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BPC 01-19-95 · CUPEIQ1NO MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION January 19, 2005 Vice Chair Paulsen called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. ROLLCALL Present: Absent: Staff: Greenstein, Koski (arrived 7:10 p.m.), Paulsen, Walton, Wiant None Glenn Goepfert, Assistant Director of Public Works Vice Chair Paulsen welcomed Jim Wiant to the Commission and invited him to share background information. Comm. Wiant stated that he has lived in Cupertino since 1979. He is an avid biker, does a great deal of walking around the city, and is affiliated with several of the biking coalitions. He applied to the Commission in order to contribute to the community. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Anne Ng stated that she wanted to thank the city for the bike racks at the new library, which are very mce. Rose Serio, a block leader on Byrne Avenue, stated her group has been talking with the city for approximately four years about traffic calming on Byrne. Traffic has increased due to Monta Vista High and Lincoln Elementary schools. She appealed to the Commission to assist the neighborhood in alleviating this traffic. The neighborhood has been collecting data over the years and the City conducted a study in 2001 and made suggestions. There have been several incidents with pedestrians nearly being struck by cars. Daily, there is speeding and double- parking. She stated the situation has become very serious and that eventually, someone will be hurt. She feels a three-way stop sign is necessary. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. December 15 Meeting Minutes By consensus, the minutes were approved as submitted. NEW BUSINESS -1- 9. Kennedy School Signing Comm. Greenstein stated that Council member Lowenthal requested that the Commission investigate placement of "No Stopping" signs in front of Kennedy Middle School and report to the City Council with recommendations. He introduced Kevin Hayes, who wrote a letter to the editor of the Cupertino Courier regarding a problem he has encountered near the school. Mr. Hayes stated that when he bikes to school in the morning, drivers on Bubb Road use the bike lane to pass stopped vehicles. He would like to put an end to this maneuver. His mother, Valerie, stated that southbound drivers turn right onto Presidio and Hyannisport to drop their children off at the schools. Often, the traffic slows and a backup ensues. Those who pull into the bike lane and attempt to make a right turn get stuck, which results in the bike lane being blocked. Others drive down the bike lane to avoid stopped vehicles. Comm. Walton wanted to clarify that the issue is that currently, there are "No Parking" signs on the street, but the Commission is being asked to look into the "No Stopping" signs to alleviate a traffic problem. Comm. Greenstein stated he has an issue with "No Stopping" signs, because there is gridlock in the morning around the schools. He feels that "No Unloading and Loading" is the more appropriate sign. Comm. Koski inquired about not allowing right turns during the congested hours. Comm. Paulsen stated he sees a bulb out that prevents free right turns as a solution. This would allow bicycles to get through, but cars would have to stay in their lanes. Asst. Director Goepfert stated that the technical solution would be to end the lane and cause sharing of the lane. When asked how traffic is in the afternoon, Mr. Hayes stated it was not too bad, because more of the students walk home or are picked up on the other side of the street. Asst. Director asked Mr. Hayes if he had talked to the school about this. His mother responded that his letter to the newspaper was prompted primarily by his desire to earn a Boy Scout merit badge and he had no communication with school officials. Comm. Walton stated that the roadways currently make it more convenient for people to drive, rather than walking or biking. Comm. Greenstein stated that he has been working on education with the schools. Kennedy Middle School has not been proactive in talking with the Commission and did not respond to a survey. He feels that parents should be made aware that there are options to driving their children to school. Comm. Koski stated she spoke with Russ Ottey, the principal at Kennedy Middle School today. They discussed the Street Smarts program and what parts are beneficial for their students. Mr. Ottey identified driving, bicycling and walking issues as important for their school and stated he is frustrated because he feels that both students and parents already know the rules. They choose whether or not to follow them and being in a rush exacerbates any problems. He wanted to foèus on walking and bicycle safety with the students. He felt that having a presentation on the City's website was a good idea. Comm. Koski said Mr. Ottey seemed open to the program. Comm. Greenstein stated that Councilmember Lowenthal informed him that he is looking for a concrete, quick solution. He wanted to see this signage as a stopgap and requested that the Commission provide a recommendation to Council. Comm. Paulsen stated that he was willing to -2- act on this. The sign could always be removed later if it became a problem. Asst. Director Goepfert explained that essentially the Commission is recommending to Council to request that Public Works take an action on a traffic matter. Public Works normally requires communication with the school and law enforcement, observation of the area, and also request numbers if a private development is involved. He recommended that the commission gather more information. Comm. Walton asked if staff would investigate the situation prior to the Commission making a recommendation. In response to the Assistant Director's question regarding a timeline, Comm. Greenstein replied that investigation could commence now and implementation could occur at the beginning of the school year or sooner, if possible. Comm. Paulsen stated he would like this item on the February agenda. Comm. Koski stated she would follow up on this and report back at the next meeting. 