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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2022.04.141 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, April 14, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:06 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) March 10, 2022 Meeting Minutes Commissioner Leigh made a motion to accept the meeting minutes as submitted; seconded by Commissioner Ng. The motion passed by a roll call vote, 4-0. Vice-Chair Israelit abstained as she was not present for the March meeting. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA Former TSPC Chair and Commissioner Howard Wettan stated he was just walking on Broadway picking up dinner and was in the intersection of Laguna and Broadway. He indicated this is also the location his daughter was hit and as he understands, where another woman was hit a few days prior. Mr. Wettan stated it is also his understanding that in both collisions, the driver was going straight (westbound). He stated this evening he was observant as he was crossing at Laguna and Broadway and noted this intersection is not a perfect square—it’s more of an odd parallelogram. Using an example of walking westbound on Broadway and entering the crosswalk, Mr. Wettan said he thinks it’s possible to catch a driver off-guard, even though the driver may have made the initial assessment it was clear to go through the intersection. He suggested it might be worth considering a stop sign at this intersection in order to improve safety. 2 The Commission Secretary read the following email received from the public comment inbox. Hi, I live on Clarendon Road and use the traffic circle on Dwight and Vernon / Clarendon eastbound / westbound every school day. Ever since the traffic circle has been installed I have noticed two issues: 1. The speeds on eastbound and westbound Dwight between Burlingame Ave and Rollins Rd have not been diminished. 2. The cars going westbound on Dwight do NOT yield to Clarendon/Vernon cars that are already in the traffic circle. I suspect the 2nd issue is due to the rare occurrence of traffic circles in California and the public's unfamiliarity with the rules governing their use. However, I'm not advocating for an education campaign to teach drivers how to use circles. I would rather just see traffic speeds on Dwight slowed down for westbound cars between Burlingame Ave and Rollins Rd. My suggestion is to install another speed bump on Dwight about 20 feet from the westbound entrance to the circle. I believe this bump will solve both of the issues mentioned above. It will force westbound cars to slow (after having 2 blocks from Burlingame Ave to accelerate) and it will pause westbound cars long enough to allow cars within the circle to complete their turn safely without fear of getting hit by speeding drivers. I look forward to your comments. Thanks, Albert Tam Manito Velasco stated he is seeing the traffic rubber tube counters out around town and said it appears to be the season to update the speed limits throughout the City. He indicated speed limits are to be updated every five years as its state law (with some exceptions). Mr. Velasco said the last Burlingame speed survey was completed in 2014 based on data prior to 2014, and that our speed limits are at least eight years old. He stated since then, several streets have changed characteristics, such as Carolan and California Drive north of Broadway. Mr. Velasco said he hopes the Commission will take the time to review the speed limits to see if they still apply. Secondly, he shared he was interested in the bike boulevard study and the last communication regarding the project was in October 2021 when the City requested residents to complete a survey. He said he is also interested in the California Drive project between Broadway and Oak Grove and the City-wide pedestrian safety crosswalk improvements. Mr. Velasco asked the Commission to consider adding those three projects as standing items on the Engineer’s Report to keep everyone abreast. 3 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Community B/PAC Update (Informational Item Only) No update. b) California Drive Bicycle Facility Update (north of Peninsula Avenue) Transportation Engineer Michael Tsai provided a presentation regarding the proposed interim bike facility improvement in the auto row corridor. Mr. Tsai went over California Drive as a whole, the specific segment on California Drive for the improvement, and how it all fits into the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. Mr. Tsai stated that currently, California Drive north of Broadway, has a Class II bike lane that was installed in 2018. He explained that California Drive between Broadway and Oak Grove Avenue is at 95% design for a separated bike facility. He indicated the segment of California Drive from Oak Grove Avenue to Burlingame Avenue was completed as part of the California Drive Roundabout Project, which includes a Class III bike facility. Mr. Tsai then focused in on the segment between Burlingame Avenue and Peninsula Avenue (auto row) which currently has no bicycle facility and is where staff is proposing an interim facility. Mr. Tsai stated the City of San Mateo has installed a Class II facility which leads up to Burlingame City limits at Peninsula Avenue. He reviewed portions of the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, citing