Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Thursday, March 18, 2021 6:30 PM Telepresence Meeting: City Web Stream 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 6:36 p.m. via teleconference. ROLL CALL Present 6 - Chair Richard Mehlinger Commissioner John Cordes Commissioner Arwen Davé Commissioner Dan Hafeman Commissioner Timothy Oey Commissioner Scott Swail Absent 1 - Vice Chair Leia Mehlman Dennis Ng, Transportation and Traffic Manager, Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer and Ralph Garcia, Senior Transportation Engineer attended via teleconference. Vice Chair Mehlman attended via teleconference at 6:40 p.m. Council Liaison Melton (absent). ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Chair Mehlinger opened for Public Comment. Dave Simons, member of the public commented on the following: - Homestead Road Full-time Bike Lane Study scheduled for September Lauren Cordano, member of the public and member of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition commented on the following: City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission - Vision Zero Project Priorities - Sunnyvale Capital Improvement Projects Ari Feinsmith, member of the public commented and asked about the following: - Free bike repair event hosted by Bike Sunnyvale on April 17 across from Walt Cycle - Free Bike Rack Installation Program Chair Mehlinger closed for Public Comment. CONSENT CALENDAR 1.A 21-0406 Approve the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission Meeting Minutes of February 18, 2021. Approve the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission Meeting Minutes of February 18, 2021 as amended. Commissioner Hafeman moved and Commissioner Oey seconded to approve amended item 1.A. The amendment was made by Commissioner Hafeman who stated at the top of page 5 that says "Commissioner's considered but rejected the following: HAWK Beacon at Carson and Mary" should say "Commissioner's considered but rejected the following: HAWK Beacon at Carson and Mary because the cost for this improvement is more than the anticipated grant funding amount for this fiscal year, and therefore, it would require banking until enough grant funding is saved up. Commissioners would like to see improvements to be implemented sooner." The motion carried the following vote: Yes 7 - Chair Mehlinger Vice Chair Mehlman Commissioner Cordes Commissioner Davé Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Oey Commissioner Swail No 0 PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission 2 21-0410 Discussion on Design Concepts for 2021 Utility Bill Insert Ralph Garcia, Senior Transportation Engineer, discussed the 2021 Utility Bill Inserts. Commissioner Oey asked if there was ever a 3 foot passing guidance on the flyer and also the door zone information. Mr. Garcia stated there has been a 3 foot passing guidance but no door zone information. Vice Chair Mehlman asked about the following: - Right hand indicator - Color scheme Chair Mehlinger opened for Public Comment. Chair Mehlinger closed for Public Comment. Commissioner Cordes commented on the following: - Would like side 1 to be a combination of slide 1 and slide 2, more information on how to reach the BPAC - Add having fun is part of bicycling on side 1 - Recommended that side 2 has instead of "Safety tip" on top to have a more blunt statement such as "Speeding Kills" - Little red symbols bigger or have splat signs to make it clear that people need to slow down Commissioner Oey commented on the following: - Positive and uplifting for bicyclists on one side - Something for motorists on the other side on how they can do better - Supports "Speeding Kills" - Remind motorists that bicycles can be in the lane they have to pass them 3 feet and about passing parked cars Vice Chair Mehlman commented on the following: - Agreed with Commissioner Oey about motorists can do better - More driver education as opposed to cyclist education on one side - Positive and uplifting for bicyclists on the other side Commissioner Hafeman commented on the following: City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission - Slide 2 on one side with slight modifications - Slide 3 change the wording on the side that says drivers to "Watch for pedestrians especially when making right turns" Commissioner Swail commented on the following: - One side should be for cyclists - Green Sunnyvale Challenge - Other side should be for motorists -Safe Turn, slide 6 - Likes the first or second slides Commissioner Davé commented on the following: - Motorists can help bicyclist survive by slowing down Chair Mehlinger commented on the following: - In favor of positive messages on the front side - Need new photos of happy cyclists from the City of Sunnyvale - Emphasize more that it is fun to ride a bicycle rather than saving the planet - Second side to emphasize how important it is for motorists to drive safely and slow down - Drop the "Pedestrians should look both way before crossing". No victim blaming - Make the images pop more Commissioner Oey is in favor of "Speed Kills" Commissioner Hafeman is in favor of having something that encourages saving the planet Commissioner Cordes made the following comments on the "Speed Kills slide" - Left side should say "slow down and watch for pedestrians and bicyclists, especially when making right turns - 3 black lines should be proportional to how long it takes to stop when your going 20,30,40 miles an hour - Illustrations on the red, green and black lines that show the reason speed kills because you can't stop in time Vice Chair Mehlman commented on the following: - Instead of splats replace with coffins - Drivers must yield when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk - Back side should be "Speed Kills" message - Laws of Physics apply to everyone instead of "Safety Tip" City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission - Front side should be a positive message with the benefits of cycling, environmental, fun and colorful Vice Chair Mehlman asked if the insert will be English only. Mr. Garcia stated it is in English only. Mr. Garcia will ask the Communications Department if they can do it in different languages if there is enough space. Commissioner Davé commented on the following: - Agreed with Vice Chair Mehlman on the Laws of Physics Commissioner Oey asked if the City could take a picture of one of the BPAC commissioners in a City setting for one of the graphics. Mr. Garcia stated staff will check with the City's Communication Department to see if that would be feasible and BPAC commissioners can submit their own photos for consideration. Chair Mehlinger commented on the following: - Ok with having environmental benefits listed but not as the only item - Safety Tip side could have the equation for kinetic energy Chair Mehlinger moved and Commissioner Cordes seconded to have the front side being something centered on the positive benefits of cycling with a photo that is clearly Sunnyvale related and the back side would be along the lines of "Speeding Kills" with the 30 and 40 mile an hour graphs. The motion carried the following vote: Yes 7 - Chair Mehlinger Vice Chair Mehlman Commissioner Cordes Commissioner Davé Commissioner Hafeman Commissioner Oey Commissioner Swail No 0 3 21-0411 Report and Discussion of Recent Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting City of Sunnyvale Page 5 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission Commissioner Oey, VTA BPAC Sunnyvale Representative, gave the meeting summary report regarding the following topics: - VTA Board will look at the budget including the Bicycle and Pedestrian category in their April meeting - Measure B is looking for BPAC members who would like to volunteer to be on the bike ped planning studies competitive grant program committee - Chair person report on road design - Cancellation systems monitoring program report - City's should provide a Complete Street Analysis - Central Bikeway - Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition - nominating bicycle champions of the year. Follow the link in the meeting notes to nominate someone - Energizer stations Commissioner Hafeman asked about the table of class 1-4 bike lanes. City of Cupertino was listed as not having any Class IV bike lanes. Commissioner Oey stated the table is not up to date. Chair Mehlinger opened for Public Comment. Dave Simons, member of the public commented on the following: - Gap closures - East/West line Chair Mehlinger closed for Public Comment. Chair Mehlinger called for a recess at 7:38 p.m. Chair Mehlinger reconvened the meeting at 7:45 p.m. 4 21-0413 Review Complete Streets Checklist for Sunnyvale Bicycle, Pedestrian and SRTS Safety Improvements Project Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer, asked the BPAC to review the MTC Complete Street Checklist-Sunnyvale Bicycle, Pedestrian and SRTS Safety Improvements Project. The following topics were discussed. - Grant Program called MTC Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Program - One-time $54.5M competitive grant program - Federal Funding to support local and regional projects City of Sunnyvale Page 6 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission - Santa Clara County - targeted funding amount of $14.688M - Deadline to Submit Letter of Interest to VTA - February 26, 2021 - City of Sunnyvale - Submitted 2 applications - Total Project Costs - $4.1M (for Construction only) - Project 1 - Sunnyvale Bicycle, Pedestrian and SRTS Safety Improvements - $1.9M - Project 2 - Sunnyvale Saratoga Road Class II Buffered Bicycle Lanes - $2.2M - Safe Routes to School(SRTS) Improvements (27 locations) - Safety Improvements - March 30, 2021 - Deadline for VTA to submit Project List - April 2021 - MTC Evaluation of Projects - May 2021 - MTC Notification of Recommendations - May 21, 2021 - Deadline for Final Application Packet - June 23, 2021 - MTC Selection/Approval of Projects - December 31, 2021 - Env. & Design Completion - Summer 2022 - Construction Completion Vice Chair Mehlman asked and commented on the following: - Quick Build - physical barriers - Traffic Calming Ms. Tsang addressed the comments. Commissioner Cordes asked and commented on the following: - Thanked staff for bringing the checklist to the BPAC for review - Why prioritize neighborhood requests Ms. Tsang addressed the comments. Commissioner Oey asked what does channelizing curbs mean. Ms. Tsang stated that they are a raised curb that would be installed on the pavement so cars would not be able to drive over it. Mr. Ng stated that they are temporary, bolted down either recycled rubber curbing or plastic curbing that are built into the roadway. Commissioner Davé asked for an explanation of the double yellow center lines. Ms. Tsang explained that they are used when to clearly delineate the traveling for the two directions. Chair Mehlinger opened for Public Comment. City of Sunnyvale Page 7 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission Chair Mehlinger closed for Public Comment. 