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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2017.02.091 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Special Meeting of Thursday, February 9, 2017 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:01 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBER PRESENT: Akers, Bush, Londer, Martos, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: To accept the minutes of January 12, 2017 with the following two edits:  Item 6b, page 5 – remove rankings from priority items; and  Item 7a, page 8, table 2, task 12 – remove strikethrough of traffic brochure. M/S/C: Martos/Londer; 5/0/0 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No public comment. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) City Hall Traffic Calming Mr. Wong opened by providing background regarding the traffic calming effort in the City Hall vicinity to date. He indicated residents in the area have been requesting traffic calming improvements over the past several years. He said the most recent iteration 2 included a meeting with staff and residents along Floribunda where residents indicated speed and lack of pedestrian facilities in the area were their two biggest concerns. In response, the City installed (and reinstalled) driver feedback signs on Floribunda, and additional pedestrian signage around the traffic island in front of City Hall. The City Council also approved funding for a traffic study and Traffic Patterns was selected. Mr. Wong went on to explain that two public meetings have been held to date and for those meetings staff expanded its outreach efforts to include residents not only on Floribunda and Almer but also on Douglas, Bellevue, Ansel and the remaining stretch of Floribunda. Based on input at each of the public meetings, Mr. Wong said the design team refined the suggested improvements and came up with the following variations:  Long-Term Improvements – included raised traffic islands, curb extensions, and new curb ramps with three crosswalks at each intersection. The challenges with this design included significant loss of on-street parking (up to 40 spaces total), loss of landscaping, including mature trees, and changing the drainage pattern which would require additional engineering and survey work.  Near-Term Improvements – included the same conceptual plan as the long- term improvements but using a striping plan as opposed to the raised traffic islands, new curb gutters, ramps and crosswalks. Chair Wettan opened the floor for public comment. James Tosh of 1244 Bellevue Avenue was in favor of the traffic circle concept. Eugene Zauber of 1515 Floribunda indicated he presented a petition for traffic calming to the TSPC a few years ago but felt there was never any movement. He said the traffic feedback sign does not deter drivers from speeding. He closed by indicating the first priority should be the safety of the residents and the loss of parking was not as big of a concern for him. Stephen Hollman indicated he was a former TSP Commissioner and that he went to the Department of Public Works in 2009 and offered a solution before the City Council in 2011. He went on to say that during that time, the Mayor directed the Burlingame Police Department to do targeted enforcement on Floribunda. Mr. Hollman stated there have been no solutions for the last eight years and also claimed to have reached out directly to the Public Works Director, Transportation Engineer and Secretary. He closed by stating he felt the first step for traffic calming is police enforcement—ticket and tow, and secondly, the City should look into adding the area to the Residential Parking Permit Program. Larry Stevenson spoke up and felt there should not be any loss of parking with the long- term concept with the proper design and or realignment of the sidewalks. 3 Mr. Root who resides on Douglas felt the loss of parking will greatly impact the residents on Douglas. June Kaufman of 1244 Bellevue has lived in the area for three years and felt the lack of stop control at the corner of Bellevue and Primrose is dangerous as she has witnessed vehicles whipping around the corner in front of the Library consistently. Chair Wettan closed public comment and sought feedback from his fellow Commissioners. Commissioner Martos requested Mr. Wong to prioritize the intersections starting with the heaviest traveled to which he responded with the following rankings: (1) Floribunda and Almer; (2) Floribunda and Ansel; and (3) Bellevue and Almer. Commissioner Martos also inquired about other possible negative consequences and Mr. Wong stated that he thought there would be no other negative consequences to the conceptual plans other than the loss of parking. Commissioner Martos suggested a hybrid approach—find a compromise—in order to preserve some parking but more importantly increase pedestrian safety. For example, he suggested to apply the raised traffic island, new curb, ramps, crosswalks, etc. to the highest traveled intersection and apply the