Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2016.02.111 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, February 11, 2016 1. CALL TO ORDER. 7:02 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. 3. ROLL CALL. MEMBER PRESENT: Bush, Martos, Londer, Akers, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: To accept the minutes of January 14, 2016 with the following edits to item 7a: • Replace “valid points” with “reasonable questions” (Page 3); • Replace “particularly the” with “and it’s” (Page 3); • Replace “…program can also be reversed since there isn’t a trial period” with “…residents have the option to seek a reversal in the future despite the fact that there is not a trial period” (Page 3); and • Add “in a systematic way” to line 33 (Page 3). M/S/C: Martos/Wettan; 5/0 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No public comments. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Peak Period (A.M. and P.M.) On-Street Parking Restrictions along 1700 Block of California Drive (Trousdale Drive to Dufferin Avenue). Mr. Wong reviewed the staff report and went through a PowerPoint presentation which indicated that the bicycle community had made requests to staff to make the entire 2 California Drive corridor safe for bicyclist with their primary concerns being speeding, volume of vehicles, lack of a dedicated bike lane, and the pinch-point created, especially for vehicles traveling southbound. Staff has made safety improvements in the past such as driver feedback signs, sharrows, and additional signage. Chair Londer opened public comment. Dale Young lives on California Drive and feels adding red-curbs in front of her residence is unfair compared to the other property owners in other neighborhoods of Burlingame. She should be able to park in front of her residence and visitors should not have to park blocks away. Manito Velasco pleaded to improve the safety along the California Drive corridor as it is a matter of vehicle storage versus public safety. Driver feedback signage and messages to share the road does not help. Carolyn Scott, also a property owner on California Drive, wondered why bicyclists are not encouraged to take frontage roads or side streets. Chair Londer closed public comment and the Commissioners engaged in an active discussion with staff to weigh all options and the impacts to bicyclist, drivers, and property owners along the California Drive corridor. Alternative suggestions were deliberated such as limiting the parking restrictions to the evening only and alternative parking options for the property owners who would be impacted. Chair Londer reopened public comment for this item to address questions and concerns from the public following the Commissioners discussion. A resident along California Drive inquired about the City offering alternative parking for residents during the time periods in which the parking restrictions will be in place since a fellow resident was ticketed for parking along Dufferin Avenue. Warren Goodrich, an avid bicyclist, spoke and shared his observation of the increase in volume of bicyclists based on the expansion of bike racks at the Caltrain station. He also pointed out that property values increase when an area becomes a bicycle friendly corridor. Mr. Goodrich encouraged staff to change the long-term parking lot near 1755 California Drive to a four hour lot. He shared his sympathy with the effected residents but feels safety should be the primary concern. Chair Londer closed the second public comment period. Commissioner Bush inquired about the feasibility of monitoring the impact of overflow parking once the parking restrictions are implemented. Mr. Wong indicated staff can gather data during the times parking is to be prohibited on California Drive. Commissioner Wettan made a motion to support staffs recommendation for the parking 3 restrictions but with a 7:30 am start, as opposed to 7 am. The motion was denied. Commissioner Martos made a motion thereafter to support staffs proposal with the amendment to eliminate the morning parking restrictions and limit it to evenings only. Commissioner Akers supported the motion by providing the language for the motion below. Motion: The Commission recommends that the Council implement a 5 pm to 7 pm weekday parking restriction along the 1700 block of California Drive from Trousdale Drive to Dufferin Avenue. This change will improve bicycle safety along the California Drive corridor which is a critical link between the Millbrae Intermodal Station and the City of Burlingame. M/S/C: Martos/Akers; 5/0 Note: Commissioner Bush originally voted against the motion but shortly after requested to change his vote to support the evening only parking restrictions due to a misunderstanding. Staff assured residents that they will be noticed when the item is scheduled to go before the City Council. Vice-Chair Akers encouraged the residents to also work with their Homeowner’s Association and the possibility of partnering with neighboring businesses for alternative parking options. b) On-Street Parking and Turn Restrictions along Summit Drive (Hillsdale Circle to Easton Drive) and Easton Drive (Summit Drive to Easton Circle) Mr. Wong went over the staff report and corresponding PowerPoint Presentation in regards to a time-limited parking restriction in front of Hoover School at the 2100 block of Summit Drive and 2800 block of Easton Drive. Staff’s proposal also includes turn restrictions, more specifically an eastbound left-turn and westbound right-turn restriction on to Summit Drive essentially making it a one-way road from Hillside to Easton Drive. These changes have been proposed to increase pedestrian safety, improve circulation due to the limited width of the street, provide better visibility to drivers and pedestrians, and to avoid gridlock during the peak drop-off and pick-up