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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2024.10.101 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Unapproved Minutes Regular Meeting on Thursday, October 10, 2024 The meeting minutes are intended to provide a high-level summary and action items. The official record is the meeting recording, which can be found on the City’s website or the City’s YouTube Channel: https://www.burlingame.org/departments/public_works/agenda_and_minutes.php https://www.youtube.com/@cityofburlingame3486 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Cauchi, Israelit, Martos, Ng MEMBERS ABSENT: Rebelos 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) August 8, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes Commissioner Israelit made a motion to approve the August 8, 2024 meeting minutes, seconded by Commissioner Ng. The motion passed 3-0-1. b) September 26, 2024 Special Meeting Minutes The special meeting minutes were pushed to a subsequent meeting for approval as there were not enough Commissioners in attendance that were at the special meeting. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA Samantha French spoke about the intersection of Vancouver and Adeline. She requested the City conduct an assessment of the intersection. Ms. French stated there are no stop signs, crosswalks, or speed bumps to slow down traffic. Ms. French also stated the blind spots are difficult to navigate for the hearing-impaired children that walk to school. In her closing comments, she specifically requested the number of accidents that have occurred at the intersection in the last ten years or so and asked 2 that this topic be agendized a future meeting. Danielle Weil said she has always been concerned with the intersection of Vancouver and Adeline. She stated what she and her children observe is speeding down Adeline and the stop sign at Columbus doesn’t slow them down. Ms. Weil stated there is no safe way to cross Vancouver or Adeline from the side of the street that Ms. French lives on. She also stated the blind spot is concerning. Ms. Weil also requested a traffic study. A nearby resident shared her concerns with the intersection of Dwight Road and Peninsula Avenue after the recent fatality. She said she observed work happening after the accident and would like to know what is being done to address the fatality. Howard Wettan referred to the concerns at Adeline Drive and Cortez as a long-standing issue. He stated there is only one crosswalk across Adeline on the east side of the intersection. Mr. Wettan stated that nearly all of the children live on the west side of the intersection where there is no crosswalk. He stated it is the route to Ray Park, Lincoln Elementary School, and BIS. He urged the commission to consider a crosswalk on the west side of the intersection and study the area up to Cortez. An unknown resident spoke about the fatality at the intersection of Dwight Road and Peninsula Avenue. She stated she has sent several emails regarding pedestrian and bike safety at said intersection and receives “almost nothing” from Burlingame. The resident also said there has been finger pointing between Burlingame and San Mateo since it’s a shared intersection. She stated she would like to see these issues on an upcoming agenda for discussion and conveyed her frustration in closing. The following emails were received and read for the record. Angela Ingel Regarding intersection of North Delaware Street and Peninsula Avenue. This intersection has become a silent danger zone for pedestrians—what should be a simple act of crossing the street has turned into a gamble with life and safety. Too often, I see people, young and old, hurriedly stepping back or sprinting across the road to avoid speeding cars that seem oblivious to their right to cross safely. How many more near-misses, how many more injuries, until we take decisive action? Just recently, our community was shaken by a tragic accident here. It wasn’t just another statistic; it was a person, someone’s loved one, whose life was cut short because the infrastructure failed them. We cannot let this intersection continue to be a threat, lingering in the back of our minds as we walk our children to Safeway or as our elderly neighbors make their way to immunization appointments at CVS. 3 This is about prioritizing human life over convenience. We need proper lighting, clearer signals, traffic- calming measures, and most importantly, enforcement. Pedestrians deserve to feel safe, knowing they can walk their community streets without fear. Let’s not wait for the next tragedy to remind us that lives are at stake. Change needs to happen now. Erica Eagle Is there any chance of considering making the section on Easton Drive near Hoover School a one way road? As a parent to a child that attends the school, I can tell that cars are always going the wrong way during pickup and drop off times and twice now this school year oversized trucks going the wrong way during pickup times have broken large branches out onto the road and it is very lucky no one was injured as there are families walking during that time. Additionally, there is no sidewalk on a stretch of that road between 2814 and 2816 Easton Drive which forces students to walk out on the main road. Converting this to one-way road in this short section and additionally adding a sidewalk to 2814 and 2816 Easton Drive would provide better safety for not only students but as well for families in this area. Would love to discuss more, if there is anyone you could direct us to. Many thanks in advance. John Wolf and Kevin Lemire We live on Laguna Avenue in Burlingame. Over the last several years, we