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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2019.04.111 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, April 11, 2019 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:02 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Bush, Israelit, Londer, Martos, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) March 14, 2019 Meeting Minutes The March meeting minutes will be included in the May agenda packet for approval. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No public comment. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Community B/PAC Update (Informational Only) Chair Beatty of the B/PAC provided an update on the Community B/PAC efforts. She stated the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is entering the community input phase. The project website is walkbikeburlingame.com. Ms. Beatty explained that the site allows people to provide feedback regarding desired bicycle and pedestrian facilities. She also stated the next community meeting is set for April 24 and the public is encouraged to attend and provide input. Two more events are planned at the Caltrain Station and Farmers Market with dates to be determined. b) Stop Sign Installation at Various Locations Review Mr. Wong provided a presentation regarding the installation of permanent stop signs at 2 the intersections of Primrose Road and Douglas Avenue, Primrose Road and Bellevue Avenue, and Bayswater Avenue and Lorton Avenue. Chair Bush opened public comment. Denny thanked the TSPC for the opportunity to speak. He has been a resident of Burlingame for ten years. He expressed his support for the California Drive Roundabout and to make the stop signs at the various locations permanent. Mary Ellen Kearny expressed her desire for a permanent four-way stop sign at Bayswater and Lorton Avenues, especially with the newly proposed residential community at 920 Bayswater. A resident on Bayswater shared the same opinions above and supports the permanent stop signs. Gary, a resident on Lorton for 15 years, indicated the stretch of Bayswater is like a “runway” and also supported the permanent stop signs for additional safety measures. Paul, another resident on Lorton, shared an incident where a pedestrian and a handful of parked vehicles were nearly struck by an oncoming vehicle on Bayswater. He stated visibility is poor and felt the intersection is highly dangerous. He supported the permanent stop sign installations as well. A resident on Lorton since 2005 supported her neighbors and the proposed permanent stop sign at Bayswater and Lorton as she said it is a highly traveled location by vehicles and pedestrians. Thomas Paulson witnessed a least half a dozen incidents over the last five years and also said there is a near miss almost on a daily basis. He highly supports the permanent stop sign installation at Bayswater and Lorton Avenues. Former Councilmember John Root supported all three permanent stop signs. He felt the temporary stops signs on Primrose have been very effective. He also urged everyone present to attend the Council meeting should the TSPC approve and move forward for City Council approval. Manito Velasco is in favor of the permanent stop signs. He also stated Paloma and Sanchez and Oak Grove and Ansel are also dangerous intersections with limited visibility. A resident on Almer Road stated she supports the installation of the permanent stop signs. However, she stated she has almost been struck at least four times at the crosswalk in front of Stella Alpina Osteria. She suggested the City consider a stop sign at that location as well (Primrose and Chapin Avenues). Carlos Pierre supports the permanent stop signs especially with the density in the area. 3 He felt supporting the stop signs was a “no brainer.” Another resident on Lorton suggested a stop sign on Bayswater and Lorton a year or so ago and strongly supported the proposal. Gloria, a resident on Bayswater shared a personal observation. She stated she travels east on Bayswater each evening and said the traffic flow is much calmer and felt that was due to the stop signs on Bloomfield Road. Denny recommended traffic enforcement or a monitoring process once the permanent stop signs are implemented. Mr. Wong explained the roll out plan to the Commissioners before weighing in on the proposal. Commissioner Londer thanked everyone in attendance for their feedback. He stated he felt the temporary stop signs have made a positive impact and has increased overall safety. He felt all three stop signs are warranted. Commissioner Martos supported the proposal and was in favor of making all three stop signs permanent. Commissioner Wettan acknowledged former City Clerk Mary Ellen Kearny and former Councilmember John Root and was pleased with the thoughtful comments. He also supported the installation of the permanent stop signs. Vice-Chair Israelit supported the installation of the permanent stop signs at all three locations. Chair Bush thanked the members of the audience and echoed his colleague’s sentiments. He also thought it would be useful to look into a possible roundabout on Primrose between City Hall and the Library. Commissioner Martos crafted the following motion: To accept the recommendation of staff to add three stops signs as identified in the staff report with the addition of crosswalks across Bayswater. Martos/Isrealit 5/0/0 c) California Drive Roundabout Mr. Wong provided a presentation regarding the California Drive Roundabout that included previous existing conditions and details of the new roundabout. Chair Bush opened public comment. 