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BPC Final Minutes 06-15-20221 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting June 15, 2022 FINAL MINUTES MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION June 15, 2022 Final Minutes The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Jack Carter (VC), Gerhard Eschelbeck, Ilango Ganga (C), Erik Lindskog Absent: Grace John Staff: David Stillman, Staff Liaison Others Present: Marlon Aumentado, Assistant Engineer APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. May 18, 2022 Minutes MOTION: Vice Chair Carter moved, seconded by Commissioner Eschelbeck to approve the minutes as presented. MOTION PASSED: 4-0, John Absent POSTPONEMENTS No Postponements ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS None 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 2 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting June 15, 2022 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 Lead Pedestrian Walk Interval Diagonal Crosswalks Lawson Middle School Bike Path Input from Seniors on the Bicycle Pedestrian Improvements Bollinger Road Safety Corridor Project AB 43 – Summary and how Commission can support implementation Bicycle Licensing (to prevent bike theft) Improvement of existing Class IV Bike Lanes, including maintenance NEW BUSINESS 3. Bicycle Boulevard Project, Phase 2 (Aumentado) Marlon Aumentado, Assistant Engineer gave a presentation on the Bicycle Boulevard Project, Phase 2 to the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (Commission.) Commissioner Eschelbeck asked if the bicyclists were using the bulbouts and wondered if they were elevated and not accessible. Mr. Aumentado answered that they were not elevated; bicyclists passed through the bollards at roadway level. Commissioner Lindskog liked the approach of bikes going inside the bulbouts. Chair Ganga commented that another reason for the bulbouts was to allow pedestrians room to cross. Mr. Aumentado agreed and added that it shortened the crossing distance. Chair Ganga wondered how staff’s proposal helped bicyclists going through the bollards. Mr. Aumentado said there was no conflict, bicyclists were able to transverse right through the bulbout. Commissioner Lindskog wanted confirmation that the bulbouts were created with bollards. Mr. Aumentado said yes. Delineators or bollards were going to be used for the curb extension. Mr. Aumentado confirmed that these were all Class 3 routes, and striping was going to be done as well. Vice Chair Carter wondered if the bulbouts were being installed because of the Bike Boulevard project or was it because there was a problem. Mr. Aumentado said both. The problem was identified during community outreach for the Bike Boulevard project. David Stillman, Transportation Manager said the bulbouts were developed in collaboration with the neighborhood, people that attended the community meetings held at the time, to help define the bike boulevard and to help calm traffic along the bike boulevard. He noted that parking would be removed anywhere there would be bulbouts. This was a discussion that was still needed with each property owner that fronted a bulbout location. Parking would be significantly impacted with the installation. 3 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting June 15, 2022 Vice Chair Carter wondered if staff was going to put out cones a few days to a week before the installation to simulate the bulbout installation. Mr. Aumentado did not recommend doing that. Commissioner Eschelbeck thought the idea with the bollards was a superior solution to what the Commission had seen before. He wondered if there was a risk for small trucks to be damaged by the bollards. Second, he wanted to know if the parking could be quantified by the changes suggested and if there were any speed tables. Mr. Aumentado answered regarding trucks causing damage to poles, there was a potential for them to be knocked down, but few were knocked down in the area. There was enough room in both directions to maintain a wide enough lane, as the standard was 12 feet. Commissioner Eschelbeck wondered if the bollard was made from flexible material. Mr. Aumentado said they were plastic, so more harm would be caused to the bollard than the vehicle. Regarding parking, Mr. Aumentado said there will be about two spaces per corner. Concerning the speed tables, they were created as part of the bike boulevard, but they were usually installed with the repaving projects. Mr. Stillman commented that there were no speed tables as part of Phase 2 of the Bike Boulevard project. Chair Ganga wondered if there was a traffic count performed and if there was a speed estimate so it could be determined if there was a need for speed tables. Mr. Aumentado responded that the traffic data to support the bulbouts was conducted in 2017. Mr. Stillman added that staff did collect the data in 2017 and 2018 and the improvements being recommended were the result of that analysis. Commissioner Lindskog inquired regarding parking removal, it would be great if parking was not allowed too close to the bulbouts, so there was space between the bulbout and the first parked car. Mr. Aumentado confirmed there was a tapered space. Chair Ganga inquired if there was a plan to collect traffic data. Mr. Aumentado said they did not plan to gather any traffic data. Vice Chair Carter observed, according to the staff presentation, that it looked like there was an area where cars would run into one another on Tilson Avenue at Stern Avenue. Mr. Aumentado said no that it was more of an optical illusion on the slide. Commissioner Eschelbeck wondered what the timeframe was for seeing the implementations done. Mr. Aumentado said there were some parking spaces that needed to be removed but the goal was to start before the beginning of the school year. Chair Ganga wondered if notice was given to the homeowners. Mr. Aumentado said not at this time; he wanted to come to the Commission first to make sure their concerns were met. Commissioner Eschelbeck wanted to ensure residents were aware that something was happening. Mr. Aumentado confirmed. Chair Ganga thought there should be outreach to residents. 