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City updates traffic data after East Olive Avenue reconfiguration; staff proposes minor striping changes
Summary
City staff reported mixed speed results and unchanged traffic volumes after a lane-reduction pilot on East Olive Avenue and proposed widening on-street parking lanes by two feet to relieve resident concerns about parked cars being too close to moving lanes.
City staff presented an evaluation Tuesday of a February 2024 test reconfiguration on East Olive Avenue and proposed a modest striping change to address the most frequent resident complaint: that travel lanes feel too close to parked cars.
Marcos Fuentes of Community Development said the project converted a portion of East Olive from two travel lanes in each direction to one lane each way plus a center-turn lane, kept on-street parking, and narrowed travel lanes to slow traffic and reduce pedestrian crossing conflict.
Nut graf: After studying collisions, traffic volumes and speeds for the months before and after the conversion, staff found vehicle volumes largely unchanged and a single recorded collision after the change compared with two prior. Speed data were mixed: some segments showed lower speeds, while in other blocks the 85th-percentile speed exceeded the posted 35 mph limit. Based on resident feedback (more than 120 comments to staff), the top concern was proximity of parked vehicles to moving lanes.
Staff proposal and schedule: To address that concern, staff proposed widening the on-street parking lane on both sides by roughly two feet and narrowing the center turn lane by roughly four feet while keeping travel-lane widths unchanged. That change is low-cost (paint only) and staff estimated installation in March, weather permitting. Fuentes said permanent changes such as landscaped medians would require further analysis, funding and additional outreach with emergency services and residents.
Public-safety and emergency access: The presentation noted the Burbank Fire Department does not report operational impacts under the current reconfiguration and that the wide center-turn lane provides access for emergency vehicles. Staff said any permanent physical work (medians, planters) would require more vetting with fire, police and the community.
Ending: Council member Mullins had pulled the item from consent for discussion; staff will proceed with the painting adjustment and bring broader complete-streets proposals back as part of future planning and funding cycles. Staff also said the project will be considered as part of the upcoming Safer Streets Burbank initiative and could be included in an approach that uses local speed-setting authority under state law.
