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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2022.03.101 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, March 10, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:05 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Leigh, Martos, Ng, Rebelos MEMBERS ABSENT: Israelit 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) February 10, 2022 Meeting Minutes Commissioner Ng made a motion to accept the meeting minutes; seconded by Commissioner Rebelos. The motion passed by a roll call vote, 4-0. 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 everyone for last month’s discussion regarding bike boulevards. After reading the meeting minutes, she said it became clear there is some confusion and heartache about what to do on Carmelita Avenue. Chair Beatty specifically requested that the discussion surrounding Carmelita Avenue be brought back to the B/PAC and TSPC before it is too late to alter the final design considering the large variety of options being considered. 2 Additionally, Ms. Beatty stated the second top B/PAC bike priority this year is the Broadway, Carolan, and Cadillac interchange. She said although the area is being redesigned as part of the Broadway Grade Separation Project, which is a long way out, the intersection is perilous for pedestrians and bicyclists. Ms. Beatty also said the train further complicates things and they would like to see some short term safety improvements. Ms. Beatty indicated B/PAC is very excited to hear about the crosswalks in tonight’s discussion. She said they are very supportive of the project and are curious of the specific plans for each intersection. Mr. Wong confirmed the bike boulevards design will be brought back to the Commission for review and feedback. b) Grant Overview Presentation Mr. Wong provided a grant overview presentation to the Commission. He went over the various funding types for transportation projects aside from the City’s general fund – federal and regional (local) grants. Mr. Wong explained that federal grant opportunity examples consist of the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) and the Active Transportation Program (ATP). He said federal funding requires federal oversight, which means more paperwork, and the award amounts are typically larger, with longer processing times. For regional grants, Mr. Wong stated they are typically through San Mateo County and consist of the Transportation Development Act (TDA) and Measure A and W funds. He said these local funding opportunities do not require federal oversight, are typically smaller award amounts, and have a reduced scoring criteria compared to federally funded projects. Mr. Wong shared that the City was awarded the following OBAG grants: • $720K for the Broadway Lighting Project; • $571K for Federal Roadway Resurfacing; • $700K for the recently completed Hoover School Area Sidewalk Improvements, • $500K for the Burlingame Square Transit Hub; and • $200K for the City-Wide Pedestrian Safe Routes and Mobility Improvements. In regards to regional opportunities, Mr. Wong went into the TDA Article 3 funding, which is funded through local transportation funds—1/4 cent of statewide sales tax and gas tax. He stated that grant opportunity cycle occurs every two years. Mr. Wong shared that the City applied for a TDA Article 3 grant in the amount of $400K for the Murchison Drive, Trousdale Drive, and Davis Drive Bicycle Route Project (results pending). Mr. Wong then summarized the history of Measure A and W funds, which are both a half-cent 3 sales tax to fund transportation projects and programs in San Mateo County. Looking ahead at future grant opportunities, Mr. Wong went over the upcoming OBAG 3 grant opportunity. He shared the call for projects is expected in May 2022 and that funds will be available for a wide range of project types and for projects located in Priority Development Areas (PDAs). Please see presentation (available in the agenda packet on the City’s website) for full details. Commissioner Leigh requested the Commission have the ability to make suggestions for projects for upcoming grant applications. She specifically requested to discuss options for the upcoming OBAG 3 grant opportunity at next month’s TSPC meeting. Additionally, she suggested that staff present their top five projects for B/PAC and TSPC to weigh in on. Mr. Wong stated they may not be able to get to that point until they see the grant criteria as part of the call for projects expected in May. Commissioner Rebelos shared his observations and frustrations about the information presented. He said he would like to see something that displays the potential revenue from particular grants and what projects could be covered by those grants. Mr. Wong explained that although the City may apply for the maximum amount allowed, in many scenarios we would not know the amount of funding to be received from