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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2022.12.081 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Unapproved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, December 8, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:02 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Israelit, Leigh, Martos, Ng, Rebelos MEMBERS ABSENT: 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) October 13, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes Chair Martos requested an edit to page one of the minutes by correcting the reference to the approval of minutes under item 4.a from October 14 to July 14. Vice-Chair Israelit made a motion to accept the regular meeting minutes for the October 13 meeting with the edit above; seconded by Commissioner Leigh. The motion passed by a roll call vote of 5-0. b) November 10, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes Commissioner Ng made a motion to accept the regular meeting minutes for the November 10 meeting as written; seconded by Vice-Chair Israelit. The motion passed by a roll call vote of 5-0. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No non-agenda public comments received. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Burlingame Bicycle Pedestrian Overcrossing Wayfinding 2 Mr. Wong stated he is looking for feedback from the Commission and public on this item and shared it was brought up at a previous City Council meeting. He also indicated that wayfinding is part of the overall Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. Mr. Wong explained that the Rosalie O’Mahony bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing brings travelers from the east side of the City over the freeway towards the downtown areas. He said the overcrossing will take you to the intersection of Rollins Road and Cadillac Way. He indicated the idea is to bring people down Cadillac and then direct people towards Broadway, Burlingame Caltrain Station, and Burlingame Avenue. 3 4 In closing, Mr. Wong reiterated the desire for feedback on the signs and locations and stated staff would revise the layout based on a review of the feedback received. He said staff will then coordinate with the Corp Yard for the sign installations. Commissioner Leigh pointed out that some of the proposed signs are in their subcommittee area so she and Commissioner Rebelos met yesterday to discuss the signage. She said they first discussed that the wayfinding signage is less of a priority in the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan for people exiting the bridge and that they weren’t sure who the signs are directing—cars, pedestrians, or bicyclists. She stated the signs seemed suited for cars since pedestrians would not look up at signs like that and requested signage on the ground for pedestrians. Additionally, Commissioner Leigh stated she and Commissioner Rebelos thought it was more important and necessary to direct people to the bridge, not away from it. Specifically, she asked for signage to the bridge at Carolan and Cadillac and in the area of Airport/Old Bayshore/Broadway. Commissioner Leigh also said they thought there should be mid-block signage just south of the Hyatt directing people to the bridge (overcrossing). She pointed out that the signs she shared via email are much more clean and simple. Commissioner Leigh suggested that OC be spelled out on the signage as the abbreviation means different things to different people. Commissioner Rebelos confirmed Commissioner Leigh covered everything they discussed. Commissioner Rebelos went on to say they though there should be signage further from the overcrossing to direct them there, especially on the east side of the City. He reiterated the desire for the mid-block crossing near the Hyatt. He felt it was important to guide the pedestrians from the east side. Commissioner Rebelos explained that if you don’t know where the overcrossing is going, pedestrians will tend to aim for the Broadway overpass. He also requested a sign on Broadway, to the west of California Drive, so people would have a sense where to go from there. Mr. Wong thanked Commissioners Leigh and Rebelos for their comments and stated he would mark up the plans to include more signage to the overcrossing, as opposed to away from it. He also indicated he would include areas further to the northeast. Mr. Wong stated putting items on the surface for pedestrian is doable but stated the suggestions sent via email are tricky as it changes the surface and may become a hazard. Mr. Wong also said signs sprayed on the surface for pedestrians would need to be simple. He also clarified the proposed signs are for bicyclists and pedestrians, not vehicles. Commissioner Leigh stated all they need is a sign that says “ped/bike overcrossing” with an arrow stenciled on the ground. She also said the more simple the sign, the better. Commissioner Leigh requested to review the proposed signage again and said we don’t need the bike and ped symbols up top and also suggested to have signs on both sides of the overcrossing that states “Rosalie O’Mahony Bike and Pedestrian Overcrossing.” Commissioner Leigh asked how low the signs can go for the bicyclists and pedestrians. Mr. Wong stated the bottom of the sign has to be 7 feet high. 5 Vice-Chair Israelit agreed for the need to spell out “overcrossing” and to make the signs simple to read. She said she is also