5. General Plan Public Meetings - Circulation Element - Letter to Council Supporting Elements that Encourage Walkability and Bikeability - City Planner Ciddy Wordell Ms. Wordell invited the commissioners to the March 8 Planning Commission meeting, where a public hearing will be held on the draft General Plan. The entire document is available on line and at the Cupertino Library, however, the Planning Commission wants the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission's input on the Circulation Element. When the draft was taken to the City Council, there was also a document entitled, Hot Topics, which contained the major issues. The hot topic in the Circulation Element is one policy that the General Plan Task Force removed and the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission wants to be put back into the document. The policy addressed balancing the needs of pedestrians with traffic and allowing the level of service to deteriorate to accommodate the pedestrians. Ms. Wordell stated that this is not a joint meeting. Of the three commissions she has met with, two are sending one representative and the staff person. The other is sending all of their commiSSIOners. Comm. Paulsen asked for suggestions and thoughts of the commission. Comm. Greenstein stated that he feels that the Commission should reiterate that Policy 4-6 be reinstated and a few minor tweaks be made to some line items. He feels that a subcommittee of the Commission should take a closer look at trails and land use. Comm. Walton feels it is important to get Policy 4-6 back on the table because, as growth continues, it will be important to be able to get around town without a vehicle. Comm. Greenstein and Paulsen will serve as the subcommittee and report to the full Commission. All of the commissioners will write down any changes and present them at the meeting. OLD BUSINESS 2. Mary Avenue Bicycle Footbridge and Mary Avenue Gateway Updates Asst. Director Goepfert stated that the construction costs have escalated. Staff will present an item at the February 1 City Council meeting to get authority for an increased budget. The majority of the money will come from VTA. It does not appear that any of the funding is -3- jeopardized by the timeline changes. The plan is to have construction started by fall of 2005 and completed by the end of 2006. . By consensus, it was agreed that a public meeting to discuss the Mary Avenue Bicycle Footbridge be scheduled for the next regular commission meeting on Wednesday, February 16. Comm. Walton asked if mitigation issues (such as changing school districts and devaluation of property} ftom the feasibility study might be placed on the City's website. He was told that this is possible. It was reiterated that this meeting is being held to convey information and not to provide an opportunity to discuss the design or whether the bridge should be built. 3. Street Smarts Status Ass!. Director Goepfert informed the commission about a video entitled Deadly Crossings that came with the Street Smarts logo packet. He said the video could be taken to a school for use as part of a presentation. He also spoke with the City's PIO, Rick Kitson, about marketing and was told that ftee music downloads would appeal to high school and middle school students. Comm. Greenstein stated he would visit the Monta Vista High PTA next week. He also invited a member of the Public Safety Commission to attend. He will discuss the goals of the Commission regarding alternate transportation and Street Smarts. Comm. Koski asked if online presentations would be a good alternative to live presentations. She was told there were restrictions on broadcasting the video, but there is a gray area on making it available for viewing on a website. Comm. Greenstein felt the most effective way to present the program was to get the schools to hold an event. 4. Cupertino Pedestrian and Bicycle Plans - Priorities - Commissioners Greenstein and Paulsen Report A listing of the Commission's goals was distributed. Comm. Greenstein reported that he listed the priorities from the previous meeting and turned them into goals. High level goals were: 1) Monitor and support the design of the Mary Avenue Bicycle Footbridge-hot item with lots of money attached; 2) Implement Safe Routes to Schools-includes Street Smarts, completing bike routes. It was moved and seconded to adopt the goals as presented and take them to the City Council with the addition of maps for the presentation. The motion was adopted unanimously. NEW BUSINESS: 6. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair Comm. Koski nominated Comm. Paulsen for chair of the commission. The nomination was seconded by Comm. Walton and passed unanimously. -4- Comm. Walton nominated Comm. Koski for vice chair of the commission. The nomination was seconded by Comm. Greenstein and passed unanimously. 7. Process for Holding Public Meetings on Priority Projects - continued from December Asst. Director Goepfert explained that this item whether to hold a separate meeting for each item on the priority list or to hold one meeting and discuss each issue. Comm. Walton felt that the priority items could be presented to the public by listing them on the website. Comm. Paulsen stated that whether or not the items are presented in a public meeting depends on the nature of the issue and the stage of the process. Comm. Greenstein stated that with the limited number of meetings in a calendar year, the Commission needs to set limitations as far as outreach to the public. 8. 