Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:00 PM Telepresence Meeting: City of Mountain View Web Stream Special Joint Meeting with the Mountain View Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to Section 3 of Executive Order N-29-20, issued by Governor Newsom on March 17, 2020, the meeting was conducted telephonically. Chair Mehlinger called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m. via teleconference. ROLL CALL Present 7 - Chair Richard Mehlinger Vice Chair Leia Mehlman Commissioner John Cordes Commissioner Arwen Davé Commissioner Dan Hafeman Commissioner Timothy Oey Commissioner Scott Swail City of Sunnyvale staff Nabilah Deen, Transportation Engineer, Ralph Garcia, Senior Transportation Engineer and Angela Obeso, Principal Transportation Engineer attended via teleconference. Mountain View Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: Present: 5 - Chair Greg Unangst Vice Chair Lada Adamic Commissioner Valerie Fenwick Commissioner Kalyanarman Shankari Commissioner Theron Tock City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final December 2, 2020 Commission City of Mountain View staff Ria Hutabarat Lo, Transportation Manager, Aruna Bodduna, Transportation Planner, Rey Rodriguez, Senior Project Manager and Damian Skinner, Assistant Public Works Director attended via teleconference. PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS 20-0992 Presentation of Draft Concepts for the Bernardo Avenue Undercrossing Project Staff makes no recommendation. This report is being presented to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commissions of Mountain View and Sunnyvale to facilitate discussion and gather initial feedback. The project consultants from WMH Corporation including Dave Dickinson, Project Manager, Steve Loupe, and Scott Dwyer along with City of Sunnyvale and City of Mountain View staff presented on Draft Concepts for the Bernardo Avenue Undercrossing Project. They highlighted the following: - Project Background - Project Limits - Existing Conditions - Proposed Eastern/Western Alignments - Upcoming Project Milestones Commissioners/Committee asked the following questions and the project team provided responses: - In all options, is East Bound Central the exit for all cyclists to exit Central Expressway? Or is it to get on to Central Expressway? It can be used in both directions. Off the ramp and on the ramp. - What kind of business is on 280 N. Bernardo? It is an office with facade changes and landscaping changes. - Concerned about the East Bound travelers on Evelyn Avenue and East Bound travelers on Central Avenue towards Bernardo Avenue accessing the undercrossing. Having to go through two light cycles in order to access the ramp and ADA access. City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final December 2, 2020 Commission The details on how cyclists can access the ramps will be reviewed. - Are there any views/drawings to see a street level view of what it will look like to understand better what the actual approaches are? No there aren't any street level concept drawings yet. - What is the flow for southbound cyclists coming down Bernardo and cyclists getting onto northbound Bernardo? The project team is working on the design details. - Is the ramp that is marked for advanced cyclist on the Western Option because of the sharp turn? The ramp is for advanced cyclists because it leads to the shoulder of Central Expressway. - The ramp coming up on the north side of Central Expressway there is a sidewalk next to that ramp. What is the width of the sidewalk? It would be 20 feet deep and 6 feet wide. - Is flooding a concern? It is a concern. There will be a pump station to help with this issue and it is part of the project. - Which re-alignment on the West/East option is less complicated? Both options have the same level of complexity in regards to roadway re-alignment. - Are all the options on the shoulder of Central Expressway? Yes, or in the right turn slip lane onto westbound Central Expressway. - Do you have an estimate on how much the staircases would be used if they were built? It is believed pedestrians would rather use the direct route and use the staircase. - Were there more pedestrians on the Evelyn side or the Central Expressway side? There is a town home complex on Evelyn which would generate pedestrians. - Would you consider moving the tunnel either 30-40 feet East/West at the Eastern/Western option? We will look into that. City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final December 2, 2020 Commission - Why are the lanes on the Evelyn Avenue re-alignment designed to be 12 feet in width? 12 feet was used as a standard width and they can be evaluated to determine if 11 feet is acceptable. - Can the project be designed such that it will not preclude the possibility of building a two-way bike facility on the north side of Evelyn Avenue roughly connecting Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale to Castro Street in Mountain View. We will take that into consideration as we develop project alignments. - Where does the Southbound bike lane on North Bernardo Avenue continue to go? Long-term there will be access to bike facilities on the North side of Central Expressway. - Will there be additional intersection lighting as part of this project that allows cars to see bikes coming from unexpected places? Lighting will be part of this project. - Why wasn't there an overcrossing instead of an undercrossing considered due to flooding? An overcrossing would require it to be very high due to railroad clearance requirements and the ramps would be so long that they would be infeasible. An undercrossing made more sense. Chair Unangst opened for Public Comment: April Webster, Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning, commented on behalf of the Coalition and how they are in favor of the Bernardo Undercrossing Project and would be beneficial for the East Whisman Precise Plan. Mary Dateo, member of the public, commented on how she would love a two-way path from Mountain View to Sunnyvale on Evelyn Avenue. Concerned with pedestrians walking across a few intersections on a couple of the options. Consider having a pedestrian scramble traffic light at Evelyn Avenue and South Bernardo Avenue. City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final December 2, 2020 Commission Chair Unangst closed for Public Comment. Commissioners/Committee commented on the following: - Concerned about the ease of use for cyclists and pedestrians and how they would access the ramps - Western options should be shifted over 30-40 feet on the South Bernardo side to keep ramp away from intersection - Night lighting should be inside undercrossing - Street level view would be more useful - Commend staff for letting the Commissions look at the preliminary concepts early in the project process - Preference for Eastern Option because it provides more openness - Wide ramps are preferred - Middle ramp on Central Expressway is nice for bicyclist access - Have bicyclist and pedestrians circulation details when presenting the project in the future - Make pedestrian/cyclists access as few intersection crossings as possible - Make it convenient for people to walk - Stairwell options are good - Uncomfortable with the Eastern middle tunnel because of the location where it connects to the expressway - Likes the extra ramp onto Central Expressway - Concerns about the stairways design - Would like stairways added for the Eastern Option - Consider 12 foot ramps instead of 10 foot - Sharp turns - Connectivity is very important - Lanes on Evelyn Avenue do not need to be 12 feet wide - There should be a two way bike lane on the North side of Evelyn Avenue - There should be a pedestrian scramble signal at Evelyn and Bernardo - Prefer accelerated project completion schedule - Bike ramp with the stairs to make it easier for bicyclists to use stairs - Prefers Western Option - No bollards - Like the ADA level platforms ADJOURNMENT Chair Mehlinger adjourned the Sunnyvale BPAC meeting at 6:23 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 5