in favor of leaving Rosalie O’Mahony’s name off the actual wayfinding signage and have it on the actual bridge. Vice-Chair Israelit disagreed in that she likes the City logo and the bike and pedestrian symbols on the wayfinding signage as most signs are for vehicles. She said she agreed with her fellow Commissioners on the overall goal of the wayfinding signage and shared she found it confusing to get to the pedestrian bridge from Broadway. Vice-Chair Israelit said she disagreed with the foot signage as she thought it would be helpful for pedestrians, but not bicyclists. In order to make the ground stencil signage small but noticeable, she suggested similar markings used for the “drains to bay” near the sewers, and recommended a bay logo (waves) with arrow that states “bay trail” as another wayfinding idea. Vice-Chair Israelit also suggested wayfinding for people to walk over the Broadway overpass as well as the ped/bike overcrossing. Commissioner Leigh responded to say signage for the Broadway overpass was a great idea as pedestrians and bicyclist can be sensitive about adding more distance to their route. Commissioner Leigh also pointed out there is no crosswalk on the south side of Broadway to cross Rollins to get over towards the Audi dealership. Commissioner Leigh stated that this plan does not address the concern of safe access to Cadillac Way, which she would like to see addressed. Mr. Wong stated they can drop signs everywhere but inquired about the preferred route to the overcrossing—i.e. Broadway to Rollins or Broadway to Carolan to Cadillac. Commissioner Ng said his comments align with his fellow Commissioners. He stated simplification of signage is key and pointed out past discussions of having too much signage. Commissioner Ng asked if the Commission would see the revised signage plan prior to implementation. Mr. Wong indicated he would share the revised locations and signs before implementing. Commissioner Ng said he felt it would be best to let Mr. Wong come back with a revised plan at this point instead of confusing matters further with additional comments. Commissioner Rebelos stated his preferred route is the overcrossing to Cadillac in both directions. He also pointed out that going forward he thought the Commission will have to address Google maps navigation as it always routes you to the overpass, with no option to use the overcrossing. Vice-Chair Israelit stated that staff can contact Google and they can make the update. Mr. Wong stated they had to go through that process with the new California Drive roundabout. Chair Martos stated he liked the suggestions from his fellow Commissioners, especially the idea of adding signage to the overcrossing from the other side of Highway 101 by the hotels. He questioned the east most sign on Cadillac and wondered if that is the best location. Additionally, Chair Martos requested signage at Broadway directing people to the bayside. At the other end at Oak Grove, Chair Martos asked what we are trying to do—direct people to Carolan or stay on California Drive. Mr. Wong clarified the signage would direct them to Carolan and up that way. Chair Martos pointed out that it’s hard to state the best arrangement until the improvements on 6 California Drive are considered. He also concurred about making the signage simple. Vice-Chair Israelit stated that Cadillac may look like a safer surface street but she stated there are cars always pulling in and out and double parked (Audi dealership) so while she understands in theory it would be a safer street, she said she is more comfortable staying on Broadway and going around the wide curve. She also stated that she agreed with Chair Martos in that we should not include Oak Grove signage at this stage as it will be changing with the upcoming California Drive bike facility improvements. Commissioner Leigh said she agreed that is was premature to put up signage near California Drive and Oak Grove Avenue since the new bike facility hasn’t been implemented yet. She also stated she is hesitant to add visual clutter near California Drive/Oak Grove, Carolan/Oak Grove, and Morrell/Carolan due to past traffic collisions. Commissioner Rebelos suggested using a Caltrain logo instead of “Burlingame Sta.” for the wayfinding signage directing people to the train station. Mr. Wong said they could try to do that and use less text. Mr. Wong stated staff will iron out what the signs will look like. He said the California Drive improvements should be coming up in the next year. Chair Martos opened the public comment period. Drew stated for the signs, the logo could be moved to the top with the other symbols and suggested adding a scooter. He said it could just be a narrow band at the top. In terms of the height of the signs, he asked if they could be mounted lower if it was off the sidewalk. Drew stated if he was a visitor from a new area, he would want to walk on Broadway because there is activity there, as opposed to being routed further to an unfamiliar quiet area. Ms. Brewer read the following email for public comment from Manito Velasco: There are so many other critical safety issues in the City, and yet these small green guide signs somehow rose to the top and will have valuable Commissioner hours used up to discuss. The priority I remember from both BPAC and from the Bike Ped Plan is how to improve the safety of the bike route connection between the Cadillac/Rollins overpass to the California/Broadway intersection. These signs don't do anything to improve safety. In fact, the guide signs tell bike riders coming from the overpass to turn left to go to the Ave or downtown. I'm not sure if anyone here has tried to make that left turn on a bike but it is scary dangerous. Drivers are coming fast in both directions, and gaps are few and far in between during commute hours. Why is something not being done about that instead? 