Residents of Meyers met with Caltrans officials Tuesday evening in a public meeting to discuss the proposed raising of the speed limit on Highway 50. More than 50 residents, business owners and families showed up to question the wisdom of the proposal and the survey results themselves. However, the results of the meeting indicate that Caltrans will proceed with the changes and the new speeds posted within two months.

Pat Kelley, Caltrans Traffic Operations Branch Chief of District 3 was the first to speak and give the guidelines required for a speed study, the methodology used, and the results. Once Caltrans has the results, they are required by law to seek recommendations from the CHP, and make themselves available for public comment. Also, since the highway is out of compliance, having not had a speed study in 10 years, the posted speeds are currently “unenforceable” and automatically revert back to state highway standards. State highway speed limits are 55 mph for two lanes of traffic, and 65 mph for four lanes.

Kelley made a similar presentation to the South Lake City Council earlier Tuesday.

Darryl Chambers, Caltrans Safety Engineer, gave an overview of the traffic accident history of the Meyers highway 50 corridor. More than 8 million vehicles travel the Highway corridor – and only 37 collisions involving 74 vehicles were reported between Pomo Street and Pioneer Trail (reported accidents usually do not include property damage incidents). Only three areas have come under investigation for possible safety concerns. In order for an area to be investigated there must be four or more collisions in a three, six or 12 month period. According to Chambers, even if a specific area is called into question by the guidelines, it will not cause the state to do another speed study.

Jim Brake, Associate Transportation Engineer with Caltrans Highway Operations presented information on the current Water Quality project in the works for 2013 in Meyers. Bike lanes will be marked on the highway and there will be a pedestrian button added at the traffic signal on the corner of Pioneer and Highway 50 where the bike trail intersects. There is also a plan to add a pedestrian crossing approximately 150 feet west of the bug station which will have signage and a ramp for bikes to enter the highway from the sidewalk. Brake said the crosswalk will not be painted because a crosswalk gives people a false sense of security and they will walk into traffic without looking. He mentioned the Meyers Community Plan for a roundabout at Apache Street by the Post Office.
“Caltrans can’t offer the money for the project,” Brake added. “But we recommended the community apply for grants for the project in order to slow traffic down.”
El Dorado County District 5 Supervisor Norma Santiago was the first to speak during the question and answer session, saying that Caltrans needs to take into consideration what the community needs are and any other special circumstances.
“We as a community are working to identify ourselves, she added. “We do not want Tahoe to be a place where you just pass through. We have a huge right of way that encourages speeding, and I would suggest actually LOWERING the speed to 35 here in Meyers.”
Many in the room echoed the sentiment.

The details of the speed study are laid out in Federal Highway Administration and California state guidelines. According to Kelley, the study must measure the actual speed of unimpeded traffic, it must take measurements during off peak daytime hours between Labor Day and Memorial Day, and the conditions must be dry. Caltrans measured 100 vehicles in one hour in each direction, and round the 85th percentile off to the nearest 5 mph. the department can use their engineering and judgment to propose 5 mph lower than the speed of the survey but no more, due to changes made by the FHWA in 2009. The only action that would constitute a speed survey being repeated in less than the seven year requirement would be a ‘geometric change’ in the highway, as in the area currently under construction in city limits between Trout Creek Bridge and Ski Run.

However, there were several public questions raised about the legitimacy of the survey. The study only measured speed on four days (three in April and one on July 2), bicyclists were not factored into the equation because the bike trail is set off the easement from the highway, school proximity was not considered because it is not situated directly on the highway. Regardless, Kelley said, the study met the federal and state guidelines and that’s all it legally needs to do.

“How many citizens have to give you input before you reconsider?” South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce president JoAnn Conner “If each person here represents a hundred people and as the chamber president I represent 300 individuals with 200 businesses, is that enough?”
“It’s not about the number of people, Kelley replied, “Show me something legal that the study is incorrect or not within guidelines.”
When asked if the only actions were litigation or legislation, Kelley replied that her job is to make speed zones enforceable so that tickets will “stick.” She suggests legislation would be the best avenue, and for the public to submit comment sheets to Caltrans for review.

“While I recognize that speed and traffic are not within our jurisdiction, we will be working closely with you to make sure your changes are within the air quality standards for the area,” said Public Information Officer Kristi Boosman of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. “However, it should be noted that the whole focus of our Regional Plan is to create liveable, walkable space.”
“It’s totally unacceptable and the study is irrelevant,” said resident, father, and bike enthusiast Fred Newberry. “Safe Routes to School is a national program and was not taken into account, and I have a 6 year old who attends the Magnet School and commutes by bike. The premises (of the study) and the timing and not taking data during all seasons basically makes their study is a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Sue Novasel also cited the Safe Routes to School program and added that school transportation is already slated for cuts by this fall, which could cause more kids being on the roads walking or biking.
“As a resident and contributor to the school board, I am very concerned because of the safety of pedestrians and especially school kids.”
“It’s disturbing that the decision appears to have already been made,” added Conner after the meeting adjourned. “The legality is constantly quoted by representatives of Caltrans, but we have been unable to get an answer as to how the part of the law that requires public input is being considered.”
Santiago urges the community to download or come by her office for a copy of the comment document and mail it to the Caltrans offices in Marysville. She cites the three guidelines Caltrans used for the recommendation - data from the 85th percentile, accident data, and “things that are not apparent to the driver.”
“It’s unfortunate that there exists a law that prohibits Caltrans from taking into account issues such as community character, and ingress/egress issues and effects of their decisions in order to present a speed limit that is consistent with what the community needs. I would encourage the community to educate Caltrans as to these things.”
At this time there are no further public meetings scheduled.