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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2020.06.111 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, June 11, 2020 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:01 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) May 14, 2020 Meeting Minutes Motion: To accept the May 14, 2020 Meeting Minutes as written. M/S/C; Londer/Wettan, 5/0/0 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA Kelly Schubert provided an email to publiccomment@burlingame.org and also spoke during the public comment period regarding the following traffic safety concerns. Ms. Schubert indicated the intersection of the railroad crossing on Broadway between Carolan Avenue and California Drive is dangerous due to drivers illegally crossing from the far right turning lane as they are crossing the railroad tracks and cutting off drivers to either continue straight on Broadway or to turn left on California Drive. She shared that on two separate occasions a driver cut her off and she was stranded directly on the railroad tracks with no ability to move. Ms. Schubert stated when she contacted the police, their response was that they would have ticketed her, which she felt was an unacceptable response. She indicated she observes a driver changing lanes and creating this same danger for another driver about once per week. As a result, Ms. Schubert requested permanent pylon tubes be installed that could prevent people in the right-hand turn only lane from crossing over and preventing a driver in the correct lane to go straight or turn left and from moving forward to a safe position. 2 Also, Ms. Schubert stated she works on Old Bayshore Highway and on many occasions has witnessed pedestrians almost being struck by vehicles despite the crosswalk flashers being on. She requested flashers be imbedded into the outlines of the crosswalk for pedestrian safety. Additionally, Ms. Schubert said there is a huge problem with people speeding down Old Bayshore Highway in both directions and indicated on several occasions she was nearly hit while exiting the parking lot at 1350 Old Bayshore to go towards the freeway by drivers speeding around the curve in the road. Lisha Mai introduced herself as the City’s new Transportation Program Manager. She shared her 12-year background with the City and indicated she looked forward to working with the Traffic Safety and Parking Commission and Burlingame community. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Community B/PAC Update (Informational Only) The B/PAC Chair, Leslie Beatty, stated that most of the B/PAC have been out and about and continue to see more and more people walking and biking around Burlingame. She said it is an exciting time for our streets and how they are being utilized. Ms. Beatty stated the closure of Carolan Avenue has been a nice space being utilized a lot by families and is working as intended from the B/PAC’s perspective. She indicated B/PAC is excited to hear the proposal and adoption to close Burlingame Avenue to pedestrian only traffic and looks forward to seeing how it works. Ms. Beatty said the B/PAC is now turning their attention to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. b) Traffic Calming Request Along Sanchez Avenue Michael Tsai provided an update regarding the traffic calming efforts on Sanchez Avenue, which runs between El Camino Real and California Drive. He stated there have been several requests over the years for a multi-way stop, but each time it has not been warranted based on state guidelines. Mr. Tsai indicated that for the latest request, the neighborhood formed a petition for traffic calming in the neighborhood, but unfortunately the petition only received just shy of 50% support and the City was looking for around 66%. Mr. Tsai stated that although they were not able to get consensus, they received a lot of information from the public during the process, such as unreported collisions. Based on the collision information received, he said it was enough to recommend a pilot multi- way stop sign at Sanchez Avenue and Paloma Avenue. Commissioner Londer inquired about additional traffic calming measures and Mr. Tsai indicated that there would not be as there was not enough support from the neighborhood at this time. Commissioner Londer said he notices cars treat Sanchez Avenue as a fast cut-through and is in favor of the pilot stop sign. Chair Israelit opened public comment. 