7 Going northbound on Carolan, bike riders have to go from a right side bike lane, and fight their way blindly to end up in the center bike lane by the car dealership, to reach California Dr and Broadway. This dangerous movement is notoriously bad, BHS students flee to the safety of the sidewalk rather than mix it up there. And yet that's what the guide sign is telling them to do. Has anyone tried to do this maneuver? And then at the intersection of Oak Grove and Carolan, by BHS, there again is the dangerous center bike lane design that bike ped advocates have raised numerous times to the City. Nothing is being done about that. In terms of signage, that intersection already has a ton of signs. In fact the city has had a hard time placing signs for southbound Carolan because of all the trees and bushes there. These signs will be useless there because users, drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists have a tough enough time trying to survive that crazy intersection. These signs won't add any value. And may even detract attention from the other more important signage like STOP signs, lane signs, etc. Lastly at Oak Grove/Carolan, bike riders are being told to make a left turn west to south, from the tracks. Left turn into what? There's no bike lane there. This guide signage seems premature and is needed only after the bike lanes are installed there later. Is it possible to know how a project like this is initiated and prioritized? Was this requested by BPAC? Your time as Commissioners are precious, as is the public's. It would best if it was spent on the most critical issues rather than guide signs. John Kevranian posted in the chat (Via YouTube) that tourists will not know what “Burlingame Sta.” means and suggested to use a train picture. b) TSPC Nominations Vice-Chair Israelit and Commissioner Leigh were nominated for Chair for 2023. Vice-Chair Israelit was voted in as Chair by a vote of 3-2. Athan Rebelos was nominated as Vice-Chair for 2023 to which he accepted. No public comments were received for this item. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Public Hearing Related to Informational Items Ms. Brewer read the following email from Manito Velasco for public comment. Thank you again Commissioners for another full year of your valuable service. Appreciate your giving up your regular Thursday nights for this important civic duty and for your patience and your 8 efforts to shape safety and accessibility in Burlingame. I’m looking forward to hearing about the following projects in the Engineer’s Report: 1. California Drive bikeway project – this one is from Broadway and Oak Grove. This was last heard at TSPC in August 2021, and Council Sept 2021. Since then the project has gone dark, with zero updates for the last 15 months. TSPC provided significant comments and asked to review and incorporate various design elements. Were they incorporated? When will this project go back in front of TSPC or Council? When will it break ground? 2. Oak/Grove Carolan Signal – staff said they would provide an update on this important project. To date, there has been zero update on the website or on any of the last 12+ monthly engineer’s report. Has this project been approved by CPUC and Caltrain? What is the next step? 3. Carmelita and Paloma bike boulevards – when will the all-way stop be installed at Carmelita and Paloma? How about the other measures? 4. California Dr north of Broadway – although there are bike lanes here, it has gotten gravely dangerous. The bike lanes on the track side are pinched at the large drains and drivers are passing bike riders headed to the Bart station within inches. On top of that the asphalt has warped to create v-shaped ditches esp around the Oxford and Cambridge jumbo drains. Hope to hear some much needed communication about these important projects. If possible, it would be great if these were made regular bullet points on the Engineer’s reports going forward so they are not out of sight, out of mind. b) Community B/PAC Update Ms. Brewer read the following email on behalf of B/PAC Chair Lesley Beatty. Hi TSPC and staff, We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. As we wrap up the year, we (BPAC) would like to thank you for the great work that you do here. Here is a summary of our meeting from yesterday: We are still discussing why BPAC was not informed or asked to provide feedback on the city's recent SMCTA grant application for bike/ped projects. Additionally, while we saw that Chair Martos wrote a letter of support for the grant applications, we also don't remember these grant applications coming in front of this commission for discussion or public comment. It would appear that beyond Chair Martos, none of the commissioners got to review these grant applications, along with no members of the BPAC and no members of the general public. 