a particular grant until it is awarded. Commissioner Ng agreed with Commissioner Rebelos in terms of the information presented and the feasibility of funding particular projects, but also thanked Mr. Wong for his clarifying comments. Mr. Wong suggested that if the Chair and Vice-Chair agreed, the Commission could generate a list of projects they are interested in and he could simplify what each project is calling out for. He clarified it would not be an exercise in designing the projects. Mr. Wong also stated the funding of projects ultimately falls under City Council discretion. Commissioner Ng clarified he is not interested in the dollar amount per project, but how to prioritize improvements based on the pool of projects and funds available. Commissioner Leigh requested clarification on the PDAs and how it compares to the priority areas approved in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Mr. Wong stated that the PDAs were identified through the Planning Department and City Council and is where they would like to see funds invested due to new development and the proximity to transit hubs and community amenities. Commissioner Leigh pointed out the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan that was also approved by the City Council encompasses areas not shown in the PDAs. Commissioner Leigh also stated she noticed that some of the projects staff are working on are not in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan at all, citing the traffic signal at Oak Grove and Carolan Avenues and the area in front of the main Library and City Hall. She explained that is why she is interested in seeing a list of projects staff is working on. Additionally, she thought it would be helpful if the Commission discussed the points system as it pertains to grant applications. Mr. Wong briefly went over some of the considerations for scoring. He also pointed out the pedestrian enhancements that are a part of the overall traffic signal project at Oak Grove and Carolan Avenues—which is called out in 4 the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. He also clarified the City Hall area is called out in the Master Plan, but they are not currently working on it. Chair Martos asked some clarifying questions about the data presented in regards to the points system and potential of grant awards. He inquired why staff would not pursue the highest priority projects for funding. Mr. Wong stated it has to do with cost, what the grant is looking for, and project viability. Going forward, Chair Martos clarified with Mr. Wong that the Commission should be focusing on the projects in the presentation that do not have any colored dots associated with them (signifying lack of funding and potential projects for grant opportunities). Chair Martos asked how the Commission should best evaluate the projects without funding. Mr. Wong stated the project descriptions can be found in the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan and he also suggested the Commission focus on the short-term opportunity projects with higher points. Commissioner Leigh inquired about the area of Howard Avenue and Lorton Avenue near the parking garage. Mr. Wong stated it would be added to the list of quick-build priorities. She requested a new revised list be sent to the Commission and that the projects currently in design be struck out to eliminate confusion with the list. Commissioner Rebelos suggested the project list provided in the agenda packet be in a google sheet or excel document and replace the dots with letters so they can sort the list on their own. Commissioner Ng suggested separating the projects to be reviewed by the Commission from the projects that are already in progress to simplify things. Chair Martos thought it would be helpful as well if they could sort the projects. Chair Martos asked if any particular projects would be better suited for the upcoming OBAG 3 grant opportunity. Mr. Wong stated the information in the presentation is what they have to go on until the call for projects is released. In his closing comments, Chair Martos reiterated the desire to have the project list in a sortable format in order to work on their recommendations. The following public comment was received via email from Manito Velasco and read for the record: Thank you very much for having this information item. This is very timely because the Transportation Authority confirmed that they will be issuing the call for projects for bike/ped projects in August 2022. Which gives ample time for TSPC and the City and other stakeholders to vet grant ideas and applications. It is good to get them prepared earlier rather than late in the game. Burlingame can get a leg up with other cities fiercely competing for the same funding source. The TA states that there are over $17M in Measure A and W funds for walking, biking, transit access projects in the 5 county. This will also provide double the funding