periods. Chair Londer opened up the floor for public comment. A resident of Summit Drive shared his support of the proposal having attended the special meeting in January regarding the safety issues presented around the Hoover School site. Lenny, the property owner of 2816 Easton Drive did not support the idea of restricting parking in front of his home as that was one of the reasons he moved to the area. He also has five drivers that reside in the home. Special access for caregivers is necessary for his disabled mother-in-law. With a parking restriction in place, there would be 4 nowhere to relocate the vehicles on the street, and they would have to park blocks away. After talking to neighbors and doing some research, he noted that no other parking restrictions exist in residential areas that are near a school in Burlingame. The unidentified resident that initially spoke got up again to express that it’s the inadequate sidewalks that is the larger problem and is a firm believer that the more room on the roadway, the faster vehicles will travel. Chair Londer closed public comment. The Commissioners engaged in an interactive discussion sympathizing with the homeowners on Easton Drive but also recognizing that student safety is paramount. Commissioner Martos made a recommendation to allow parking at the top of Easton going north as the roadway appears wider. He felt the parked cars would protect the children walking to school from the cars on the roadway, while also being sensitive to the parking needs of the homeowners near the school. Chair Londer reopened public comment at the request of a member of the audience. Lenny spoke again and voiced his support with the revised idea from Commissioner Martos above, but also shared his concerns that the City did not exhaust other traffic safety measures such as speed bumps, before proposing to restrict the on-street parking in front of his home. Chair Londer closed the second public comment period. Commissioner Wettan did not agree to amend staff’s recommendation to modify the parking restrictions for the stretch of Easton Drive in front of Hoover School as he does not see how it will work during the peak drop-off and pick-up periods. The discussion amongst the Commissioners continued as they weighed preserving parking, turn-movements versus the various safety factors. Commissioner Martos reiterated his thought that the parked cars would serve as a barrier and help shield pedestrians walking to school. Commissioner Wettan shared a difference in opinion as he felt the parked cars along Easton will only contribute to traffic congestion and that children could dart in the street between the parked cars. In addition, the design of the traffic island that is to be constructed at the intersection of Summit and Easton Drive in front of 2816 Easton Drive came into question; staff does not have details as to how much space it would take up in the roadway. Based on this fact, the motion below was made. Motion: The Commission supports the staff recommendation with the caveat that Council should reevaluate the need for the imposition of a parking restriction in front of 2816 and 5 2812 Easton after staff has completed design of the proposed island at Easton and Summit. M/S/C: Akers/Bush; 4/1 Commissioner Martos voted against the motion because he felt all three homes along Easton Drive should be included; not just for the two property owners present at the meeting. He feels that vehicles serve as a barrier and make it safer for students walking to and from school. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • US101/Broadway Interchange Project – Construction for Stage 2 scheduled to be completed in March, weather permitting. Removal of barrier to open single lane to access Rollins/Cadillac rescheduled for the weekend of February 19. Also included as part of these changes, would be returning westbound Broadway at Carolan to a single left-turn lane, and three through lanes to California Drive. Caltrans will communicate these changes by way of notices, electronic news, and portable message signs. • Broadway Grade Separation PSR – Staff and the design team will be scheduling direct meetings with individual stakeholders in late-February or early March. There is a video simulation available for viewing on the project page located on the City’s website. • California Drive Roundabout – Staff has reviewed preliminary concept layouts and made comments. Design team to incorporate comments for presentation in second public meeting with the second meeting possibly to occur in March. • TSPC Email Communications – Five communications summarized below. Date Request Status 1/12/16 Striping of crosswalks on Broadway Responded; staff to review 1/13/16 Red curbing along ECR Responded; work order to be issued 1/19/16 Comment regarding pedestrian safety n/a 1/21/16 Speeding along Rivera and Arguello PD dispatched, gathering data to review 2/5/16 Burlingame/CA Dr pedestrian crossing Responded, staff to review signal timing • Downtown Parking Strategies – Parking lot inventory delayed due to weather, to resume this month. The original plan was to use photos taken throughout the day to help determine parking needs. Based on feedback from Commissioner Martos, he encouraged staff to utilize newer technology to gather data and to use the assistance of BPAC to review data. Mr. W ong will strategize with Chair Londer regarding data collection. Survey and data from downtown parking survey to be presented at upcoming meeting. 