HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - CC - 2022.03.07 Study SessionCity of Burlingame
BURLINGAME
F,
Meeting Agenda - Final
City Council
Monday, March 7, 2022 6:00 PM
Study Session
BURLINGAME CITY HALL
501 PRIMROSE ROAD
BURLINGAME, CA 94010
On September 16, 2021, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 361 which allows a local agency
to meet remotely when:
The local agency holds a meeting during a declared state of emergency
2. State or local health officials have imposed or recommended measures to promote social
distancing
3. Legislative bodies declare the need to meet remotely due to present imminent risks to the
health or safety of attendees
On February 22, 2022, the City Council adopted Resolution Number 012-2022 stating that the
City Council and Commissions will continue to meet remotely for at least thirty days for the
following reasons:
1. There is still a declared state of emergency
2. County Health Orders require that all unvaccinated individuals in public spaces maintain
social distancing and wear masks
3. The City can't maintain social distancing requirements for the public, staff,
Councilmembers, and Commissioners, in their meeting spaces
Pursuant to Resolution Number 012-2022, the City Council Chambers will not be open to the
public for the March 7, 2022 Study Session.
Members of the public may view the meeting by logging into the Zoom Webinar listed below.
Additionally, the meeting will be streamed live on YouTube and uploaded to the City's website
after the meeting.
Members of the public may provide written comments by email to
publiccomment@burlingame.org.
Emailed comments should include the specific agenda item on which you are commenting.
Note that your comment concerns an item that is not on the agenda. The length of the
comment should be commensurate with the three minutes customarily allowed for verbal
comments, which is approximately 250-300 words. To ensure that your comment is received
and read to the City Council for the appropriate agenda item, please submit your email no later
than 5:00 p.m. on March 7, 2022. The City will make every effort to read emails received after
the 5:00 p.m. deadline which are not read into the record, will be provided to the City Council
after the meeting.
Online
City of Burlingame Page 1 Printed on 31312022
City Council Meeting Agenda - Final March 7, 2022
1. CALL TO ORDER - 6:00 p.m. - Online
To access the meeting by computer:
Go to www.zoom.us/join
Meeting ID: 812 5427 1442
Passcode:328280
To access the meeting by phone:
Dial 1-669-900-6833
Meeting ID: 812 5427 1442
Passcode:328280
2. ROLL CALL
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS, NON -AGENDA
Members of the public may speak about any item not on the agenda. Members of the public wishing to
suggest an item for a future Council agenda may do so during this public comment period. The Ralph M.
Brown Act (the State local agency open meeting law) prohibits the City Council from acting on any matter
that is not on the agenda.
4. STUDY SESSION
a. Discussion of Micromobility Sharing Programs
Attachments: Staff Report
5. ADJOURNMENT
Notice: Any attendees who require assistance, a disability related modification, or language assistance
in order to participate in the meeting should contact Meaghan Hassel -Shearer, City Clerk by 10:00
a.m. on Monday, March 7, 2022 at (650) 558-7203 or at mhasselshearer@burlingame.org. Any
individuals who wish to request an alternative format for the agenda, meeting notice, or other writings
that may be distributed at the meeting should contact Meaghan Hassel -Shearer, City Clerk by 10:00
a.m. on Monday, March 7, 2022 at (650) 558-7203 or at mhasselshearer@burlingame.org.
NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Mid -Year Budget Study Session Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.
Regular City Council Meeting Monday, March 21, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
VIEW REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING ONLINE
www.burlingame.org/video
Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the City Council regarding any item on this agenda
will be made available for public inspection via www.burlingame.org or by emailing City Clerk Meaghan
Hassel -Shearer at mhasselshearer@burlingame.org. If you are unable to obtain information via the
City's website or through email contact the City Clerk at (650) 558-7203.
City of Burlingame Page 2 Printed on 3/3/2022
e
To:
Date:
From
STAFF REPORT
Honorable Mayor and City Council
March 7, 2022
AGENDA NO: Study Session
MEETING DATE: March 7. 2022
Sigalle Michael, Sustainability Coordinator — (650) 558-7261
Subject: Discussion of Micromobility Sharing Programs
RECOMMENDATION
Staff requests that the City Council discuss and provide direction on micromobility sharing
programs.
BACKGROUND
Micromobility scooter and bike sharing programs are popular transportation options in many big
cities, from San Francisco and San Jose to Paris and Buenos Aires. Shared micromobility programs
offer an alternative transportation mode for short trips within the city and first and last mile
connections to destinations from transit.
Micromobility refers to bicycles, scooters, and other similar vehicles intended for short trips. E-
mobility refers to electric bicycles, scooters, and other small, short -trip electric vehicles.
Burlingame was an early adopter of LimeBike, one of the first iterations of bike sharing in the Bay
Area. LimeBike ran for almost a full year from 2018-2019 in Burlingame through a pilot program
until they abruptly removed all of their bicycles. LimeBike pivoted entirely to scooter sharing in large
cities, leaving many small cities like Burlingame without a micromobility or e-mobility program.
During its run in Burlingame, LimeBike was popular, and usage of the bikes was high. However,
the program had its challenges and drawbacks. LimeBike was a dockless system, which meant
that bicycles could be parked anywhere, including the middle of the sidewalk and on front yards.
Also, minors often rode the bikes without helmets, and bikes were vandalized.