available for Safe Routes to School projects. I also want to encourage the city to also look at paving projects as another efficient and fast way of implementing ped/bike improvements. Paving projects are a good way of tweaking the stripes to be restored to be more ped or bike-friendly. It did so on Airport Blvd and we gained a buffered bike lane out of city staff’s efforts there. The paving project on Murchison 3 years ago, and then the paving project on Trousdale 2 years ago, could also have yielded bike and ped improvements post-paving. We just need a little bit of advance planning. Please continue leveraging these kinds of projects, in addition to grants. c) City-Wide Pedestrian Safe Routes and Mobility Improvements Update Mr. Wong provided a presentation about the City-Wide Pedestrian Safe Routes and Mobility Improvements, also described as quick-builds. Mr. Wong provided some background, sharing that through the Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike program, the City was awarded $200K of federal funding. He said under this program, Burlingame’s proposed project included “quick- build” pedestrian improvements, such as many of the top priority pedestrian improvements recommended in the 2020 Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan, which promotes and prioritizes walking near schools, parks, and transit access. Mr. Wong said the project will implement quick build pedestrian improvements consisting of upgrading existing crosswalks with high-visibility crosswalks and advance stop bars, striped curb extensions, red curbing, and installation of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB). He then provided visual examples and descriptions of the improvements listed above. Commissioner Leigh requested to review each intersection individually. As an example, she felt they were missing an opportunity to do something special with the crosswalks at Burlingame Avenue and Park Road. She specifically requested the stop bars five feet before the crosswalks. She also mentioned Trousdale Drive, Martinez Drive, and Castenada Drive from their list, with the need for advanced stop bars. Commissioner Leigh stated the “devil is in the details” and did not want to miss any opportunities at other locations, such as the missed stop bars (five feet behind the crosswalks) at Burlingame Avenue and Park Road. She also mentioned Adeline Drive and Cortez Avenue needing RRFBs, and a three-way stop at Bernal Avenue and Devereux Drive—using both examples as reasons to review each location separately. Mr. Wong thanked Commissioner Leigh for her comments and said they would be looking into those improvements at each intersection, tonight was just an overview. He also stated once they could “put pen to paper” the Commission would receive an update with project specifics—the improvements have not been designed yet. Commissioner Leigh asked for confirmation that RRFBs will go in at Adeline Drive and Cortez Avenue and she requested his comments in regards to a staggered stop bar at California Drive as you approach Burlingame Avenue. Mr. Wong stated 6 they would be looking into those specific improvements requested. Commissioner Leigh then inquired if the pedestrian lead time in front of the train station, crossing California Drive, was part of this effort. She requested more of a six second lead time. Mr. Wong stated that would not be a part of these improvements, and that they have increased the pedestrian lead time to the state’s maximum at the majority of the intersections they have reviewed. He also explained the lead time is to give pedestrians a quick head start. Chair Martos stated there are standards and guidelines for the various measures to be implemented and that the City doesn’t haphazardly do things. He said he liked Commissioner Leigh’s idea of staggered stop lines to improve safety. Commissioner Rebelos voiced his concern about painting crosswalk lines at Burlingame Avenue and Park Road as it could create an expectation from drivers that pedestrians will only cross within those lines. He felt that intersection acts more as a “scramble” and said that it is more prevalent during the Farmer’s Market. Mr. Wong said the expectation is that pedestrians should cross within the crosswalk lines, but would look into the operations during the Farmer’s Market. Commissioner Rebelos also inquired about curb ramps at the crosswalks in front of what was formerly The Gap. Mr. Wong looked and stated there are bollards between the two crosswalks. Commissioner Rebelos stated his thought is to reconsider the striping because people treat the intersection like a scramble and that should be taken into consideration. Commissioner Ng requested and received clarification of the quick-build bulb-outs. The following public comment was received via email from Manito Velasco and read for the record: Thank you also for calendaring this item. I would like to encourage you to please