Orinda council pauses plan to remove Ivy Drive restriction after residents object; directs more study

The Orinda City Council on July 15 declined to adopt staff's full proposal to remove a longstanding no-left-turn restriction at the north intersection of Ivy Drive and Moraga Way, electing instead to send the item back for more study and public engagement.

City staff and the city's traffic consultant had proposed removing one no-left-turn sign, extending the hours on intermediate no-turn restrictions from 7 a.m.'8 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.' 8:30 a.m., modifying signal timing and adding a new no-right-turn sign on Ardith Drive as a pilot to limit cut-through traffic to Miramonte High School. Director of Public Works Scott Christie told the council the study recommended the changes as a trial, with the option to revert or tweak signage based on monitoring: "The study recommends that that no left turn sign at the north end be removed, and changing those intermediate signs, from 7 to 8AM to 07:30 to 08:30AM, and then to modify our traffic signal timing controls to improve circulation." (Scott Christie)

The proposal drew sustained public comment from residents who said the earlier no-left-turn restriction, in place since the early 2000s, keeps student and cut-through traffic out of a neighborhood with children and elderly residents. "Don't take the no left turn sign out," said resident Tim Silviera, who described decades of neighborhood study and safety concern. Doreen Marr, an Ivy Drive resident active in the original traffic process, said the measures taken previously had reduced crashes and near-misses: "Don't remove it." Other speakers provided counts and on-street observations: one resident reported 134 cars passing straight through the Ivy entrance during a single observation day, a figure he said implied about 24,000 annual trips.

Council members pressed the consultant and staff on methods and timing. Council member Hoxie questioned the validity of traffic counts done on dates that coincided with school testing, and Council member Gee noted that the existing no-left-turn sign likely reduced observed left turns during the study'making exact measurement of demand difficult. Council member Riley and others suggested pilot testing would require a longer interval and strong public notice to produce reliable results.

After a failed motion to adopt staff's recommendation (the first motion was not seconded) and further discussion, the council directed staff to return with: (1) a study-session briefing that includes the traffic consultant and school-district input, (2) options for a time-limited traffic order (a pilot) that would permit systematic observation, and (3) a package of related near-term safety items such as evaluating a four-way stop at Ardith and Coral Drive, sidewalks and sight-distance improvements, and reconsideration of speed-calming options on Ardith (including pursuing fire-department concurrence for speed cushions).

City staff said funding for changing signs and signage management is available in the city's gas tax fund and that the pilot, if approved later, would be monitored and adjusted. "If it turns out to be a positive move, which we believe and the traffic consultant believes, then we would keep the signage in place and the changes will become permanent, so to speak," Christie said during the presentation.

Next steps: staff will schedule a dedicated study session with the consultant and school representatives, test pilot options if the council authorizes a limited traffic order, and return with recommended time windows, monitoring metrics and draft public outreach for any sign changes.

Ending: Council members and staff emphasized the trial-and-evaluate approach. Several members said they wanted to avoid an impulsive sign change that could produce confusing or unreliable data, but acknowledged the neighborhood'wide nature of the congestion problem and the need for multi-pronged solutions.