4 Manito Velasco expressed some concerns with the new California Drive Roundabout: (1) location of the Samtrans bus stop obstructs visibility; (2) consider flashing beacons at the crosswalks at Lorton and Bellevue Avenues; (3) visibility at the Bellevue crosswalk; (4) safety of the second crosswalk on California Drive travelling northbound; and (5) vehicle speeds at the mid-block crossings on Lorton and Bellevue. A resident seconded Mr. Velasco’s comments. Commisioner Londer felt the new roundabout looked great and improves the flow of traffic. He did note some observations of confused drivers and pedestrians in the roundabout but felt it would take time for some people to adjust. He also agreed with the visibility concerns for pedestrians that Mr. Velasco pointed out. Commisioner Martos did a site survey prior to this evening’s meeting and noted drivers did not yield to him coming out of the roundabout. He also noticed a yield sign as he was exiting on to Bellevue to which he was confused by. Overall he felt the flow was great. Commisioner Wettan thanked everyone for their hard work on the roundabout project over the last several years. He felt the roundabout is a huge improvement and people will get acclimated to the change. Commissioner Wettan also drove through the roundabout prior to the Commission meeting and noted the vehicles in the northbound lane exiting on to California did not yield to him when trying to exit and also that the two northbound lanes on California did not feel like two lanes, but more like a merge. Commissioner Wettan also suggested keeping an eye out for the update of the roundabout to Google Maps. Lastly, he stated he would like to see a piece of public art placed in the center of the roundabout to enhance the new gateway. Vice-Chair Israelit stated she was not concerned with the speeds within or exiting the roundabout—she felt this project was a major improvement. She agreed with Commissioner Wettan regarding the two northbound lanes as she felt they were very narrow. Chair Bush agreed with his colleagues regarding the tremendous amount of work that was put into the California Drive Roundabout Project. He noted the pedestrian refuges have mitigated many of the pedestrian safety concerns. Chair Bush stated a two-lane roundabout increases the complexity but felt people would adjust accordingly. As people adjust, he suggested the signage be reevaluated. Lastly, Chair Bush confirmed the enforcement plans with the Traffic Sergeant. d) TDA Article 3 Discussion Mr. Wong provided a presentation and went over the TDA Grant background, previous cycle grant requirements and shared a potential project—the Ray Park Parking Lot. Chair Bush opened public comment. 5 Manito Velasco asked what the process was for public input on grant applications. He also expressed his concern with the proposed trees possibly causing visibility issues for pedestrians and would also like to see other bicycle and pedestrian projects be considered for the TDA grant application. Commissioner Londer inquired if the MTC would accept a project that is not in a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan as the Ray Park Parking Lot Project is part of the Parks Master Plan. Mr. Wong noted the project is also part of the Burlingame School District’s Walking Audit. He also expressed some concern with the project focal point being the parking lot, with the pedestrian facilities being secondary. Commissioner Martos inquired about a net gain of the parking spots. Commissioner Wettan thanked Mr. Wong for bringing this item to the TSPC for ample discussion. He felt the current configuration of the parking lot is dangerous and was very supportive of the project. Commissioner Wettan volunteered to assist with any necessary letters of support given the number of observations he has made at that location due to the close proximity of the park to his residence. Commissioner Wettan stated he rarely sees the Ray Park Parking Lot full. He also suggested a pedestrian path to enhance the green space. Vice-Chair Israelit emphasized for the grant application that the City is relocating parking and not adding any. Chair Bush inquired about the opportunity to add bicycle parking facilities and an enhanced crosswalk for additional pedestrian safety as he said it’s a common school crossing. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • California Drive Roundabout – Staff has started phasing the opening of the Roundabout. Both northbound and southbound lanes are now open, as well as southbound access to Lorton and Bellevue Avenues. The project was highlighted at the recent SMCTA Board and CAC meetings. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17 at 11 a.m. Residents can find additional information on the project website: http://www.burlingame.org/roundabout. • Lyon-Hoag Neighborhood Update – Staff and the design team are still compiling the feedback and working towards scheduling next CAP meeting and second community workshop. • Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan Update – Alta Planning + Design has met with both TSPC and the Community B/PAC to obtain input. Alta will now prepare 6 material for the first community meeting, with a date TBD. • McKinley School Turn Restriction – Staff and McKinley Officials noticed the neighborhood and parents regarding the upcoming restriction. On April 8 the restrictions were unveiled/implemented with BPD and school staff on-site. • Electric Vehicle Charging Station – Work continues for the installation of EV chargers in Lot Y (1133 Chula Vista). • TSPC Priority List (revised April 2019): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Parking and Access 2 