3 Riley Umezaki lives on Sanchez Avenue and thanked the Commission for considering the stop sign. Her sister, Leah Umezaki also thanked the Commission and said it would make crossing much safer. Commissioner Martos asked Mr. Tsai to elaborate on the unreported accidents. Mr. Tsai summarized the state’s criteria and stated they first look at the traffic volume on the main street and side streets and whether there is significant interaction that would need a device to assign the right-of-way. He said the second piece of information to warrant a stop sign is collision history. Mr. Tsai explained the state’s requirement is five correctable collisions in the past year and whether the presence of a stop sign would have helped correct the cause of collisions. He indicated the intersection in question was not substantiated by collision history based on the standard requirements. However, Mr. Tsai explained that although they rely on police reports for collision data, working with the neighborhood over the last year, they received several different accounts of collisions that took place—which were unreported to the police. He said pictures from residents were provided of a broadside collision that seemed to be correctable. Commissioner Martos confirmed with Mr. Tsai that the City has not received any opposition regarding the pilot stop sign at Sanchez and Paloma Avenues. Commissioner Martos also inquired about the measure of success for the pilot program. Mr. Tsai stated that they would rely on feedback from residents and improvement in speed counts. Commissioner Martos indicated he conducted a site survey of the area and noted that streets south of the intersection are multi-way stops. He said he also went through the emails from residents and noted their concerns. Commissioner Martos said that due to the narrowness of the street and visibility concerns, he suggested trying the pilot program. He said more residents could weigh in during/after the pilot program as he pointed out only 7 residents spoke out in favor of the pilot stop sign. Commissioner Bush shared the same questions as Commissioner Martos in regards to the factors justifying the stop sign. He also asked how enforceable is the stop sign and what is the downside of implementing one when we don’t exactly meet the standard warrants. Mr. Tsai stated the stop sign would be fully enforceable. He also explained that one potential downside would be vehicles not abiding by the stop sign. Additionally, Mr. Tsai explained that the proposed traffic calming measures in the petition also included trial road humps, speed radar feedback signs, and additional signage, but was not supported by the neighborhood. Commissioner Bush felt the case would be more clear-cut if there were higher speeds documented, additional accidents, and more than 46% support from the community. However, he said a trial stop sign may be worth it and noted the City can gather additional data points. Commissioner Bus closed by stated he agreed with Commissioner Martos in regards to having some concrete measurements of success. Vice-Chair Wettan stated the intersection is likely a part of a pedestrian route for some McKinley pupils and that Paloma Avenue is also an official part of the City’s bike route. 4 Additionally, he pointed out that on a narrow street, 29 MPH is quite fast. Commissioner Wettan stated they have done this before at Grove Avenue and Laguna Avenue and to his knowledge, has been very popular for those that live in the area as it helped increase pedestrian safety. He requested as a point of process, for careful records when warrants are being taken in order to make sure it is rigorous. Commissioner Wettan closed by stating the pilot stop sign is a good idea and he is glad the City is moving forward with it as it is the right call for this particular street. Commissioner Londer stated he has not heard any reason as to why the stop sign should not be implemented and requested an update after about 3-4 months into the program to get a better feel for how things are working. Mr. Tsai indicated staff can provide a near term update, in addition to the update after the one-year pilot program. Chair Israelit said she did not have much to add but did state the ability to judge objectively whether the stop signs are successful or not are difficult as a lot of accidents are not reported to the police. Without having a complete record, she said they should measure success by how the neighborhood feels subjectively. Chair Israelit stated she wished more of the neighborhood would have signed the petition but she is not opposed to the pilot stop sign. No motion was made as this item was just an update to the Commission regarding how staff plans to move forward with traffic calming on Sanchez Avenue. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • Broadway Grade Separation – The Joint Powers Board (JPB) issued the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the final design on May 5, 2020. All proposals are due at 12:00 PM on June 30, 2020. The City has submitted an application for a $7.9 million dollar BUILD Grant for the Broadway Station portion of the project. Staff still awaiting rankings from the $125 million dollar INFRA Grant application. • Lots F and N Construction Update – To begin work on the residential housing project, the contractor closed Lot F on April 1. Due to the Shelter-in-Place Order (SIP) impacts on parking, staff suspended the valet assist program on March 19. Based on Vice-Chair Wettan’s comments, Mr. Wong stated he would try to get a better timeline for the construction of the parking garage at the next TSPC meeting. • Hoover Elementary School – Staff currently finalizing the design on a project to repair sections of the path along Easton