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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2018.10.111 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, October 11, 2018 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:03 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Bush, Martos, Israelit MEMBERS ABSENT: Londer, Wettan 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The September 13, 2018 meeting minutes will be presented for approval at the November 8, 2018 Traffic Safety and Parking Commission (TSPC) meeting. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA Manito Velasco thanked the Commission for the installation of stops signs at Laguna Avenue and Grove and Lincoln and Grove to make Laguna a more walkable and bikable place. He noticed they are pilot stop signs and advocated they be permanent. He requested to know the process to follow to do so. Mr. Velasco also thanked the Commission for the new bike lanes north and southbound on California Drive. He indicated the northbound lane has been narrowed significantly with the restriping and requested additional pruning of the landscaping that runs along the northbound path. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Community B/PAC Update No update. b) Paloma Avenue Turn Restriction Proposal 2 Mr. Wong provided a presentation to the Commission and members of the public regarding the request from McKinley Elementary to restrict eastbound left-turns and westbound right-turns from Oak Grove Avenue onto Paloma Avenue in an effort to reduce vehicle conflicts during pick-up and drop-off periods. Chair Martos opened public comment. Barry Pullam, a resident on Paloma, inquired about what prompted the request to restrict turn movements onto Paloma and why now, in addition to asking for clarification reg arding the term “vehicle conflicts” and questioning why the program had been implemented prior to being told about it. Mr. Wong stated that cones had gone up to restrict traffic movements but confirmed that it was not done by City staff. He explained that school personnel put out the cones to help curb negative behaviors by parents dropping of their children. Mr. Wong also indicated that he could not speak to what was driving the request other than the increase in traffic on Paloma Avenue and suggested the Principal of McKinely could provide additional details. Barry Pullam spoke again to share his observation that regardless of the flow of traffic, the amount of traffic and behaviors do not change. He stated the cones have been out for several days and he has witnessed the same behaviors. Mr. Pullam requested to hear the advantages to this proposal given his observations yielded no obvious improvement. Kasey Schuh, a parent of a student at McKinley stated that school enrollment has increased by 200 students over the last few years, which has had an impact on traffic. She shared that while in the drop-off line, she has had her side mirror broken off because of the narrow roadway. Ms. Schuh felt the proposal was worth a try in an effort to change behaviors and the expectation as to how the street is utilized. Although she sympathizes with the residents in the immediate area, she felt it is only a matter of time before someone gets hit. Dr. Carla Chavez Torres, Principal of McKinley Elementary introduced herself and then apologized to the community for the amount of disruption the school may cause at different times throughout the year but indicated her primary motivation is the safety of the students. She explained that McKinley went from the smallest elementary school to the largest and that safety concerns have been present over many years. Dr. Torres stated there have been multiple observations of students in danger during drop-off and pick-up. She said they communicate the preferred drop-off and pick-up rotation and safe driving practices in English and Spanish through their weekly newsletter and have continuously worked with the Burlingame Police Department, including the School Resource Officer, regarding education and enforcement. Dr. Torres closed her comments by stating she was open to hear suggestions from the residents in the area to improve student safety. 3 Rick Valdes, a resident on the corner of Paloma and Oak Grove, expressed that he was not against the proposal, but was concerned that with the turn-restrictions, the northbound lane will become a secondary lane for southbound cars. He pointed out that Paloma Avenue is wider than the other streets that have implemented turn restrictions for the same purpose. If his concern can be addressed, he stated he would be in favor of the proposed turn restrictions. Manito Velasco felt traffic counts would be important element of this discussion and expressed his concern for unintended consequences of the proposed turn restrictions. He felt that as a result, more cars will travel down Fairfield Avenue and stated the crosswalk at El Camino Real and Fairfield is the most dangerous intersection in the City given the config uration, location, and rate of speed cars travel. Mr. Velasco stated he thought the turn restriction works well for Lincoln Elementary but suggested signage improvements as the time specifications are not readable and therefore may not be easily enforced. Chair Martos invited Barry Pullam back to the podium to provide more of his feedback. Mr. Pullam said he understood the concerns of Principal Torres but felt the problem