HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2019.12.121
TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Approved Minutes
Regular Meeting of Thursday, December 12, 2019
1. CALL TO ORDER 7:02 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
3. ROLL CALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Bush, Israelit, Wettan
MEMBERS ABSENT: Londer, Martos
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a) November 14, 2019 Meeting Minutes
Motion: To accept the November 14, 2019 meeting minutes as written.
M/S/C; Wettan/Israelit, 3/0/0
5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA
Riley Umezaki, an 11 year old student that resides on Sanchez Avenue and attends McKinley
School, stated she was scared to cross Sanchez Avenue when walking to school and
requested a stop sign or speed bump. She felt with a stop sign or speed bump, the area would
be safer.
Leah Umezaki, also an 11 year old student that resides on Sanchez Avenue and attends
McKinley School, stated that cars don’t always stop when she is attempting to cross Sanchez
Avenue on her way to school. She felt the installation of a stop sign would increase the safety
in that area.
Kathy Kleinbaum, the mother of Riley and Leah Umezaki, stated that she and her neighbors
have been working with City staff on various traffic improvements on Sanchez Avenue. Ms.
Kleinbaum indicated there are two big concerns she has, cut through traffic, which she stated
is attributed from Uber and Lyft drivers, and crossing Sanchez Avenue. She stated they are
considering a possible petition for speed bumps as she felt that would address the cut-through
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traffic. Ms. Kleinbaum requested a four-way stop at the intersection of Sanchez Avenue and
Paloma Avenue. She felt this would address the safety concerns for the students crossing
Sanchez Avenue and also stated Edgehill Drive and Paloma Avenue have lower traffic
volumes but it’s a four-way stop sign.
6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS
a) Community B/PAC Update (Informational Only)
No update.
b) Broadway Two-Hour Parking and Rate Change
Mr. Wong provided a presentation which consisted of goals, background information, and
the major discussion topics for the change in the parking duration along Broadway
between California Drive and El Camino Real from 1-hour to 2-hours and increasing the
rate from $0.50 cents to $1.00 per hour. In addition, Mr. Wong indicated that an additional
24-minute parking space was included in the proposed changes to parking on Broadway.
Chair Bush opened public comment.
John Kevranian, representing the Broadway Business Improvement District, stated the
downtown association unanimously supported the proposal and requested the support of
the TSPC. He said he was happy to answer any questions from the Commission.
Commissioner Wettan thanked Mr. Kevranian for coming to the meeting and congratulated
him on his business anniversary. Commissioner Wettan stated he was generally
supportive of the proposal but thought there might be some additional improvements that
could assist with the current parking conditions. He suggested reviewing the loading zones
and red curbs to determine if those could be converted to additional parking spaces. With
the number of restaurants on Broadway, he also felt they should consider shifting the
meter enforcement times. Commissioner Wettan stated Broadway is pretty empty from 8
– 10 a.m. but is extremely busy between the hours of 6 – 8 p.m. He stated he was worried
that the two hour parking might exacerbate the evening parking turnover concerns.
Commissioner Wettan urged staff to consider the suggestions above as part of a fuller
package for Council to consider. Lastly, he felt the additional 24-minute meter was a great
idea but thought more than one would be helpful, especially with the increase of food
delivery services.
Vice-Chair Israelit did not support the 2-hour parking limit because she did not see the
benefit. She pointed out that 9 people from the business district voted and there are many
other merchants on Broadway. Vice-Chair Israelit thought it would hinder the businesses
that require easy access (Starbuck’s, dry cleaner, shoe repair, etc.) and that there is plenty
of 2-hour parking in the lots right off Broadway.
Chair Bush appreciated the additional dialog around this issue. He stated that the rate at
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which parking is charged is a significant influence of the duration it will be used and asked
a number of clarifying questions.