consider not just high visibility crosswalks when you think of ped crossings, but also of advance stop bars. Particularly at signalized intersections of wide, high-speed streets like Broadway & Rollins, Broadway & Old Bayshore, Broadway & Carolan. The advance stop lines help prevent intrusion or blockages into the crosswalk as what happens here regularly. They also give drivers a line to shoot to stop for, instead of speeding and stopping right at the crosswalk line. Where you’ve installed them like at Trousdale & Magnolia and Airport & Anza they’ve made a tremendous difference. Please continue to them at signalized intersections, which tend to be where they provide the most benefit. You also now have the benefit of the Lyon-Hoag experience where over $200,000 worth of city money was spent on paint improvements. Hopefully you will use lessons learned there, and not do changes there that didn’t really materialize in any ped safety 7 improvements or change in driver behavior. Like painted medians or ‘chokers’. The hope is that the city and TSPC can value-engineer for only the improvements that make the most difference. Thank you. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports Mr. Wong provided updates on the following projects. • El Camino Real Water Main Improvements – Water main installation has been completed. The contractor is installing water service lines and fire service connections at the northern portion of the project area from Palm Drive/ECR to Sanchez Avenue/ECR. The contractor is concurrently working on water service shut off and tie-in from Peninsula Avenue/ECR to Howard Avenue/ECR. We anticipate construction completion around summer 2022. • 2022 Street Resurfacing Project – Project is currently being advertised for bids from prospective contractors. Bid opening is scheduled for March 15, 2022. • 220 Park Road (Town Square) Update – Excavation activities to begin on March 14. With the heavy truck traffic, some traffic congestion is anticipated along both Lorton Avenue and Park Avenue, along with sidewalk closures during the construction hours. Commissioner Leigh stated she and Chair Martos briefly discussed the sidewalks being closed on both sides of the Post Office and they were hoping for the orange water-filled pathways on Park Road and Lorton Avenue to assist pedestrians. She stated pedestrians should have the priority. Commissioner Leigh also inquired about making that a standard going forward. Mr. Wong said he would look into the request. He also said he thought they closed the area to pedestrians due to the heavy volume of construction vehicles and in an effort to preserve parking (construction parking is on-site). Mr. Wong confirmed that he would ask about Commissioner Leigh’s inquiry. Commissioner Leigh also suggested that some of the drivers that park along the construction site could utilize the top floor of the new Highland Parking Garage. • 150 Park Road Update – The private development project at 150 Park Road to begin construction work on the sewer main. This work will necessitate sidewalk closures along the project site frontage. The project is located on Park Road, between Bayswater Avenue and Howard Avenue. Mr. Wong also shared that the next three weekends Caltrain will be doing some switch over work 8 as part of their Electrification Project. He stated the information was included in today’s outgoing eNews. Mr. Wong said specifically that Bayswater and North Lane will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles for the next three weekends as well. He shared there will be detours and flaggers at the train gates. Chair Martos confirmed with Mr. Wong that the façade of the Post Office will be implemented into the new plaza design. TSPC Priority List (revised March 2022): TSPC Led Effort 1 Broadway/Carmelita Bike/Ped TSPC Study 2/10/22: Item 6c 2 BIS School Safety Improvements 3 Pedestrian Safety at California/Burlingame Ave 4 Lorton Corridor TSPC Study (Roundabout to Howard) 5 SB California Lane Configuration (Bike Mobility) 6 Bike\Ped Plan Priorities 3/10/22: Item 6c 7 Parking Garage Usage 2/10/22: Item 7a 8 Downtown Parking and Access 9 Broadway Parking 10 School Transportation and Safety Issues Staff Updates 1 Caltrans’ ECR Corridor 2 Downtown Parking Strategies 3 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 4 Oak Grove/Carolan Traffic Signal 5 Bike\Ped Plan Implementation 3/10/22: Item 6c 6 Chapin Avenue Green Streets Project 7 Old Bayshore Corridor Study (n/o Broadway) 8 Grant Opportunities 3/10/22: Item 6b 9 Broadway Grade Separation 10 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 11 School Speed Limit Updates 12 School Safety Improvements 13 Lyon-Hoag Neighborhood Traffic Calming 14 300 Burlingame Point Traffic Impacts 15 Broadway/California Update 9 2022 Agenda Item Action Status 1 Various Stop Signs b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Perna reported 20 documented collisions. He said 