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CC 07-09-2024 Item No. 3 Vision Zero Action Plan_Written CommunicationsCC 07-09-2024 #3 Vision Zero Action Plan Written Communications From:Deepa Mahendraker To:City Council; City Clerk; Cupertino City Manager"s Office; David Stillman Subject:Re: REJECT Vision Zero Action Plan Date:Monday, July 8, 2024 2:26:04 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear David, Manager Wu, Mayor Sheila, and Council Members, I am writing to express my deep disappointment with the Vision Zero Action Plan. The plan reads as though it could have been written a decade ago, failing to address several critical and contemporary traffic safety issues: Distracted Driving: Astonishingly, there is no mention of the significant dangers posed by cell phone use while driving. E-Bikes and E-Scooters: The plan completely ignores the risks posed by e-bikes and e-scooters, including their unsafe speeds and erratic behavior, which endanger other road users. Buffered Bike Lanes: The feasibility of implementing buffered bike lanes to safely accommodate e-bikes, e-scooters, and regular bikes is not considered. Cybersecurity: The plan overlooks the rising threat of cybersecurity breaches and ransomware attacks on traffic systems, a glaring omission in today’s digital age. Traffic Design Changes: There is a lack of rigorous data studies on the impact of traffic design changes such as banning right turns on red and redesigning curbs to prevent free right turns. Intersection Changes: No data is provided on the effectiveness of intersection changes at Wolfe and Stevens Creek, particularly regarding impeding free right turns by vehicles. Driving Under the Influence: The plan fails to address the emerging threats posed by driving under the influence of various drugs. High-Density Housing and Parking: The issues related to new medium and high-density zoning, reduced parking restrictions, and state laws impacting parking near crosswalks are inadequately covered. Traffic Enforcement: There is insufficient data on traffic enforcement activities by sheriffs, including trends and budget allocations, to assess their effectiveness. Lessons Learned from Accidents: The plan lacks comprehensive data on actions taken from lessons learned from major accidents and fatalities, and their effectiveness. This plan is fundamentally flawed, relying on outdated data and ignoring the critical issues that have emerged in recent years, particularly since COVID-19. The failure to address modern risk factors such as distracted driving, drug-induced DUI, e-scooter and e-bike hazards, and cybersecurity threats is unacceptable. I urge you to reject this draft and demand a thorough rewrite that reflects the true dangers of 2024 and beyond. The safety and well-being of our community depend on a plan that addresses contemporary traffic safety challenges with the seriousness they deserve. Sincerely, Deepa Mahendraker Resident of Cupertino From:Santosh Rao To:David Stillman; Pamela Wu; City Council; Sheila Mohan; Kitty Moore; Liang Chao; Hung Wei; J.R. Fruen Subject:07/09/24 council meeting. Agenda item 3. Unaddressed Challenges for Motorists in Cupertino"s Vision Zero Action Plan. Date:Monday, July 8, 2024 11:18:17 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Subject: Unaddressed Challenges for Motorists in Cupertino's Vision Zero Action Plan. Dear David, Manager Wu, Mayor Sheila and council members, I am writing to express my deep disappointment with the vision zero action plan. The plan reads like it could have been written in 2010. Why do I say that? 1. There is zero mention of distracted driving due to cell phones. 2. There is zero mention of the risks caused due to unsafe speeds and weaving in and out of traffic by e-bikes and e-scooters to other bikes as well as auto traffic. 3. There is zero mention of the feasibility of buffered bike lanes in the era of e-bikes and e- scooters having to share space with regular bikes. 4. There is no coverage of how cyber security and ransomware attacks have risen as a threat in traffic systems. 5. There is no data studies on the benefits and drawbacks of traffic design changes such as no right turn on red, preventing free right turns with curb re-designs. 6. There is no data on the success or lack thereof of the intersection changes at Wolfe and Steven’s Creek specifically in impeding free right turns by vehicles with the design changes. 7. There is no data or research on the emerging threats from driving under the influence of drugs of various kinds. 8. There is light to no coverage of the issues due to housing element, specifically new medium and high density zoning, reduced parking restrictions, new state laws impacting parking within 20 feet of striped or un-striped crosswalks etc. 9. There is little data or metrics on traffic enforcement by sheriffs for the budget allocated to law enforcement and no historical data to reflect whether traffic enforcement has increased, declined, stayed flat, reasons for the trend. 10. There is lack of data on resulting traffic department actions taken from lessons learnt from major accidents, fatalities and the effectiveness of those actions. I urge you to please send the report back and ask that this be written to reflect the true dangers in 2024 and looking ahead. The use of 10 year data actually skews towards an outdated set of issues. We need the report to provide weightage to issues seen more recently since Covid especially with the emergence of modern risk factors such as distractions of cell phones, drugs induced DUI, e-scooter and e-bike risks, cyber security risks. I include below a more comprehensive set of feedback. 1. Scooters and E-Bikes: Inadequate Integration: The draft lacks detailed coverage on how the plan will manage the integration of scooters and e-bikes into the transportation system, which has led to increased conflicts between these e-bike, e-scooter users and pedestrians, cyclists and automobile drivers. Safety Measures: There are no safety measures outlined for e-scooter and e-bike users. This is an area of high risk to the community and could result in higher accident rates involving these less protected road users. 2. Cell Phone Use: Distracted Driving: The plan does not address policies to deal with cell phone use among drivers, a significant cause of distracted driving- related accidents. Enforcement and Education: There is a lack of initiatives for enforcement and public education campaigns specifically targeting the dangers of cell phone use while driving. 