Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee

City of Mountain View Minutes Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:00 PM Video Conference with No Physical Meeting Location SPECIAL MEETING This meeting was conducted in accordance with State of California Executive Order N-29-20, dated March 17, 2020. All members of the Mountain View Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Sunnyvale Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission participated in the meeting by video conference, with no physical meeting location. 1. CALL TO ORDER Greg Unangst called the Mountain View meeting to order and Richard Mehlinger called the Sunnyvale meeting to order at 5:02: p.m. 2. ROLL CALL 2.1 Roll Call of Mountain View Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee Staff Members present: Ria Hutabarat Lo, Mountain View Transportation Manager; Rey Rodriguez, Mountain View Senior Project Manager; Aruna Bodduna, Mountain View Transportation Planner; Damian Skinner, Mountain View Assistant Public Works Director. Sixteen (16) members of the public were present for the special joint meeting. Present 5 - Committee Member Valerie Fenwick, Committee Member Kalyanaraman Shankari, Committee Member Theron Tock, Chair Lada Adamic, and Chair Greg Unangst 2.2 Roll Call of Sunnyvale Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Sunnyvale members present: Chair Richard Mehlinger, Vice Chair Leia Mehlman, Member John Cordes, Member Tim Oey, Member Scott Swail, Member Dan Hafeman, Member Arwen Davé Members absent: none Staff members present: Nabilah Deen, Sunnyvale Project Manager; Ralph Garcia, Sunnyvale Traffic Engineer; Angela Obeso, Sunnyvale Principal Transportation Engineer. Consultants: Dave Dickinson, Steve Loupe, Steve Lynch 3. NEW BUSINESS 3.1 Presentation of Draft Concepts for the Bernardo Avenue Undercrossing Project Nabilah Deen and Dave Dickinson provided a presentation on design concepts and features for the Bernardo Avenue Undercrossing. City of Mountain View Page 1 Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Minutes December 2, 2020 Committee Public comments: • April Webster from Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning supported the building of Bernardo Undercrossing. • Mary Dateo requested that the design prioritize pedestrian directness using a scramble phase or crosswalks on all approaches of Evelyn/Bernardo intersection. She also requested that design concepts allow for a future two-way path along Evelyn between Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale BPAC members supported prioritizing the following features: • Pedestrian stairs (including for the eastern option); • Wide access ramps (such as 12-foot wide ramps); • Narrow vehicle travel lanes on Evelyn Avenue to allow for a future pedestrian/bike trail on the north (westbound) side of the road; • A bike access ramp to the eastbound expressway; • Daylighting elements and nighttime lighting within the undercrossing; • Signal phasing to minimize delay to pedestrian/bikes (such as a scramble phase); • Protected right turn movements to provide bicycle access to the undercrossing; • Smooth transitions from crossings to the undercrossing access (such as by shifting the ramp further from the intersection); • ADA landings as bike traffic calming; • Avoiding sharp turns; and • No bollards. Mountain View B/PAC members supported prioritizing the following features: • Pedestrian stairs on both sides of the undercrossing (including for an eastern option); • Pedestrian crossings on all approaches of Evelyn/Bernardo (to reduce out of direction travel); • Minimal undercrossing distance through use of the western option; • Daylighting elements such as openings in the expressway median and open area; • Bike channels along stairs; and • Most Mountain View B/PAC members supported prioritizing the bike ramp to the eastbound expressway bike shoulders, while one was uncomfortable with the feature. Members also requested that future presentations include pedestrian-level visualizations and diagrams to show the flow of pedestrians and cyclists from all directions. Members also requested accelerated project implementation to reflect the climate crisis. 4. ADJOURNMENT Greg Unangst and Richard Mehlinger adjourned the special joint meeting at 6:23 p.m. 6:30 P.M. - MOUNTAIN VIEW B/PAC MEETING 5. CALL TO ORDER OF MOUNTAIN VIEW B/PAC Greg Unangst called the Mountain View B/PAC meeting back to order at 6:35 p.m. 6. ROLL CALL Members present: K. Shankari, Lada Adamic, Valerie Fenwick, Theron Tock, and Greg City of Mountain View Page 2 Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Minutes December 2, 2020 Committee Unangst. None absent Staff present: Ria Hutabarat Lo, Transportation Manager; Aruna Bodduna, Transportation Planner; Lorenzo Lopez, City Traffic Engineer; Darwin Galang, Traffic Engineer; Jim Lightbody, Project Manager; Damian Skinner, Assistant Public Works Director. There were 26 members of the public present. 7. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC None. 8. MINUTES APPROVAL 8.1 Minutes Approval Approve the minutes from the B/PAC meeting on 9/30/2020 with corrections to Shankari’s comment. Yes: 5- Committee Member Fenwick, Committee Member Shankari, Committee Member Tock, Chair Adamic, and Chair Unangst 9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10. NEW BUSINESS 10.1 El Monte Avenue Corridor Study Darwin Galang provided a presentation on the El Monte Corridor Study. B/PAC members asked if staff had considered alternatives directly aimed at reducing traffic speed such as traffic calming measures or a road diet. Staff indicated that traffic calming features such as a speed tables were not suitable for an arterial like El Monte. Staff also indicated that El Monte’s traffic volume of 20,000 vehicles per day was on the threshold of being too high for a road diet, and create delays to motor vehicles on El Monte and side streets. Public comment: • Gerry Maloney from Hollingsworth requested consideration of a road diet alternative with dedicated left turn lanes, in order to address speeding and collisions on El Monte. She cited an FHWA report suggesting a 26,000 vehicle per day threshold for road diets. • Dan Peri from El Monte was concerned about access north to El Camino Real from properties on the west side of El Monte if medians are added (under Alternative 2). • Charles from Hollingsworth was opposed to blocking left