4 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting June 15, 2022 MOTION: Commissioner Eschelbeck moved, seconded by Commissioner Lindskog to recommend to: 1. Approve the materials reviewed for Bike Boulevard Phase 2 and their respective locations 2. Have all locations and design be consistent with what was shared with residents in 2017, including selected parking impacts 3. Have the main change be the type of bulbout; instead of an elevated bulbout the design will include bollards 4. Reach out to the residents for input and consideration before implementation of Phase 2, before construction. MOTION PASSED: 4-0, John Absent 4. Regnart Creek Trail/Campo de Lozano Public Pedestrian Walkway Easement Vacation and Rodrigues Avenue Midblock Pedestrian Crosswalk (Stillman) Chair Ganga recused himself from this item as he lives near the Regnart Creek Trail. Vice Chair Carter Chaired the meeting for this item. Commissioner Lindskog disclosed he lives within 500 feet of the proposed Trail. A Fair Political Practices Commission advice letter, A191092 to former Mayor Scharf, whose neighboring property is similarly situated to Commissioner Lindskog’ s says the proposed Regnart Creek Trail would not create a financial conflict. He further concluded that the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (Commission) was not a decision-making body, and he planned to participate in the discussion. Chair Ganga left the meeting at 7:59 p.m. David Stillman, Transportation Manager gave a presentation on the Regnart Creek Trail/Campo de Lozano Public Pedestrian Walkway Easement Vacation and Rodrigues Avenue Midblock Pedestrian Crosswalk. Commissioner Eschelbeck wondered if the crossings over Rodrigues Avenue allowed for multiple crossings to be in place. He walked the area and some crossings felt safer than others. Mr. Stillman commented that the crossings were not mutually exclusive, but the effort was to minimize the crossings and to focus activity at a single location. If the observations and the data indicate that two crosswalks were needed instead of one, that could be a recommendation. Commissioner Eschelbeck remarked that when the trail opened it would help to gather data. He thought the need to have a crosswalk was obvious, which was needed from the east and the west sides. He did not see the need to wait. 5 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting June 15, 2022 Christina Yang, public speaker made mention of the possibility of a gate at the west entrance and wondered if there was any traffic study data available. She questioned whether the installation of a sign would reduce the misuse of the easement. John, public speaker said there was a lot of people riding a bike on the walkway. It was narrow and not designed for a bicycle; how was the City going to address this. Seema Lindskog, public speaker stated the Lozano access path was put in place before the homes were built and each homeowner signed an acknowledgment about the path. Giving up the easement was a poor fiscal decision, she wanted to keep the Lozano access path open. Helene Davis, public speaker felt giving away the Lozano access was not in line with community desires and set a bad precedent. Louise Saadati, public speaker remarked that many people reached out to her saying it was important to keep the trail open. It was unprecedented for the City to release the easement and homeowners knew about the easement when they bought their home. Xingchi He, public speaker said the walkway did not have America with Disability Act access and the visibility was bad both ways. People were using the trail at night, and he did not know if people would comply with the trail hours. Hervé Marcy, public speaker wanted to keep the easement open. The path was there before the homes were built and the homeowners knew about the path when they bought their home. In keeping with this access, it improved the quality of life for all residents in the City. Matt W, public speaker urged the Commission to not vacate the easement. It was not a good idea to abandon the easement simply because there were safety concerns. Commissioner Lindskog looked at the Climate Action Plan and observed that 60% of greenhouse gas emissions came from transportation. It was not good to reduce the walking trails, they should be increased. He did not support removing the easement. In giving the easement over to the property owners it meant giving people property that was not theirs. He liked Mr. Stillman’s recommendation to mark the easement as a public walkway. He suggested monitoring the use of the path for a year to decide if a crosswalk was needed. If speeding was an issue near the path, measures needed to be taken to reduce the speed for vehicles. Commissioner Eschelbeck reviewed the physical site and listened to the Council meeting. Their outcome was to monitor the situation as there was no data to support any decisions. He thought there needed to