-
ed that the Traffic Enqineerinq section be provided with
a computer terminal so that traffic accident information
can be readily obtained. It is understood that this computer
terminal would only cost $5,000, but would save a tremend-
ous amount of manpower. If by usinq this computer terminal
we eliminated but 5 accidents, (1,000 dollars per accident I
we would pay for this terminal.
Recommendation .4
Develop a Continuinq and Comprehensive
Identification and Surveillance of
Accident Locations Proqram
Encour.lJ. eh. Polic. D.p.rtlllene eo inv.seilJ.ee .11 er.rric .ccidenes
occurinlJ on the cielJ'. .ere.e .1J.ea. Ae eh. pr..ene ei.e, ehe
Polic. D.p.rQllene i. noe recordirllJ .pproxizueellJ 50 percene or
eh. .ccidenes occurinlJ on ehe ser.ee slJsea.
Encour.lJ. the Police Dep.rtlllene U1d the Tr.tric EnlJin.er eo e.ee
.nd conter tor the developeene or . eueu.lllJ .xc.peule Coepue.riz.d
Tr.tric Acciden e Record SIJ.ea. C.rUinly the CielJ needs onllJ
one Coepue.riz.d Tr.rtic Accidene Record Syseem.
Provide the Tr.ttic EnlJineerinlJ r:mceion with . coepue.r :.rmin.l
loc.e.d .e their ottic.., .0 eh.le th.1J would h.v. i...di.ee .cc..s
eo the Tr.tric Accidene Record SlJse_ tor th.ir prolJr_ eo r.duc.
.ccidenc. within ehe CielJ.
IV. TRAFFIC OPERATIONS
A. General Comments
As the Team
evident that
En9in~er traveled around the
a great deal has been done in
City
the
it was
past to
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provide the citizens of the City with a safe and efficient
street system. The street system is well designed, and
there are many examples of excellent chanalization,
application of traffic control devices, signal
installations and operation which have tended to reduce
accidents and to move traffic efficiently.
B. Traffic Siqn and Markinq Installation and Maintenance
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The Team Engineer has evaluated over, 100 Cities in
California, and is sorry to report that the condition
of the traffic signs and traffic markings in the City
of San Bernardino is among the poorest he has observed.
Certainly, for cities over 100,000, San Bernardino would
rank at the bottom of the list in this area. Thus,
there is a high liability risk that exists for the City.
Following are some suggestions for the City to consider
which will raise the level of service in this area:
1. The City should conduct an annual night inspection
program of all STOP, YIELD and WARNING signs,
for the purpose of determining their reflectivity
and visibility. This should be done on a very
organized basis to find those signs that are needing
immediate replacement. It is estimated by the
Team Engineer that there are approximately 6,000
Stop Signs in the Ci ty and possibly 20' of these
need immediate replacement. At a cost of approxi-
mately 40 dollars for each sign, the city needs
to budget 548,000, if the City uses the more expen-
sive high intensity materials. If the City chose
engineerinq grade reflective sheetinq the capital
cost for the same nUJDber of 30" stop signs, at
27 dollars each would be $32,400.
2. Consider adding four Maintenance-Worker I's to
the section that maintains traffic signs and mark-
ings. At the time of the Team visit, this section
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consisted
absolutely
ligns and
City.
of one Forinan and .even men. This is
too small a force to maintain the traffic
markings presently installed in the
3. Consider using 4 one-man sign crews for most traffic
sign replacament work. (At the present time the
City is using a two-man sign crew). These workers
will of course have to be equipped with a piCk-up
truck and the necessary tools.
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4. Reduce the amount of marking maintenance now provid-
ed in the City. Por example, it i. .uggested
that the city discontinue painting parking "T' s".
In addition, the Team Engineer would suggest that
the City eliminate the hairpin or double parking
stall lines now painted at the shopping center
and at a number of the City garages. In addition,
the Team Engineer would recommend that a policy
be developed for counsel approval for the reduction
of painting red curbing. In the Team Enqineers
35 years experience he has never seen a city with
as much red curb in modern times as presently
existinq in the City of San Bernardino.
5. For improved efficiency the Team Engineer would
suqgest that the City purchase an poxy dispenser
at an approximate cost of $8,500. This machine
would greatly increase the productivity of the
plastic marking installation crew. It is estimated
that this could increase the production by
four-fold.