2005 Commission Goals Presentation to Council- continued from December - This item was handled in conjunction with item No.4 10. Consideration of Consolidation of Public Safety and Bicycle Pedestrian Commissions Asst. Director Goepfert referred to the draft staff report in the commissioners' packets. With the reduction in traffic staff and the commonality of traffic goals between the two commissions, staff feels the commissions can be combined. The Bicycle Pedestrian Commission clearly advocates a particular point of view, where Public Safety Commission has not. They made one suggestion of meeting less often if the consolidation does not occur. When asked when he would meet with the Public Safety Commission, Asst. Director Goepfert responded that he gave them the information at their January 13 meeting; they will meet next month and give their comments. Comm. Walton stated that read the report and it made sense to him to consolidate the commissions. This commission spent a lot of time on both the bicycle and pedestrian plans and technical guidelines from VTA. Because they now have plans in place, they can focus on goals. His primary concern is setting a joint meeting date. Comm. Greenstein stated he would like Anne Ng to comment due to her history with the committee. Ms. Ng inquired about the name of the new commission and asked what its purpose would be. Comm. Paulsen stated he had spent a lot of time working with public safety personnel. He feels their traditional approach to safety is enforcement and response, not prevention. This commission deals more with looking for the root cause--the way buildings are built and the way people move and think. If a merger occurred, he would not want to lose that focus; it would need to be incorporated into the purpose and the name of the joint commission. The commissions may work a lot on the same issues, but they different visions. Comm. Greenstein stated the problem is that there is not enough staff. He feels there are ways to deal with the problem, but consolidating the commissions is not a proper solution. These two groups do not belong together. Some of the issues may intersect, but that doesn't mean they -5- should be the same organization. The Commission might need to look at its goals and see what's possible in terms of pulling back and setting priorities. Comm. Paulsen stated that with Safe Routes to Schools, the Commission is trying to get people out of their cars and change their mindset. That is very different from getting people to stop at stop signs and not run over kids near schools. The Commission wants to make it more difficult for cars and easier and safer for bicycles, whereas, the Public Safety Commission wants to make it safe the way it is. That is a very different approach. Comm. Koski feels that traffic is the one place the two commissions overlap. She stated that while the City has budget constraints, she doesn't know if meeting less often is the way to go. Comm. Wiant stated he feels there is a distinction between the two commissions. The Public Safety Commission has issues, other than traffic, that they can focus on. In response to the question of how staff time could be saved, Asst. Director Goepfert stated that the real cost in time is in investigation of recommendations that come from the meetings. When asked if commissioners as volunteers could do observations, such as traffic counts, the Ass!. Director stated this was possible. Comm. Paulsen made a suggestion to staff the commiSSIOn with an intern from the City Manager's office, and for the Commission to work with other commissions for implementation of issues. For example, in working on Safe Routes to Schools, a Bicycle Pedestrian Commission member would be sent to the Public Safety Commission for a few months to work with them on a traffic or street issue. A member could also go to with the Planning Commission to work on building heights and the walkability aspect of site plans or go to the Parks and Recreation Commission to work on trail issues. Comm. Greenstein asked Asst. Director Goepfert for suggestions on how to bring the burden of work down to a tolerable level if the commissions are not consolidated. He was told that one way would be for the Commission to focus on fewer items. Ms. Ng asked if it was possible to conduct the meetings without staff or schedule a meeting with no decision-making. Asst. Director Goepfert responded that there must be a noticed meeting according to Brown Act laws. He stated that he wanted his perspective to be present at the meeting in order to explain staff's capabilities and limitations. His time at the meetings is less important than the work staff acquires from the meetings. Comm. Paulsen asked if the Commission should be formulating policies covering all projects instead of working on individual projects. Comm. Walton stated that the VTA's Bicycle Technical Guidelines is an overview of what should be done in terms of providing access to bicycles. Getting those projects done is a primary task ofthe Commission. Comm. Greenstein stated that the core problem of staffing needs to be solved. He felt the appropriate solution is to look at the Commission's goals and the way business is done, and he felt the Public Safety Commission should do the same. The information should then be weighed -6- and the commissions should work together with staff to become more effective with staff time. Comm. Greenstein's comments were accepted as a motion, seconded by Comm. Walton, and passed unanimously. Comm. Walton announced that there was an article in the newspaper regarding a public hearing on the Bollinger Road bridge reconstruction project over Calabazas Creek. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Anne Ng stated that Comm. Walton mentioned a change in the meeting night earlier. Asst. Director Goepfert informed the Commission that an important issue is coordinating a meeting place that is not in conflict with another group. This item will be placed on the February agenda. ADJOURNMENT T~n:Z;::: 9:53 p.m. Carol Shepherd Administrative Assistant -7-