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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2004.05.13The City of Burlingame CITY HALL - 501 PRIMROSE ROAD CALIFORNIA 94010-3997 www.burlingame.org TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, May 13, 2004 Commissioners Present:Russ Cohen, Chair Stephen Warden, Vice Chair Eugene Condon Jim McIver Commissioners Absent:None Staff Present:Augustine Chou, Traffic Engineer, Public Works Sgt. Dawn Cutler, Police Department Doris Mortensen, Administrative Secretary, Public Works Staff Absent:None Visitors:John Balen, 1700 Easton Drive, Burlingame Mark Asbury, 1320 Cortez Avenue, Burlingame Tom Seaney, 25 Marialindact, Hillsborough Joan Cleary, 1337 Cabrillo Avenue, Burlingame Brian Bailard, 1329 Cabrillo Avenue, Burlingame Jim Petrucci, 1357 Cabrillo Avenue, Burlingame Frank Lowe, 1333 Cabrillo Avenue, Burlingame Elaine Scoles, 616 Plymouth Way, Burlingame John Wang, 1341 Cabrillo Avenue, Burlingame Peter Wu, 1315 Cabrillo Avenue, Burlingame Ash McNeely, 1236 Paloma Avenue, Burlingame John Ward, 792 Willborough Place, Burlingame Debbie deQuant, 1232 Paloma Avenue, Burlingame Jean Chong, 1513 Burlingame Avenue, Burlingame Ron Field, 1249 Paloma Avenue, Burlingame TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, May 13, 2004 1.CALL TO ORDER. 7:00 p.m. 2.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. 3. ROLL CALL. 4 of 4 Commissioners present. 4.CURRENT BUSINESS. 4.1 ACTION ITEMS. 4.1.1 Approval of Minutes for April 8, 2004 It was moved and seconded (Comms. Warden/McIver) to approve the April 8, 2004 minutes; unanimously approved by the Commission. 4.1.2 Confirm Citizen Committee for Occidental Avenue Chair Cohen stated that the two-member citizens’ committee will consist of Frank Kelly and Elizabeth Yost. He said that they each have opposing views on this issue and would supply the Commission with separate quarterly reports. It was moved and seconded (Comms. Condon/Warden) to accept the committee members. Unanimously approved by the Commission. After the committee members receive confirmation, the City will start covering the parking limit signs. 4.2 DISCUSSION ITEMS. 4.2.1 Evaluate on-street parking situation on 1300 block of Cortez Avenue and Cabrillo Avenue Mr. Chou stated that staff had been contacted by Our Lady of Angels (OLA) church and school administrations, as well as the on-site preschool, regarding traffic problems on Cortez Avenue. Several field meetings were conducted involving City staff, OLA representatives, and parents. It was during these meetings that the City was also informed of the traffic problem on Cabrillo Avenue. Mr. Chou explained that there is a clearer plan to address the traffic situation on Cortez, but that a solution to the Cabrillo side was still open for evaluation. He said that under the current situation on Cortez, the existing white zones are not being fully utilized due to their split placement on each side of the mid-block crosswalk. He added that in their current location, the white zones are unusable by the preschool parents because they must park and sign in their children. Staff proposed moving the white zone south of the mid-block crosswalk and eliminating the parking restriction along the rest of the street. From the floor, Ms. Cleary stated she represents the 1300 block of Cabrillo and would like dialogue with the school. She said that other schools seem to manage their traffic issues. Mr. Lowe stated that he was against the white zone on Cabrillo because day workers have difficulty finding parking. Mr. Bailard agreed with Ms. Cleary and added that there are 40 preschool children that need to be picked up and dropped off on Cortez. Mr. Balen stated that there is also a truck loading issue every day, both day and night. He said that regardless of parking zones, people park everywhere. He also added that the “No Parking” sign in front of his house at the corner of Easton and Cortez is usually The City of Burlingame Page 2 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, May 13, 2004 ignored, and the church on Easton also adds to the parking problem in this area. Mr. Asbury stated that he lives on Cortez near the school’s gym where there are a lot of activities going on all the time, and they create a lot of traffic. He stated that since cars are parked everywhere, it is difficult to access his driveway. Mr. Sheaney represented OLA and stated that he is interested in working on a solution. Ms. Scoles works at OLA and stated that Cabrillo is the only place for staff to park and requested the Commission not consider the white zone along Cabrillo. Comm. Condon stated that there is a need for parents’ involvement to help move traffic. He suggested making Cortez and Cabrillo one-way streets. Vice Chair Warden stated that the school, parents and neighbors must work together. He suggested Cortez be made one-way southbound and Cabrillo one-way northbound. He also stated that more off-street parking would be available if the school did some paving and striping on the Cortez side, north of the mid-block crosswalk. Chair Cohen recommended formation of a subcommittee made up of parents, residents, school and church administrations and a traffic commissioner to discuss solutions. Comm. Condon volunteered to represent the commission. Chair Cohen requested volunteers to email him, and he would notify them as to when a meeting would take place at OLA. Mr. Chou stated he could take digital pictures showing traffic issues for use by the subcommittee. This will be a Discussion item next month. Chair Cohen requested staff send Commission meeting notices next month to the affected residents and OLA in order to keep everyone informed of the situation. 