John Kevranian clarified that the nine merchants that voted for the changes to Broadway
parking were the nine board of directors that represent the merchants. Mr. Kevranian also
said that at their last meeting, 70 merchants out of 85 favored the duration and rate
change. He reiterated that the retail merchants on Broadway are struggling to stay afloat
as most people are in a rush given the current 1-hour parking duration. Based on Chair
Bush’s inquiry regarding the shift in the parking enforcement time suggested by
Commissioner Wettan, Mr. Kevranian felt it would encourage people to go to Burlingame
Avenue instead. John Kevranian also felt the new wayfinding signs have not improved the
usage of the 2-hour parking spaces off Broadway.
Vice-Chair Israelit reiterated her desire to refine the wayfinding signage before making
changes to the parking duration and rates. She felt it may impact the turnover of spaces
and ultimately still negatively impact the businesses as people won’t be able to find
convenient parking.
The Commission continued to have an interactive discussion with Mr. Kevranian which
ultimately led to the decision to fine tune the proposal before taking it to City Council for
consideration and the following two motions were made.
Motion: Move that we decline to support staff’s proposal as proposed tonight.
M/S/C; Wettan/Israelit, 3/0/0
Motion: Move to recommend that the City Council direct City staff to design a more
comprehensive plan for Broadway parking that takes into account more 24 minute parking
spaces, implementing wayfinding as previously proposed for Parking Lot Y with dynamic
signs, removing certain loading zones and red zones where they are not necessary, and
reconsidering the times when metering is enforced to account for the heavy constraints
during dinner hours and the much lighter constraints early in the morning.
M/S/C; Wettan/Israelit, 3/0/0
c) Citywide EV Charger Locations
Sustainability Coordinator Sigalle Michael provided a presentation regarding EV charging
stations. Ms. Michael indicated that the City adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP) which
outlines a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She said part of that effort
included an emissions inventory, which indicated 50% of emissions comes from
transportation. Ms. Michael stated the CAP will address other sectors identified in the
emissions inventory but transportation was the largest and is the most challenging to
tackle.
Ms. Michael stated as part of the CAP, there are 20 measures, 8 of which are related to
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transportation and land-use, promoting transit-oriented development, complete streets,
and reductions to vehicle miles. She explained that Measure 6 pertains specifically to EV
infrastructure and initiatives and the goals for Measure 6 include the installation of more
public EV stations, new residential development to install level 2 circuits, and to prepare
an EV Strategic Plan (EVSP). Ms. Michael said staff is working with C/CAG as they have
funding available to cities to help with the consulting work.
Ms. Michael stated as part of the EVSP efforts, the City will work to characterize
Burlingame’s EV sector, prioritize areas for new public EV chargers, promote EV
incentives and rebates, and electrify the City’s municipal fleet. She stated that the main
purpose for the presentation was to obtain feedback from the TSPC as to where to install
EV chargers and what kind should be installed.
No public comments received.
Commissioner Wettan stated he drives an electric car and works in the industry which
makes him aware of the realities of how things work. He said he is also able to see things
from multiple angles as he has a 220 outlet at his home but it is currently under renovation
so he is renting an apartment. At his apartment complex, he said he connects his electric
SUV to a 110 outlet and is able to commute both ways to Palo Alto through the hills of 280
and make it through the week. He stated he connects to a public charger maybe once a
month and generally does not need public EV parking. Ms. Michael confirmed with
Commissioner Wettan that there is no cost to him for charging his vehicle at the apartment
complex. Commissioner Wettan also said that the technology is changing faster than staff
can move so there is a danger to investing a lot of money on public chargers and have
the technology “leapfrog” when it’s so easy to charge at home or work. He also stated that
Commissioner Martos shared the same sentiments as he has an electric vehicle and
charging at home with a 110 outlet has been sufficient. Although there may be some use
cases, Commisioner Wettan mentioned that he has become skeptical for the need of a
large number of public EV charging stations.
Sigalle Michael indicated that they contacted EVGo regarding the Tesla adapters for the
charging stations in Parking Lot Y off of Broadway. She said that Burlingame is not the
first City to bring up the concern and that EVGo is looking into the issue. Ms. Michael also
stated the usage data has not yet been shared with the City.
Commissioner Wettan inquired about the City’s contract with EVGo and whether or not it
stated anything specific about the compatibility of the chargers that were installed. Ms.