have observed increasing traffic on our street. In fact, a number of these vehicles drive very quickly down our street. We believe that we have seen increased traffic due to the heavy congestion around California and Broadway as many cars use our street to avoid this bottleneck. This is a very family-oriented neighborhood like many across Burlingame with children outside playing catch in the street or riding their bikes or scooters and we would like to keep it safe. To slow down traffic, we suggest the following changes be implemented: 1) Place speed bumps on the street (we have seen more and more of these throughout Burlingame’s neighborhoods) 2) Create a one-way flow of traffic going northward We thank you for your attention. Let us know how we can be of any help moving forward to address these concerns and enhance public safety on our streets. Nancy Locke Please take up the issue of calming the traffic on Hillside Circle. My husband and I have lived on "the Circle" for 30+ years. This street is narrow with limited sight-lines. Traffic bound for Summit Drive roar around the corner of Alvarado/Hillside Circle and zoom around the blind curve to Summit. There are children walking to school, lots of folks, including elders, using the Circle for exercise walks, there are 4 resident children playing basketball along the curb, there are lots of dog walkers using the street vs sidewalk. When Hillside Circle was changed to one-way about 20 years ago, it resulted in a permanent increase in both driving speed and number of cars. Drivers heading down Hillside Drive from 280 to their destinations on Summit Drive and beyond became forced to drive down to Alvarado then drive clockwise around the entirety of the Circle to access Summit instead of taking the short distance along the upper portion of the Circle. No wonder they drive like they're irritated. Also, because it's a one- way street, there's no oncoming traffic to slow down the drivers. Please consider changes. Maybe two-way again with no on-street parking? Speed bumps? Maybe one-way the opposite direction? 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) TSPC Hillside Drive Safety and Traffic Calming Mr. Wong provided a presentation regarding the Hillside Drive safety and traffic calming efforts. He shared that the goal of the presentation is to obtain TSPC and community feedback regarding the potential options. Before diving into the details, Mr. Wong shared the public outreach efforts so far. • Over 600 meeting notices were mailed out to occupants and property owners along Hillside Drive (Alvarado to ECR) and 500-feet on both sides of the side streets. • Notices emailed to the staff at: Burlingame Intermediate School, Our Lady of Angels, and Hoover Elementary for distribution to their student bodies. • Notices were posted at each intersection along Hillside Drive between Alvarado and El Camino Real. • Notice was shared via the City’s eNews. Mr. Wong then went into the existing conditions for the Hillside Corridor before going into the project background and suggested improvements surrounding the TSPC Committee efforts, which consisted of Commissioner’s Israelit and Ng. • Recommendation to change the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph from the intersection of Alvarado down to El Camino Real, consistent with other residential streets in Burlingame. • Currently there are no stop signs on Hillside Avenue between Alvarado and Vancouver (a total 7 blocks). This allows vehicles to accelerate (especially when headed downhill) on the stretch of road. The Committee recommends adding a stop sign on Hillside at either Castillo Avenue or Carlos Avenue to allow safer crossing for children walking to Hoover Elementary and BIS and for pedestrians in general. This would also introduce breaks in the traffic flow on this stretch of Hillside Drive for drivers trying to turn onto Hillside from 5 the intersecting side streets. • Recommendation to place mobile flashing speed signs on this stretch of road to make drivers aware of their speeds. • At this time the committee does not recommend speed bumps, but they can be a future option if needed. After going over the Committee recommendations, Mr. Wong shared staff’s feedback to the suggested safety and traffic calming improvements from the TSPC Committee. • Staff is currently reviewing the City’s latest speed studies data. If staff is not able to reduce the speed limit through the Engineering and Traffic Survey (E&TS) process, staff will explore any opportunities within the Vision Zero process to reduce the speed limit. • Staff will need to complete an analysis to determine if stop signs are warranted at this location. Per discussion at the September TSPC meeting, with pedestrian access concerns, at “rectangular rapid flashing beacon” (RRFB) might be a more suitable for either intersection. • Currently there is a “driver feedback” sign in the eastbound direction between Vancouver and Bernal. The use of the portable radar sign can be accommodated with the rotation of Traffic Enforcement Division’s “radar trailer”, or use of Public Works’ portable radar staff. Both can be deployed by adding the location into the deployment rotation. • Staff concurs with the recommendation to not recommend speed bumps as Hillside Drive is an arterial street and a main route for emergency services. Mr. Wong went over the criteria for installing stop signs, noting that when they are used incorrectly, such as solely to address speeding, the stop signs can breed disrespect for the sign and generate compliance issues, generally decreasing safety. Mr. Wong then went into the setting of speed limits, pointing out the California Vehicle Code (CVC) 22349, Maximum