4.2.2 Request for temporary blue zone at 2668 Martinez Drive Mr. Chou stated that the applicant is asking for a temporary blue zone due to major remodeling construction on a neighbor’s house beginning in the near future. The applicant is concerned that the construction trucks will be parked all along the street and impede access to the applicant’s residence. Staff recommended denying this request since there is ample on-street parking and stated that this item could be reexamined if a problem exists after the construction has begun at the neighbor’s house. Mr. Chou also explained that blue zones are usually installed in high pedestrian areas, like schools or businesses. He also recommended that the City develop some guidelines on approving installation of blue zones. It was moved and seconded (Comms. Condon/Warden) to make this an Action item now. It was then moved and seconded (Comms. McIver/Condon) to deny this request. Unanimously approved by the Commission. 4.2.3 Request for parking restriction/limitation in front of 824 Cowan Road Mr. Chou stated that the applicant’s business deals with personal injury cases and that their clients generally need handicapped access. This was the reason for requesting special access for their business. Mr. Chou explained that he conducted a field investigation and met with the Rita Bell at the site. He explained that the applicant has some alternatives to address their needs: off-load clients in their own driveway which is alongside the business front door; or, widen the rear business door to accommodate handicapped access in rear private parking lot. Based on these possible solutions, staff recommended denying this request. The City of Burlingame Page 3 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, May 13, 2004 It was moved and seconded (Comms. Warden/McIver) to make this an Action item now. It was then moved and seconded (Comms. Warden/McIver) to deny this request. Unanimously approved by the Commission. 4.2.4 Request for green zone at 828 Mahler Road Mr. Chou stated that there is an on-site rear parking lot and recommended denial of this request. He also stated that this request had come before the Commission in the past, and that it was denied then. Mr. Chou explained that nothing has changed significantly between then and now. Comm. Warden stated that he viewed this site and saw that the parking lot was only 25% full. Comm. Condon noticed that handicapped clients are picked up and dropped off at the rear parking lot, and that the request was to accommodate a new tenant which would be servicing more handicapped clients. It was moved and seconded (Comms. Warden/Condon) to make this an Action item now. It was then moved and seconded (Comms. Warden/McIver) to deny this request. Unanimously approved by the Commission. 4.2.5 Request for 2-hour parking time limit for 1200 block of Paloma Avenue Mr. Chou stated that according to the request, Broadway merchants take up the majority of the on- street parking on this block, and that residents have no access to on-street parking along Paloma. He added that driveways are partially blocked by the merchants’ parked cars. Mr. Chou explained that similar streets off of Broadway have 2-hour parking limits. He also stated that Parking Lots P and Q were changed to 2-hour parking as advocated by the Broadway Business Improvement District (BID). The residents of Paloma were concerned that this change in time limits in the lots was contributing to the parking problem on Paloma. Mr. Chou suggested that Mr. Ross Bruce, President of the BID, be contacted to request that Lots P and Q parking limits be changed from two hours back to a combination of two and ten hours. Staff recommended consideration to extend the existing 2- hour parking limit on the 1200 block of Paloma Avenue from 150 feet to about 400 or 500 feet from Broadway. From the floor, Mr. Field stated that the parking lots are currently underutilized. Ms. deQuant stated parked cars on Paloma extend into the driveways making access difficult. She requested 2-hour parking and parking permits exempting residents and making the lots available for merchant parking as before. Ms. McNeely counted more than 100 cars parked on this block of Paloma, while she counted 30 empty spaces in the parking lot. She also requested residential parking permits. Vice Chair Warden stated that he visited the site and suggested that the lot between Capuchino and Paloma be made into a free long-term lot for merchants. Comm. McIver suggested formation of a subcommittee to look at the situation more closely. He noted that Lots P and Q were empty when he was at the site. Chair Cohen suggested contacting the BID regarding lot parking limit changes before the Commission makes a recommendation to Council. Mr. Chou stated that staff will coordinate a meeting with interested Paloma Avenue residents and BID representatives. Vice Chair Warden volunteered to represent the Commission. The City of Burlingame Page 4 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, May 13, 2004 This will be a Discussion item next month. 