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BPC 07-21-20211 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 FINAL MINUTES MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION July 21, 2021 Final Minutes The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Jack Carter, Maanya Condamoor, Gerhard Eschelbeck (Chair), Ilango Ganga (Vice Chair), Erik Lindskog Absent: None Staff: David Stillman, Staff Liaison Others Present: Pranav Bollineni, Student Presenter, Marlon Aumentado, Assistant Engineer, and Cherie Walkowiak, Safe Routes to School Coordinator APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. June 16, 2021 Minutes Commissioner Carter motioned to approve the minutes as presented, Commissioner Condamoor seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0 POSTPONEMENTS No Postponements. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS No Oral Communications. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS No Written Communications. OLD BUSINESS 2. Future Agenda Items (Eschelbeck) Carmen Road Bridge McClellan Separated Bikeway Phase 3 2 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 Public places for bike racks Education on how to use two-stage left turn boxes Path between Lincoln Elementary and Monta Vista High School Next steps for commission Work Plan Item Touchless pedestrian push buttons The impact of semi-rural designation on bike and ped projects/priorities Adaptive traffic signal pilot update Multi-modal traffic count pilot update Rental Bicycle Discussion Junipero Serra Trail Reassess the Intersection at Bubb Rd/McClellan Rd Vision Zero Discussion 3. Cupertino Crash Data Analysis (Ganga) Vice Chair Ganga introduced the student speaker, Pranav Bollineni, Cupertino High School who gave the presentation for this item. This item had come to the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (Commission) in the past. Data was taken from the Cupertino Crash Data Analysis, feedback was given by the Commission, and updates were made after that. Past feedback was to add more data, and there was a question about how to normalize the data on a segment basis. This presentation was going to take a simpler approach, to satisfy that request, as opposed the comprehensive approach. The comprehensive approach to expressing this data was to chart a collision rate, and for that, a complex formula was needed to calculate the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). Vice Chair Ganga explained there was no right or wrong way to split the streets to determine crash data. One way is to divide the longer road segments into smaller subsections and determine how many crashes there were in each segment. The second way was to calculate the crash rate by totaling the number of crashes and dividing that number by VMT. There was collision data from 2015-2020 available, so the first approach was used to calculate the crash data. Commissioner Carter asked if the analytics and assumptions were documented in this presentation because he wanted to point to this presentation if Council Members had questions. Mr. Bollineni remarked that he did not have a slide explaining how he split the streets for this analysis but promised to add a slide later. Chair Eschelbeck asked if the crashes being discussed were within the years of 2015- 2020. Mr. Bollineni said yes. Vice Chair Ganga noted that after the pandemic, if staff went back and reviewed the data, they would be able to know how the improvements helped bring down collisions. 3 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 Vice Chair Ganga liked that there was data gathered about the time of day because it could mean that lighting improvements needed to be made on some streets. He noted that two thirds of accidents happened during the day. Commissioner Carter thought the one third that happened at night was very important because by comparison, the amount of traffic in daylight was so much higher, especially for bicyclists. Chair Eschelbeck commented that a lot of the accidents were school related. Commissioner Condamoor inquired if the presentation tracked the demographic of who was riding bicycles in Cupertino. She was worried that the data might be over- representing a specific group. She explained that the data showed there was a higher number of young people getting into accidents but maybe there was just a higher number of young people riding bicycles in Cupertino. Chair Eschelbeck said that data was not available, but the point was good. Commissioner Carter noticed young people did not obey traffic laws as much as adults did. Vice Chair Ganga observed that this data was good and could be informative for the Vision Zero Project when the Commission was defining the comprehensive policy. Commissioner Condamoor suggested sharing this information during the next Safe Routes to School Meeting. 