6 • Hoover School Update – City and District both continuing efforts for respective improvements. • Rollins Road/North Carolan Avenue Pilot Stop Sign – City to implement a pilot stop sign on Rollins Road. Intersection to be monitored by Police and Engineering. Analysis to be brought back at future TSPC meeting. • San Mateo County Measure A Application – Communications with the Transit Authority have indicated that the City's project ranked 11th out of the 20 projects submitted, however ranked 3rd in the amount awarded. Subsequently, staff was informed there was an accounting error at which means they do not have the amount of funding previously presumed and the City’s project may fall off the list. • Carolan Avenue Update – Project is currently under archeological review. • TSPC Priority List {Revised January 2016): TSPC Lead Effort 1 Downtown Modal Access 2 B/PAC setup 3 School Speed Limit Notices/Review 4 School Traffic Issues 5 California Drive Commuter bike route 6 California Drive parking restrictions 7 Broadway Parking 8 Public Shuttles/Transit 9 Downtown Speed Limit Review 10 Review TSPC Mandate 11 Joint agreements with Caltrans Countywide 12 ECR Corridor Infrastructure 13 Bay Trail 14 Fee Schedules Joint Commission Meeting (City Council) Staff Update via Engineer's Report 1 Caltrans' ECR/Floribunda (left-turn restriction now implemented) 2 Hoover School Update 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 5 California Roundabout 6 General Plan - Circulation Element 7 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 8 Taxi Regulation: Update by BPD 9 Carolan Complete Streets Update 10 Grant Opportunities 11 Grade Separation 12 Traffic Brochure 13 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Ford shared information about taxi cab requirements and data in Burlingame as follows: • The Burlingame Police Department is responsible for issuing permits for taxi cab vehicles and their drivers, • Drivers go through a background process which includes livescan and driving history; • The Police Department is notified of any arrests and or convictions of the permitees and can respond accordingly; • A cab inspection is part of the initial permitting process and ongoing under cover compliance checks are conducted thereafter; • Driver’s must be permitted to pick up passengers in Burlingame; permits not required if only dropping off passengers in Burlingame; • It is estimated there are about 70 permitted cabs and 60 permitted drivers in Burlingame; and • There does not appear to be an impact on taxi permits/drivers with the arrival of Uber. Sergeant Ford will report back to TSPC regarding the taxi cab procedures at San Francisco International Airport and the differences between the long and short trips. There were a total of 28 accidents all in different areas of the City since the last TSPC meeting. One accident occurred at the intersection of El Camino Real and Floribunda Avenue but was minor in nature. Another accident at Bayswater and El Camino Real involved a 10-year old who was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. Subsequently an arrest for a felony hit and run was made. The child suffered only superficial injuries. Selected traffic enforcement at Burlingame Avenue and California Drive for vehicles failing to yield to vehicles with the right-of-way to pedestrians and at Arguello and Rivera Drive for speeding has yielded no traffic violations. The Police Department has received a lot of complaints about turn only lanes at California and Broadway, 45 citations have been issued in that intersection alone. 8 A new full-time parking enforcement officer starts February 22—he was previously a part-time employee. The Burlingame Police Department was honored to escort the Wounded Warriors football team to CSM. Scheduled DUI checkpoints will take place on February 27 and St. Patrick’s Day. In the month of March, the Police Department will be hosting the Office of Traffic Safety for traffic safety and DUI saturation patrol and therefore you may notice a lot more traffic officers out in the field. c) Farmer’s Market There is an opportunity to work the Farmer’s Markets on February 21. Commissioners Martos and Wettan are available to participate with Chair Londer if the weather permits. Efforts during the Farmer’s Market include conducting a parking survey and the distribution of new parking brochures. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Chair Londer met with the Director of Public Works to resolve issues and open up communication. Commissioner Martos reported that the Citizen’s Advisory Commission met on February 10 and the group has been making progress. Previous discussion topics have included the Burlingame Avenue downtown area, Broadway, and California Drive. At the February meeting the topics were El Camino Real and Bayfront. A lot of good ideas are being generated while keeping the focus on big picture, long-term strategic ideas. The next Citizen’s Advisory Commission meeting is in two weeks and the topic will be Rollins Road. Commissioner Bush and Wettan met with the citizen’s of BPAC regarding the mission, purpose and structure of BPAC. They will meet with Silicon Valley Bike Coalition Coordinator next month to refine ideas. Commissioner Wettan noted that a lot of progress has been made with BPAC and getting a consensus on how the regular participants would like to see it structured. After some discussion, Wettan felt there was a lot of broad consensus on the big issues. Commissioner Wettan indicated he had a good meeting with the Director of Public Works and then sought additional clarification regarding taxi cab regulations at the San Francisco International Airport. Chair Londer closed by thanking Mr. Morimoto, Assistant Public Works Director for attending the meeting. 9 8. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS None. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Neighborhood speed limits/school zones, Broadway parking, and items that tie into the General Plan update were discussed as future agenda items. It was decided to add school zone speed limits to next month’s meeting for a high level discussion. Mr. Wong will gather and bring all pertinent data. 10. ADJOURNMENT 10:09 p.m.