Drive. It is anticipated that this project will be constructed as part of an upcoming resurfacing project. • Lyon Hoag Traffic Calming – Draft report was approved by the City Council at 5 the May 18 meeting. Staff is working towards design and implementation of Phase I improvements before winter. Mr. Wong indicated Lisha Mai will be leading the improvement efforts. Commissioner Londer requested that the Lyon Hoag Traffic Calming Project remain on the Engineer’s Report for ongoing updates until the project is complete. Lisha Mai explained that the goal is to complete the striping improvements before the cold weather, with construction hopefully starting in September. She explained that there is a storm water improvement project slated to start in July which impacts the start of the striping efforts. • Grant Opportunities – Staff working on two potential grant applications related to bike and pedestrian improvements—the Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 5 and Caltrans’ Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10. • Burlingame Avenue Closure – Council working with the Downtown Business Improvement District (DBID) on options to close Burlingame Avenue. This Item was discussed at a special Council meeting held on Tuesday, June 9. The closure is scheduled to begin on June 19. Based on comments from Commissioner Londer, Mr. Wong indicated the closure hours for Burlingame Avenue will be provided to the public via eNews. He also said there should be no conflicts for bicyclists that want to utilize Burlingame Avenue during the weekend closures. Based on comments from Commissioner Martos, Mr. Wong stated the side cross traffic on streets such as Lorton Avenue and Park Road, will not be able to cross at Burlingame Avenue. He indicated there would be a detour via Donnelly Avenue. Vice-Chair Wettan stated he submitted a comment to City Council regarding the closure and felt it would be a good idea to investigate, with the guidance of restaurant owners, ways to distribute takeout and delivery at distribution points surrounding the downtown area. • Lot W Smart Parking Meters – Smart meters have been installed and fully programed; the lot is now a two-hour lot. • TSPC Priority List (revised June 2020): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Parking and Access 6/11/20: Item 7a 2 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 1/9/20: Item 6c 3 School Traffic and Safety Issues 3/12/20: Item 7a 4 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 5/14/20: Item 7a 5 Broadway Parking 3/12/20: Item 7a 6 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 Staff Update via Report 1 Caltrans’ ECR Corridor 2/13/20: Item 7a 2 Hoover School Update 6/11/20: Item 7a 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 3/12/20: 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 6/11/20: Item 7a 11 Broadway Grade Separation 6/11/20: Item 7a 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 13 School Speed Limit Updates 6/13/19, Item 7a 14 School Safety Improvements 3/12/20: Item 7a 15 Lyon-Hoag Neighborhood Traffic Calming 56/11/20: 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 Poles and SMART meter have been installed and are currently being programmed. b) Police Department Reports The collision report was distributed prior to the meeting as part of the agenda packet. Sergeant Perna stated there were 13 collisions for the month of May. He pointed out three of the 13 accidents involved pedestrian and bicyclists. He said there was one hit and run accident on Oak Grove Avenue that was due to a red light violation and unrelated to the road closure on Carolan Avenue. Additionally, Sergeant Perna stated the accident on Carolan Avenue and Oak Grove Avenue involved a child on a scooter. The scooter was run over but the child was unharmed. c) Farmer’s Market No update. The Commission is currently not participating in the Farmer’s Market given current conditions surrounding COVID-19. 7 d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Commissioner Londer received a few phone calls and in person inquiries about the Lyon Hoag Traffic Calming Project. He also indicated the El Camino Real Project is open for public comments through July 6, 2020 at www.ecrscoping.com. Chair Israelit suggested the ECR Scoping site for public comments should be shared through the City’s eNews. Lisha Mai clarified the details of the inquires received by Commissioner Londer related to the Lyon Hoag Traffic Calming Project. Vice-Chair Wettan reported a resident spoke to him regarding the possibility of closing Broadway to vehicle traffic similar to Burlingame Avenue. 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) No update. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Lyon Hoag Traffic Calming diagram for phased improvements (Engineer’s Report) • California Drive between Broadway and Rhinette Avenue • Oak Grove Avenue/Carolan Avenue/California Drive intersection • Burlingame Avenue closure update • Citywide traffic calming • Public comment regarding railroad tracks on California Drive at Broadway/Carolan Avenue 10. ADJOURNMENT 8:23 p.m.