Speed Limit, prescribes the speed limits in California. When speeds are to be lowered based on an Engineering and Traffic Survey (E&TS) on State Highways, the District Traffic Engineer is charged with determining speed limits. On local roads, the local agency has this function. Mr. Wong emphasized that when speed limits are lowered without an E&TS, with some exceptions, speeding violations issued to drivers may be thrown out in court. Exceptions include speed limits that are near schools, senior centers, or in business districts. With the upcoming implementation of AB413 (January 2025), Mr. Wong stated it will prohibit the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle within 20 feet of the vehicle approach side of any unmarked or marked crosswalk or 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present. He said this will improve visibility between vehicles and pedestrians. Mr. Wong said there was inquiries regarding AB645, which authorizes speed cameras on roadways for enforcement purposes. He explained those cameras are only authorized for use at this time in six selected cities—Glendale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and 6 San Jose. In summary, Mr. Wong stated staff is seeking any additional feedback from the TSPC and community. He indicated that staff would review the feedback with the TSPC Committee prior to any new installations along the Hillside Corridor between Alvarado and El Camino Real. If a determination can be made, Mr. Wong said staff would develop the appropriate next steps, including further outreach and or potential installations. The Commissioners asked clarifying questions prior to the Chair opening the public comment period. Jen Faber stated they use the Hillside Corridor a lot. She said during the school year that people using the one-way loop by Hoover tend to stop at the stop sign at Montero and turn left to get back to Hillside, instead of traveling down Easton. Ms. Faber shared that in her drive to the TSPC meeting, she put her car in neutral to see what the roll down from Alvarado would be like. She reported that her vehicle accelerated quite rapidly between Alvarado, Benito, and Montero. Ms. Faber said you reach maximum speed at Castillo and suggested a stop at the intersection of Montero or Castillo. Another takeaway she shared was with too many traffic signs, things can become confusing. Jeremy McManus resides on Adeline and said his concern is with the stop sign at Alvarado and Hillside Drive. He stated he was walking there with his son recently and had to grab his son from his bike midway in the crosswalk due to a driver that ran the stop sign. Mr. McManus made some suggestions for improvements such as a road diet to narrow the roadway, a high visibility crosswalk, curb extension/bulb outs, and pedestrian refuge island. He also suggested having a school resource officer rotate at that location on school mornings. Ara Tehlirian stated he lives on Hillside near Benito and inquired if the cars speeding and ignoring stops signs are locals or just passing through. He said he felt there should be more enforcement for the bad driving behaviors if there are available personnel to do so. Mr. Tehlirian stated with the addition of the stop signs at Bernal and in front of OLA, people are using Adeline and Easton as alternatives due to the additional impediments. He said if the study finds that it’s not locals driving poorly, he urged for more enforcement. If that is not the case, Mr. Tehlirian suggested more high visibility crosswalks/RRFBs. Sharon Kennedy stated she resides mid-block off the Hillside Corridor and after living on Hillside for thirty years, that it’s very different now—there is more traffic, and drivers are much more aggressive. She also stated it is very difficult to get out of their driveway at times. Ms. Kennedy said many people have lost their family pets within the uncontrolled stretch of roadway. She stated without an officer present, people will continue to drive poorly. Jennifer Johnson said she won’t reiterate things that have already been said, but said what she has noticed over the seventeen years living in the area is there is a lot more street parking on the 7 side streets as you approach Hillside and it’s very hard to see around the vehicles because they are so close to the edge and said she felt it was a real safety issue. Ms. Johnson stated that since Hoover opened many children are now walking up to Hoover instead of to Franklin or Lincoln. She said she doesn’t have strong recommendation of what to do but wanted to provide additional context to the discussion. Paul Dilaura thanked the Commission for putting this on the agenda and felt it is a glaring issue. He said he is strongly in favor of stop sign over a beacon, especially for those using bicycles. Mr. Dilaura also said he supports a stop sign closer to Alvardo at Castillo instead of Carlos. He said he felt the driver feedback signs are not very efficient in decreasing risk and said he hoped the City would take quick action on this. The following public comment emails were read for the record. Sean and Karli Mullane We live on Montero Avenue and cross Hillside Drive as pedestrians every weekday morning to walk our Kindergartener to school at Hoover. It always feels like we are playing a game of Frogger as we wait for a lull in traffic and race across, holding our 5-year-old son’s hand while pushing our 1-year-old daughter in her stroller. We appreciate that traffic calming improvements are being considered for this corridor, as we can attest something is needed to help. We like the idea of a crosswalk with flashing lights, but out of the three options officially being presented and discussed, we