4.2.6 Evaluation of sight-visibility at the intersection of Palm Drive and California Drive Mr. Chou stated that there is a problem with sight visibility at the corner due to buildings on California Drive abutting the sidewalk, and some street trees block the view. Staff recommended installing a red zone for two parking spaces at the northwest corner which would allow more visibility. Comm. Condon stated that a street light also obstructs the view, and suggested combining the pole structure with the yellow warning light pole for Fire Station 36 in the future. He also suggested posting a “No Left Turn” sign. Chair Cohen suggested height limit signs. Sgt. Cutler stated that when driving south on California Drive, drivers cannot see a stopped vehicle at Palm until nearly at the intersection. From the floor, Mr. Ward provided pictures of this intersection and stated it is a dangerous corner. This will be an Action item next month. 5. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF NEW ITEMS. 5.1 Request for passenger loading zone at 322 Lorton Avenue Mr. Chou stated that this is a request from the owner of Ecco Restaurant to off-load customers. This will be a Discussion item next month. 5.2 Request for parking height restriction at the intersection of Oak Grove/Neuchatel Road and at Palm Drive/Neuchatel Road Mr. Chou stated that the residents are having a problem with visibility at this intersection and request height limit signs. From the floor, Mr. Ward stated that if “No Left Turn” signs are posted at Palm Drive (see Item 4.2.6), more traffic will use Neuchatel to turn left at Oak Grove where there is a visibility problem. He requested extending the existing red zone. This will be a Discussion item next month. 6. FROM THE FLOOR. 6.1 Mr. Chou submitted a letter from a Burlingame Avenue resident regarding Parking Lot H. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS. 7.1 From Staff to Commission 7.1.1 Traffic Engineer’s Report 7.1.1.1 US 101 Auxiliary Lane/Soundwall Project The City of Burlingame Page 5 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, May 13, 2004 Mr. Chou stated that there had been a public meeting on April 22nd with Caltrans and the Transportation Authority to discuss extension of the existing soundwall along Rollins Road from its current location northerly toward Cadillac Way, as well as the installation of an auxiliary lane on US 101 through Burlingame. He explained that story poles were installed simulating the various heights of a soundwall, from Toyon to Cadillac Way. Mr. Chou explained that this was to provide Rollins Road businesses with an idea of how the soundwall might affect them. A public hearing is scheduled for the June 7th Council meeting. 7.1.1.2 Relocation of bus stop at 827 California Drive Mr. Chou stated that SamTrans has agreed to provide a bus stop at its current location between 827 and 841 California Drive without any red curbing. This will mean that three new parking spaces will be provided on this block. 7.1.1.3 Parking meter poles along California Drive Mr. Chou stated that the parking meter heads were removed at the request of the automobile vendors. Vice Chair Warden suggested that the City receive revenue from the vendors for this request. Comm. McIver stated that the poles are dangerous and would like the meter heads returned. Mr. Chou will check with the City Engineer as to removal of the poles or replacement of the meter heads. 7.1.1.4 Left-turn restrictions on Broadway at Chula Vista Mr. Chou stated that a traffic turning-movement study was conducted at the intersection. This was done between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on a typical weekday. He said that about one-third of westbound cars on Broadway turned left onto Chula Vista (36 cars). Mr. Chou stated that staff does not recommend installing a “No Left Turn” sign since this might cause drivers to continue farther into Broadway in order to use the next available left-turn opening. Mr. Chou added that the City applied for, and received, funding to perform a citywide signal retiming program with a target implementation date at the end of 2004. He said that this program would provide better traffic flow through the Broadway/California intersection, and might relieve some of the problems at Chula Vista. 7.2 From Commission to Staff 7.2.1 Reports of citizen complaints or requests Chair Cohen suggested that the Commission establish a policy on residential parking permits, including the costs of the program and which residential areas would qualify for the program. Comms. Condon and McIver and Sgt. Cutler will serve on the subcommittee. 7.2.2 Comments and Communication Chair Cohen reminded the commissioners to provide input for commission FAQ’s. 7.2.3 Expected absences of Commissioners at the Thursday, June 10, 2004 meeting - None. The City of Burlingame Page 6 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Meeting Minutes - Approved Thursday, May 13, 2004 7.3 Bicycle Safety Issues in Burlingame Chair Cohen stated that the first meeting is scheduled for May 20th at 5:30 p.m. 8. INACTIVE ITEMS. - None. 9. AGENDIZE FOR THE NEXT MEETING. 4.2.1 to Discussion 4.2.5 to Discussion 4.2.6 to Action 5.1 to Discussion 5.2 to Discussion 6.1 to Discussion 10. ADJOURNMENT. 9:30 p.m. The City of Burlingame Page 7