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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2020.02.131 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, February 13, 2020 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:01 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Israeli, Londer, Martos MEMBERS ABSENT: Bush, Wettan 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) December 12, 2019 Meeting Minutes Motion: To accept the December 12, 2019 meeting minutes as written. M/S/C; Londer/Israelit, 1/0/0 Due to the lack of a majority vote, the meeting minutes will be presented for approval again at the May TSPC meeting. b) January 9, 2020 Meeting Minutes Motion: To accept the January 9, 2020 meeting minutes as written. M/S/C; Londer/Martos, 2/0/0 Due to the lack of a majority vote, the meeting minutes will be presented for approval again at the May TSPC meeting. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA Manito Velasco stated that he requested a stop sign at the corner of Paloma Avenue and Sanchez Avenue in 2015, to which the request was denied. He indicated he followed up with TSPC in August 2017, June 2018, November 2018, and April 2019. Mr. Velasco is again 2 requesting a stop sign at the same location as he feels it is needed due to lack of visibility and safety concerns. Drew stated the online tool to comment on the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan is very hard and frustrating to use. He also said there should be some aspirational goals in the master plan that are transformational. For example, he suggested a bike/pedestrian multi-use pathway over the freeway especially with the new Facebook (Oculus) campus, as it would connect to key transit points. Additionally, it would facilitate access to the Bay Trail and new park (Coastal Commission). 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Community B/PAC Update (Informational Only) Warren Goodrich of the B/PAC stated they held their usual monthly meeting prior to the TSPC meeting and continued to discuss the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, El Camino Real updates for the taskforce, and this evening’s TSPC agenda. In regards to the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, Mr. Goodrich stated a lot of progress has been made and they are excited about the big picture plans. However, he indicated B/PAC would like to see additional thought for pedestrian improvements and was hopeful they would have the opportunity to follow up with Alta Design on some of the pedestrian requests. b) On-Street Parking Along the West Side of California Drive (1200 Block) from Rhinette Avenue to Juanita Avenue Mr. Wong stated that the purpose of this item is to have an open discussion. He indicated that notices went out to the public in the impacted area, in addition to signage on the sidewalk regarding this evening’s discussion. Mr. Wong shared that some of the big issues that have been brought up are significant queuing in the southbound lane, drivers stopping in the Class II bike lane, drivers crossing the centerline to the southbound left- turn lanes, and drivers not utilizing the far inside left-turn lane. He stated that there are a number of contributing factors such as Burlingame’s sole interchange with US 101 at Broadway, the Caltrain at-grade crossing, the loss of parking from Lot T, availability of short-term parking in the immediate area, the loss of a two-way left-turn lane, a single controller for two intersections, and the close proximity of California Drive and Carolan Avenue intersections. Before turning it over to Chair Israelit for public comment, Mr. Wong gave some options for the discussion consisting of removing the on-street parking, modifying the current on- street parking restriction period, or leaving it as is. Additionally, Mr. Wong stated other factors to consider are signal timing adjustments, the Caltrain Electrification Project which will increase the frequency of trains crossing at Broadway, and the upcoming Broadway Grade Separation Project. Chair Israelit opened public comment. 3 Sean Leannane stated he had safety concerns between Lincoln and Rhinette Avenue. He said he would like to see the parking eliminated in an effort to increase visibility for drivers attempting to cross onto California Drive to enter the intersection as he has had numerous close calls. Amy Lennane suggested removing the left-turn lane going northbound on Rhinette Avenue because it forms a bottleneck with the various cars merging causing additional congestion. Eric Lennane, would like the Commission to consider a protected bike lane by removing the parking to increase the roadway and safety. Paul, a business owner on the 1200 block of California Drive, stated if the parking is removed, it will kill the businesses on that stretch of California Drive. He also indicated a loss of business about four years ago when the parking across the street was removed and given to Audi for their vehicle storage. Paul stated he is all for bike lanes but would like the TSPC to consider the five businesses that will be greatly impacted by the removal of parking. Drew stated he has been stuck behind someone making a left hand turn on Rhinette Avenue while trying to merge with other vehicles and the traffic stops abruptly. He seconded the previous comment about the potential removal of the northbound left turn lane from California to Rhinette Avenue. Warren Goodrich stated that he bikes on California Drive and lives off of California Drive. He stated they spoke about this topic at the B/PAC meeting and felt that the removal of the bike lane would be an awful signal to the community. Mr. Goodrich said Burlingame has made a lot of progress with bike facilities and recognized the issue with the parking, but he ultimately felt in the long run (with additional transit improvements) there will be an increase in people riding bikes. He encouraged the