6. Consider employinq a paint laboratory for the
purpose of testinq the paint received by the City
to make certain that the materials meet the City
specif ications. (The Team Engineer will send
under separate cover several paint specifications
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used by other jurisdictions.
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7. Consider dating all of the signs equipped with
reflective sheeting when they leave the shop.
The notation could be applied using metal dyes
or an indelible pen as follows:
At SB 3 85. The dating will identify the sign
as the property of the city as well as assist
in a preventative maintenance program. In addition,
if the City uses high intensity materials
manufactured by 3M Corporation, 3M guarantees
high intensity materials for a period of 10 years.
Bowever, it is incumbent on the City to show how
long this material has been in the field. 3M
will replace a complete sign equipped with high
intensity materials up to seven years and will
prorate the remaining three years of the ten year
guarantee.
Recommendation .5
Improve Traffic Siqn and Traffic
Markinq Installation and Maintenance
Conduct an annual nightt~. in.pection of all srOP, YIELD, and
flARNING SIGNS for reflectivity and vi.ibility. R.flecti.v. sh..t:iJlg
can look good during lUylight houu, but a njghtt~. inspection
can d.tentirl. U reflective sh..ting has lo.t it. r.flectivity.
Thi.. ",ill al.o grNtly Mllanc. the City's liability po.ition.
Con.id.r add1ng rour ....intenanc. fIork.r 1's to the _intenanc.
natt. 271. pr..ent .utt con.isting ot Q2. 'o~ and s.ven .ploy-
... cannot po..ibly ..intain the trattic sign and _rking syst..
COII.i.d.r ..tabli..hing 4 on. -.n .ign _intenanc. cr.... in.tNd
ot u.ing t_ .. cr..... 271.s. _ploy... ",:ill hav. to b. ."uipped
"'i. tb a pi.Ck-up truCk and nec....ry tool..
Reduc. the -.clunt ot pav_t ..rJc:i1lg and curb _rJcing uintenanc..
271i. can b. dOlI. by reducing or .liJl:iJleting painting parking ''1'-.,
.l.t.:inat:ing the hai.r pin or double striping parking stall lines
in the shopping center and in the v-rag.s, and grHtly reducing
the eJIOUIlt ot red curb that i. pr..ently _inuined. Th. '1'....
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Engineer, in l80dem eae., M. n_er .e. . Clel/ "ith .. .uch
rM curb ..rJcing .. no.. elli.eing in $en .em.rdino.
Con.Un gurch..ing en ',500 doll.r eJlOlIl/ di.pen.er "chine. U.ing
the ..chine ..:tll 9I'Nell/ aprove the produceiviel/ o~ thi. ere..
4IlId it lIOuld be ellceMingl" eo.t .~~ece:tve.
Con.ider -ploVing . leboreeorl/ to t..t the .triping ..ter:t.l.
rece:tved bV the CH". 771e r..ting Leb CM in.ure thet the c:te"
i. receiving ..ter:t.l. .eeting their .peci~ic.tion..
Con.Uer ating .ll tr.~~ic .ign. equiPI'M ..ith re~lective .heeeing
WI_ the" lNve the .hop. 771,t. t:Ould be done u.ing .etel dV"
or · ~elt pen. 771e indic.eion t:Ould rNd S. J U. 771i. ..,tll ,td.t.t-
~" the ..tgn .. the propertl/ o~ the Citl/ Md ..ill 9I'Ntll/ enhMce
the CiUe. preventetive ..intenMce grogru ~or repl.c_ene of
.ign..
C. Traffic Siqnals
The city is to be conqratulated on the excellent proqress
in upqradinq and redesiqninq its traffic siqnal system.
Outstandinq use has been made of the Hazard Elimination
Study proqram processed by Caltrans. In addition the
City is to be complimented on the excellent use of the
Office of Traffic Safety Funds for the siqnal study.
There are 162 siqnalized intersections in the City,
4S are fixed time and 117 are actuated siqnals. Approx-
imately 81 of these installations are interconnected.
In company with the City Traffic Enqineer the Team
Enqineer inspected 3 installations and found that the
City could do a sliqhtly better job cleaninq the control-
lers and the siqnal heads. In addi tion the Ci ty should
make certain that the walk indication is at least 7
seconds lonq as this is the minimum required in the
State of California. In addition, at one location the
vehicle clearance indication was short and therefore
it is suqqested that the City check all vehicle clearance
indications at all of the siqnals to make certain that
they need State and National Standards.
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