prefer the all-way stop over the reduced speed limit and additional driver feedback (radar) signs, as it is the most clear and direct solution. Thank you for the much-needed attention to this issue. Randy VandenBrink I understand that you are considering adding stop signs between Alvarado and Vancouver on Hillside Drive. I would like to oppose the addition of the stop signs for the reason that I do not believe that they are effective. I live on Alvarado across from the traffic island on Hillside, and from my house have visibility of six stop signs in less than one block. A number of those signs were added when Hoover was reopened as a school. The stop signs are absolutely ignored, mainly because of Burlingame not enforcing violations. I watched traffic for the last several days from 8 to 9 AM. Each day I watched during that time frame how the first 50 cars handled the four stop signs that I can see from my front windows. On average, out of 50 cars 5 to 8 fully stop. Those that do stop before continuing, usually do so 8 because they have cross traffic or pedestrians already in the crosswalk. A total of three drivers over 2 days fully stopped when there were no cars or pedestrians during the school morning hours. I believe crosswalks with electronic lights, or a stoplight with the double red lights, like on ECR in Millbrae, would be more effective and less disruptive to Hillside. The crossing Hillside issue is really a 2-hour problem related to kids going to and from school. Please do not impose 24-hour restrictions to solve what is mainly a 2-hour problem. Also, until Burlingame writes tickets for the existing stop signs and speeding nothing will change. Stuart Bacon My thoughts regarding changes for Hillside Drive. NO SPEED BUMPS as they punish the innocent as as well as the offenders If the problem is speeders have the police issue speeding tickets When a decision is reached, use the weekly Burlingame Newsletter to report the changes as well as the reason for the changes. Just don't put in, for example, speed bumps as was done on Carmelita without announcing it before they were installed. Nancy Locke Re the Traffic Commission's proposals to calm traffic on Hillside Drive by lowering speed limit to 25MPH and adding new stop sign at either Cabrillo or Carlos: Lowering the speed limit is a no-brainer. Per California Drivers Handbook, 25 MPH is the default speed limit on residential streets. It should always have been 25, not 30. However, a lower speed limit is unlikely to slow drivers on this arrow-straight, clear sight-line street. Drivers don't obey the 25MPH speed limit on the "upper" part of Hillside Drive which is curvy and has numerous limited sight lines. Whilst driving the current 30 MPH speed on Hillside Drive, both my husband and I have had other drivers roar around us. Good luck finding a solution to calm the aggressive drivers. Additional stop signs anywhere along the stretch between Vancouver and Alvarado will likely help, but only minimally. Besides, the stop-go operation of gasoline engines produces more emissions than steady speeds. A more creative solution may be needed. What about "obstructions" in the middle of intersection such as the circular mini "gardens" used in San Mateo at Eldorado and 5th Ave? I'm not a fan of speed bumps, but I believe they work somewhat. Please do not ever consider those outsized bumps that are on Carmelita. 9 Electronic signs alerting drivers to their speed will only help whilst they're in place; they won't achieve a permanent change in driving behavior. Do keep the public informed. Sami Ahn As a mother of two school-aged kids and a former teacher, I appreciate the desire and need for children's safety. That is why the recent installation of the stop signs at Bernal and at Alvarado make sense. However, a potential 4 way stop sign in between Alvarado and Vancouver does not make sense nor seem warranted versus other measures that can be taken instead. I would like to suggest that in addition to a traffic study and a reduction of the speed limit on Hillside, data should also be obtained as to how many Hoover students would actually use a new four way stop sign en route to school. Hoover's school boundary only extends as far east to Columbus Ave and as far north to Adeline Drive. This is essentially only six blocks in total for the area in consideration. And if a stop sign was placed too far east, a student would conceivably not want to walk even one block out of the way versus using the stop signs already at Alvarado. That section of Hillside Drive is a really wide and straight thoroughfare with great visibility. Could a Pedestrian sign with a crosswalk be better utilized by all in the neighborhood just like the ones in place near the other schools in Burlingame? Thank you for the time and consideration. Dan Rados Please consider our comments as we will not be able to attend the pertinent meeting, as scheduled. It is our opinion that Hillside Drive corridor does not need “Calming Improvements”, particularly those outlined as possible alternatives which all cost the city additional funds for minimum, or no return on investments. The basic concept of slowing the traffic in this limited corridor (by use of radar, a variety of signs or all way stop locations) will invariably increase a bumper-to-bumper traffic movements, which means additional emissions, gas and noise. Any traffic movement modeling will confirm these as simple cause and effect factors. In addition, traffic slowing tools will unquestionably motivate some drivers to seek alternate routes, specifically Easton Drive in the south and Adeline in the north. Both of these arteries do NOT have a congestion problem currently but most