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BPC Final Minutes 03-16-20221 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022 FINAL MINUTES MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION March 16, 2022 Final Minutes The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Jack Carter (VC), Gerhard Eschelbeck, Ilango Ganga (C), Erik Lindskog Absent: Staff: David Stillman, Staff Liaison Others Present: Cherie Walkowiak, Safe Routes to School Coordinator APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. February 16, 2022 Minutes MOTION: Commissioner Eschelbeck moved, seconded by Commissioner Lindskog to approve the minutes as presented. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 POSTPONEMENTS No Postponements ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Larry Dean, public speaker asked about the Carmen Road Bridge project. He understood there were some land entitlement issues that were slowing that project down. He wanted to know the impact that would have for the Capital Improvements Program (CIP,) which was being worked on next Fiscal Year (FY.) David Stillman, Transportation Manager replied that there were some developments lately regarding the Carmen Road Bridge easement/right-of-way acquisition, which was a Work Plan item for the current FY. Based on City and County records, there appeared to be a sliver of land from one of the properties that needed to be vacated to the City of Cupertino, for the bridge to be constructed along the alignment. However, there were title reports for the two properties on either side of the bridge that did not indicate there 2 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022 was land that was privately owned along that alignment. As a result, the City appeared to have clear right-of-way on the north and south side of Stevens Creek Boulevard and was asking the County of Santa Clara to revise their records to accurately show the condition. He did not know the status of the Carmen Road Bridge for next year, as it was being evaluated by the CIP group. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS David Stillman, Transportation Manager received one related to item five, but recommended waiting to discuss it then. OLD BUSINESS 2. Future Agenda Items (Ganga) Carmen Road Bridge Public Places for Bike Racks (include e-bike parking) Education on How to Use Two-Stage Left Turn Boxes Path between Lincoln Elementary and Monta Vista High School The Impact of Semi-Rural Designation on Bike and Ped Projects/Priorities Adaptive Traffic Signal Pilot Update Multi-Modal Traffic Count Pilot Update Reassess the Intersection at Bubb Road/McClellan Road Stevens Creek Boulevard, Phases 1-3 Legally Allowed Behavior at Stop Signs for Bicyclists Vision Zero School Walk Audit – Review the process Lead Pedestrian Walk Interval Diagonal Crosswalks Lawson Middle School Bike Path Input from Seniors on the Bicycle Pedestrian Improvements Bollinger Road Safety Corridor Project Discuss the role of engagement for the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission – Specifically for School Walk Audit projects, including other transportation projects AB 43 – Summary and how Commission can support implementation Bicycle Licensing (to prevent bike theft) Rodriguez/Lozano Pedestrian Pathway to Regnart Creek Trail, including crossing NEW BUSINESS 3. Appointment of Cupertino Representative to VTA Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Stillman) 3 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Chair Ganga said Commissioner Lindskog was the current representative. David Stillman, Transportation Manager said the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) was a two-year term, which begins July 1. Commissioner Lindskog was the representative for the last four years, and there was no limit on the number of times a representative could be on the VTA BPAC, but Commissioner Lindskog’ s term with the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (Commission) expired at the end of 2022. Commissioner Lindskog said the meetings were the second Wednesday of the month, at 6:30 p.m. at the VTA office in San Jose. Commissioner Lindskog was happy to serve for another year. He was not sure if the representative needed to be an active Commission member to serve. Commissioner Eschelbeck supported the nomination of Commissioner Lindskog. MOTION: Commissioner Eschelbeck moved, seconded by Vice Chair Carter to recommend to the City Council to appoint Commissioner Erik Lindskog to the VTA BPAC for the term beginning July 1. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 4. Bike Event Coordination (Walkowiak) Cherie Walkowiak, Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Coordinator gave a presentation on the upcoming events for the Earth and Arbor Day Festival, happening on April 23, and the Bike to Workday/Wherever Days, happening May 20-23. Ms. Walkowiak wanted to know, regarding Earth Day, if there was anyone available to help with registration, ride chaperone, and to run the bike blender smoothie. Regarding the Bike to Work/Wherever Days, she was looking for a liaison. Commissioner Eschelbeck asked if there will be a single ride. Ms. Walkowiak was planning on doing one ride but if the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (Commission) wanted to do two, she was open to that. Commissioner Eschelbeck supported doing one ride. Vice Chair Carter recalled last year, the Bike to Wherever Day was only one day, and the Energizer station was in front of the Library. He questioned whether the event will be for three days or one. Ms. Walkowiak replied that was up to the Commission, she recommended one day. She noted that the most important thing to consider was where most bikes were going to pass by. She reminded the Commission that during the weekday, in the morning, was when commute hours were. Commissioner Eschelbeck suggested Friday and to have it on Stelling Road, opposite Quinlan Community Center. Vice Chair Carter thought one day was good because it was hard to get volunteers. Commissioner Eschelbeck said yes. Chair Ganga agreed with one day. Commissioner Eschelbeck thought Friday was the best. Vice Chair Carter agreed. 