be safe crossings. There was no safe crossing on the north side to the south side of Rodrigues Avenue. It was urgent to come up with a plan for crossings. Vice Chair Carter thought crosswalk B in the presentation was going to be dangerous because of visibility. It fit within the legal requirements, but he felt it was too dangerous. He described a 6 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting June 15, 2022 situation where there would be an opening at the end of the trail, and someone could ride into the street suddenly. There needed to be a safety mechanism to prevent someone from riding into the crosswalk and causing an accident. He did not see a reason to give up the easement currently and there were ways to mitigate having bicyclists ride through easily. Mr. Stillman’s expectation was to pass a motion that would encompass the staff recommendation but wanted to address some concerns. Regarding the crosswalk at the Rodrigues gate, he said human behavior was notoriously unpredictable. Commissioner Eschelbeck may be right that a crosswalk should be put in, but Mr. Stillman recommended doing some observations before a crosswalk was installed. He assured the Commission that he will not wait a year if an issue needed to be addressed. If a crossing was needed at one of these three locations, or other locations, he would get ahead of that as soon as the behavior was seen. Vice Chair Carter wondered how the behavior was observed. Mr. Stillman said one way was to go watch the behavior, which took a lot of staff time and was not feasible. There were also consultants that have cameras for bicycle and pedestrian counts so they could see over a continuous amount of time; this was likely what would be done. Vice Chair Carter thought that was a long time to wait without a crosswalk; he wanted clarification that Mr. Stillman was talking about post-opening of the trail. Mr. Stillman said yes. Once the trail opened, that was when things had the potential to change. Traffic counts, speed surveys, etcetera could be done later this year, after the trail was open. Vice Chair Carter wondered if that depended on what the easement would become. Mr. Stillman foresaw the easement as pedestrian only or to have direction for people to walk bikes. He suggested an advisory sign for people to walk their bikes. Vice Chair Carter brought up the Linda Vista Trail and said people used bikes after that trail opened and a sign was not a deterrent. Commissioner Eschelbeck brought up that a lot of money was spent on this project but there was no safe crossing on Rodrigues now. He wanted a safe crossing on Rodrigues. Vice Chair Carter agreed. Commissioner Eschelbeck thought waiting was not appropriate. Commissioner Lindskog was okay with recommending a crosswalk if it did not come along with a recommendation to vacate the easement. Commissioner Eschelbeck felt more comfortable having data. The installation of the path could mean that traffic could rapidly increase. Deciding was too premature, but a safe crossing was necessary. Vice Chair Carter did not want to give up the easement but thought there needed to be limitations on how the trail was used. The issue with the easement was not that it was there but that it was not used how it was intended. It was made for pedestrian traffic. Vice Chair Carter strongly advised that the easement state it be used for pedestrian use only. Commissioner Eschelbeck said that was consistent with Council’s recommendation. Commissioner Lindskog asked about the request for more data even though some Commissioners were recommending a crosswalk; there was no data requested for the crosswalk. Commissioner Eschelbeck explained that if the use of this trail goes up then there may be the need for other crossing considerations or multiple crossings. 7 Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Regular Meeting June 15, 2022 MOTION: Commissioner Eschelbeck moved, seconded by Commissioner Lindskog to recommend to the City Council: a pedestrian crosswalk according to concept A. MOTION PASSED: 3-0, Ganga Recused, John Absent MOTION: Commissioner Lindskog moved, seconded by Vice Chair Carter to recommend to the City Council to: 1. Determine the need for additional crosswalks based on studies within the first year of opening; 2. Not vacate the pedestrian easement at this time; and 3. To have the hours of use be consistent with the easement. MOTION PASSED: 3-0, Ganga Recused, John Absent STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS 5. Staff Update and Commissioner Activity Report (All) David Stillman, Transportation Manager relayed that the City Council approved the Capital Improvements Project Budget for the next Fiscal Year and as part of that the Council approved the De Anza Boulevard Bike Lane Project. Transportation Division staff is applying for Federal funding for the De Anza Boulevard Bike Lane Project and is expecting to submit the application in July. Council approved the City Work Plan, which included approval of: 1) the Vision Zero Program with a budget of $80,000; 2) the Lawson Bike Path with $40,000; and 3) the Bike Facilities Project with a budget of $50,000. Transportation staff will move forward with Vision Zero in August, which will include a Request for Proposal. Commissioner Lindskog reported on the VTA BPAC meeting, Mayor’s meeting, and the Safe Routes to School Meeting. Vice Chair Carter will attend the Mayor’s Meeting and Safe Routes to School in July. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 10:15 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