likely will be affected by Hillside changes in the future. Considering the existing increasing congestion in our community, we believe that the Hillside 10 Corridor should be left unchanged. May we also suggest in good faith that the planned funds to be allocated to potential Hillside project be used in other areas which absolutely do need change: specifically, El Camino and Millbrae Ave. Traffic there will back up all the way down to the hospital. It is encouraging to all of us that we are talking about this; it will be more encouraging if we make the right decisions. Thank you. Lauryn Isford Motamedi I'm a resident of the Hillside neighborhood in Burlingame. I'm submitting comments on behalf of my husband and me. Please feel free to use them at the hearing. We have lived 1/2 block away from Hillside for 3 years with our dog and our now young daughter Aria. There is a two-way stop at the Balboa x Hillside intersection at the end of our block. The visibility of oncoming traffic is challenging, and traffic drives quickly, making this intersection dangerous for our family. We've had four guests of our family mention to us that they felt the intersection was unsafe for the community when they visited the neighborhood. We are strong advocates of adding stop signs to all intersections of Hillside Drive, including ours. John McDonald Before you add any further stop locations on Hillside Drive, please begin policing the current stop locations, particularly at Alvarado Ave, Vancouver Ave and the new stop at Bernal. Drivers fly through these intersections, endangering school kids and other pedestrians. My friend's daughter was hit by a driver at the Alvarado Ave stop last year and seriously injured. I jog Hillside every other day and have had several near misses from drivers running these stop signs. They are dangerous, yet I haven't seen ANY policing at these intersections in the past 2 years. Adding more stops is MISGUIDED without policing. Pedestrian safety will be at serious risk. I support other more effective ways to slow drivers, like the speed bumps recently added to Carmelita Ave. I jog Carmelita every other day -- the speed bumps work well and I feel safer. Lara McDonald I am unable to attend the traffic commission meeting on October 9th related to traffic calming improvement along the Hillside Corridor as I will be attending a non-profit fundraiser the same evening. Therefore, I would like to submit my written comments about the traffic issues in our neighborhood. I reside on Vancouver Avenue. I jog in the neighborhood 3-4 mornings per week on and around the Hillside Corridor. During my jobs, I find myself feeling uneasy and constantly being on the defensive for unsafe drivers. It quite unsafe and unnerving to be a pedestrian around these named streets/neighborhood particularly during the morning rush hour/school drop off. I am not 11 exaggerating when I state that at least once per day when I job (but often 2-3 times during a given 30 minute run) I am cut off by drivers at intersections/cross walks who do not look both ways before entering the cross walk or intersection, who often roll through stop signs and who speed. Sometimes the drivers see me just before they are rolling through the cross walk and still do not stop for me as the pedestrian. There are also drivers veering into the bike line (over the white lines on Hillside just above Alvarado going near the fire station on that stretch of Hillside.) I am on constant alert when I am out running in the mornings, particularly on week days. And although my children are college aged and beyond, I worry about the safety of the other children that are going to and from school in our neighborhood, along with every other pedestrian. I think that reducing the speed limit could help to a minor degree. I do not think that adding stop signs at every intersection will solve the safety issues for pedestrians. I think the only major deterrent for drivers speeding, rolling through stop signs and cutting off pedestrians would be to have more police patrolling in the area and distribution of traffic violations on a regular basis to the offenders. Since I witness so many cars rolling through stop signs, the only impact that I anticipate the added stop signs having is to slow the speed of the cars. But there will still be safety concerns for pedestrians and bikers due to the drivers not following the law of fully stopping at stop signs and giving pedestrians the right of way they are legally entitled to. I do think about how unsafe so many drivers are out there on the roads across our state. Having more regular PSAs may be an additional consideration. Having regular campaigns in our city about driver and pedestrian safety and educate the consequences of not complying with the laws. The other is to mandate in this state that anyone moving to the state who needs to obtain a CA drivers license must go through drivers training. I believe there are other states that may require this, even if the individual previously had a drivers license in another state. Thank you for taking my comments into consideration. It is a topic that impacts me on a regular basis in my neighborhood. Bill Schmid I'm in favor of keeping the speed limit at 30 miles/hour (no increase or decrease). I'm against adding any additional stop signs or signals on Hillside Dr between Alvarado Ave and El Camino Real. Claudia Flores My name is Claudia Flores. My husband and I live on the southwest side of Hillside and El Camino. We have lived on this corner for approximately 20 years. In that time we have witness countless accidents. To name a few: two pedestrians were hit by a vehicle- one of them died. A vehicle ended up on our lawn nearly