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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2021.12.091 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, December 9, 2021 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:01 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Israelit, Leigh, Martos, Ng, Rebelos MEMBERS ABSENT: None 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) October 14, 2021 Meeting Minutes Motion: To accept the October 14, 2021 Meeting Minutes as submitted. M/S/C; Rebelos/Israelit, 3/0/2 b) November 10, 2021 Meeting Minutes Motion: To accept the November 10, 2021 Meeting Minutes as submitted. M/S/C; Rebelos/Leigh, 4/0/1 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No public comments received. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Community B/PAC Update (Informational Item Only) B/PAC Chair Lesley Beatty thanked former Chair Howard Wettan for his service to B/PAC and on TSPC. She stated they would miss his voice on important matters. Additionally, 2 she welcomed the newest TSPC Commissioner, Mr. Ng. Ms. Beatty indicated they used their last B/PAC meeting of the year as an opportunity to reflect. She said they were reminded of the fact that the Bike and Ped Master Plan has been adopted for a full year now, with some projects in the works. However, she conveyed they are not sure how much it has changed the way the City is thinking about design and accommodating bikes and pedestrians. Ms. Beatty shared B/PAC would be focusing on that topic next year. Ms. Beatty indicated that her experience on bike and foot in the City is getting much scarier and noted an increase in vehicle speeds and also felt the rules of the road have been breaking down during the pandemic. She encouraged Commissioners and staff to walk around and experience it if they haven’t already. Ms. Beatty stated B/PAC is feeling an increase in urgency to ensure the City is safe and friendly for folks to get around. b) Broadway Pedestrian Street Lighting Improvement Project Update Mr. Wong provided a presentation to the Commission to update them on the status of the Broadway Pedestrian Street Lighting Improvement Project and to answer any questions they may have. Mr. Wong shared the project background which included the award of a $720K grant from MTC’s One Bay Area Grant 2 (OBAG2) in 2016, which was to fund 3 projects. He said the lighting project is the last of the three federally funded projects under the OBAG 2 grant. Additionally, Mr. Wong stated the project scope is to remove and replace existing pedestrian street lights, and install new pedestrian street lights with new conduits and wiring along Broadway between El Camino Real and Rollins Road. He indicated the work would also include removal and replacement of asphalt pavement and sidewalk for restoration purposes. Mr. Wong revealed the project was awarded to Bay Area Lightworks at the August 16, 2021 City Council Meeting. Mr. Wong went over the details of the street lights, stating they will match the style of the existing poles from the Broadway Interchange Project. He explained there are 22 existing locations for replacement on Broadway between El Camino Real (ECR) and California Drive and 20 new light locations – 16 between ECR and California Drive and 4 between California Drive and Rollins Road. Mr. Wong also shared that the LEDs will be the latest generation. Mr. Wong shared the project schedule and said as of December, all new pole foundations have been installed, but work would cease during the holiday season. He stated the new poles are scheduled to arrive in March 2022, with the installation of poles and wiring anticipated for April 2022. Weather permitting, Mr. Wong indicated the work should be completed by May 2022. No public comments were received for this item. Commissioner Leigh stated that she requested to see the lighting plans in March of last 3 year and again in April. She said they never received any plans and therefore did not know that there would be poles installed in the middle of the sidewalk on Broadway between California Drive and Rollins Road. She said pedestrians have to walk three feet to the left or right to walk around the poles and felt pedestrians preferred a barrier between them and the vehicles on Broadway. She expressed her disappointment that the Commission was not given an opportunity to comment on the location of the poles as she felt they were far less than ideal. Commissioner Leigh said we also cannot have the roadway more illuminated than the actual crosswalks where people are walking. She said overall she was very disappointed in the design and requested feedback regarding of the placement of new poles in the middle of the sidewalk. Mr. Wong replied to share that the lighting standards were provided to the Commission but he said there was a possible misunderstanding. In regards to the location of