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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2024.12.121 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting on Thursday, December 12, 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/201/Traffic-Safety-Parking-Commission https://www.youtube.com/@cityofburlingame3486 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:03 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Cauchi, Israelit, Martos MEMBERS ABSENT: 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) September 26, 2024 Special Meeting Minutes Commissioner Israelit made a motion to accept the three sets of meeting minutes for approval, seconded by Commissioner Cauchi. The meeting minutes were approved by unanimous consent. b) October 10, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes Commissioner Israelit made a motion to accept the three sets of meeting minutes for approval, seconded by Commissioner Cauchi. The meeting minutes were approved by unanimous consent. c) November 14, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes Commissioner Israelit made a motion to accept the three sets of meeting minutes for approval, seconded by Commissioner Cauchi. The meeting minutes were approved by unanimous consent. 2 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No non-agenda public comments received. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Occidental Pedestrian and Traffic Calming Improvement Project Mr. Wong went over the Occidental Pedestrian and Traffic Calming Improvement Project, starting with the presentation objectives: 1) present the TSPC with the revised concepts for the project based on feedback from the August 2024 TSPC meeting and previous outreach efforts; 2) obtain feedback regarding the revised concepts and determine the level of community support; 3) obtain a motion of support for the revised concepts; and 4) shift into the final design phase of the project. Mr. Wong refreshed the group regarding the project limits—Occidental Avenue between Chapin Avenue and Ralson Avenue. He then went into the revised design concepts, which are summarized below. Occidental/Chapin • Stop-controls to improve right-of-way assignment at the intersection. • Curb extensions to narrow lane widths and reduce speeds. • Traffic island to provide a pedestrian refuge, reduce pedestrian crossing distances, and “square-up/tighten” the intersection. • Red curbing at corners to enhance visibility of pedestrians/vehicles. • High visibility crosswalks to highlight active pedestrian area (school/church). • On-street parking loss with some of the improvements (red curbing and extensions). Occidental/Burlingame • High visibility crosswalks to highlight active pedestrian area (school/church/park). • Red curbing at corners to enhance visibility of pedestrians/vehicles. • On-street parking loss with some of the improvements (red-curbing and extensions). Occidental/Ralston • Curb extensions to narrow lane widths and reduce vehicular speeds. • Traffic island to provide pedestrian refuge, reduce pedestrian crossing distances, and “square- up/tighten” intersection. • Red curbing at corners to enhance visibility of pedestrians/vehicles. • High visibility crosswalks to highlight active pedestrian area (park). • On-street parking loss with some of the improvements (red curbing and extensions). Please refer to the presentation for additional information, including conceptual plans. 3 The Commissioners asked clarifying questions regarding the revised conceptual plans. Vice-Chair Martos asked Mr. Wong how many parking spaces will be lost. Mr. Wong estimated a loss of approximately five parking spaces. Vice-Chair Martos instructed the commissioners to review the public comments received via email, (attached). Vice-Chair Martos then opened the public comment period for those in attendance. Christina Endicott stated that she recalled from a previous community meeting that the island at Occidental and Ralston was to be decreased substantially. She stated her concern is that the traffic will bottleneck at the intersection. Ms. Endicott inquired about the hatch lines as well. Mr. Wong stated the island is larger due to the size of the intersection and he explained it will break up the turn and straight vehicular movements—possibly eliminating any queuing. He said the larger island also helps with visibility and pedestrian safety. Regarding the hatch lines, Mr. Wong stated it would be a rubberized curb about six inches high with the hatched markings inside. Mr. Wong also stated he could check in with the design team about shaving a little more off the island at the intersection of Occidental and Ralston Avenues. Tracy Sola stated she lives near the corner of Ralson and Occidental and is happy to see a crosswalk from the northeast corner going to the park because she said she observes about 95% of the people that cross do so without a crosswalk. She said she is concerned about the Burlingame and Occidental plan because of the challenges turning onto Occidental from Burlingame Avenue due to the level of traffic on Occidental—she said it always feels dangerous. Ms. Sola stated she would love to see that intersection as a three-way stop. Tony Paul indicated he works with Caltrans and asked what prompted the improvements, including the warrants for the crosswalks. Mr. Wong stated the City received some concerns from the community regarding the intersections and indicated some of the improvements are also called out in the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Mr. Wong shared the City was able to secure grant funding for the improvements. Mr. Paul stated that rubberized asphalt is also a form of traffic calming and pointed out it will be used for the El Camino Real Project. Bob Gilligan stated he resides on Burlingame Avenue and inquired about the red curbing for AB 413. He thought the red curbing was to be on both sides of the street for improved visibility. Mr. Gilligan asked why there cannot be additional sidewalks crossing to the west side of Occidental stating that pedestrians are always in competition with the vehicles and there is no crosswalk for them. Mr. Wong explained there are no crosswalks crossing to the west side of Occidental because they would go into driveways and trees. Mr. Wong also explained that knowing the volume is not as high at that location and the current comfortability, along with the improvements on both sides of the project limits, it will create gaps for people to cross. He also clarified that it is still a crosswalk although it is unmarked. Regarding the red curbing, Mr. Wong stated the requirement is to red curb the approach side of the intersection. Mr. Gilligan suggested to investigate red curbing the other corners due to visibility concerns even though it’s not required under AB 413. 