Sigalle responded to say they did not have that specific language in the agreement.
Commissioner Wettan said it was odd that EVGo would spend a large amount of money
installing the EV chargers but not ensuring they are compatible with the most common
electric vehicle on the road (Tesla). Ms. Sigalle indicated that as part of the EVSP, the City
would be collecting usage data to see how frequently the charging stations near Broadway
were being used.
Commissioner Wettan closed his comments by stating he would not take expensive
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Burlingame real-estate and use it for charging stations and not because of what went
wrong on Broadway, but because the reality is most people will charge at work or home.
He said we can encourage landlords to put 220 outlets in parking garages. Also, in the
future to accommodate more than one electric vehicle per household, he suggested the
City consider a way to allow people to run outlets on the aprons of the street for vehicle
charging.
Vice-Chair Israelit said she also has an electric SUV and has found that over time the car
batteries have improved as she can travel upwards of 300 miles. She too felt as though
most people charge their cars at work or at home. Vice-Chair Israelit stated that as long
as she charges a few hours a night at home, she does not have a need to charge
anywhere else. Vice-Chair Israelit was surprised by the installation of charging stations
near Broadway, especially given the current parking capacity restraints already in the
area—she stated they take up precious real estate with very little benefit. She agreed with
Commissioner Wettan’s thoughts regarding considerations moving forward to
accommodate households with more than one electric vehicle.
Chair Bush also drives an electric vehicle and stated his family charges exclusively at
home. He said the only time they charge away from home is if there is an advantageous
parking spot for electric vehicles or if they take a long trip they ensure their hotel offers
charging stations. In terms of the workplace, he noticed that some employers have a
ridiculous amount of charging stations, while other employers do not have any.
Commisioner Wettan added that Commissioner Londer pointed out at one point that the
plans for the City’s new parking garage were not clear whether or not there was the ability
to add additional charging lines if the demand increases over time. He said it would be
foolish if we did not did not set up the garage in such a manner to address the ongoing
and growing demands for EV charging stations, especially in long-term parking areas.
In closing, Ms. Michael shared that the City will revisit bike sharing programs as part of
the overall CAP.
d) Chair and Vice-Chair Nominations
Chair Bush indicated that Commissioner Londer did not have an interest in serving as
Chair or Vice-Chair.
The following motions were made for the 2020 Chair and Vice-Chair nominations.
Motion: Move to nominate Vice-Chair Israelit as 2020 Chair.
M/S/C; Bush/Wettan, 3/0/0
Motion: Move to nominate Commissioner Wettan as Vice-Chair for 2020.
M/S/C; Bush/Israelit, 3/0/0
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7. INFORMATION ITEMS
a) Engineering Division Reports
• Broadway Grade Separation – The second community meeting was held on
Tuesday, November 19, 2019 in the Main Library’s Lane Room. The design team
received community feedback and will now work towards finalizing the environmental
documents.
Chair Bush confirmed that the BPAC comments regarding pedestrian access would
be addressed.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan – The community meeting was held on
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at the Recreation Center where the public viewed a
presentation by the design team and participated in some design exercises to increase
their understanding of potential options. The draft bicycle network is available for
viewing and comments at the website: www.WalkBikeBurlingame.com.
• Lots F and N Construction Update – The valet-assist program continues.
Commissioner Wettan requested to see the valet-assist parking statistics next month.
• Hoover School Sidewalk Improvements – Staff made a presentation to the Hoover
PTA on November 22. Staff is working on addressing some of their concerns.
• Citywide Transportation Alternatives – Staff attended a “Reimagine SamTrans”
meeting where SamTrans’ staff updated us on their comprehensive operations
analysis (COA) of the transit network. This analysis will result in a redesigned bus
network in 2021. Samtrans is looking for feedback from the public via their website at:
www.reimaginesamtrans.com.
• Old Bayshore Corridor Study – Design team is working on data collection for this
study staff anticipates a stakeholder meeting mid-January.
Commissioner Wettan inquired about the targeted location and Mr. Wong responded
to say it is from the northern city limits (Millbrae Avenue to south of the northbound
ramps. Mr. Wong stated they are looking at what the City can do to enhance the
gateway. Commissioner Wettan confirmed the break in the Bay Trail is within the
project scope.