some of the new light poles, Mr. Wong stated it was due to the utilities along the sidewalk and the new foundations interfere with the utilities. He explained it is very costly to relocate utilities and therefore the design team had to compromise between access and increasing the light levels on Broadway. Additionally, Mr. Wong stated there are planter areas which are not reflected in the presentation that also impacted the poles location. Commissioner Leigh continued to convey her displeasure of the design again and specifically requested it be captured in the meeting minutes. Commissioner Israelit inquired about the lighting and if there was a way to maximize the lighting at central intersections. Mr. Wong explained they are pedestrian scale lighting, with the light emphasis on the walkways along the sidewalk, not necessarily the road. Mr. Wong also shared most of the intersection lights are brighter now—staff has been working with the Broadway businesses to improve them. Mr. Wong also shared that the light poles could not be pushed closer to the curb in some cases because that is where a lot of the utilities lie. Commissioner Rebelos said he is looking forward to the new lighting on Broadway. He also stated the importance of transparency and communication. Commissioner Rebelos inquired if there would be any supply delays that might impact the project schedule. Mr. Wong responded to say the poles have already been ordered and he has not heard about any supply delays from the project manager. Commissioner Ng asked about adjustments to the lights themselves and to what extent would that change the lighting report he shared. Mr. Wong said they can see if they can increase the fixtures but explained they are not like directional highway lighting. Mr. Wong said he would work with the project manager to see if they can tweak any of the lighting in an effort to provide more lighting in the crosswalks. Vice-Chair Martos asked a few clarifying questions, including whether or not tree trimming might assist with the lighting of crosswalks. Mr. Wong stated he would look into it. Vice- Chair Martos also asked about feedback from Mr. Kevranian and other merchants in terms 4 of design and layout and if the majority of merchants were in favor of it. Mr. Wong stated he has met with Mr. Kevranian and that he indicated he was pleased with the project and did not mention anything about the specific pole locations. Commissioner Leigh said it would be great if we could tweak the lights at the intersections so it is brightest in the crosswalks. She also said it would be very helpful if communication was improved and more transparent. Commissioner Rebelos added that he has been walking around Burlingame a lot and he noticed that since the time change, it has become more intimidating to walk. He said he considered setting up a tripod at a few locations to capture video because he felt there is a heightened risk to bicyclists and pedestrians near Broadway and Burlingame Avenue. Commissioner Rebelos pointed out a lot of vehicles on the road have poor visibility and drivers are more distracted and not seeing pedestrians. He shared that he has had so many close calls in the last 14 days just walking around Burlingame. Commissioner Rebelos felt the Commission is going to face increased pressure to improve lighting and bike and pedestrian safety along the major corridors in Burlingame. c) Chair and Vice-Chair Nominations Vice-Chair Martos opened the floor for Chair and Vice-Chair Nominations. Commissioner Israelit nominated Vice-Chair Martos to Chair the Commission next year. Although it is not written in stone, she said it is the tradition of the Vice-Chair to take on the role of Chair the following year. Commissioner Israelit stated that Vice-Chair Martos has a lot of experience and can lead the Commission well. Vice-Chair Martos accepted the nomination and the Commissioners voted in favor 5-0-0. Vice-Chair Martos thanked his fellow Commissioners for their confidence. He stated in previous years as Chair, he would meet with the Mayor on a quarterly basis to see what Council is interested in and to obtain additional feedback. Vice-Chair Martos said he plans to continue that effort next year. Vice-Chair Martos nominated Commissioner Israelit to be the Vice-Chair to the Commission next year. Commissioner Israelit said she would be happy to be the Vice- Chair. The Commissioners voted in favor 5-0-0. Mr. Wong stated that staff used to distribute a manual for new commissioners but he stated there have been a lot of changes in the industry and the manual is out of date. He indicated there will be an upcoming refresher course regarding the Brown Act, which will give the Commissioner’s an opportunity to ask questions as well. Additionally, Mr. Wong said they could provide links to various resources and City documents. 