4 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Vice Chair Carter was willing to sign up for one day but said others could decide where to put it. Commissioner Lindskog suggested one station by the Library. Chair Ganga suggested Friday at the Library because it would be better for students and easier for volunteers to manage the station. Commissioner Lindskog suggested Saturday, late morning. Vice Chair Carter thought that made sense. Vice Chair Carter was unclear about the day or time. Ms. Walkowiak said it was good for the Commission to decide on a day, a time, and to choose a liaison, so whoever was filling out the form has the information needed. The deadline was mid-April. Vice Chair Carter volunteered to be the liaison. He needed an email with a link and the date. Commissioner Eschelbeck suggested Friday, from seven to nine a.m. Chair Ganga said yes, Commissioner Lindskog was fine with either Friday or Saturday. Ms. Walkowiak discussed the Earth Day Bike Ride on April 23. She needed help with chaperones, the bike blender smoothie, and registration. She said there were high school volunteers that could help with the smoothies. Commissioner Lindskog thought the high school volunteers worked well with the smoothies; he volunteered to lead the ride. Commissioner Lindskog said he would be part of check-in. Vice Chair Carter said he would need to look at his calendar and would email Ms. Walkowiak later. Ms. Walkowiak needed help with registration and the ride. Chair Ganga said he would help but needed to get back to Ms. Walkowiak. Commissioner Eschelbeck was not available. 5. Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Engagement (Stillman) Chair Ganga said this item dealt with the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission’s (Commission) role, which included the School Walk Audit and other transportation items. The Commission wanted to discuss the process of items that were reviewed by the Commission. David Stillman, Transportation Manager reviewed the Commission’s mission, as related to the Cupertino Municipal Code, and proposed a process to identify the Commission’s role to transportation projects. Vice Chair Carter asked about bicycle traffic on a road where a development was. He noted that McClellan Road was paved 50-60 years ago. Mr. Stillman said it was a requirement with any development or redevelopment, to improve the frontage of that property. The exception was with semi-rural designated areas where the community opted out of sidewalks. In that case, there would still be a requirement to address drainage concerns. Vice Char Carter’s question was more about the bike lane. Mr. Stillman conveyed that if something was in the Bike Plan, it was assumed that the Commission supported it. Peggy Griffin, public speaker spoke regarding bulb-outs and recommended that if they are constructed of concrete, that should be addressed. There were many that felt comfortable with the plastic bollards and did not want concrete. Regarding Mary Avenue, it was safer to do a 5 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022 two-way bike path on the west side of Mary, so people going toward the bridge would not encounter doors opening. She felt the Commission should prioritize all School Walk Audit items. Regarding the upcoming proposed school closures, the schools receiving the transferred students needed more help because parents were going to be driving students from further away. Regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps, she appreciated a legal alternative to the yellow truncated domes. Commissioner Eschelbeck liked Mr. Stillman’s proposed process. The only thing that was not explicit was prioritizing items. He was not clear where the priorities were coming from. He wondered if there was a role the Commission played in that way. Commissioner Lindskog thought the presentation was good. He wondered what projects related to the School Walk Audit needed to come before the Commission. Chair Ganga interjected that Mr. Stillman’s presentation could be used as a starting point, then as the discussion continued, the ideas could be modified and updated, and then the Commission would have something that was actionable. Vice Chair Carter wanted to avoid having bad publicity and to have residents ask why a certain item did not come to the Commission. Chair Ganga thought Mr. Stillman’s presentation was a good starting point, but he wondered what other projects there were for the public to provide input on. Some projects were not clear; if a project was unclear, it should come to the Commission. Regarding projects that went to Council, assuming it was bicycle pedestrian related, those should be brought to the Commission. This gave the public and the Commission time to provide input and to vet an item before going to Council. He added, if there was anything major, that should come before the Commission as well. Regarding Walk Audit projects, most of those should be brought before the Commission. Commissioner Eschelbeck questioned whether the Chair was wanting to update these guidelines today. Chair Ganga said yes, he wanted guidelines started, and then the Commission could come back and edit those guidelines. Commissioner Eschelbeck thought prioritization was something that needed to be explicitly outlined. Commissioner Lindskog asked about the issue of temporary bulb-outs bollards. It was unclear how that worked. Chair