4 John Vega voiced his concerns about the red curbing at the intersection of Occidental and Chapin Avenues, stating there is currently not enough street parking citing the number of residents in the building on the corner of El Camino Real and Chapin. Mr. Vega explained his parking permit does not allow him to park on other side streets. He said he feels the improvements are positive, but he will be greatly impacted and asked staff to revisit the parking impacts. Mr. Wong indicated they reduced the red curbing from feedback from the previous community meeting and they were able to restore three parking spaces near the intersection. Vice-Chair Martos asked for a summary of the public comments received via email. Staff indicated four emails were received from the following people: Brian Treu, Doug Bojack, David Lombardi, and Mary Patrician. Commisioner Cauchi shared her observations and familiarity of the project area and said she believes there is a need for traffic calming. She advocated for stop signs at the slip lanes. Commissioner Cauchi said she supported the improvements and then pointed out the Commission should look into the parking program issue brought up by a resident during public comment. Commisioner Israelit said the project revisions nicely addressed the previous public feedback. She felt the project will improve pedestrian safety without impacting the flow of vehicles. Commissioner Israelit acknowledged the parking loss but attributed it to AB 413 and a tradeoff for increased safety. She also said adjustments can be made in the future if necessary. Commissioner Israelit indicated she supported the design concepts for all three intersections. Vice-Chair Martos revisited the locations of new stop sign installations. Mr. Wong confirmed the new stop sign location is only at Chapin and Occidental. Vice-Chair Martos brought up the islands and inquired about greenery for them. Mr. Wong said due to funding, they chose to add greenery to the larger island at Ralston. Vice-Chair Martos stated these improvements are a good step in the right direction and said he would love to see improvements to the lighting sometime in the future. Commissioner Cauchi made a motion to approve the Occidental Pedestrian and Traffic Calming Improvement Project that was shown today for Ralston, Burlingame Avenue, and Chapin. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Israelit and the motion passed 3-0. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Public Comments Related to Informational Items No comments. b) Community Group Updates No update. 5 c) Engineering Division Reports Mr. Wong provided the below update on various Public Works – Engineering projects and activities. • SMCTA Mid County Multimodal Strategy –The Mid County Multimodal Strategy is a project that will identify underfunded but necessary projects to improve and encourage the use of different types of transportation along the Highway 101 Corridor. The San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) staff will use community feedback to develop priorities for the projects that should be created. There are more projects than funds available, so the SMCTA is seeking input to ensure funding goes where it is needed most. More project details including the survey are located in the link below: https://www.smcta.com/MidCountyMultimodal#:~:text=The%20Mid%20County%20Multim odal%20Strategy,well%20as%20adjacent%20unincorporated%20communities. • AB 413 Update – Staff is reminding the community that starting January 1, 2025, the new California law which eliminates parking near crosswalks will be in effect. Under Assembly Bill 413 (AB 413), parking is now prohibited within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk. AB 413 aims to improve driver sightlines to enhance the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Until January 1, 2025, only warnings will be issued. After that date, citations may be issued. To support compliance, the City will begin marking red curbs primarily in high-traffic pedestrian areas, such as the Downtown(s). Please note that this restriction applies to all crosswalks, even if the curb is not painted red. • City Threads Update – The City was selected as a recipient of a “Accelerated Mobility Playbook” (AMP) grant. Staff will soon be working with the national non-profit organization City Thread by working to set up stakeholder meetings. This process has been initiated by Commissioner Cauchi, and staff recommends that a “City Thread” committee be formed to monitor the progress. Please refer to the link below for additional details: https://www.citythread.org/faqs d) Police Department Reports Sergeant Roberts reported 11 collisions for the month of November, with 3 collisions involving another motor vehicle, 1 collision with a parked motor vehicle, 4 with a fixed or other object, and 3 involving pedestrians. He said the primary collision factors included unsafe turn movements, right-of-way violations, and red-light violations. Please see the collision report for details. Vice-Chair Martos inquired about e-bike trends. 6 e) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Vice-Chair Martos stated he was in communication with a Burlingame High School student. He said he was interviewed for a high school write up on what is being done in the City to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety. Vice-Chair Martos stated the student also interviewed Lesly Beatty and new Council Member Desiree Thayer. Vice-Chair Martos asked Mr. Wong if the City responded to a second high school student that reached out. Mr. Wong said he got back to her and the doctoral student. 8. COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Public Comments Related to Committee Reports No comments. b) BIS School Safety Study (Israelit) Commissioner Israelit requested to disband the BIS School Safety Study Committee as the goals of the Committee have been accomplished. Vice-Chair Martos stated the appointed Chair can disband the group next month. c) Hillside Drive Safety and Traffic Calming (Israelit) Commissioner Israelit acknowledged the special meeting where Hillside Drive was discussed at length. Mr. Wong stated they may take a different approach with baby steps. Commissioner Cauchi stated the Commission should take action considering all the feedback received at the last meeting. d) Key Performance Indicators (Cauchi) Commissioner Cauchi said the next step is to meet with Mr. Wong. e) Vision Zero (Martos) Vice-Chair Martos confirmed the Vision Zero consultant was selected and things are moving forward. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Trousdale, Murchison, and Davis Drive Bicycle Improvement Project • Caltrans El Camino Real Renewal Project update • Hillside Drive safety and traffic calming 7 10. ADJOURNMENT 8:35 p.m.