Over this last year, new and improved micromobility sharing programs are reemerging in small
cities like Burlingame. The sharing programs have improved through new technologies, and cities
have grown better at regulating the operations and use of such programs. A micromobility program
in Burlingame would support the City's greenhouse gas reduction goals and Climate Action Plan
by offering an alternative transportation option for residents, visitors, and employees.
1
Micromobility Sharing Programs
March 7, 2022
DISCUSSION
The micromobility programs in cities today use better quality vehicles; control parking through
geofencing (use of GPS to create a virtual boundary that is communicated to the vehicle); and have
integrated strong identity checks to track vandalism and minor safety.
In preparation for this study session, staff evaluated the micromobility programs in local Bay Area
cities to collect information on best practices and operations. Local micromobility programs tend to
fall into the following three categories:
Grant -funded programs. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) awarded large
grants ($500,000+) to cities through their Bike Share Regional Expansion program. The City of
Richmond launched a bike share program with 250 e-bikes with docking stations at BART and ferry
stations through BOLT; Marin and Sonoma are on track to have a fleet of 300 e-bikes at their rail
stations through BOLT; and Fremont uses 250 dockless bicycles along with some electric bicycles
and scooters through HOPR. MTC also partially funds the Bay Wheels docked bike sharing
program located in San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay.
Private programs. This approach refers to the bike sharing programs common in corporate
campuses and operated by private companies. Such a program was actually launched in
Burlingame earlier this year. Unlimited Biking, a docked a -bike company, partnered with four
Burlingame hotels along the Bayshore to offer e-bike rentals. The e-bikes cost $15/hour, and users
may borrow a helmet from the hotel front desks. Unlimited Biking also offers the hotels a small
percentage of revenue sharing. While the program is popular at the hotel sites, Unlimited Biking is
cautious about expanding the program throughout Burlingame. In addition, the City would have to
cover the cost of $25,000/docking station for Unlimited Biking to install docking stations at other
Burlingame locations.
Permit applications. Large and small cities in the Bay Area have adopted permit applications to
regulate micromobility sharing programs in their cities. Along with the big three cities (San
Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose), a number of smaller cities have taken this approach including
(but not limited to): Palo Alto, Berkeley, Emeryville, San Mateo, and Redwood City. The cities'
permit approaches vary. For example, the City of San Mateo is restricting their permit to bicycle
sharing only; the City of Emeryville does not limit the number of operators or vehicles; and the City
of Berkeley will issue permits on a competitive basis.
The permit applications all generally include the following:
- data sharing agreements;
- speed limit, rebalancing, and parking guidelines;
- proof of insurance, protection of personal data, and accessibility requirements; and
- customer service and community outreach requirements.
2
Micromobility Sharing Programs
March 7, 2022
The table below offers a comparison of four local Bay Area micromobility programs.
City Fees
Emeryville $2,500 application fee
$1,000/year renewal
$5,000 permit fee
Redwood $2,000 application fee
City
$0.15/ride fee
$5,000 refundable
repair fee
$99 impoundment fee
San Mateo $5,000 permit fee
Berkeley $1,500 application fee
$15,000 annual permit
fee
$64/vehicle fee
# Vehicle Limit
No limit on # of
vehicles or
operators.
Minimum fleet size
of 50 vehicles
Maximum 250
scooters or 200
bicycles
No limit on vendors
City to issue one
permit to one
operator for a
maximum of 500
bikes/ebikes. No
scooters.
Minimum of 50
vehicles.
Other
Vehicles must be
equipped with locking
mechanism to lock to
a fixed object and
GPS tracking.
Collects fee per ride.
Competitive
application.
Competitive
application.
Requires inclusion of
adaptive devices to be
self balancing, have a
a seat, and storage to
hold a cane.
Operators
Spin Scooters
Link Scooter
Lime Scooters
BayWheels Bike
Share
No current
operators, but
Bird Scooters
has expressed
interest
None
Currently
evaluating
permit
applications.
Should the City Council be interested in bringing a micromobility program to Burlingame, then
ideally, the City would participate in a regional micromobility sharing program similar to those
operating in the East Bay. However, that may take a couple of years to develop. C/CAG and
SamTrans are each exploring regional micromobility sharing options. C/CAG hired a consultant to
conduct a feasibility study for a regional program. The study will identify locations for potential
micromobility sharing programs; offer case studies, draft ordinances, and templates as resource
documents; and develop a business plan for next steps. The feasibility study is due to be completed
in September 2022. SamTrans is coordinating a regional Peninsula Bike Share Group, and
Burlingame staff was recently added to the group and invited to attend future meetings.
Bird, a micromobility sharing program with electric bikes and scooters, has contacted a number of
City staff and Councilmembers to express the company's interest in operating in the city. Bird
representatives have noted their willingness to submit a permit application, and they would be open
to offering electric bicycles and/or scooters in Burlingame.
3
Micromobility Sharing Programs
March 7, 2022
Staff has also connected with Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) to inquire about opportunities to
partner with PCE on their popular E-Bikes for Everyone program. PCE offered $800 to income -
qualifying applicants for the purchase of a new a -bike through participating vendors. PCE gave out
276 rebates in the first run of the program and is now preparing to offer the program again. City
staff, along with those from some other San Mateo County cities, approached PCE about partnering
with cities on customized rebate programs. PCE staff explained that the administrative cost for
individual city programs is too high and that small rebate programs, such as $10,000 in total
rebates, would not be worthwhile for PCE to manage. Staff is continuing to explore options for how
Burlingame may offer a rebate program similar to PCE's to increase the use of a -bikes in
Burlingame.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
Iv