Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Thursday, June 20, 2019 7:00 PM Council Chambers, City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Special Meeting CALL TO ORDER Chair Cordes called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chair Cordes led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present 7 - Chair John Cordes Vice Chair Susan Bremond Commissioner Richard Mehlinger Commissioner Leia Mehlman Commissioner Timothy Oey Commissioner Scott Swail Commissioner Kyle Welch Council Liaison Member Glenn Hendricks (present) PRESENTATION 19-0578 Santa Clara County Expressway Bicycle Accommodation Guidelines Updates Ellen Talbo, County Transportation Planner at the County of Santa Clara Roads and Airports Department, gave a presentation on the updates to the Santa Clara County Expressway Bicycle Accommodation Guidelines. Following the presentation, discussion with BPAC Commissioners included the following: - County's jurisdiction on roadway facilities City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2019 Commission - County's past efforts to accommodate bicyclists - Preference for protected bikeways on expressways and intersections - Public feedback and the governing body for the project - County plans for developing a Vision Zero Plan - Bike parking on county facilities 19-0655 Bordeaux Drive Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Improvements Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer with the City of Sunnyvale, gave a presentation on implementing Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Improvements on Bordeaux Drive. Ms.Tsang explained the main of purpose of the project which is to improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity along the corridor and to close the gap where there are missing bike lanes. Also, the project will close sidewalk gaps where there is an opportunity to do so. Ms. Tsang informed BPAC that the project should be implemented later this year. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Alejandro Marti, member of the public, made the following comments: - Concern that the City does not have protected bike lanes. - Suggest restriping Borregas to make protected bike lanes. David Simons, member of the public, commented on taking actions to discuss the Santa Clara County Expressway Bicycle Accommodation guidelines and to make recommendations to meet specific goals. David Simons recommended to emphasize Vision Zero and Complete Streets. David Simons commented on the Bordeaux improvements and recommended that the VTA design pedestrian and bicycle guidelines to be used as a basis. Kevin Jackson, member of the public, commented on the TDA Grant funded projects. Mr. Jackson suggested that City Council was provided with inaccurate information regarding Caltrans' requirements for bike and pedestrian entry barriers to facilities per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Commissioner Oey announced that Cupertino is offering four bicycle classes for older elementary, middle school and younger high school students and their parents. Commissioner Mehlinger stated the the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is hosting a pride ride Saturday, June 29 from 3-6 pm. Details are on their website. City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2019 Commission CONSENT CALENDAR 1.A 19-0668 Approve the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of May 16, 2019. Approve the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Minutes of May 16, 2019 as amended. Commissioner Mehlinger moved and Commissioner Mehlman seconded the motion to approve the amended Bicycle and Pedestrian minutes of May 16, 2019. The amendment was made by Chair Cordes who suggested changing the design of the 2019 BPAC Utility Bill Flier insert. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes 6 - Chair Cordes Vice Chair Bremond Commissioner Mehlinger Commissioner Mehlman Commissioner Swail Commissioner Welch No 0 Abstain 1 - Commissioner Oey PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS 2. 19-0298 Recommend to the City Council for Adoption of the Vision Zero Plan Alternative 1: Recommend to City Council to Adopt the Vision Zero Plan. Steve Davis from Fehr & Peers, transportation consulting firm, gave a presentation on the Vision Zero Plan. Mr. Davis emphasized that the main goal of the citywide Vision Zero Plan is to have zero fatalities and serious injuries on the transportation network on the entirety of the city streets. Mr. Davis pointed out three main components of the Vision Zero plan which are: 1. To take a safety first approach. Prioritize traffic safety over other transportation considerations 2. Acknowledge that traffic deaths and serious injuries are preventable 3. Adopt a multi disciplinary approach to address these issues Mr. Davis stated that the Vision Zero Plan includes specific actions to implement. These actions fall into four categories: City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2019 Commission 1. Vison Zero Plan initiatives and evaluation 2. Street design & operation 3. Behavioral change 4. Vulnerable road users Commissioner Oey recommended having a continuous data driven mechanism to improve the collision reports which will help improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Mr. Oey commented on the Vision Zero Plan toolkit lane reduction and how it would be beneficial. Commissioner Welch asked how will the Vision Zero Plan be executed if it is approved. Mr. Davis stated that the plan would be executed by applying the vision and improvements into city projects. Commissioner Mehlinger emphasized the importance of safety first. Mr. Mehlinger asked how does the Vision Zero Plan interact with all the other plans currently in progress and does this plan address