5 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports Mr. Wong provided an update on the following Public Works/Engineering projects. • Highland Parking Garage Update – Garage is fully operational. Observations made during the last week of November indicated over 200 spaces available. Staff will be looking into additional signage. Commissioner Leigh suggested making the upper levels free to people in order to promote use of the parking garage. She also suggested free parking during the holiday season to assist merchants. Commissioner Leigh felt the City’s eNews would be a good way to get the word out. Vice-Chair Martos concurred and said they want to investigate how they can get more people to utilize the parking garage. Commissioner Rebelos inquired about a valet parking program for the merchants. He also said he loves the parking garage and the ease of it. • Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 Grant – Staff submitted the grant application by the November 15 deadline. Staff to present project to the San Mateo County BPAC in January 2022. TSPC Priority List (revised November 2021): TSPC Led Effort 1 Bike\Ped Plan Priorities 5/13/21: Item 6b 2 School Transportation and Safety Issues 1/14/21: Item 7a 3 Caltrans’ ECR Corridor 4/8/21: Item 7a 4 Neighborhood Traffic Calming/Controls 2/11/21: Item 7a 5 Old Bayshore Corridor Study (s/o Broadway) 10/14/21: Item 6c 6 Electric Vehicle Discussion with Planning 10/14/21: Item 6b 7 Downtown Parking and Access 10/14/21: Item 7a 8 Broadway Parking 2/11/21: Item 7a 9 Citywide Transportation Alternatives 10/14/21: Item 6b Staff Update via Report 1 Caltrans’ ECR Corridor 4/8/21: Item 7a 2 Hoover School Update 8/12/21: Item 7a 6 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 7/8/21: Item 6c 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 3/11/21: Item 6b 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 1/14/21: Item 7a 8 Rec Center Parking 3/12/20: Item 7a 9 Old Bayshore Corridor Study 10/14/21: Item 6c 10 Grant Opportunities 10/14/21: Item 6d 11 Broadway Grade Separation 8/12/21: Item 7a 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 5/13/21: Item 7a 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 8/12//21: Item 7a 16 300 Burlingame Point Traffic Impacts 12/10/20: Item 7a 17 Broadway/California Update 11/10/21: Item 6b 2021 Agenda Item Action Status 1 Highland Garage Parking Restrictions Approved by Council February 16, 2021 b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Perna provided the Collision Report and stated there were three documented vehicle and pedestrian collisions this reporting period. He said one occurred at El Camino Real and Ray Drive on the 20th at 8:34 pm. He said a pedestrian wandered into the road nowhere near a crosswalk and therefore the pedestrian was at fault, although he stated that nobody was cited. Sergeant Perna indicated the second collision took place at Cabrillo Avenue and Easton Drive. He stated the vehicle was southbound on Cabrillo Avenue and a pedestrian was crossing in the crosswalk. Sergeant Perna said the vehicle failed to stop and hit the pedestrian in the crosswalk and was classified a minor injury collision. He stated that the third collision at Lorton and Howard Avenues was similar to the accident on Cabrillo Avenue in that the vehicle did not see the pedestrian in the roadway. Sergeant Perna went on to say that he feels there is increased visibility concerns with today’s vehicles due to increased pillar size. Commissioner Leigh inquired about the time of day for the two accidents involving pedestrians in the crosswalk. Sergeant Perna stated the accident at Cabrillo Avenue occurred in the morning during the busy commute time. He said the accident on Lorton Avenue occurred around noon. Commissioner Leigh pointed out that Lorton Avenue and Howard Avenue are on the top five collision locations based on the Collision Map. Commissioner Leigh stated at the May 13 Commission meeting they discussed staff looking into whether or not Lorton and Howard would qualify for larger stop signs and that former Chair Wettan stated it would be a future agenda item. She inquired again about 7 the possibility of larger/upgraded stops signs so there are stop signs on both sides of all four corners. Mr. Wong said this area does not qualify for larger stops signs but stated that a high visibility crosswalk at that location is part of a future project and staff is also looking at trying some corner pedestrian improvements. He indicated there is also a work order in to repair a broken light in the area—although lighting should not have been a factor in this collision. Commissioner Ng stated it is concerning that the collision occurred around noon on a Saturday in a busy downtown area. He concurred with Commission Rebelos’ comments in that he felt people just aren’t aware of their surroundings or they are not paying attention. Commissioner Ng suggested brainstorming ways