hitting the corner of our home- a pedestrian was on the corner and only because he heard the honking did he jump out of the way. I’ve assisted a mother and two toddlers when her vehicle was hit. A middle schooler was hit 12 while riding their bike. These are not exception but the NORM. The lucky ones are the countless near misses of pedestrians crossing El Camino on all four corners, northbound vehicles turning west on Hillside, southbound vehicles turning west on Hillside and vehicles going east on Hillside turning north or south on El Camino. We constantly hear the honking and yelling because drivers are angry at safer drivers not running the lights or allowing pedestrians to cross the street! We’ve also heard pedestrians screaming because cars are about to hit them! People blocking our driveway is a minor inconvenience but becomes intolerable when there are numerous vehicles rushing through this dangerous intersection just to make the light. When backing out we always employ EXTREME caution. For our safety, we always take Balboa northbound and turn east on Hillside to our home. The stop sign installed on the corner of Cortez and Hillside only serves as an optional stop sign. This is where we witness countless vehicles using the stop sign as a mere suggestion. Vehicles merely tap their brakes to rush to the El Camino light. We’ve been honked at because we are turning into our garage not fast enough for those quick stop sign drivers. Lastly, the number of accidents on this dangerous corner prompted us to install cameras. We’ve seen big box cars hit the pedestrian walk signs, random vehicles rushing on El Camino on rainy days spinning out of control, etc. Let’s not forget the big 4x4s and expensive sports cars using Hillside as a race track, evident by the tire marks on Hillside. Thank you. Jeb and Ling-yee Gibney Since we are unable to attend the meeting either in person or via Zoom, we wish to send our comments along to you. This is Jeb and Ling-yee Gibney. We have lived on Alvarado Avenue since 1987. From the beginning, we tried to avoid leaving the house 7.30 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 3 p.m. because of traffic to and from Mercy High School. Many meetings were held over the years and traffic "calming" measures in the form of speed pumps on Alvarado were installed last year. However, it does not solve the problem of parents who are unwilling to yield. In August, we had to leave the house at 2.40 p.m. due to a medical appointment. We were going in the direction of Hillside and were beside an empty driveway of a neighbor's. Jeb was driving. There were cars belonging to residents on both sides of the street, except across from the neighbor's driveway. A parent refused to pull to the side to let us pass and indicated with his hand that we should go into our neighbor's driveway. We could not back up and drive into the driveway, because cars leaving Mercy were behind us. After 5 minutes, the parent got out of the car, banged on the driver's side window forcefully 10 times and asked Jeb to get the "f - - -" out of the car so they could settle this man-to-man. By then, the driver behind us, a student, got out of her car and asked him to pull to the side and let us pass. He told the student ok, got into his car, took his phone out, took pictures of Jeb from the front and side and a picture of our car with our license plate. Then he bellowed that he would look us up and come after us. He pulled to the side, left 13 his car door open, and we (including the students behind us) were able to cautiously go by him. I did take a picture of his car and his license plate while this was going on. We reported the incident to the police. They looked up his address and spoke to him. I also talked to the principal of Mercy High School and she talked to the parent. Apparently, a jogger had witnessed this and had already reported to her safety officer. The jogger indicated that the parent seemed to be in law enforcement. This is all well and good. But once the student graduates from Mercy, whose to say this parent is not going to come after us as he promised. This is a heck of a way to live on Alvarado, in fear. I have heard that one of the streets near Lincoln Elementary has been made one-way during school pick up and drop off hours. Someone told me that discussions have been held to make Alvarado one-way but that the resulting overflow to Benito caused protests from the residents of Benito. We are hoping you can come up with a solution once and for all. Brian Benn Last evening, as I was walking along Hillside Drive, a car raced down at highway speed... my guess is it was going over 65mph. We live near Hillside Drive and routinely see and hear cars roaring along, and often need to wait a considerable amount of time before attempting to cross on foot. We would like the Commission to consider the following: 1. Make the road narrower for cars (a road diet) by creating a protected bike path between parked cars and the sidewalk, on one side or the other. The road appears wide enough to do that, and it would likely slow drivers down. I support posting a lower speed limit, but my observation is that drivers simply ignore the current limit and would likely continue to ignore it. Posting radar signs may work briefly, but these do not appear to have any lasting impact. 2. Add 4-way stop signs every block or two, with painted crosswalks. This is essential for safety. Very few drivers stop for pedestrians, especially in unpainted crosswalks at intersections. 