protected intersections. Mr. Davis stated there's a lot of interplay with all the plans and the Vision Zero Plan is more safety focus across the City for all users. Chair Cordes made the following comments: - Prioritize safety strategies - Would like to come to a motion to recommend to City Council that items A.1 and A.2 be among the top priorities Alejandro Marti, member of the public, commented on certain aspects of the Vision Zero Plan and asked that the City build protected bike lanes this year. James Keller, member of the public, commented on how education is important to resolve various issues within the Vision Zero Plan. David Simons, member of the public, seconded the idea that there should be more effort for education on Bicycle and Pedestrian safety. Commissioner Oey moved and commissioner Mehlinger seconded the motion for City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2019 Commission alternative 2: recommend to City Council to adopt the Vision Zero Plan with modifications. The modifications are to prioritize the following Vision Zero Program Initiatives identified in the report: - A.1 Vision Zero Task Force - Convene an interdisciplinary Vision Zero Task Force to oversee plan implementation and coordinate projects and programs across City departments. - A.2 Dedicated Funding - Identify a permanent, dedicated funding source for Vision Zero implementation and coordination. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes 7 - Chair Cordes Vice Chair Bremond Commissioner Mehlinger Commissioner Mehlman Commissioner Oey Commissioner Swail Commissioner Welch No 0 3. 19-0688 Report and Discussion of Recent VTA BPAC Meeting Dave Simons, VTA BPAC Representative, gave the meeting summary report regarding the following topics: - The June meeting was cancelled. - Project prioritizations. STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES 4. 19-0682 Update to Study Issues Process Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer/Planner, gave a presentation on the new process for Study Issues. Key elements are: - Study Issues proposed to City Council need to be within BPAC's purview - Study Issues should be related to policies not operational issues - Every January BPAC would rank all the sponsored study issues and provide the ranking to City Council City of Sunnyvale Page 5 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2019 Commission Ms. Tsang stated the 3 phases of the Study Issue process: - Introduce a study issue idea by submitting a form to the staff liaison and then have that study issue idea placed on a BPAC agenda - Discuss study issue idea and see if commission would want to propose it to be a study issue - Formal sponsorship for it Chair Cordes asked if the city policy has been updated with the new study issue process. Ms. Tsang stated the policy has been updated and is on the study issues webpage. 5. 19-0687 BPAC 2020 Proposed Study Issues Chair Cordes recommended not to discuss the BPAC 2020 Proposed Study Issues at this meeting so the new process can be followed. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioner Mehlinger commented on the following: - Future connections of the John W. Christian Trail with the planned Mary avenue bridge. - Building Class IV bike facilities. - Construction signs in bike lanes. Commissioner Oey commented on his cross country bike ride and sustainability presentations. Chair Cordes emphasized that traffic issues should be reported to Access Sunnyvale. Chair Cordes commented that the presentations should be attached to the agenda item after the meeting. -Staff Comments Ralph Garcia, Senior Transportation Engineer, informed the Commission that this will be the last meeting for Commissioner Welch and Commissioner Bremond and City of Sunnyvale Page 6 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2019 Commission thanked them for their time on the BPAC Commission. Mr. Garcia stated that a new Commissioner will join the BPAC in July. In the July BPAC meeting there will be a vote for a new Chair and Vice Chair. Mr. Garcia informed the Commission that there needs to be at least 4 members to be present in order to conduct the meeting. Ms. Tsang also explained the voting process of the new Chair and Vice Chair for the new fiscal year. Commissioner Mehlinger asked to delay the voting of the Chair and Vice Chair until August. Mr. Garcia stated that it is City policy for boards and commissions to vote for Chair and Vice Chair in July if there is a July meeting scheduled. Commissioner Oey asked if there is a cutoff time to apply to be on BPAC. Ms. Tsang stated applicants can apply until the position is filled. Mr. Garcia made the following announcements: - VTA staff member, Brent Pearse will be at the next meeting in July to discuss the Copenhagen public life and bicycle and pedestrian activity. - The bicycle friendly community signs from the League of American Bicylcists have been delivered and are expected to be installed by fall. - Active Transportation Plan walking and biking tours will be held this summer. - Shahid Abbas, Transportation and Traffic Manager, will be leaving the City at the end of June and recruitment is underway for a new Transportation and Traffic Manager. INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS 19-0691 BPAC 2019 Annual Work Plan 19-0692 Active Items List - June 2019 19-0693 2019 BPAC Utility Bill Flier 19-0694 Streetsblog Article - Separated Bike Lanes Means Safer Streets, Study Says City of Sunnyvale Page 7 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final June 20, 2019 Commission 19-0695 Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition - Summary of Bike Valet Requirements and Programs ADJOURNMENT Chair Cordes adjourned the meeting at 9:28 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 8