Merced Traffic Committee Meeting - January 13, 2026
Merced Traffic Committee Meeting - January 13, 2026
The Traffic Committee met on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The committee reviewed three action items: a request for red curbing at a sewer lift station, and two requests for four-way stop signs at intersections near schools and residential areas. Decisions included approval of red curbing, denial of one stop sign request, and approval of another.
Committee Reports
- Police Department announced that Sergeant Fister is the new Traffic Sergeant, replacing the retiring Sergeant McKinnon.
- Planning Department announced a General Plan Update open house on January 28, 2026, from 2:00 to 6:00 PM at City Hall.
- Engineering Department announced that future meeting requests will be submitted through an online form.
Discussion Items
F1: Request #26-01 – Red Curbing at Rancho Camino Drive at Granada Ct.
- Public Works Supervisor AJ D’Stasio explained that parked vehicles, including tow trucks, block access to the city sewer lift station. Despite existing "No Parking" signs and previous outreach to residents, the problem persists. Red curbing would allow police to enforce towing.
- Committee discussed alternatives (e.g., moving the gate, adding chains) but agreed that red curbing is an appropriate first step. A motion to approve was made and seconded.
- Vote: Unanimously approved (all ayes).
F2: Request #26-02 – Four-Way Stop Signs at 20th St and S St.
- A citizen requested stop signs on 20th Street due to multiple accidents and blocked views near Fremont Elementary School. Current stop signs are only on S Street.
- Committee reviewed accident data: 2 crashes in the last 12 months, and 5 over the last several years. Police noted 3 crashes in the last year, but later clarified 2. The number did not meet state warrants (typically 5 in 12 months). School district had not identified this intersection as a priority.
- Planning member supported the request due to school proximity, but Public Works and other members opposed because it did not meet warrants and could create liability.
- Motion: To deny the request as presented.
- Vote: Unanimously approved (all ayes) to deny.
F3: Request #26-03 – Four-Way Stop Signs at 12th St and Canal St.
- A citizen requested stop signs on Canal Street due to multiple accidents. Stop signs currently exist on 12th Street only.
- Committee noted a significant number of accidents (specific count not read, but agreed it meets warrants). Fire Chief confirmed it meets multi-way stop warrants.
- Public Works suggested that vehicles parking too close to the intersection may contribute to accidents.
- Motion: To approve the request.
- Vote: Unanimously approved (all ayes).
Key Outcomes
- Approved red curbing on both sides of the end of Rancho Camino Drive at Granada Ct. (Request #26-01)
- Denied the request for four-way stop signs at 20th St and S St. (Request #26-02)
- Approved the request for four-way stop signs at 12th St and Canal St. (Request #26-03)
- The committee will continue coordination with the school district regarding safety improvements.
Meeting Transcript
Roll call. Let's see. PD. Here. Fire. Here. Planning. Here. Public works. Here. And I'm representing engineering. Uh please remember to unmute your microphones when you are speaking today. Members of the audience who wish to address the traffic committee are asked to submit a request to speak for them located on the podium at the back of the council chamber and submit it to the clerk. Ideally before your item is called. Speakers will be allowed three minutes. If you intend on using technology for your presentation, please leave a copy for the record. Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during the portion this portion of the meeting, and we'll be allotted three minutes. Please identify yourself and your city of residence. Okay. From the PD, I just want to uh make an official announcement that uh Sergeant Fister is the new uh traffic sergeant. He's here with us today. Uh Sergeant McKinnon is going to be retiring soon, which I've said before, so we uh had to replace him with Sergeant Fister, which we can get him trained up. Yes, we are in the well, really at the beginning stages of our general plan update. Uh we will be having a an open house um from two to six on January twenty-eighth, um, here at City Hall. So please come down and take a look at our assets and uh our assets and uh conditions and uh it's an idea it's an opportunity for you to give your opinion about where the city should go. It's a blueprint uh for the city's growth and everything including public safety infrastructure as well as land use. So we hope to see you and hear from you. As far as as far as engineering, we will be moving these meetings to an online request form process. Uh stay tuned for more directions on that. Come on up, please. Right, right up so we can get you recorded. Hi, I'm uh AJ D'Stasio, the uh public works supervisor for the Suvern Storm Department. Um in regard to that, um, just to add on a little bit, we have contacted all the residents around that area in the past and asked them to you know please refrain from parking there. Um explaining, you know, we do have the need to get large equipment in that area, and it's a single gate that that has that road blocked off. Um we do have no parking signs everywhere, but um it has not made a difference in any of that. So we have you know made several attempts to you know ask um the community to go parking there. But you know, that being said, we've been out there in the middle of the night and we've unable to access our facilities just because of you know, just individuals parking everywhere. That's all I had. So you're looking at painting a red curb in that area as well as the signage? Correct, yeah, because uh as it is now, you know, if we call code enforcement during the day, they're like, well, you know, it's it's an unmarked curb, they can technically park there, so there's really not a whole lot that can be done about it. Okay, thank you. Bring it back to the committee for discussion. Anyone? I went out there and looked at it. Um I agree the way that it's designed out there. Uh there's there's a parking issue, uh, but I think the issue is more or less uh where the gate is placed. It's placed off to the side directly behind the sidewalk, which naturally I mean somebody's probably gonna park there because it's a uh it's an open road, like you said, it's it's not marked, uh no parking. Um just wondering if there's any way we could maybe just move the gate over instead of painting the curves. I have a photograph of it too if that makes a difference. If we want to, I don't know if you want to display it so everybody can see it.
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