• TSPC Priority List (revised December 2019):
TSPC Led Effort
1 Downtown Parking and Access 12/12/19: Item 7a
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2 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 11/14/19: Item 6b
3 School Traffic and Safety Issues 12/12/19: Item 7a
4 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 10/10/19: Item 7a
5 Citywide Transportation Alternatives 12/12/19: Item 7a
6 Electric Vehicles 12/12/19: Item 6b
7 Broadway Parking 12/12/19: Item 6c
8 Bike Share Feedback
9 Parking and traffic considerations w/Planning *
10 Joint meeting with City Council *
11 Halloween Traffic Impacts (July) * 11/14/19: Item 7a
Staff Update via Report
1 Caltrans’ ECR Corridor
2 Hoover School Update 12/12/19: Item 7a
3 Downtown Parking Strategies 12/12/19: Item 7a
4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 4/11/19: Item 6b
5 California Roundabout 5/9/19: Item 7a
6 Oak Grove/Carolan Traffic Signal 10/10/19: Item 7a
7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 12/12/19: Item 7a
8 Rec Center Parking
9 Old Bayshore Corridor Study 12/12/19: Item 7a
10 Grant Opportunities 11/14/19: Item 7a
11 Broadway Grade Separation 12/12/19: Item 7a
12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC
13 School Speed Limit Updates 6/13/19, Item 7a
14 School Safety Improvements 5/9/19: Item 6c
15 Lyon-Hoag Neighborhood Traffic Calming 10/10/19: Item 7a
16 300 Burlingame Point Traffic Impacts 8/8/19: Item 7a
17 Broadway/California Update
2019 Agenda Item Action Status
1
Council Direction Regarding Improving
Short-Term Parking in the Burlingame
Avenue Downtown Area
Lot W to be converted to
SMART meters
2 TSPC’s Lot N Parking Structure
Recommendation Completed
3 School Speed Reductions Completed
4 North Carolan Avenue Parking Restrictions Completed
5 McKinley Turn-Restrictions Completed
6 Stop Signs at 3 locations Completed
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b) Police Department Reports
Corporal Garett Pene distributed the accident reports and noted there were 16 accidents
this reporting period. He stated six of the accidents were minor injuries, one consisting of
an auto/pedestrian collision (mutually at fault) and one accident at California Drive and
Summer Avenue involving a car and bicycle. Corporal Pene shared that there were no
collisions reported at the intersection of Floribunda Avenue and El Camino Real or at the
new California Drive Roundabout. He also said there were no DUI accidents this reporting
period. Lastly, Corporal Pene indicated they conducted heavy education and
enforcement in the Hoover School area over the last several weeks, twice a day.
c) Farmer’s Market
No update.
d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications
Commissioner Wettan stated he has had a problem in the past driving south of Trousdale
on the frontage road (side road in front of the medical buildings) where there is a “don’t
block zone” area. He said it is insanely confusing.
Mr. Wong said staff would take a look but indicated that the signal at that location belongs
to Caltrans.
8. COMMISSION & SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan)
No update; however, Commissioner Wettan did state that he looked forward to receiving
an update regarding the valet-assist parking efforts and constraints. He was also
interested to know when Parking Lot F goes offline, to which Mr. Wong responded to say
staff anticipated in April, but given the delay with weather he is uncertain. Commissioner
Wettan also inquired about the timing of the parking garage itself and Mr. Wong stated he
did not have the latest timeline.
b) Broadway Parking (Bush & Israelit)
No update.
c) School Traffic (Israelit & Londer)
No update; however, Commissioner Wettan indicated he was interested to hear feedback
from the Hoover School parents.
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d) Citywide Transportation Alternatives (Londer & Wettan)
No update.
9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
• Hoover School
• Bike/Ped Master Plan
• Broadway parking
• Sanchez Avenue
• Rhinette/Goodwill concerns
• Parking on California Drive
• Ray Park Parking Lot
10. ADJOURNMENT 9:20 pm