Ganga remarked that Class IV Bike Lanes are laced with these bollards. Commissioner Lindskog wondered when the temporary bulb-outs were supposed to be replaced. Mr. Stillman answered that initially, they were going to be constructed out of concrete everywhere. Over time, the temporary posts turned into the final product, due to budget constraints and challenges with addressing drainage around concrete bulb-outs. Mr. Stillman commented on the Walk Audit projects, the City of Cupertino was probably 50-60 % complete. Things that were easy to do, were done first, and most of what was remaining was ADA ramp installations and warrant studies. He noted that if there were ramps that needed to be installed for the Walk Audit project, and there was an existing contract for ramps elsewhere 6 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022 in the City, the Walk Audit ramps could be included with the larger project to make things cheaper. There was a contractor lined up to do the data collection for the crossing guard warrant studies. He suggested coming back to the Commission in April to give an update. There was not a lot to be prioritized regarding the Walk Audit Project. Commissioner Eschelbeck wondered, regarding this new criterion, what was in line to come to the Commission on the Walk Audit project. Mr. Stillman said most projects were related to warrant studies. There were a few places where it was recommended to widen a sidewalk. Commissioner Eschelbeck asked if a school drop-off was something the City presided over. Mr. Stillman said the City partnered with the school, but ultimately, a project on school grounds was the school’s decision. He noted that the pick-up/drop-off did impact City streets. Commissioner Lindskog observed that the Commission seemed to not be involved with new project developments, or sometimes they were involved late. He noted that the Commission was not involved in the Vallco project at all. Chair Ganga said the Commission was able to make a recommendation. Mr. Stillman answered that when there was a big development, such as Vallco, developers were told to follow the Bike Plan. Since that was approved and endorsed by the Commission, staff worked with the developer in line with that. Then, as the project proceeded, if there were detailed elements; those could be brought to the Commission. Commissioner Eschelbeck thought Westport was a good example. He wondered if, after this discussion tonight, there was going to be new projects brought to the Commission. Mr. Stillman said that the tentative list of guidelines the Commission wants to follow should be explicitly mentioned, if it was something outside the Bike Plan. MOTION: Commissioner Eschelbeck moved, seconded by Vice Chair Carter to approve the proposed guidelines as a draft, describing when and how the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission is involved in projects: 1. Bicycle or pedestrian projects which involve a permanent change to vertical elements within the street between existing curbs 2. Projects with community outreach 3. Bicycle or pedestrian projects which are heard as a Council discussion item, except items requested by Council to be heard directly 4. Staff recommendations for active traffic control devices (such as, stop signs, traffic signals, crossing guards) 5. Council requests for Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission recommendations 6. Major development projects, on-site and off-site (if more detailed, or if it differs from the Bike Plan) 7. All items falling within the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission’s Mission Statement, per the Municipal Code MOTION PASSED: 4-0 STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS 7 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting Wednesday, March 16, 2022 6. Staff Update and Commissioner Activity Report (All) David Stillman, Transportation Manager reported on the Vision Zero Subcommittee (Ganga, Carter, and Stillman.) They put together a draft scope of work for a consultant for the Vision Zero program so staff could use that for bid in July, assuming funding for a consultant was granted. There was a staff request to extend the Vision Zero Workplan for next fiscal year and staff is requesting $80,000 to hire a consultant. Mr. Stillman is in touch with TJKM, the consultant handling the Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP,) which was very similar to Vision Zero. They will assist on the policy statement and the scope of work. Chair Ganga inquired if it was still possible to adopt a mission statement for this fiscal year. Mr. Stillman said yes, but he wanted to make sure Council supported providing the funding for next year. Separately, the City hired a new Public Works Director, Matt Morley. Chair Ganga reported on the Lawson Middle School Subcommittee (Lindskog, Eschelbeck, and Stillman.) Mr. Stillman said there was a public meeting a few weeks ago. Commissioner Eschelbeck wrote up a report about that meeting, which was included in the Written Communication for this meeting. He felt there needed to be a proper process for this item, and now he feels there is. Commissioner Lindskog reported on the Valley Transportation Authority and Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee from March 9. Vice Chair Carter reported on the Mayor’s meeting and the Safe Routes to School Meeting. Vice Chair Carter asked about the vacancy for the Commission. Mr. Stillman said Council will need to interview for that vacancy. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:31 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: ____________________________ David Stillman, Staff Liaison Note: Any attachments can be found on the Cupertino Website https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/agendas-minutes