3. Enforcement of Traffic Laws: Speeding: While speed management is mentioned, there is insufficient emphasis on strict enforcement of speed limits, particularly in high- risk areas. The issue I see is not a need for uniform reduction in speed limits but enforcement of current speed limits. We hardly see speed, red light, stop sign enforcement any more. All we seem to see are deputies writing tickets to school parents. Has traffic enforcement declined for speed violations, stop sign violations, red light violations and if so why. Red Light Violations: The plan does not propose enough measures to prevent and penalize red light violations, which are a major and rising cause of severe accidents. 4. Infrastructure Gaps: Road Design: The plan does not fully address the learnings, data and actual realized benefits from changes in road design to accommodate road users safely, such as no turn on red, curb re-designs, etc. Intersection Improvements: Although intersections are recognized as high-risk areas, the specific redesign or improvement plans for these intersections are not detailed nor are lessons learnt and data on benefits or lack thereof from prior changes. 5. Data Utilization: Lack of Real-time Data: There is no mention of utilizing real-time data to monitor and respond to traffic conditions and incidents, which could enhance road safety. How about data on utilization of bike lanes by cyclical period and time of day. How about dynamic signs for no turn on red only limited to peak school hours of 8 - 9am and 2 - 4pm. Predictive Analytics: The draft does not include plans to use predictive analytics or AI to anticipate and prevent potential accidents. 6. Community Involvement: Public Feedback: There is a lack of mechanisms to continuously gather feedback from auto users to improve the safety measures over time. Please stop relying on feedback solely from orgs that bias solely towards bikes such as Walk-Bike orgs. Please provide methods for auto users to give input. Please consider forming a transportation commission and disbanding the bike ped commission. Equity of all road users is a key gap since our traffic department heavily biases to walk-bike org feedback. 7. Emergency Response: Accident Response: The plan does not outline improved procedures or infrastructure Tom for quick and efficient response to accidents, to mitigate the severity of injuries and fatalities. 8. Parking Policies: Parking Regulations: There is no discussion on revising parking policies to reduce conflicts between parked vehicles and moving traffic, especially in high-density areas from new zoning changes caused due to housing element, reduction of parking requirements, addition of duplex in corner lots etc. 9. Inadequate Addressing of Parking Needs: The plan does not address the increased demand for parking in high- density housing areas. This can lead to illegal parking and increased congestion on streets, affecting road safety. 10. Lack of Comprehensive Parking Management Strategies: There is no strategy for managing the limited parking spaces available in high-density areas. Effective parking management is crucial to prevent traffic disruptions and ensure smooth vehicular flow. 11. Impact on Emergency Services: The plan does not consider how reduced parking availability in high- density areas might impede access for emergency services, potentially delaying response times and compromising safety. 12. Insufficient Focus on Mixed-Use Developments: Mixed-use developments, which combine residential, commercial, and recreational spaces, are not adequately covered. These areas require specific parking and traffic management solutions to handle the diverse and high volume of users. Thanks, Santosh Rao From:Jennifer Griffin To:City Council; City Clerk Cc:grenna5000@yahoo.com Subject:No Right Turn on Red at Stevens Creek Blvd and De Anza Blvd. (#3 on 7/9/24 CC Agenda) Date:Monday, July 8, 2024 10:19:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear City Council: In discussion of Item Number 3 on Net Zero on the Cupertino City Council Agenda on the 7/9/24 City Council Meeting it is not a good idea to make turn changes at Stevens Creek Blvd. and De Anza Blvd (Sunnyvale-Saratoga Rd). Some of these proposed changes might be only allowing a right turn on a green light (no right turn on A red light). This would back up traffic greatly on both directions of roadways at this intersection. There is too much car traffic at this intersection to introduce something like this. This might also involve squaring off the intersection also. This is also not a good plan because Cars would be making right turns with little or no room to turn. This would not provide an Efficient use of time in the intersection. Drivers might start driving up on sidewalks if they didn't have enough turning radius. I don't think making all cars wait to turn right only on a green light would help much For anyone. People might cut through adjacent neighborhoods if the intersection was Bogged down with no right turns until a green light. Thank you. Sincerely, Jennifer Griffin From:J Shearin To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager"s Office; City Clerk Subject:Vote yes to adopt the Vision Zero Action Plan | Agenda item #3 | City Council meeting July 9, 2024 Date:Saturday, July 6, 2024 9:31:52 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Honorable Mayor Mohan, City Councilmembers, and City Manager Wu, On Tuesday, I urge you to adopt the Vision Zero Action Plan as recommended by the city staff. I ask this as a resident of Cupertino who was a stakeholder in the Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) process and has given feedback about the proposed Vision Zero plan on many occasions prior to this vote. The plan has been extensively reviewed by the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (BPC), and changes made to encourage reductions in fatalities and severe injuries for all road users, including motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. It will allow our city the flexibility to make improvements that best suit our city while having a solid toolbox to do so. I commend the Transportation Staff for their hard work to bring the Vision Zero Action Plan together and incorporate so much BPC and resident feedback. We all want to feel safe when out driving, walking or riding on our roads. This plan can get us there and I ask that you approve it when it comes up for the vote. Thank you for your work on behalf of Cupertino’s residents. Sincerely, Jennifer Shearin ----------------------------------- This message is from my personal email account. I am only writing as myself, not as a representative or spokesperson for any other organization.