the preferred alternative—Alternative 3 (35% of the votes). Mr. Tsai explained that Alternative 3 consists of full removal of parking on both side of the road, with a Class II bike lane, while maintaining four vehicle travel lanes. He shared that implementation for this project will be based on priority and said the City has been applying for a number of grants to help fund various projects. Mr. Tsai went on to share the City is proposing an interim solution until they are able to fund the permanent improvements. He stated the interim improvements consist of a Class III bike lane (shared lane) and said it can be designated with pavement markings and shared lane signage, roughly three per block. For additional presentation details, please access the meeting video on the City’s website. Vice-Chair Israelit stated that when she looks at the breakdown of voting for the alternatives in the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, she indicated the percentage of votes are close and feels that the TSPC should have an opportunity to weigh them equally. Mr. Tsai explained that when the time comes to consider the permanent improvements, there will be much more research and discussion for which alternative the City ultimately chooses. Commissioner Leigh inquired about the Class III facility between Oak Grove and Burlingame Avenue and stated there is no facility in the roundabout for bicyclists. Mr. Tsai provided an aerial view of the street segment and pointed out the shared bicycle lane markings in both directions on California Drive. Commissioner Leigh confirmed with Mr. Tsai that the City of San Mateo completed a road diet for their bicycle facility improvements on California Drive leading up to 4 Peninsula Avenue. Commissioner Rebelos inquired about a target date for the interim improvements to which Mr. Tsai stated the improvements would be installed once they are approved—installation will not take long. For the record, Commissioner Rebelos wanted to vocalize the importance of reviewing all three alternatives when the time is appropriate because the numbers are very close. In regards to the survey of alternatives, he inquired if the survey was completed by residents and or businesses. Mr. Tsai said the survey was a mix of residents and businesses but noted eventual additional outreach would include more participation from the businesses. Chair Martos confirmed with Mr. Tsai that the speed limit on the portion of California Drive in question was recently reduced to 25 MPH. He stated he was happy to hear there would be additional outreach to the businesses when the permanent improvements are ready to move forward as businesses will be impacted by any removal of parking. Chair Martos indicated he liked what San Mateo did with their bike facility and does not think we need four lanes of traffic on that segment of California Drive. He said he would like to eventually see some concepts similar to San Mateo as he likes the dedicated bike lanes. Chair Martos closed his comments by stating he believes there is a need to bridge the gap until we get to a point where the funding is available for more permanent improvements and he looks forward to the opportunity to weigh on the three close alternatives. Commissioner Ng echoed Chair Martos’ views. He also stated the last thing we want to do is impact local businesses even further by solving one problem, only to create another. Commissioner Ng acknowledged that the voting on alternatives was close, but said if you know that you’re going to have parking impacts but at the same time you’re adding bike lanes to make strides in bike safety, choosing the alternative with the lowest bicycle comfort level is nonsensical. He said from a pure logical standpoint, why we would want to go down the same road if we are trying to fix these problems. Vice-Chair Israelit stated she likes the green paint for the sharrows as it stands out more than the white-painted sharrows. Commissioner Rebelos seconded Vice-Chair Israelit and is in favor of the green sharrows. He said going forward, anticipating the end of the interim improvements, a few things in his mind seem certain: 1) it’s a busy corridor and will only get busier; 2) it is a short ride; and 3) the proliferation of e-bikes. With that, Commissioner Rebelos said he could see this area becoming a very popular route between downtown Burlingame and downtown San Mateo. He said he felt any concept in the future should really prioritize the comfort of bicyclists in this corridor. Commissioner Rebelos also stated he is not enthusiastic about the interim improvement, but he appreciates that it is better than what we currently have. Commissioner Leigh stated she appreciates staff bringing this project forward to think about what 5 can be done in the interim since there is no funding currently available for a study or bike lanes. She said having not noticed the sharrows between Oak Grove and Burlingame Avenues, she feels adding additional sharrows south of Burlingame Avenue is a waste of money. Commissioner Leigh said she does not think the sharrows are helpful to bicyclists nor do they increase safety or encourage more bicycle activity. Additionally, she stated she is overwhelmed with the amount of signage and that Burlingame has a lot of visual clutter. Commissioner Leigh also said it would be helpful to reduce some of the