4. Bollinger Road Corridor Safety Study (Aumentado) Marlon Aumentado, Assistant Engineer explained that the Bollinger Road Corridor Safety Study (Safety Study) was a collaboration between the City of Cupertino (City) and the City of San Jose (San Jose.) The Safety Study looked at Bollinger Road between Lawrence Expressway and De Anza Boulevard. The Safety Study considers the ways Bollinger Road can be enhanced. The project team gathered existing information about the corridor, which included traffic counts, collision data reports, and included public community meetings. Through the public feedback, alternatives were developed, then the alternatives went out to the public again for more input. Adam Dankberg, Kimly-Horn gave a staff presentation of the feedback from the community and their analysis of that feedback. David Stillman, Transportation Manager noted that the full report was in the packet for this meeting. 4 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 Commissioner Lindskog wanted to know the difference between Option A and B. Mr. Dankberg said Option B was the existing cross section. Option A had one lane in each direction, plus the center turn lane. A five-foot buffer allowed for enough width for some nice protection at locations where protection was feasible. Option B had narrower lanes to allow for a two-foot buffer. There was consideration of a parking protected bike lane but because of the frequent spacing of the driveways, it was not possible to maintain visibility for those driveways. Protection was provided in large spots of the corridor, but not everywhere. Vice Chair Ganga noted there was a fatal crash that happened on Bollinger and Miller involving a pedestrian, which was what initiated this Study. He wanted to know that pedestrian improvements addressed this issue. Mr. Dankberg said there were crosswalk improvements, such as striping, elimination of the free right turn on Miller, leading pedestrian intervals, directional ramps, curb radii, etc. Mr. Aumentado noted those improvements were listed in the report. Commissioner Carter inquired if this Study was done in isolation of other areas in Cupertino. Mr. Aumentado replied this was an isolated Study. What was presented at this meeting were recommendations to solicit feedback. Not all improvements will be implemented. Chair Eschelbeck noted that this section of Bollinger Road was in the Bicycle Transportation Plan. Mr. Aumentado added that another challenge with Bollinger Road was they had to work with the City of San Jose on the approval of plans, to ensure Cupertino was in line with the City of San Jose’s Vision Zero Plan. Chair Eschelbeck commented that a plus for Option B was it reduced speed, and it helped with congestion. He wondered if there was any historical data available to know if Option A was practical. Mr. Aumentado answered that due to the budget of this project, a comprehensive detailed traffic analysis was not done. Chair Eschelbeck asked if there was any other traffic data. David Stillman, Transportation Manager interjected that the historical volumes staff had for Bollinger Road indicated that it was borderline, in terms of a lane reduction and impacting traffic. Staff would need to take the information they had and do a more rigorous analysis in the future if Council directed that the project move forward. Vice Chair Ganga inquired if Cupertino received feedback from San Jose and was there a review from their bicycle commission. Mr. Aumentado answered there was no specific information but that they were supportive of the improvements. Commissioner Lindskog liked Option A better. On such a major street, such as Bollinger Road, it was not enough to separate bicyclist from traffic. He wanted to see protective bike lanes on both sides. He also noted there was not a lot of places to park. 5 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 Another solution was to make a side street along the main street. There could be a barrier, an entrance point, and an exit point. The other option was to have the cars park next to high-speed traffic with bikes on each side and a fence on the passenger side of the vehicle. He felt there was low traffic on this street and there was no concern to doing a lane reduction. Vice Chair Ganga noted that the public would like to see a traffic analysis before a decision was made on either Option A or B. There was traffic during peak hours and consideration of improvements might have traffic impacts on other streets, all the way to west San Jose. Mr. Stillman remarked that staff was not looking for a recommendation tonight. The immediate next step could be to take the report to the City Council, to accept the report, which would close this phase of the project. In the future, staff would look for funding opportunities and implement some of these improvements, cooperating with the City of San Jose. Then a more involved traffic analysis would be done, further outreach, and staff would come back to the Commission for input on improvements. Chair Eschelbeck felt like a lot of the focus was on the protected bike lanes, but the fatalities were mainly at crossings. He was not sure if new crossings were presented today, or the improvement of crossings was the focus. Mr. Dankberg said it depended on the alternative. Option A had six proposals for new crosswalks. In Option B, there were two locations where a pedestrian hybrid beacon could be recommended. Those were expensive and warrants were needed to install those. Commissioner Carter said Bollinger Road was coated with residential houses and people stop suddenly on that street. He suggested an escape route for cars behind a stopped vehicle. Vice Chair Ganga emphasized that the community priority was newer and safer crossings, the second was safer and comfortable bike lanes. He felt the Commission should focus on these high priority items. NEW BUSINESS 5. Cupertino 2021 Bike Fest (Walkowiak) Cherie Walkowiak, Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Coordinator gave a staff presentation on the 2021 Bike Fest logistics, the goals of the Bike Fest, pre-Bike Fest engagement, confirmed and potential booths/activities, and Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (Commission) feedback. Chair Eschelbeck noted that the Bike Fest for this year will be on September 25, 2021. 