striping plan approach to the least traveled intersection. Commissioner Martos also noted that any of the striping design concepts should have reflective qualities. Commissioner Londer thought the long-term solution was best but is greatly concerned about the loss of parking. He suggested staff look into the possibility of adding the City Hall area to the Residential Parking Permit Program to deter employees in the surrounding areas to park there. Commissioner Londer was not in favor of the striping plan with the potted plants as he stated the design did not fit the character of the neighborhood. Vice-Chair Bush thanked the residents in the audience for their feedback. After several clarifying questions directed to Mr. Wong, Vice-Chair Bush inquired about the process to add the area around City Hall to the Residential Parking Permit Program. Mr. Wong indicated that the area is eligible and would confirm the two-thirds signature requirement. Vice-Chair Bush stated he was in favor of the temporary solution “striping plan” as the parking loss is minimal, and he also liked the idea of having a weekend demonstration to allow residents to get a feel for the configuration. Mr. Wong indicated that the consultant could meet that request by laying out the concept in chalk and allow the residents to walk and or drive through. Lastly Vice-Chair Bush encouraged staff to tweak the aesthetics as the current design with the planters is not visually appealing. Commissioner Akers indicated he was supportive of a temporary, phased approach and encouraged this interim step as a field test to see how people respond to it. As far as the 4 design details go, he noted his concern regarding trees obstructing the view of pedestrians. Commissioner Akers encouraged staff to work with the Fire Department due to access concerns and not to use the standard design template for this project. He felt signage is key to help teach people how to properly use a traffic circle. Commissioner Akers felt the intersection of Floribunda and Ansel is critical as it is a common route to school for many students and since the gate near the intersection of Floribunda and Almer is locked and therefore no pathway, he felt the City should not invest the kind of resources proposed with the long-term design. He recognized the large concern regarding the loss of parking and encouraged members of the community to work with Engineering staff regarding the Residential Parking Permit Program and to report cars parked longer than 3 days. He closed his comments by indicating his support of a stop sign at the corner of Floribunda and Primrose. Chair Wettan indicated that his fellow Commissioners covered most of his comments and questions but did indicate his growing concern with the two-hour parking restriction and the impacts to downtown parking capacity. He also agreed with his fellow Commissioners in that he didn’t feel the planters were aesthetically pleasing. Stephen Hollman spoke again to clarify that the Department of Public Works was not in favor of the Residential Parking Permit program when they inquired in past years. He went on to request information regarding the petition process to which Chair Wettan advised him that staff would get him all the information he needs. The Commissioners, staff and members of the public continued an interactive dialog which resulted in the following: Motion: The Commission request that staff further refines the proposal based on the feedback provided by the commission this evening and for staff to come back with a further refined proposal. M/S/C: Akers/Martos; 5/0/0 b) TSPC 2017 Priorities Discussion The Commissioners went through an interactive exercise to prioritize the following goals for the 2017 calendar year. TSPC Led Effort Rank Project / Task 1 Downtown Modal Access 2 School Traffic Issues 3 California Complete Streets 4 B/PAC setup 5 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 6 SR2S Review 5 7 Broadway Parking 8 Public Shuttles/Transit 9 Grant Strategies 10 ECR Corridor (ECR Task Force) 11 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 12 Parking and traffic considerations w/Planning 13 Bay Trail 14 Intro to Paving Staff Update via Report Rank Project / Task 1 Caltrans’ ECR/Floribunda 2 Hoover School Update 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 5 California Drive Roundabout 6 General Plan – Circulation Element 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 8 Rec Center Parking 9 Carolan Complete Streets Update 10 Grant Opportunities 11 Grade Separation 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 13 School Speed Limit Updates 14 Burlingame Point - Bay Trail 15 School Safety Improvements 16 California Drive Complete Streets 17 California Drive parking restrictions 18 Traffic Brochure c) Sub-Committee Organization After a short discussion, the Commission agreed that the Sub-Committees will remain the same from the previous year as they still align with their goals and priorities, with the addition of two more—El Camino Real Task Force and Burlingame Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. To reiterate, those subcommittees from the 2016 calendar year are: (1) School Speed Limits; (2) Downtown Parking; (3) Broadway Parking; and (4) Envision Burlingame. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports  US101/Broadway Interchange Project – Stage 4 work is approaching its completion in February. No roadway closures anticipated. 6  2016-2017 Street Resurfacing Program – Below is the preliminary list of streets the City is planning on resurfacing as part of the program. This list is subject to change due to unforeseeable conditions encountered during the bid process as well as construction. Staff has completed an initial “Complete Streets” review, and will meet with community BPAC members to obtain their input as well. LOCATION BETWEEN BAYSHORE HIGHWAY BURLWAY AIRPORT CAPUCHINO AVE MILLS GROVE CLARENDON RD DWIGHT BURLINGAME DRAKE AVE CARMELITA SANCHEZ EL CAMINO FRONTAGE MURCHINSON DUFFERIN LAGUNA AVE MILLS GROVE LAUREL AVE PARK OAK GROVE NEWHALL RD SANCHEZ FORESTVIEW OGDEN DR MURCHINSON TROUSDALE PALOMA AVE MILLS GROVE PARK RD BURLINGAME HOWARD PENINSULA DR CALIFORNIA HUMBOLDT SANCHEZ AVE DRAKE EL CAMINO SEBASTIAN WAY TROUSDALE ARGUELLO SEQUOIA AVE TROUSDALE CLARICE VERNON WAY BLOOMFIELD CLARENDON  California Drive Complete Streets – Second meeting for the project completed.  Larkspur/Linden Traffic Circle – Contract finalized, moving towards project kick-off meeting with contractor.  Hoover School Update – No update.  School Speed Limit – Work order to be generated to install 15 mph school signage along Quesada, Cortez, and Cabrillo.  TSPC Email Communications – No new communications.  TSPC Priority List (Updated February 2017): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Modal Access 2 B/PAC setup 6/9/16: Item 6a 3 School Speed Limit Notices/Review 9/8/16: Item 6b 4 School Traffic Issues 3/10/16: Item 6a 5 California Drive Commuter bike route 2/11/16: Item 6b 7 6 California Drive parking restrictions 7/14/16: Item 7a 7 Broadway Parking 7/14/16: Item 6a 8 Public Shuttles/Transit 9 Downtown Speed Limit Review 10 Review TSPC Mandate 11 Joint agreements with Caltrans Countywide 12 ECR Corridor Infrastructure 4/14/16 & 5/12/16 13 Bay Trail 14 Fee Schedules 15 Joint Commission Meeting (City Council) Staff Update via Report 1 Caltrans’ ECR/Floribunda Completed 2 Hoover School Update 1/12/17: Item 7a 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 12/8/16: Item 6a 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 9/8/16: Item 7a 5 California Roundabout 9/8/16: Item 7a 6 General Plan – Circulation Element 10/13/16: Item 8d 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 8 Taxi Regulation: Update by BPD Completed 9 Carolan Complete Streets Update 1/12/17: Item 7a 10 Grant Opportunities 12/8/16: Item 7a 11 Grade Separation 4/14/16: Item 6b 12 Traffic Brochure Completed 13 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 12/9/16: Item 7a b) Police Department Reports Since the last TSPC meeting, Sergeant Shepley reported that injury accidents and hit and run accidents are down from the previous report last month. There were no accidents at the intersection of El Camino Real and Floribunda. More notably, he said there were zero vehicle / pedestrian accidents. c) Farmer’s Market Chair Wettan and Commissioner Londer attended the January Farmer’s Market and reported that no issues were raised when speaking to surrounding businesses and or the general public. The Commission will not participate in the Farmer’s Market on February 19 due to the holiday weekend. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Vice-Chair Bush shared comments he saw on Nextdoor.com regarding the increase of traffic on Howard Avenue and wondering if it is relation to the new construction in the 8 area. Chair Wettan mentioned a new project behind the hospital and that the residents on Davis are concerned with additional cars diverting through the neighborhood due to construction. 8. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) Chair Wettan and Commissioner Martos indicated that they will meet monthly with a plan to collect strategies that were hashed out over the years in addition to reviewing the data recently collected by the Commission. Chair Wettan said he wanted a fresh look at the downtown parking conditions after the holidays. The Commission planned to collect additional data points over the next month as well. b) Broadway Parking (Wettan & Bush) Chair Wettan and Vice-Chair Bush indicated they plan to survey employees and discuss within the next few weeks. c) School Speed Limits (Londer & Akers) No update. d) Envision Burlingame (Martos & Londer) No update; Commissioner Martos indicated the next meeting is scheduled for the end of February. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS  California Complete Streets  Subcommittee efforts  Community Quality of Life Presentation by City Manager and PW Director  City Hall Traffic Calming 10. ADJOURNMENT 9:57 p.m.