TSPC think forward not backwards. Joanne Tsang owns a salon on the 1200 block of California Drive and also lives upstairs. She stated it is very hard to get in and out of the building with the congestion and also said if the parking is removed, it will really impact her business. Ms. Tsang also said she has older clients that rely on the street parking to get to their appointments. Manito Velasco stated he was hoping to see data as far as delays go before and after the changes to California Drive as he felt it was a critical piece of information. He said he wanted to know much of the delay is due to the timing of signals or the reconfiguration of the bike lane. Mr. Velasco stated if the City decides to go back to the two-way left-turn lane, he has issues with safety. Lastly, he said the Commission is due a report on what has improved and what has gotten worse since the configuration changes that occurred in 2018. 4 Amy Lennane inquired about having a parking time restriction during peak commute times as the City did prior to the installation of the new bike facilities. Paul suggested cutting the bike lane off at Juanita Avenue, having bicyclist detour through the residential neighborhood and having the bike lane continue again at Broadway. Anthony Dimech, a teacher at Burlingame High School, rides his bike frequently and felt the City should not make any drastic changes with the current configuration until the Broadway Grade Separation Project is complete. He also felt that between 7 – 9 am is the most dangerous because there is no parking allowed and drivers are using that space to drive straight to continue onto California Drive. Anita, a resident on Juanita Avenue, inquired about the Audi parking lot and how long the lease is for that space as she felt that made a significant difference in regards to the loss of parking. Mr. Wong indicated he did not have that information readily available. Paul indicated he inquired with the City about the Audi lease and was told there was additional parking available in the parking lot behind Goodwill. Paul explained that those few long-term spaces are used all day by commuters and the remaining spaces are used by Goodwill employees. Chair Israelit closed the public comment period. Commissioner Londer inquired about Parking Lot T and confirmed it is owned by Caltrain, not the City of Burlingame. He stated he felt there is too much going on at that section of California Drive and opts to use El Camino Real. Commissioner Londer also inquired about the space in the previous sand bag site on California Drive. He said he is not in favor of removing the bike lane or removing the parking and felt there were other options to look into such as the usage of the parking lot behind Goodwill. Commissioner Londer stated he was unsure what the best solution is, but suggested looking into a time limit on the meters in the parking lot behind Goodwill. He said there has to be some other solution to make things flow better. Commissioner Londer also said he agreed with Mr. Velasco’s comment regarding the data behind what is making things better and what is making them worse—signal timing or the configuration changes. Lastly, he acknowledged that Juanita Avenue and Rhinette Avenue are already congested. Commissioner Martos thanked the public for their feedback. He said he had several comments, one of which is that he agreed with Mr. Velasco’s comment regarding data as it will help with options going forward. He asked those in attendance that live on California Drive where they park and he was told there are three spaces behind the mixed-use building. As for the parking lot behind Goodwill, Commissioner Martos suggested making those spaces two-hour spaces. He also suggested looking into the removal of the northbound left-turn lane onto Rhinette Avenue and Juanita Avenue. He felt that could alleviate some of the congestion. Commissioner Martos also suggested looking into the possibility of moving the bike route west off of California into the residential area as it might help congestion and would also increase safety. 5 Sergeant Perna shared that the BPD recommended to remove the no parking during peak periods as they thought it would prevent cars from driving in the bike lane to bypass traffic. Additionally, he mentioned the idea of a permanent planter or decorative sign because cars using that space as a lane of traffic create an unsafe situation. Sergeant Perna shared that the BPD issues a great deal of citations in the area. Chair Israelit stated that she sees the conflicts between cars and bikes on a daily basis at various times because she lives and works in Burlingame. She said that she doesn’t think that having restricted parking hours during peak commute times will work and pointed out an additional “rush hour” around 3 p.m. caused by schools being let out and the shift change at the hospital—one of the largest employers in Burlingame. Chair Israelit stated that the afternoon commute is worse than the evening commute. She also said she felt removing the bike lane was not an option because the City is striving to have better north/south bike routes. Chair Israelit said she liked the idea Commissioner Martos provided regarding rerouting the bike path west in the residential area but noted that the streets in the area were extremely narrow with parking on both sides and felt that wouldn’t work unless parking was eliminated on one side of the street. She said she felt this was a situation where we have to decide there is only room for so much. She was not in favor of getting rid of the bike lane and also felt cars need a longer area to access the two left-turn lanes. Therefore, Chair Israelit felt the only solution was to get rid of the parking in front of the businesses on California Drive. To make up for the loss of parking, she suggested using the tenant parking for disabled customers and for staff to look into reducing the hours in the