6 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 Liana Crabtree, public speaker suggested moving the location of the Bike Fest because of the library opening and there being problems in past years about locking bikes and bike theft. Ms. Walkowiak said there were usually chaperones needed for the bike rides. Commissioner Carter wondered how many chaperones were needed. Ms. Walkowiak noted that at a minimum, a leader and a sweeper (someone at the beginning and the end of the ride) was needed. Commissioner Lindskog noted League Certified Instructor’s (LCI) helped in previous years, which worked well. Bringing in some extra people, maybe crossing guards, would be helpful. He saw the issue was with the bike ride and crossing the bigger streets; he suggested crossing guards be placed on the bigger streets. The Police Department helped in the past, but they would not stop traffic for the bike ride. In general, even on the small streets, there was a need for chaperones to cycle from the front and the back of the bike ride, to block each street until all bicyclists pass through. Some used music to keep the group together. He liked the idea of food and suggested coffee as an option. Chair Eschelbeck thought July might be a big vacation time and might be too hot for the Bike Fest. Ms. Walkowiak thought September was good for the Bike Fest and July for the bike challenges. Commissioner Lindskog suggested closing Torre Avenue and Library Plaza and having the Bike Fest on the street. Chair Eschelbeck suggested Quinlan Community Center as the location. Commissioner Lindskog thought Library Plaza was a more central location. Commissioner Carter suggested having trainers or models on how to stop at stop signs, signaling, etc. Commissioner Lindskog thought the more experienced riders should take this opportunity to be chaperones rather than be riders. Chair Eschelbeck suggested folding everything into one ride. Ms. Walkowiak agreed. Vice Chair Ganga suggested walking loops, while others were on the bike ride. Chair Eschelbeck felt that making it clear that a helmet was required was important. Ms. Walkowiak suggested recruiting a volunteer for the Blender Bike Smoothy, and the Commission agreed. 7 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 Chair Eschelbeck did not suggest extending the Bike Fest by a full hour for ice cream. Ms. Walkowiak thought about 25 people earned ice creams from the Bike Challenges. Ms. Walkowiak asked about the Museum of Tomorrow exhibit. Commissioner Carter wondered how much space was needed for that exhibit. Chair Eschelbeck wondered when people would have time to look at it because of the bike ride and the other booths. Ms. Walkowiak thought there would be a lot more people at this Bike Fest and there were a lot of people that did not go on the bike ride. Ms. Walkowiak suggested a coordination meeting before the bike ride. Commissioner Lindskog suggested having a coordination meeting in the morning or having a subcommittee to spread the information out to other individuals. Leaders for the chaperones were needed to come up with a strategy beforehand so everything was decided ahead of time. The Commission brought up Brown Act conflicts with this event, but Commissioner Carter thought it was not an issue because they would not be discussing City business. STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS 6. Staff Update and Commissioner Activity Report (All) David Stillman, Transportation Manager said the Bubb Road Separated Bike Lane Project was almost complete. The striping was completed the week of July 12, 2021, and the concreate barriers were installed. Staff was starting the McClellan Road Phase 3 official design phase. Progress was being made on the Stevens Creek protective bike lane from Wolfe Road to Highway 85. Vice Chair Ganga commented that at the Mayor’s meeting there was mention that the Linda Vista project was almost complete and will have an opening soon. No ceremony date was set for the grand opening, but the trail was now open. Vice Chair Ganga reported there was no Safe Routes to School (SR2S) meeting for July, but he did attend the Mayor’s Meeting and provided a summary of the meeting. Chair Eschelbeck announced that Commissioner Carter will attend SR2S and Mayor’s meeting next month. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:23 p.m. 8 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting July 21, 2021 SUBMITTED BY: David Stillman, Staff Liaison Note: Any attachments can be found on the Cupertino Website https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/agendas-minutes