to increase visibility and awareness. Commissioner Rebelos agreed with comments from his fellow Commissioners and conveyed his concern about the number of egregious collisions in the last 6 to 8 months. He said there is an assumption that people are familiar with the street they are driving on and that pedestrians are also familiar with the area, which is becoming more and more apparent to him to be untrue. Commissioner Rebelos stated again, over the last two months, he has gone on walks three or four times a week and cannot count the number of times the crosswalk was violated. He said he is surprised there has not been more collisions. Commissioner Rebelos mentioned he would also like more data and said we should not be reacting to these accidents; he said we should be preventing them. He stated he felt like there is an assumption in Burlingame that everyone is going to adhere to the rules of the road. Commissioner Rebelos expressed the need to fix this ongoing problem. Vice-Chair Martos stated in January there will be an opportunity to prioritize the efforts of the Commission for 2022. Vice-Chair Martos then inquired about an additional vehicle and pedestrian accident that occurred on November 29 at Peninsula Avenue and Stanley Road. Sergeant Perna stated that collision was in the City of San Mateo but shared that it was a fatal collision—the second in a very short time. Sergeant Perna stated he does not have additional details but thought the pedestrian was outside of the crosswalk. Vice-Chair Martos thought that crosswalk might be a good topic of conversation in 2022 even though they would have to coordinate with the City of San Mateo. Commissioner Leigh said she heard of a collision today at Bayswater Avenue and California Drive. Sergeant Perna confirmed the collision but he did not have the details available. Sergeant Perna also confirmed he could share the Collision Map going forward but it would have to be in advance of the meeting for staff to share. 8 c) Farmer’s Market Chair Martos stated he walked through the last Farmer’s Market. He shared with the new Commissioner’s that TSPC used to have a presence at the Famer’s Market once a month to outreach the public. Vice-Chair Martos said they can consider restarting that effort again in 2022. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Vice-Chair Martos stated the Commission would be doing a proclamation for former Chair Wettan and former Commissioner Bush in early 2022 to thank them for their service to the community. Commissioner Israelit said she received a communication from Mr. Robert Smith who lives on Hillside Drive asking about Hillside Drive traffic and parking regulations. She said the resident wondered if this Commissioner would handle his concerns since it’s in an unincorporated area of Burlingame. Commissioner Israelit said Mr. Smith indicated he was riding his bike on Hillside Drive and felt the fact there are cars parked on the northeast side of the road creates a dangerous situation for bicyclists and pedestrians. Mr. Smith inquired about prohibiting parking on the northeast corner of the road and whether or not this Commission could address that. Mr. Wong said there are pockets of Hillside Drive that belong to the County but he would get more details from Commissioner Israelit offline. Vice-Chair Martos stated that he typically will forward those emails to staff for evaluation. Commissioner Israelit stated the email was received today and that she would forward it to Mr. Wong. 8. COMMISSION & SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos) No new update. b) Broadway Parking/Traffic Issues (Israelit & Leigh) Commissioner Leigh shared that she and Commissioner Israelit did meet to discuss the Broadway Pedestrian Street Lighting Project and placement of the light poles. c) School Traffic (Israelit) No new update but Commissioner Israelit thought Commission Ng might be interested in this Committee in 2022. She also pointed out that they are in the middle of the big walk audit and she does not want it to fall through the cracks. Commissioner Ng conveyed his interested in this Committee. 9 d) Citywide Transportation Alternatives (Rebelos) No new update but Commissioner Rebelos stated he would like to carry this effort forward and welcomed another Committee member. e) Community Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory (Leigh & Rebelos) Commissioner Leigh stated she attended today’s B/PAC meeting and said the meeting was a wrap up of the year. She also shared that it has been one year since adopting the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Commissioner Leigh then requested hard copies of the master plan document. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Ranking and prioritization of projects for 2022 • Bike boulevard design options • Proclamation for former Commissioners (February) 10. ADJOURNMENT 8:45 p.m.