parking lot behind Goodwill as that would provide a place for patrons to park. Chair Isrealit explained that the bike lane could then be moved up against the curb to help provide a safe space for the bicyclists. She was clear that concessions should be made for the impacted businesses so they have parking available to their customers. Commissioner Londer confirmed with the business owners in the audience that the parking behind the building is their personal residential parking. Mr. Wong inquired with the business owners regarding their parking needs if the parking directly in front of their businesses is removed. Paul responded to reiterate that if the street parking is removed, it will kill the businesses there. In closing, Mr. Wong indicated staff would take the feedback received this evening and take a deeper look into the comments and suggestions. c) New Shuttle Application Update Mr. Wong provided a presentation regarding the SMCTA and C/CAG upcoming shuttle program call for projects. Mr. Wong shared that he worked with the TSPC subcommittee, consisting of Commissioner Londer and Vice-Chair Wettan regarding proposed shuttle routes and came up with two suggested routes. He stated the first (and preferred) route is called the California commuter shuttle route, which would take people from the Caltrain Millbrae Bart Station to the Burlingame Caltrain Station on Burlingame Avenue with a stop at Broadway. The second suggested route is called the youth commuter shuttle, which 6 would run up into the hills with stops at Hoover Elementary, Our Lady of Angels, Broadway, Burlingame High School, and end at the Burlingame Caltrain Station. Mr. Wong said that both options were discussed with Commute.org and SamTrans and the City received support from Commute.org for the California Drive commuter shuttle. After going through additional shuttle route details and challenges, Mr. Wong indicated that the City would apply for the next shuttle grant cycle. Commissioner Londer questioned that a support letter is part of the grant application requirements. He also stated that the El Camino Real route no longer exists and Route 292 turns off California Drive and does not extend to Millbrae. Commissioner Martos inquired about the electrification schedule in 2022 to which Mr. Wong indicated he did not have a construction schedule. Chair Israelit noted that she really liked the California Drive commuter shuttle proposal. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • Broadway Grade Separation – Staff is working on the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program. The application deadline is February 25, 2020. • Lots F and N Construction Update – No new updates to report. • ECR Task Force – Caltrans held an Open House for the El Camino Real Roadway Renewal Project on January 28. It was primarily an informational meeting for the community, which was very well attended. • TSPC Priority List (revised February 2020): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Parking and Access 12/12/19: Item 7a 2 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 1/9/20: Item 6c 3 School Traffic and Safety Issues 12/12/19: Item 7a 4 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 10/10/19: Item 7a 5 Broadway Parking 2/13/20: Item 6b 6 Citywide Transportation Alternatives 2/13/20: Item 6c 7 Bay Trail Improvements 8 Electric Vehicles 12/12/19: Item 6b 9 Bike Share Feedback 12/12/19: Item 6b 7 Staff Update via Report 1 Caltrans’ ECR Corridor 2/13/20: Item 7a 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 1/9/20: Item 6c 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 2/13/20: 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 2020 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 b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Perna distributed the accident report and stated it is sorted by location as requested by the TSPC. He informed the TSPC that he is still working on compiling a full 2019 report by location. Sergeant Perna shared that there were 20 accidents this reporting period and highlighted there were no bicycle related accidents but there were three auto/pedestrian collisions. c) Farmer’s Market Commissioner Londer indicated that the Farmer’s Market has started up again but there would be no TSPC presence at the next event. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Commissioner Londer stated he attended the El Camino Real Roadway Project Open House, as well as Chair Israelit and Commissioner Martos. He mentioned an informational flyer was sent out to all the Commissioners via email from Mr. Wong. Commissioner Londer encouraged public participation and to keep tabs on what is going 8 on. Commissioner Martos stated he attended the City Council goal setting session, along with Commissioner Londer. Commissioner Martos indicated the Council discussed goals, infrastructure updates, the prioritization of unfunded projects, and what was missing from the list of goals. He mentioned Councilmember Brownrigg brought up autonomous shuttles. Additionally, Commissioner Martos shared that the Council talked about prioritizing some of the TSPC priorities and Hoover’s safe routes to schools was on the top of the list. Lyon Hoag traffic calming, impacts from the Peninsula Interchange Project, City Hall roundabout, and the Bay Trail improvements were also prioritized per Commissioner Martos. 8. COMMISSION & SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) No update. b) Broadway Parking (Bush & Israelit) No update. c) School Traffic (Israelit & Londer) No update. d) Citywide Transportation Alternatives (Londer & Wettan) Commissioner Londer indicated he and Vice-Chair Wettan met to discuss the proposed shuttle routes as mentioned in item 6.c. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Hoover School improvements along Easton Drive • California Drive on-street parking concerns • Sanchez Avenue stop sign 10. ADJOURNMENT 8:51 pm