3. Make it clear that large vehicles (SUVs, pickups, construction vehicles, etc.), debris boxes and other obstructions to sight lines may not park or be placed within a certain distance (50ft?) from each intersection, for visibility and safety of all. Thank you for your attention to this important issue! Patricia Urbina It’s interesting that people don’t fully stop at signs anymore in Hillside or Grove where I live. More speed bumps on Hillside would help. Automatic cameras to take photos and send tickets would be best. 14 Derek Draper I understand there is a meeting coming up next week to discuss and gather feedback regarding calming improvement options for Hillside Drive between Alvarado and El Camino. I may not be able to attend the meeting but I did want to share my perspective. My name is Derek Draper and I live with my family (wife and 3 young boys) on Hillside, just up from Alvarado. When we moved to our home, we knew Hillside was a heavily-used street and we were ok with that. That said, after living here for 6+ years, we have become frustrated with many drivers speeding by our house on their way up or down the hill. We have noticed the installation of speed bumps higher up Hillside as well as on Alvarado and Adeline and have appreciated those actions to try and reduce the speed and risk of drivers in the area. With 3 young boys that walk to and from school on a daily basis, traffic safety is a big concern and we would very much appreciate the consideration of calming improvement options to extend a bit further up Hillside Drive beyond Alvarado as I think it would make a big difference for the neighborhood. Brent Jenkins Hi TSPC, I'm a resident of Burlingame Hills (Adeline Dr) and often use Hillside to get around town. I'm a big fan of the new stop sign at Bernal & Hillside. I support another new stop sign along Hillside at Carlos or Castillo as suggested. My comment: I have been passed several times by other cars while traveling at the speed limit along that stretch of Hillside. My suggestion would be to paint a double yellow line in the middle of the road to discourage that. Melina Earlywine I would like to request a study of where the majority of children are walking and their hours and provide safety for them. Installing a stop sign will not calm the aggressive drives, they roll through them. Turn more attention to the places where children and the public are at higher risk of injury - Adeline and Peninsula. Bethany Hollrah had her hand raised to speak but Mr. Wong reminded the public that we no longer take comments via Zoom because of previous bad behaviors. Emails that were received after the public comment period from Bethany Hollrah, Jennie Nguyen, and Hildy & Mike Chaple were forwarded to Mr. Wong and the Commission. The Chair closed the public comment period. 15 Commissioner Ng thanked the community for all the feedback, and he said he appreciated the perspectives. He stated that the improvements staff are looking into require a more in-depth study and suggested looking at some things that can visually enforce some level of traffic calming. He provided some suggestions for less permanent measures such as an island with pedestrian signage and portable speed signs. Commissioner Ng also mentioned police enforcement during school hours and also acknowledged it as a big ask. Commissioner Israelit said she heard a lot of requests for police enforcement for bad driving behaviors but understands the challenge given police personnel are already spread thin. She also acknowledged the new law that will assist with visibility at the various intersections and feels it will have a positive impact. Based on public feedback, Commissioner Israelit mentioned some additional suggestions that she had not though of such as adding a crossing guard at Alvarado and paint white edge lines to visually narrow the road. She still felt strongly that the consideration of a stop should be at Castillo or Carlos. Commissioner Cauchi also thanked the public for their feedback. She said a few things that the public shared stood out to her such as using the study to understand the speed of the vehicles, it would make sense to include in the study, understanding the pedestrian traffic and where that exists for the children going to and from school. She said this information should assist in the decision of where to implement a stop sign and or RRBs. Commissioner Cauchi agreed that we should not place stop signs at each intersection, but said a stop sign should be implemented along the corridor. She said she liked the quick build improvements but felt they should also be looking at long term improvements such as narrowing the roadway. Commission Cauchi felt that we need to make the drivers uncomfortable in order to slow them down. Additionally, she suggested continuous sidewalks for another long-term goal (raised crosswalks). Commissioner Cauchi requested that the approaches be painted red for AB413 (red curb 20 feet from the intersection). Vice-Chair Martos agreed with Commissioner Israelit in that a bike lane does not make sense there, however he said he likes the idea of edge lines. He suggested mini traffic circles similar to what was implemented in the Lyon Hoag neighborhood. Vice-Chair Martos also liked the idea of bulb outs at the intersections—making the crossing shorter and helping to slow down traffic at the intersections. He stated he liked the idea of an RRFB at Castillo. Vice-Chair Martos also liked the idea of red curbing at the approaches (AB413). He said he was unsure if a stop sign and reducing the speed limit would do anything to change the bad driving behavior. Commissioner Ng pointed out a comment from the public regarding unintended consequences on other streets as a result of the potential changes on Hillside Drive. He suggested surveying Easton and Adeline for baseline data before making improvements. No formal action was taken. Mr. Wong stated staff would return with revised recommendations after sorting through all the feedback received and working with the TSPC Committee. 