signage so drivers know what is really important. She went on to say she is not in favor of the interim proposal and feels we are just slapping some paint on instead of solving the engineering problem of how to make it safer for bicyclists. Commissioner Leigh also expressed her fear that these interim improvements may delay any real bike improvements going forward. Chair Martos inquired when the TSPC might see concepts for the permanent design. Mr. Tsai indicated that staff is working on three other projects to be funded through grant opportunities. Mr. Wong interjected to say there are additional grant opportunities coming, pointed out the bike and pedestrian master plan priority list, and indicated staff would be bringing an item on the agenda next month to further discuss grant opportunities and priority projects for the Commission. No public comments were received. c) Mercy High School Traffic Calming Update Mr. Wong provided an update and shared staff met with some of the neighbors, as well as Mercy High School staff and Vice-Mayor Brownrigg, to discuss school related traffic in the area. Mr. Wong stated they are looking at what is occurring during peak periods of drop off and pick up for Mercy High School on Adeline Drive, Hillside Road, and Alvarado. He explained that the drop off for Mercy School requires drivers to enter and exit out of the same stretch of Alvarado. He shared residents and parents are concerned with traffic speeds, the type of traffic, and the narrow roads. As a result, Mr. Wong explained that the City is looking at improvements in the area and would like to form a TSPC subcommittee to work with City staff, school staff, and the community members to identify improvements and an implementation plan. Commissioner Leigh inquired if there was a reduced school speed limit and if not, could they widen the range of it. Vice-Chair Israelit stated that was something they looked at with former Commissioner Londer as part of a previous school safety audit, but encouraged the new subcommittee to reevaluate that as they ran into some limitations in the past. Mr. Wong clarified the speed limit is currently 25 MPH on Adeline and Alvarado and there is no reduced school speed limit at this time. Chair Martos shared he spoke to Vice-Mayor Brownrigg regarding his concerns with the traffic associated with Mercy High School and said this is why this item is on tonight’s agenda. 6 Subsequently, he stated he also spoke to Director Murtuza regarding the neighborhood concerns. Chair Martos then requested Vice-Chair Israelit join the subcommittee with him to study the area since she lives in the neighborhood. As a result of the new subcommittee, Commissioner Ng stated he would take Chair Martos’ spot on the Burlingame Avenue Safety and Access Subcommittee. No public comments were received. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports Mr. Wong provided updates on the following projects. • El Camino Real Water Main Improvements – Water main installation on El Camino Real has been completed. The contractor is continuing to install water service lines and fire service connections at the north half of the project. Remaining work includes tie-ins to the existing system at each cross street and a new water main up Chapin Avenue between El Camino Real and Occidental. Remaining work is expected to be in construction through May. • 2022 Street Resurfacing Project – Project was awarded at the April 4, 2022 Council meeting. Construction is anticipated to start in the summer. Based on feedback received, Mr. Wong said they are also reviewing some additional bike facilities as part of this effort. Commissioner Leigh inquired if any of the additional improvements as part of the repaving project include streets near schools or improvements that are in the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. Additionally, she asked if the Commission could view the streets and provide feedback that is helpful to all users of the transportation system. Mr. Wong stated the list is mostly residential streets and shared the pedestrian improvements include high visibility crosswalks and the bike improvements include sharrows. He said the project details can be found in the April 4, 2022 City Council agenda packet. Commissioner Leigh also inquired about stop bars for the busier intersections as part of this effort, to which Mr. Wong said those are usually reserved for signalized intersections, but indicated he would double check the design. • 220 Park Road (Town Square) Update – Project has started with excavation activities and preservation of the Post Office façade. 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. Based on previous TSPC feedback, staff is exploring any possibilities of enhancing pedestrian circulation around the site. 7 • Bike Improvements on Trousdale, Murchison, and Davis – The City was notified that the C/CAG Board approved the list of TDA Article 3 grant projects, which means the City will receive $400,000 in grant funding for this bike project. He said they do not have a project timeline to share yet. 