boiled down to a rules and compliance issue. He pointed out that if there is no consequence for breaking the rules, it creates a problem. He expressed his concern about the overall efforts being a partnership between the school, law enforcement, area residents, and City personnel as he did not feel a partnership was reflective in the current proposal. Mr. Pullam reiterated his concern that without consistent enforcement, a change in the direction and flow of traffic will not improve student safety. Chair Martos closed public comment. Commissioner Israelit stated the pilot programs at Lincoln and Roosevelt provided a huge improvement based on her observations. She acknowledged the longer roadway width and possible unintended consequences on Paloma Avenue but felt that ultimately the proposal is a safer solution for students. Commissioner Israelit expressed the need for parent education and enforcement but also acknowledged the pilot program will not be perfect directly following the initial implementation. She suggested BPD presence the first month of the pilot program, and recommended parent volunteers to assist with drop-off and pick-up enforcement. Vice-Chair Bush asked a number of clarifying questions and whether TSPC should consider safety improvements for pedestrians traveling on Fairfield due to vehicles being rerouted from Paloma during school drop-off and pick-up times. Ultimately, Vice-Chair Bush felt the one-way traffic flow would be a positive change as long as they are not creating a new problem as a result. Vice-Chair Bush confirmed with Sergeant Ford that adding a lane line (such as a double yellow) as suggested by Commissioner Israelit, would make some of the poor driving behaviors more enforceable. 4 Chair Martos also asked a handful of clarifying questions and shared the same concern of Vice-Chair Bush regarding possible impacts to traffic patterns in other areas. He suggested that as part of the school outreach and education efforts, the consequences of breaking the rules can result in a ticket and fines. The commissioners continued to engage in an interactive discussion with the public, Mr. Wong and Sergeant Ford in an effort to gather as much feedback as possible before crafting the following motion. Motion: To run a pilot program for a period of one year to restrict the turn movements from Oak Grove to Paloma during school hours while observing the impacts to the neighborhood and Fairfield Road, and staff to identify any additional street improvements to increase the safety of pedestrians and school children. M/S/C: Bush/Israelit 3/0/2 c) Access Restriction from Westbound Bellevue to El Camino Real Mr. Wong provided a presentation to the Commissioners and public regarding a proposal to restrict access to El Camino Real (ECR) from westbound Bellevue in an effort to address the safety concerns at that intersection. Chair Martos opened public comment. Robert Strochak, a resident of Bellevue, agreed the visibility at ECR and Bellevue is severely impaired, but was concerned about possible unintended consequences of a turn restriction from westbound Bellevue to ECR, including access to Oak Grove, the closest controlled intersection to get on to California Drive. He also mentioned possible issues with parking in the westerly direction on Bellevue if Bellevue becomes a cul-de-sac in the westbound direction. Mr. Strochak suggested looking into the feasibility of a four-way stop at Bellevue and ECR. Manito Velasco clarified details of the preliminary proposal before sharing his concerns regarding unintended consequences, such as using the driveway at the Viking Apartments as a way to bypass the turn restriction and get onto ECR. He suggested making this location right-turn only. Chair Martos closed public comment. Commissioner Israelit liked the idea of making the intersection in question a right-turn only to eliminate the ability to cross or make a left on ECR. Vice-Chair Bush felt a signal at this location would address the current concerns. He stated the no outlet would cause a significant amount of confusion. Vice-Chair Bush explored the option of making the location a true cul-de-sac by eliminating the option for eastbound 5 traffic on Bellevue from ECR. Commissioner Israelit did not support signalizing the intersection of Bellevue and ECR or converting Bellevue to a cul-de-sac. Chair Martos asked for accident data that might be driving such a dramatic proposal to which Sergeant Ford indicated there have been nine accidents at the intersection of Bellevue and ECR for failure to yield to the right-of-way since 2014. He stated a signal would be his first choice to address the safety concerns, followed by a full cul-de-sac. Chair Martos pointed out that with partial cul-de-sac does not address traffic crossing ECR from Hillsborough. He also echoed Commissioner Israelit’s comment earlier that Caltrans may be removing some of the trees along ECR which would greatly improve visibility. Commissioner Israelit expressed her concern that there are many other uncontrolled intersections through the ECR corridor and wanted to ensure they were addressing the most egregious ones first. Mr. Wong indicated a signal may not meet Caltrans’ warrants but stated staff would look into it, along with the right-turn only suggestion. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • California Drive Roundabout –Stage three has begun, which is expected to be completed in late December. The project is still on schedule to be completed in January 2019, weather permitting. Residents can find additional information on the project website at http://www.burlingame.org/roundabout. • Lime Bike – September data attached. • California Drive Complete Streets – The project is substantially complete with only punch list items remaining. • Lyon-Hoag Neighborhood Update – At the City Council meeting on October 1, Council was updated on the efforts by the City to initially address neighborhood concerns. Additionally at this meeting, Council approved the agreement with TJKM Transportation Consultants to complete the traffic study for the area. • Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan – Staff is currently finalizing the scope of services with Alta Planning + Design. Staff is targeting the City Council meeting on November 15 for contract approval. • OLA Pedestrian Traffic Calming – Staff has contacted both BPD and OLA. BPD 6 has reported back that they have not had any negative feedback regarding the improvements, while OLA has not replied back. • Easton Addition Halloween Event – One call received and it does not appear that residents will be submitting a block party permit. BPD will patrol the area as they have done in past years. • TSPC Priority List (Updated October 2018): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Parking Strategies 3/8/18: Item 6b 2 Downtown Modal Access 3 Grant Opportunities 7/12/18: Item 6b 4 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd. to BPAC 5 SR2S Review 7/12/18: Item 6b 6 School Traffic Issues 10/11/18: Item 6b 7 California Complete Streets 9/13/18: Item 7a 8 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 9 Broadway Parking 9/13/18: Item 6c 10 Public Shuttles/Transit 5/10/18: Item 6c 11 ECR Corridor (ECR Task Force) 12 Bay Trail 13 Intro to Paving 5/10/18: Item 6b 14 Halloween Traffic Impacts (July) 10/11/18: Item 7a 15 Parking and traffic considerations w/ Planning Staff Update via Report 1 Caltrans’ ECR/Floribunda 2 Hoover School Update 9/13/18: Item 6b 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 9/13/18: Item 7a 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 5 California Roundabout 9/13/18: Item 7a 6 General Plan – Circulation Element 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd. to BPAC 8 Rec Center Parking 9 Carolan Complete Streets Update 3/8/18: Item 7a 10 Grant Opportunities 7/12/18: Item 6b 11 Grade Separation 9/13/18: Item 7a 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 13 School Speed Limit Updates 7/12/18: Item 6c 14 Burlingame Point - Bay Trail 15 School Safety Improvements 7/12/18: Item 6b 7 16 California Complete Streets 9/13/18: Item 7a 2018 Agenda Item Action Status 1 Chap. 13.52 of BMC Adopted 2 Council Direction Regarding Improving Short-Term Parking in the Burlingame Avenue Downtown Area Staff working with PEO staff to notice and implement changes 3 Citywide Parking Restrictions (BMC 13.36.020) Adopted 4 TSPC’s Lot N Parking Structure Recommendation Working towards Oct. or Nov. Planning Commission Meeting 5 School Speed Reductions Staff working with BPD and school staff to notice and implement changes 6 Broadway Parking Meter Duration and Rate Considerations Proposal to be considered at 10/15 City Council Meeting b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Ford reported 29 accidents with 15 of those considered to be minor-injury accidents. He reviewed the type of collisions, noting three vehicle vs. bicycle accidents, 1 vehicle vs. pedestrian accident and one motorcycle accident. Sergeant Ford also review the accidents by location and pointed out Broadway and ECR has the most with two collisions. Sergeant Ford indicated BPD is preparing for Halloween with a possible DUI saturation check point. He also indicated BPD received a grant through the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for approximately $48,000. Sergeant Ford stated this would provide for 12 DUI check point operations, five traffic safety enforcement operations, five distracted driving operations, two pedestrian operations and two bicycle operations training. c) Farmers Market No update. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Vice-Chair Bush pointed out the usage of the new bike rack at Washington School. Vice Chair Bush also reported the sidewalk at Myrtle and North Lane along Howard is sometimes closed due to construction in the area. Mr. Wong indicated a traffic control plan is typically required and that he will conduct a site visit tomorrow. 8 Commissioner Israelit stated Caltrans painted a solid white line on what was previously a dashed line in the road that runs parallel to ECR in front of Lunardi’s. Mr. Wong said he would follow-up with the appropriate Caltrans staff. Chair Martos stated he and the Mayor discussed downtown parking, including utilizing private spaces for public lots, continued efforts in the Lyon Hoag neighborhood, Lots F and N, and impacts from Facebook opening offices in Burlingame. 7. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) No update. b) Broadway Parking (Bush & Israelit) No update. c) School Traffic (Israelit & Wettan) No update. d) Citywide Transportation Alternatives (Londer & Wettan) No update. 8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Right-turn lanes northbound ECR at Murchison • North Carolan overnight parking • Citifyed parking app presentation • Recreation Center 9. ADJOURNMENT 9:30 p.m.