5 21-0414 Review Complete Streets Checklist for Sunnyvale Saratoga Road Class II Buffered Bicycle Lanes Project Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer, asked the BPAC to review the MTC Complete Street Checklist-Sunnyvale Saratoga Road Class II Buffered Bicycle Lanes Project. The following topics were discussed. - MTC Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Program - 2 applications submitted - Total Project Costs $4.1M(for Construction only) - Sunnyvale Saratoga Road Class II Buffered Bicycle Lanes - $2.2M - Project Limit - Existing Conditions - Proposed Improvements - Challenges - Lack of funding - Proposed Improvements in this Grant - February 26, 2021 - Deadline to submit letters of interest to VTA - March 30, 2021 - Deadline for VTA to submit Project List - April 2021 - MTC Evaluation of Projects - May 2021 - MTC Notification of Recommendations - May 21, 2021 - Deadline for Final Application Packet - June 23, 2021 - MTC Selection/Approval of Projects - December 31, 2021 - Env. & Design Completion - Summer 2022 - Construction Completion Chair Mehlinger asked if there is consideration of putting in a flex post or plastic bollards. Ms. Tsang stated that the existing equipment that the City has would not fit with a flex post or plastic bollards. Commissioner Oey asked how much would the buffered lanes would narrow the traffic lane. Ms. Tsang stated the cross section would not be altered and width would remain the same. Some of the locations would be narrowed down to 10 feet. Commissioner Cordes asked why staff picked this project over other projects in the ATP for Quick Builds. Ms. Tsang stated there were many requests to have improved north/south routes that connect in Sunnyvale. Sunnyvlae-Saratoga road connects to many destinations. City of Sunnyvale Page 8 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission Commissioner Cordes commented on the following: - Not a good use of funds unless it goes to a Class IV buffer - Buffer should be at least 6 feet on a 40 mph road. Painted buffer will help a little Commissioner Davé asked and commented on the following: - Is supportive for the effort to improve the area - Reducing the current speed limit on Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road - Industrial driveways Ms. Tsang stated speed surveys are done every 5 years and data is collected to determine the proper speed limit. Commissioner Hafeman commented on the following: - If limited funding then start with Class II Buffered Bike Lane - Many driveways which make it difficult to do a Separated Bike Lane Commissioner Oey asked if it is an option to have a Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction. Ms. Tsang stated there needs to be a study before doing any Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction. Chair Mehlinger opened for Public Comment. Chair Mehlinger closed for Public Comment. Vice Chair Mehlman asked if this will address any of the physical hazards posed by the gutter in the bike lane. Ms. Tsang stated since it is a quick build project there will not be any modifications to the existing gutters. Mr. Ng stated there will be a continuous buffer from one stretch to the other stretch. Commissioner Hafeman comment on the following: - Width of lane for public transit. Reduce from 12 feet to 11 feet - Important project for the North/South corridor - Narrow lanes to get maximum space Chair Mehlinger commented on the following: - Offers a small but valuable improvement on Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road - Narrow lanes to 11 feet and adding additional wider buffers in the bike lanes City of Sunnyvale Page 9 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES 6 21-0418 BPAC 2022 Potential Study Issues Ralph Garcia, Senior Transportation Engineer stated there are will be one Study Issue to consider at the April BPAC meeting. Chair Mehlinger opened for Public Comment. Chair Mehlinger closed for Public Comment. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioner Oey commented on the following: - Bike to wherever day in bike month. Refer to VTA report for more information Commissioner Cordes commented on the following: - Thanked staff for putting the checklists on the Agenda - Project website - Viewable map - More visibility on what staff is working on - SNAIL Community Meeting Commissioner Hafeman commented on the following: - Happy to see Tasman extension as the number one voted for Public Works - Transportation and Traffic Safety website hard to find -Staff Comments Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer commented on the following: - April 8, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. - Training on the Brown Act and Social Media, not mandatory - Bike Rack Installation Program - commercial and retail developments area budget of $20,000 - Downtown businesses and Chamber of Commerce members have been notified of the program and how they can request bike rack installation at their business - VTA 2016 Measure B Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Study Competitive Grants Program - Application submission for the East Channel Trail Feasibility Study is due on April 5 City of Sunnyvale Page 10 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 18, 2021 Commission - Schools re-opening on a hybrid schedule - Transportation page is under "Home, streets and properties". Will check with Communications Department on search criteria INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS 21-0415 BPAC 2021 Annual Work Plan Commissioner Hafeman suggested moving the Annual Slurry Seal List agenda item to June since the April agenda is very full. Ms. Tsang stated the Annual Slurry Seal List agenda item is an information only item and that the discussion will be short. Chair Mehlinger would like the Slurry Seal List agenda item moved to June. Mr. Ng stated that moving the list to June would mean the project would be under construction. Mr. Ng stated staff will talk to other departments and ask what agenda items could be moved to the June meeting. 21-0416 Active Items List March 2021 21-0417 2021 Council Ranking of Study Issues ADJOURNMENT Chair Mehlinger adjourned the meeting at 8:51 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 11