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<br /> does not want to have more than 850 cars. He pointed out that the Specific Plan could <br /> supercede what was in the overall 1996 General Plan. <br /> Ms. McGovern asked if staff was predicting that if 500 vehicles could make it through <br /> this intersection in an hour there would be a backup to the Fire Station? <br /> Mr. Knowles said the difficulty is based on the way staff assumed the School District was <br /> going to draw its boundaries, and the majority of the traffic coming to Neal School would be <br /> coming from Ruby Hill and to reach this school, traffic needed to turn left. The major <br /> complication was the amount of vehicles turning left at the same time there was traffic at the <br /> other intersections. <br /> Mayor Hosterman reported she received a number of emails from new residents. She <br /> asked staff to review the reason Council previously approved construction of the roundabouts. <br /> Mr. Wilson said the original Specific Plan for Vineyard Avenue anticipated there would <br /> be a traffic signal located on Vineyard Avenue at western Thiessen. Staff prepared an analysis <br /> and ran a model for how it would work with the traffic signal when it was looking at how to <br /> handle traffic going into the school site. The design for the School had the major flow of traffic <br /> coming in from the east side, which created an issue in terms of how the signal was installed. <br /> Secondly, when staff conducted the modeling it found that because the signal only allows so <br /> many vehicles through on a green light, the amount of vehicles that would try and get to the <br /> School would cause a backup of vehicles to the Fire Station. Staff looked at an alternative to <br /> the signal and one alternative was the installation of roundabouts because roundabouts have a <br /> higher capacity at the intersection than a traffic signal. As staff ran the traffic model, it went <br /> through a process of public hearings. Staff met with the School District and the Ruby Hill <br /> Homeowners Association to discuss it and ultimately, presented the matter to Council where <br /> staff discussed the pros and cons of the roundabouts versus a signal. At that point, Council <br /> decided to authorize staff to design Vineyard Avenue with the roundabouts with the <br /> understanding that it would serve several purposes: (1) the roundabouts would not back the <br /> traffic up to the Fire Station, and (2) the roundabouts would also slow traffic to address the <br /> concern of the School District regarding 40 to 50 mph speeds going down a street that is next to <br /> a school. If Neal School was not built, staff would not have recommended the roundabouts <br /> because they serve the two purposes to slow down traffic in front of the School and provide a <br /> means for vehicles to get in and out of the School and not cause a back up. <br /> Mayor Hosterman asked if staff's recommendation was not to remove the roundabouts <br /> pending a decision by the School Board as to whether Neal Elementary School would be built? <br /> Mr. Fialho said that is correct. <br /> Mayor Hosterman noted that to date, Council does not know whether Neal Elementary <br /> School would be built. <br /> Mr. Fialho said that is correct. <br /> If Council were to vote to remove the roundabouts, Mayor Hosterman noted that it would <br /> be going against the very reasoning used to construct the roundabouts to begin with several <br /> years ago. <br /> Pleasanton City Council 14 10/18/05 <br /> Minutes <br /> ---- <br />