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 2022 Agenda Item Action Status 1 Various Stop Signs Approved at the 4/4/22 CC mtg. 8 b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Perna reported 24 documented collisions for this reporting period. He stated he highlighted three collisions and then pointed out a fourth he wanted highlight, which was a vehicle/bicycle collision at Trousdale and Hunt that occurred on the evening of March 2. Sergeant Perna explained the side view mirror of a vehicle clipped a bicyclist, which resulted in minor injuries to the bicyclist. Commissioner Rebelos sought specific clarification on the collision location and current road conditions, pointing out there are no sidewalks or designated bike lane(s). Commissioner Rebelos stated he has concerns with that strip of road and expressed the strain the sun and bushes add. He also indicated this was a concern he brought to the TSPC years back as a resident. For the record, Commissioner Rebelos wanted to point out that the pedestrian and bicyclist access in that area is really lacking. Commissioner Leigh stated the TSPC has had a discussion about bike lanes on Trousdale and it is also in the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. She said she feels that this collision exemplifies one of the reasons they need it, particularly going uphill. Commissioner Leigh also stated that even though it’s called “minor injuries,” if you’re a biker or pedestrian pushing a stroller and get hit, you are traumatized by that experience. She also said she would love to have a bike lane on the north side of the street where the hill gets steep, past BIS. Additionally, she indicated she would love to see bike lanes east of that on both sides of the road for kids to get to school. Commissioner Ng inquired about the collision at El Camino Real and Ray involving a vehicle and pedestrian. Sergeant Perna explained the pedestrian was in the crosswalk on Ray and the vehicle was at fault for failure to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk. He also shared the driver estimated their speed to be 5 MPH while trying to execute the turn. Commissioner Ng stated the scenario Sergeant Perna provided is something he has seen a thousand times. He said he doesn’t know where this falls under staff review, but it isn’t the first time he has seen this location on the collision report, and is interested in seeing the longstanding data/frequency of incidents at this location. Sergeant Perna shared the location is on the Department’s list for additional enforcement and that he is unsure what the City can do as El Camino Real is under Caltrans’ jurisdiction. Commissioner Ng also pointed out the crosswalk lighting is nonexistent and suggested the consideration of some form of left-turn controls because everyone is competing as soon as the traffic light turns green. Mr. Wong also reiterated that El Camino Real is under Caltrans’ jurisdiction but the City worked with them to add the “right turn yield” signage. Additionally, Mr. Wong reminded the TSPC of the El Camino Real Renewal Project that is in progress. Commissioner Rebelos stated he agreed with Sergeant Perna’s statement that there should be no left turns from El Camino Rea, but recognizing that it is a state highway, he commented to go through the process from Caltrans to request a left turn arrow northbound El Camino Real to 9 westbound Ray Drive as part of the El Camino Real Renewal Project. Chair Martos inquired about the status of the heat map. Sergeant Perna stated he has an older map available (minus a few months of data) and anticipates an updated heat map shortly. Chair Martos stated the heat map may help them identify potential areas for improvement and also asked Sergeant Perna if any of the patrol staff have certain locations that should be brought to his attention and that of Mr. Wong. c) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications No updates. 8. COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Burlingame Avenue Safety and Access (Leigh & Martos) Commissioner Leigh shared that she spoke to City Manager Goldman and Parks and Recreation Director Glomstad regarding the Burlingame train station plaza project and that Director Glomstad forwarded the project plans to the TSPC subcommittee to review. She stated the Subcommittee provided suggestions to staff regarding the crosswalks, bollards, eliminating trip hazards, and improving the lighting for pedestrian and bicyclists. b) Community Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Leigh & Rebelos) No update. c) BIS Safety Audit (Israelit & Ng) Commissioner Ng shared him and Vice-Chair Israelit met and walked through some of the School Safety Audit summary results received from Mr. Wong. He stated they went through some of the ideas for that area and the map/flow of traffic. Additionally, he shared they also reached out to Amanda Bonivert at the Burlingame School District and she has agreed to meet with the Subcommittee in the coming weeks. Commissioner Ng stated he hopes to get a sense as to why things have come to a halt and what they can do collectively to get things moving again as a lot of time and energy has been spent on this effort to date. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Upcoming grant opportunities/criteria • Bike and pedestrian master plan priorities (not currently in design) • Bike boulevards • Top five projects for TSPC to help prioritize for upcoming grant funding 10 • Repaving program opportunities for improvements Chair Martos requested a sortable list of project priorities for the TSPC. Mr. Wong confirmed staff is working on the sortable list. 10. ADJOURNMENT 8:49 p.m.