16 b) California Drive Class I Bicycle and Pedestrian Project Mr. Wong provided a presentation regarding the California Drive Class I Bicycle and Pedestrian Project. He shared the goals of the presentation were to present the TSPC with a potential concept and obtain TSPC feedback regarding the potential concept and community outreach plan. Mr. Wong went over the project background and shared that Burlingame applied for and received Measure A & W funding for the California Drive Class I Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Project. He explained the project consists of the construction of 0.4 miles of a Class I shared use bicycle and pedestrian path along California Drive, between Oak Grove Avenue and Burlingame Avenue. Mr. Wong said the project will enhance north/south connectivity and will close one of the major gaps in the “backbone” of the San Mateo County bicycle network. Additionally, Mr. Wong stated it will enhance the safety, comfort, and attractiveness for users of all ages and abilities. Mr. Wong said the project budget is $1,800,000, with $1,620,000 of grant funding and a local match of $180,000. Project Concept Mr. Wong pointed out that with this concept, there will be a loss of 41 parking spaces. 17 Public Outreach Mr. Wong went over the planned outreach efforts which include sending meeting notices along California Drive to both business owners and property owners, contacting the Downtown Business Improvement District, Chamber of Commerce, and Burlingame High School. Commissioner Israelit said she was uncomfortable with pedestrians and bicyclists sharing the path. Commissioner Cauchi inquired about a road diet to be consistent with the other portion of the street. Commissioner Ng concurred with Commissioner Israelit’s comment and also noted the negative feedback received thus far on the bike lane project between Broadway and Oak Grove Avenue. Vice- Chair Martos confirmed the loss of parking is spread throughout the project area. He also shared the concern of bicycles and pedestrians sharing the same path. Two people spoke during the public comment period. Howard Wettan stated the loss of 41 parking spaces is a significant price given the constraints of downtown parking. He said he values the goal but said he wondered if there is another way to accomplish this. Mr. Wettan suggested considering a bike lane that runs north and south with the traffic to spare the parking and minimize the pedestrian and bicycle conflict. He said if the City proceeds with this plan, he would request that they understand the conditions of downtown parking. Mr. Wettan said if the downtown parking is still as constrained as it was when he and Mr. Martos studied it, taking out 41 spots will have serious consequences and simultaneously make bike lanes less popular if people can find a place to park. Jen Johnson asked several questions and stated she was excited about the project. With the Broadway Grade Separation Project, she said she can see this route becoming more popular—especially with commuters. She also shared her concern with the mixed-use path between bicyclists and pedestrians. Ms. Johnson said she was curious about the usage of the space to date and to find out who is utilizing the spots that are slated to be removed. In closing, she said it’s important to obtain feedback from the BHS students that bike to school. No formal action was taken. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Public Hearing Related to Informational Items No comments. b) Community Group Updates No comments. 18 c) Police Department Reports Sergeant Roberts reported 10 collisions for the month of September. Of those 10 collisions, Sergeant Roberts stated 4 were with another motor vehicle, 2 involved parked vehicles, 1 with a fixed object, 2 involved pedestrians, and 1 collision with a bicyclist. He shared the primary collision factors include unsafe speed, unsafe turning, and pedestrian related violations. Sergeant Roberts shared there were to fatal collisions in September. He said one occurred at Dwight and Peninsula within the crosswalk and noted an associated collision factor was vision impairment from the angle of the setting sun. Sergeant Roberts shared the second fatal collision occurred on El Camino at Trousdale and involved two motorcycles colliding, resulting in one fatality. The Commissioners asked several questions surrounding the fatal collisions. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications No updates. 8. COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Public Hearing Related to Committee Reports No comments. b) BIS School Safety Study (Israelit & Ng) Commissioner Israelit said she and Commissioner Ng have discussed sunsetting this Committee. She then inquired with Mr. Wong if the drop off zone was ever painted white. Mr. Wong stated it has not been painted yet, but he did follow up with the Principal who indicated that things are working well. Commissioner Israelit inquired about putting a light up sign at Marco Polo and Clarice indicating no through traffic during school drop off. c) Hillside Drive Safety and Traffic Calming (Israelit & Ng) Discussed during item 6.a. d) Key Performance Indicators (Cauchi & Rebelos) Commisioner Cauchi stated the goal is to complete the metrics by January and the first set of 19 metrics have been completed. She said the next step is to set up a meeting with City Council. e) Vision Zero (Martos & Rebelos) No update. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Commissioner vacancies 10. ADJOURNMENT 9:31 p.m.