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 2/14/19: Item 6b 3 School Traffic and Safety Issues 4/11/19: Item 7a 4 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 4/11/19: Item 7a 5 Citywide Transportation Alternatives 6 Electric Vehicles 4/11/19: Item 7a 7 Broadway Parking 8 Bike Share Feedback 9 Parking and traffic considerations w/Planning * 10 Joint meeting with City Council * 11 Halloween Traffic Impacts (July) * Staff Update via Report 1 Caltrans’ ECR Corridor 2 Hoover School Update 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 4/11/19: Item 6b 5 California Roundabout 4/11/19: Item 6c 6 Oak Grove/Carolan Traffic Signal 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 2/14/19: Item 6b 8 Rec Center Parking 9 Old Bayshore Corridor Study 10 Grant Opportunities 4/11/19: Item 6d 11 Broadway Grade Separation 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 13 School Speed Limit Updates 14 School Safety Improvements 4/11/19: Item 7a 15 Lyon-Hoag Neighborhood Traffic Calming 3/14/19: Item 7a 16 300 Burlingame Point Traffic Impacts 17 Broadway/California Update 7 2019 Agenda Item Action Status 1 Council Direction Regarding Improving Short-Term Parking in the Burlingame Avenue Downtown Area Lots A-3, C, and K-1 have been converted. 2 TSPC’s Lot N Parking Structure Recommendation 3 School Speed Reductions Enforcement started on 4/8/19. 4 North Carolan Avenue Parking Restrictions Restrictions adopted. Working on sign installations. b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Dave Perna reported 18 accidents in this reporting period. During the reporting period he noted that there was 8 minor injury and 3 DUI accidents. There were no bicycle and pedestrian accidents or accidents at the intersection of Floribunda and ECR. c) Farmer’s Market Commissioner Londer indicated there would be a Farmer’s Market this upcoming weekend but the TSPC would more than likely not have a presence at the upcoming Farmer’s Market. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Commissioner Israelit mentioned she has been receiving negative feedback regarding the work on California Drive (Complete Streets Project) near Broadway due to the current lane configuration. She suggested staff should go out and observe the severe backups for those trying to turn left onto Broadway from California Drive. Commissioner Londer stated that Thursday, May 9 is Bike to Work Day. He said the Citizens Environmental Council will have an energizer station and will be handing out food and goodie bags at the Burlingame Caltrain Station from approximately 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. 8. COMMISSION & SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) Commissioner Martos indicated on Wednesday, March 27 he and Commissioner Wettan met with several City staff members, including the Mayor, City Manager and Director of Public Works, along with several folks from DBID to go over parking strategies/capacity when Parking Lots F and N go offline. He shared some of the measures discussed, including incentives for downtown employees to take alternative modes of transportation and to increase parking supply by utilizing vacant private lots such as 225 California Drive. Commissioner Martos also shared that the DBID would be 8 surveying the downtown employees and merchants regarding the matter. Commissioner Wettan noted a discussion in the March 27 meeting between whether to emphasize additional supply or trying to address demand. He also mentioned the possibility of additional shuttle(s) from Millbrae to downtown Burlingame if the City is going to ask people to take alternative modes of transportation to work. He said valet service and ride sharing were also topics of consideration. Commissioner Londer shared a news article regarding a valet program implemented by the City of Mountain View and suggested staff reach out to them. He also mentioned reaching out to Commute.org for advice regarding parking mitigation measures. Chair Bush mentioned partnering with other outside agencies such as Transform California as they have done a lot of work around parking in high density communities. Chair Bush opened public comment. Mike Dunam, a member of various community groups such as Housing for All Burlingame and the Burlingame Citizens Environmental Council, stated the City of Palo Alto has dealt with a similar problem and as a result they formed a Transportation Management Association. Mr. Dunam stated they have good survey data around transportation habits of Palo Alto employees. He shared an interesting insight through the data collected—roughly 70% of tech workers used public transportation and it was the majority of service workers that drove to work. As a result, Mr. Dunam stated subsidizing Caltrain passes, bus passes and subsidized ride sharing in the early morning and evening hours helped to reduce service workers driving to and from work by about 10%. Mr. Dunam said he was interested to partner with the TSPC and City staff to help address the downtown parking capacity concerns. b) Broadway Parking (Bush & Israelit) Chair Bush indicated the Commissioners collected the majority of the survey data on Broadway and the surrounding lots as discussed at last month’s TSPC meeting. Chair Bush requested to gather the few remaining data points and to have a discussion at the June meeting regarding the data gathered and any key observations made. c) School Traffic (Israelit & Londer) No update. d) Citywide Transportation Alternatives (Londer & Wettan) Discussed as part of item 8.a. 9 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • TDA Grant Application • Downtown Parking Wayfinding 10. ADJOURNMENT 10:02 pm