10 of those were injury collisions, five hit and runs, two DUI crashes, and 3 bicycle related collisions. Sergeant Perna pointed out there were no pedestrian related collisions. He then went into details regarding the three bicycle- vehicle involved collisions. Sergeant Perna also shared that April is Distracted Driver Month. He stated they have an OTS Grant to conduct enforcement operations and there are several upcoming distracted driver operations planned. c) Farmer’s Market Chair Martos stated that former Commissioner Londer was a member of the Citizen’s Environmental Council and explained the process of participation at the Farmer’s Market in the past. He stated he has not seen the Citizen’s Environmental Council at the Farmer’s Market recently and therefore sharing a booth with them is not an option (it costs money to have a booth). In summary, Chair Martos did not think the TSPC would be participating going forward and inquired with his fellow Commissioner’s about removing the Farmer’s Market as a reoccurring agenda item. Commissioner Rebelos stated that based on other outreach avenues, the TSPC is very accessible and felt that was ample enough. He also felt that the Commission does a good job at reaching out so he said he was comfortable removing this item from the agenda. Commissioner Leigh made a motion to remove the Farmer’s Market from the agenda; seconded by Commissioner Ng. The motion passed by a roll call vote, 4-0. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Chair Martos reported that he attended a couple of Council meetings. He stated at one meeting they talked about the Old Bayshore Feasibility Study (Rebelos present as well), and both Chair Martos and Commissioner Rebelos expressed their enthusiasm for the upgrades and Bay Trail connection. Chair Martos also said he shared comments with Council received previously from hotel personnel in regards to the desire for the Bay Trail connection for their guests. Chair Martos stated he thought the City Council was just as enthusiastic about the project as the TSPC. Chair Martos shared that at the last Study Session, Council discussed electric bikes and scooters 10 (also referred to as the Micro Mobility Program). He said Council debated about it and the Sustainability Coordinator is looking to bring options back to the City. Chair Martos stated the Council requested to study the e-bikes further and whether a doc version would make more sense, as opposed to a service previously utilized by the City called Lime Bikes, where they can be left anywhere. Lastly, Chair Martos shared he received a few emails. He stated one email was received from Councilmember Colson regarding speeding concerns from a constituent on Occidental. He said he shared that information with the Traffic Department and specifically with Sergeant Perna for consideration of additional enforcement. Chair Martos indicated he also received an email from Vice-Mayor Brownrigg regarding the stop signs previously approved by the Commission. He indicated that Manito Velasco shared concerns with the Vice-Mayor about the stop signs at Oak Grove/Ansel and Sanchez/Paloma. 8. COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Burlingame Avenue Safety and Access (Leigh & Martos) Commissioner Leigh reiterated the need for pedestrian safety zones with the orange barricades in construction areas, especially in the high pedestrian zones. Commissioner Leigh stated she emailed Chair Martos the suggestion for staff that going forward we paint high visibility crosswalk lines perpendicular to vehicular traffic and provided examples for her request. Mr. Wong confirmed he received the email and staff would look into her request moving forward. Chair Martos said they talked about gathering data from the Highland Parking Garage and inquired if they had to do it in person. Mr. Wong stated he was looking into the data electronically, but would let him know if it had to be done manually. Chair Martos stated the committee members could assist if needed. b) Community Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Leigh & Rebelos) Commissioner Leigh stated B/PAC’s top priority is bicycle and pedestrian access to the Cadillac, Broadway, and Rollins area. She felt it should stay at the top of the TSPC list and reminded her fellow Commissioner’s that B/PAC Chair Lesley Beatty touched on that in her update earlier in the meeting. c) BIS Safety Audit (Israelit & Ng) No update. 11 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • BIS Walking Audit/Safety Assessment Report • List of potential grant projects • Bike Boulevard on Carmelita • Broadway, Carolan, and Cadillac access • Early look at SMCTA grant applications due in August • Pedestrian quick-builds at the Rollins Road and Broadway intersection • Design for stop signs at Marco Polo and Davis Drive Chair Martos stated that next month’s agenda items would be prioritized based on urgency. 10. ADJOURNMENT 9:41 p.m.