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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2016.08.111 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, August 11, 2016 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:01 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBER PRESENT: Bush, Londer, Martos, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: Akers 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: To accept the minutes of July 14, 2016 with the following three edits: • Page 4, item 7a, staff update table – add a slash between the month and date in row 4; • Page 4, item 7b, paragraph 4 – change reference of Mr. Pene to Officer Pene; and • Page 5, item 7d, paragraph 1 – Correct website for the General Plan Update to www.envisionburlingame.org. M/S/C: Martos/Bush; 4/0/1 (Akers absent) 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No public comments. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Hoover School Reopening (Oral Discussion) Mr. Wong went through the PowerPoint presentation and highlighted the status of the 2 proposed improvements for Hoover School which is set to reopen on August 24, 2016. He stated that new pedestrian ramps, crosswalks, a traffic island, stop controls and Hillside Circle and Alvarado Avenue, and traffic and parking restriction signage during peak drop-off and pick-up times (pilot program) have been completed. The remaining improvements to complete prior to August 24 include additional restriping and signage, pavement legends, curb extensions and remaining concrete work around the traffic island fronting the school. Chair Londer indicated he visited the Hoover School area in the afternoon prior to the meeting and commented that it appeared everything is coming together. Mr. Wong clarified for Commissioner Wettan that there were in fact two crosswalks on Alvarado Avenue. The first crosswalk was for getting across the intersection and the other was for using the Easton stairs. Commissioner Wettan suggested that the City look into additional reflectors and/or trimming the tree that is partially obstructing a stop sign on Hillside Drive. Commissioner Wettan commented on the poor conditions of the walking path on Easton Circle near the gate. Mr. Wong explained that the short stretch of sidewalk on Easton Circle was not included in the proposed short-term improvements. Sergeant Ford explained that starting the first week of school, traffic officers, parking enforcement, and all reserves have adjusted their hours in order to saturate specific areas to address parking, traffic flow, and/or safety problems. He added that the School Resource Officer has also been working very closely with the School District. He also indicated that the Police Department will also utilize social media to help continue educating parents and residents. Commissioner Bush confirmed with Mr. Wong that Engineering staff would be collecting and reviewing pedestrian flow data in order to modify and/or make additional improvements. Commissioner Bush also encouraged staff to survey parents and faculty regarding the implemented improvements and any pertinent feedback about their experience. He also asked if City staff or members of the TSPC would be attending any School District meetings that would include the students’ parents after the reopening of Hoover School. Mr. Wong indicated he would look into this and report back. Commissioner Martos clarified with Sergeant Ford that that traffic enforcement officers would start with issuing warnings and educating people rather than immediately issuing citations. He also suggested to Sergeant Ford to include the parking restrictions on the pedestrian and traffic flow maps. Commissioner Martos shared the same concern as Commissioner Wettan in regards to the path on Easton Circle near the gates. He also urged staff to have a discussion with the City Attorney sooner rather than later to review the current conditions of the walking path and assess the risk to the City. Additionally, Commissioner Martos brought up the stop sign concern on Canyon Road 3 that was brought up by a homeowner at a previous TSPC meeting. He said the stop sign is located approximately 100 yards before a crosswalk and felt this may be a danger to pedestrians. Mr. Wong explained that there is no curb or place to relocate the stop sign and it’s in the most ideal location given the current road conditions. He also said moving the stop sign would create additional sight problems due to the brick wall nearby. In closing, Commissioner Martos thanked staff for their efforts related to the Hoover School improvements. b) School Speed Limits (Sub-Committee Report) Chair Londer shared that he and Vice-Chair Akers discussed and recommend implementing a school speed zone reduction to 15 MPH on Quesada Way. He indicated this would be a prime location for a pilot program, as it would impact two schools— Franklin Elementary and Burlingame Intermediate School (BIS). Chair Londer pointed out that the factors that favor the speed reduction on Quesada Way are outlined in the staff report. Mr. Wong commented on the staff report and indicated that it would be preferred to start this as a pilot program, as Chair Londer stated. He also shared discussions he has had with the City of Los Altos regarding residents contesting speed reductions on multilane roads—similar to Trousdale Drive. Lastly, Mr. Wong recommended staff reach out to the School District to obtain their insight on possible locations for school speed reductions before forwarding a recommendation to the City Council. Commissioner Martos said he is in agreement with the current plan and location, but did make note that he thought the stretch between Trousdale Drive and Davis Drive was a little excessive (over 500 feet). He did suggest that the Commissioners start to think about how to measure the success of the pilot program to determine if it should be implemented permanently. Mr. Wong suggested that the plan to poll the parents of Hoover School might present an opportunity to “piggy-back” and gain feedback regarding the BIS/Franklin Elementary School speed reduction pilot program. Commissioner Bush inquired as to how the City might measure success of the pilot program and suggested that impacts to bicyclists and pedestrian counts could be useful indicators. He also asked about the timing of the pilot program, such as when to start and how long it should run. Mr. Wong explained that other pilot programs the City has conducted were typically for one year. Commissioner Wettan shared the same concerns over the measurement of success and how long to run the pilot program. He also suggested that a reduction in the number of accidents might be a valuable metric, although difficult to prove. Commissioner Wettan complimented Chair Londer and Vice-Chair Akers on their thoughtful and well-done 4 analysis. Chair Londer closed by clarifying that no action would be taken at this time. He added that staff will reach out to the School District regarding their feedback and recommendation(s) about the suggested location of the pilot program; and, if they feel any other location(s) might be a larger safety threat. The Sub-Committee will iron out additional details such as metrics of success, start date, etc.; and the Commission will resume this discussion at the next TSPC meeting. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • US101/Broadway Interchange Project – Grading in preparation of the eastern overpass approaches were started in late July and will be completed by the second week of August. Grading and construction of abutment walls for the southwest approach will continue throughout August with the goal to build retaining walls to hold fill for eastbound Broadway overpass by mid-September. Utility work is being carried out for all of August. • California Drive Roundabout – Awaiting date for next public meeting to review aesthetic treatments. • TSPC Email Communications – No new communications. • City Hall Complete Streets Study – Revising finalized concepts. Working to present to the Commission at an upcoming meeting. • California Drive Bike Facility – First public meeting completed on July 26. Balanced attendance with bicyclists and residents. Design team obtained comments; will work on draft options which will be presented at the next yet to be scheduled meeting. • TSPC Priority List (Updated August 2016): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Modal Access 2 B/PAC setup 6/9/16: Item 6a 3 School Speed Limit Notices/Review 8/11/16: Item 6b 4 School Traffic Issues 3/10/16: Item 6a 5 California Drive Commuter bike route 2/11/16: Item 6b 6 California Drive parking restrictions 7/14/16: Item 7a 7 Broadway Parking 7/14/16: Item 6a 8 Public Shuttles/Transit 5 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 8/11/16: Item 6a 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 7/14/16: Item 6b 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 7/14/16: Item 7a 5 California Roundabout 6/9/16: Item 7a 6 General Plan – Circulation Element 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 8 Taxi Regulation: Update by BPD 9 Carolan Complete Streets Update 6/9/16: Item 6b 10 Grant Opportunities 11 Grade Separation 4/14/16: Item 6b 12 Traffic Brochure Completed 13 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC b) Police Department Reports Since the last TSPC meeting, Sergeant Ford indicated there have been 20 vehicular accidents. Of the twenty accidents, four were with minor injuries; there were no fatalities or major injury accidents. No accidents occurred at El Camino Real and Floribunda. Sergeant Ford compared the statistics for vehicular accidents for the 2015 calendar year and year-to-date in 2016. 2015 2016 (thru 8/11/16) Total Accidents 182 199 Total Injury Accidents 105 74 (1 fatality) Sergeant Ford indicated the OTS mobilization period will begin August 19, 2016 through September 5, 2016. During this period he explained there will be additional traffic enforcement, including a DUI checkpoint and targeted railroad safety crossing enforcement at Broadway and Oak Grove. National Night Out was on August 2, 2016. Although Sergeant Ford did not have any statistics to share just yet, he indicated the event went very well. 6 c) Farmer’s Market It was noted that the next Farmer’s Market is scheduled for August 14 and Commissioner Martos commented that this would be a good opportunity to continue surveying merchants and patrons. Mr. Wong agreed to send Commissioner Martos the list of survey responses the City has already collected to date. Commissioner Martos chose to work from 9 – 11 am and Chair Londer from 11 am – noon. Commissioner Wettan may participate if his schedule permits. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Chair Londer said that he attended the most recent Envision Burlingame meeting for the General Plan Update with the main topics of discussion being historical preservation and resources and sustainability (recycling requirements and green practices). He indicated the next Envision Burlingame meeting is scheduled for the end of September but the consultant and City staff will be presenting to the City Council in early September. Commissioner Bush attended the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Summit. Some key discussion topics included the revised California standards for bicycle facilities and temporary/experimental bicycle facilities and the outcomes. In addition, Commissioner Bush spoke to Alta Planning + Design regarding consideration of a more comprehensive bicycle plan for Burlingame. He also spoke with a representative from San Mateo County (SMC) regarding a pedestrian and bicycle collision study they conducted and SMC would like to visit Burlingame to discuss their findings. Lastly, Commissioner Bush indicated he has been in touch with some folks concerning the future of the BPAC. He said he spoke with the store manager of Summit Bicycles to inquire about attending the next quarterly Pen Velo meeting, as they have approximately 300 members, regarding the potential path forward for BPAC. Commissioner Martos inquired about filling the leadership role of the BPAC which led into a short discussion where the Commission agreed that additional efforts can be made to find someone to fill that key role such as a call out in the City newsletter/Enews. Mr. Wong indicated he would look into outreach options to assist with BPAC leadership and participation. 8. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS Commissioner Wettan clarified the data collection efforts that were agreed upon at the August TSPC meeting. • Data collection period to begin after Labor Day through the month of October; • Each Commissioner to sign up for 10 slots (or recruit assistance); and • Data should be collected during lunch time/mid-day Monday through Saturday 7 and in the evenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Mr. Wong indicated he will revise and redistribute the sign-up sheet to the Commissioners. Commissioner Wettan inquired about his role on the El Camino Real Stakeholders Committee to which Mr. Wong indicated he has not heard any news regarding the Stakeholders group and would obtain a status update. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Staff update / action items regarding school speed limit reduction pilot program; and • Report back on the reopening of Hoover School. 10. ADJOURNMENT 8:43 p.m.