turns from Spargur to El Monte (under Alternative 2) which would divert trips and potentially present a danger to children to Hollingsworth. • Matthew Stangl was concerned that Alternative 2 could worsen speeding and traffic diversion to other streets. He recommended a road diet alternative with dedicated left turn lanes. • Dan Wa requested data on the number of road users and costs of alternatives. He was opposed to blocking traffic under Alternative 2. City of Mountain View Page 3 Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Minutes December 2, 2020 Committee • April Webster supported a road diet alternative, or Alternative 2 if it included protected bikeway with vertical elements. She asked staff to conduct a speed survey and design for lower speeds with narrow (10-foot) lane widths. • David Beggs supported Alternative 1 because people don’t have problem making left turns. • Terry Barton was disappointed that prevalent speeding behavior is used to establish speed limits. He supported bikeways with vertical elements. He also recommended a tighter turn radius to Ednamary. Committee comments: • B/PAC members requested information on the latest speed study from five years ago. • Valerie Fenwick supported bulbouts, signal phasing and slip lane removal elements at El Camino/El Monte/Escuela. On the other hand, she felt that neither alternative adequately address speeding, which had been demanded by residents since the fatalities at Ednamary and Marich Way. She requested consideration of an alternative that lowered speeds through a road diet or narrower (10- to 11-foot) lanes. She suggested that eliminating left turns would not be needed if there were a road diet with pedestrian refuges. • Lada Adamic supported a hybrid option of Alternative 1 with the buffered or protected bike lanes and a narrower median. She also suggested considering delays systematically between El Camino and El Monte. • Theron Tock recommended analyzing alternatives that make the speed limit self-enforcing. He indicated that he has had multiple close calls with turning vehicles, but sympathized with residents along side streets. For the Escuela/El Camino intersection he recommended moving the bike box back out of El Camino and into the space between the two lanes. • Shankari urged staff to consider a road diet alternative to address speeding and safety impacts on cyclists. • Greg Unangst favored Alternative 2 for bike improvements, but recommended analyzing a road diet, such as on Arastradero in Palo Alto, to address the key issue of speeding. • During Committee Comments (Item 11.2), Valerie Fenwick honored the memory of Michelle Montalvo, who died at the intersection of El Monte and Marich. MOTION 1: That staff prioritize strategies to reduce traffic speed, specifically including analysis of a road diet alternative - Shankari/Fenwick – 5/0/0 MOTION 2: That B/PAC supports the staff recommendations for El Camino/Escuela and El Camino/El Monte intersections – Fenwick/Shankari – 5/0/0 Yes: 5- Committee Member Fenwick, Committee Member Shankari, Committee Member Tock, Chair Adamic, and Chair Unangst 10.2 North Bayshore Circulation Feasibility Study Jim Lightbody, Project Manager, and Sam Corbett from Alta Planning and Design, provided a presentation on the North Bayshore Circulation Feasibility Study. Public comments: City of Mountain View Page 4 Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Minutes December 2, 2020 Committee Mary Dateo expressed concern about the forecast use of Shoreline pedestrian/bicycle bridge. She also noted that Shoreline would be the straightest line from Downtown. Bruce England asked about mitigations for conflicts on the trails. Committee comments: Valerie Fenwick expressed support for recommendations regarding wider sidewalks. Lada Adamic expressed interest in increased capacity along Stevens Creek and Permanente Creek trails. She also highlighted a concern about private parking and public trail access to Stevens Creek Trail in North Bayshore such as at Crittenden. Shankari, Greg Unangst and Valerie Fenwick requested consideration of mitigations to crashes on Stevens Creek Trail, particularly under US 101. Shankari also suggested increasing the scale for displaying pedestrian volumes. Valerie Fenwick asked about widening Shoreline Park bridges. And Greg Unangst requested consideration of bike infrastructure needed to address anticipated demand at Moffett Field and Terra Bella, including the Terra Bella Visioning idea of a bike tunnel across 85. 10.3 B/PAC Fiscal Year 2020-21 Work Plan Public comment: Bruce England recommended combining the updates of the Bicycle Transportation Plan and Pedestrian Master Plan. He also expressed a preference for B/PAC to review more of the development projects. Peying Lee noted that the pandemic has encouraged more active transportation, which is more attractive with landscaped buffers, native plantings and green infrastructure. 10.4 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Update Greg Unangst provided an update on the November 10 VTA BPAC meeting, including the Measure B 10-year Outlook, which allocated three quarters of funding to BART, but maintained the pedestrian/bike funding. VTA BPAC also considered fencing along the Light Rail Transit (LRT) tracks in Downtown San Jose. MOTION: to thank Greg Unangst for service on the MV B/PAC and VTA BPAC. Yes: 4- Committee Member Fenwick, Committee Member Shankari, Committee Member Tock, and Chair Adamic Abstain: 1- Chair Unangst 11. COMMITTEE/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS, UPDATES, REQUESTS, AND COMMITTEE REPORTS 11.1 Staff Comments Ria Hutabarat Lo provided updates on AskMV items, Castro StrEATS cold weather requirements, implementation of the touchless ped push button pilot, and Middlefield Road repaving project. 11.2 Committee Comments B/PAC members thanked Theron Tock and Greg Unangst for their years of service. City of Mountain View Page 5 Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Minutes December 2, 2020 Committee Committee members also noted that the Permanente Creek Trail crossing of Charleston. They also requested more education on the mask mandate, particularly for those using Stevens Creek Trail. 12. SET DATE AND TIME FOR NEXT MEETING Next meeting January 27, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. 13. CALENDAR 14. ADJOURNMENT Greg Unangst adjourned the meeting at 9:27 p.m. City of Mountain View Page 6