9 We hope that in the future, there is more transparency for Burlingame about what projects the city applies for. Frankly, it wouldn't be a big deal if the city were following the Bike/Ped master plan prioritization, as approved by city council in its grant applications. But, the project at Rollins Road was not included at all in Burlingame's bike/ped project plan, yet it was presented as a high level bike/ped priority by the city of Burlingame in this grant application. We are still confused as to why this was the case, when there are major bike and pedestrian priorities in the bike/ped plan that would provide more value, including projects along the Broadway corridor, the area around Burlingame Intermediate School, and the increasingly dangerous area around Burlingame High School. Like you, we want the city to be successful at its grant applications. We also want to see the county's grant money that is designated for bike and pedestrian projects go to projects that enhance bicycle and pedestrian access and safety. We'd like to request that the commission add an agenda item in the New Year for the city to clarify its grant application process, and when/who it seeks feedback from during the process. Again, thanks so much for all you do for Burlingame and happy holidays. We look forward to partnering on projects such as the Broadway corridor, Carolan/Cadillac/Oak Grove, and California Drive in 2023. Best, Lesley c) Engineering Division Reports • Peninsula/Lorton RRFB Update – The noticing by San Mateo staff at the intersection was to solicit community feedback regarding the relocation of the crosswalk. Based on that feedback, staff from both agencies have determined both crosswalks on Peninsula will receive RRFBs. Commissioner Leigh requested updates for active projects on a monthly basis. Vice-Chair Israelit recalled a past conversation that the Commission agreed to have updates on active projects so they are up to speed on the status. Mr. Wong requested the Commissioners top five projects as he pointed out the report will become rather long if all active projects are listed within the Engineer’s Report. TSPC Priority List (revised December 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 10 4 Lorton Corridor TSPC Study (Roundabout to Howard) 5 SB California Lane Configuration (Bike Mobility) 6 Bike\Ped Plan Priorities 7/14/22: Item 6b 7 Parking Garage Usage 2/10/22: Item 7a 8 Downtown Parking and Access 9 Broadway Parking 10 School Transportation and Safety Issues 11/10/22: Item 6a 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 7/14/22: Item 6b 6 Chapin Avenue Green Streets Project 7 Old Bayshore Corridor Study (n/o Broadway) 8 Grant Opportunities 7/14/22: Item 7a 9 Broadway Grade Separation 6/9/22: Item 6b 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. d) Police Department Reports Sergeant Perna reviewed the collision report and reported 22 documented collisions for this reporting period. He shared there were 2 DUI collisions, three hit and runs, two vehicle/pedestrian collisions, and one vehicle/bicycle collision. The Commissioners asked clarifying questions regarding the above referenced collisions. Commissioner Leigh asked Mr. Wong if he had a chance to check what the furthest legal limit is to implement 20 MPH zones that surround a school. Mr. Wong stated he would double check but said it is between 500-800 feet. Commissioner Leigh inquired about lowering it around BHS and the other schools. Vice-Chair Israelit thought the legal distance was a much smaller number. 11 Sergeant Perna indicated that this will be his last meeting with TSPC and said Sergeant Jason Roberts would be taking over as the Traffic Sergeant. He thanked the Commission for volunteering their time. Vice-Chair Israelit thanked Sergeant Perna for patiently answering all of their questions, all the work put into the heat maps, and for just being so helpful. Chair Martos also thanked Sergeant Perna and concurred with Vice-Chair Israelit’s comments. He wished him the best back on patrol. e) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications No updates. 8. COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Public Hearing Related to Committee Reports No public comments. b) Burlingame Avenue Safety and Access (Leigh & Ng) No update. c) Community Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Leigh & Rebelos) No update. d) BIS Safety Audit (Israelit & Ng) Commissioner Ng stated they have been communicating with Mr. Wong and staff to coordinate a sit down meeting to talk through it—he said he is hopeful it will take place tomorrow and the Committee will have a progress report in January. e) Mercy School Traffic Calming (Israelit & Martos) Mr. Wong stated staff is working on what they can until they hear back from Mercy School. Vice- Chair Israelit also pointed out they are waiting to hear back from the school. f) Hwy 101 Corridor Connectivity (Leigh & Rebelos) Discussed as part of item 6.a. 12 Commissioner Leigh stated that now people are working so much from home, our local traffic has become more competitive (faster and aggressive) and she didn’t feel it would get any better unless we help slow traffic down. Commissioner Rebelos stated people are driving more east to west all hours of the day, rather than getting on the freeway to commute to work. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • 2023 priorities and goals • New subcommittees (and rules to be reviewed with the City Attorney’s Office) In closing, Chair Martos thanked his fellow Commissioners and City staff for all of their efforts this year. 10. ADJOURNMENT 8:49 p.m.