HomeMy WebLinkAboutBicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee 2024-02-07 Agenda Packet1 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC) Wednesday, February 7, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M. In-Person: San Rafael City Hall Third Floor Conference Room 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 Watch Online: Watch on Zoom Webinar: https://cityofsanrafael-org.zoom.us/j/84659000987 If unable to enter through link, please use zoom join link provided below and enter webinar meeting ID. Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/join Webinar Meeting ID: 846 5900 0987 If you experience technical difficulties during the meeting, please contact: TrafficEng@cityofsanrafael.org AGENDA CALL TO ORDER MINUTES 1. Approve regular meeting minutes of October 4, 2023 Recommended Action – Approve as submitted SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2. No Special Presentations OTHER AGENDA ITEMS If necessary to ensure completion of the following items, the Chairperson may establish time limits for the presentations by individual speakers. 3. Other Agenda Items: a. Presentation: Discussion on Meeting Processes in San Rafael and Parliamentary Procedures (Lindsay Lara, City Clerk) Recommended Action: Receive and Comment b. Selection of One (1) Representative to Serve as Chair and One (1) Representative to serve as Vice Chair of the BPAC for 2024 Recommended Action: Select a Chair and Vice-Chair c. Presentation: Downtown Transit Center Relocation Project Update (Kimley Horn on behalf of Golden Gate Transit) Recommended Action: Receive and Comment d. Presentation: Local Road Safety Plan Update (Parametrix on behalf of TAM) Recommended Action: Receive and Comment STAFF LIAISON REPORT 4. Staff Liaison Report: Project and funding updates COMMISSIONER REPORTS 5. Other brief reports on any meetings, conferences, and/or seminars attended by the Committee members. a. North-South Greenway b. Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan 2 OPEN TIME FOR PUBLIC EXPRESSION The public is welcome to address the Committee at this time on matters not on the agenda that are within its jurisdiction. Comments may be no longer than three minutes and should be respectful to the community. ADJOURNMENT • Next scheduled meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 6:00 P.M. Any records relating to an agenda item, received by a majority or more of the board or commission less than 72 hours before the meeting, shall be available for inspection online and in the City Hall Third Floor Conference Room placed with other agenda-related materials on the table when you first walk into the room prior to the meeting. Sign Language interpreters may be requested by calling (415) 485-3066 (voice), emailing city.clerk@cityofsanrafael.org or using the California Telecommunications Relay Service by dialing “711”, at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Copies of documents are available in accessible formats upon request. To request Spanish language interpretation, please submit an online form at https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/request-for-interpretation/. Public Works Liaison: Joanna Kwok, Assistant Director/ City Engineer, 111 Morphew Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 Email: TrafficEng@cityofsanrafael.org(email if you have any questions related to the agenda, projects, or issues getting into the meeting) 1 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC) Wednesday, October 4, 2023 AT 6:00 P.M. HYBRID MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER • Chair Bergman called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Chair Bergman, Vice Chair Mooney, Member (Alternate) Anne Coyne, Member Mark Kyle, and Member Marc Solomon Commissioners Absent: Member Sylvain Frayer Staff Present: Staff (Traffic Engineer) Nhat Phan, Staff (Senior Civil Engineer) Joanna Kwok, Staff (Director of Public Works) April Miller, and Staff (Mayor) Kate Colin APPROVAL MINUTES Minutes for August 2, 2023 BPAC Meeting were approved. PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA Pushed until the end of the meeting. AD-HOC COMMITTEE UPDATES a. North-South Greenway Bridge District – Will repave segments of Alexander Ave due to a lot of community outreach and advocacy. Sausalito – Performing a survey and study of the bridgeway for adding bike lanes. Bay Trail developing evaluation for complete segments and gaps. Includes part of San Rafael and is up for grant. Larkspur – Council has approved to extend a 900-foot section of Class 1 bike path. Construction to start in Nov. San Rafael - $700,000 in budget for bike pathway. Construction started on SMART path between McInnis Parkway and Smith Ranch Road, completed in early 2024. Novato – Slide on Redwood Blvd repaired. All construction done and the pathway is complete for this section. FISCAL YEAR 23-24 GOALS AND WORK PLAN – CITY STAFF PRESENTATION City Staff from DPW Presentation on Goals and Objectives, Engineering and Traffic Surveys (ET&S), AB 43 California Speed Law, and City Implementation Plan. 2 Developed to align with City Council adoption in June 2023. Focusing on Goals, which is to improve and preserve public assets and the ongoing services in the area. Several construction projects are in the queue. Annual CMP Replacement, Phase 1 Rotary Manor Culvert Replacement, San Quentin Pump Station Replacement, Southern Heights/Courtright/Pearce Retaining Walls, Winward Way, Sun Valley Park Playground, Sun Valley frontage landscaping, Albert Park Netting and Fencing. Construction projects being planned/design: AJ Boro Community Center Improvements, Building Maintenance Master Plan, Storm Drain Master Plan, Canal Street Utility Undergrounding, Downtown Library Modernization, Pickleweed Park Enhancement, Trash Capture projects, Peacock Gap Playground Redesign. Maintenance Team also does valuable work especially during rainy season. Transportation projects in construction: Third St. Safety, Third St Rehabilitation, Grand Ave Cycle Track, Canal Neighborhood Pavement Maintenance, North San Rafael Pavement Maintenance, and Countywide Traffic Signal Improvement. Transportation projects being planned/designed: Freitas Roundabout – supporting Caltrans on the design. 2nd/4th St intersection + W Crescent complete design, Freitas Parkway Bike and Ped Facility, Canal Transportation Experience – design RFP, Lincoln Ave Rehabilitation – scope and design, Canal Neighborhood Active Transportation Gateway – secure funding and design, and multi-use path for Civic Center station. Ongoing Plans and Programs: Crosswalk Improvements, Sidewalk Repair Program, Sidewalk Remove and Replacement, Pavement Management Program, Smart City Implementation, Traffic Signal Battery Backup Systems, Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Listed below are comments from BPAC Members and the public. Chair Bergman asks about the specific roundabout for Freitas. It is only the first roundabout off the freeway. TAM is working on the other two roundabouts on the other side. Vice Chair Mooney talks about Pavement Program. Alarmed that he had not heard about the program earlier. Says new striping is necessary. Mentions that Canal needs bike and ped facility upgrades. Asks about restriping crosswalks cost and difficulty. April answers that the Pavement Management Program is a three-year program that includes pavement maintenance, not just paving. Budget is not huge and is focused on slurry seal and striping. Could better inform others about the program. Restriping can increase the cost for slurry, especially green striping. Difficult to get striping contractors. Public member has questions about what a bike facility is and road conditions for a specific road. Public member compliments the use of SeeClickFix app. Mentions sustainability goals for the City. 25% of City vehicles to be Zero Emission Vehicles. Thinks that electric bikes could be utilized. Hardships arise because of 101 intersections. Going to be a utility bike population that traditional bike racks don’t work for. Worth looking into because it is a tough infrastructure problem. Chair Bergman mentions to bring up the bike parking during the BPMP planning. 3 Public member has a question about the pavement project in Freitas Parkway. Reiterating support for removing slip lanes. Public member Kurt has handouts showing slip lane. No crosswalks to north Frietas parkway even though there are school bus stops. Turn off leads into blind intersection. Grateful that turnoff was closed off to public. Believes that the intersection still needs permanent improvement that can be utilized. Other member of the public mention that proposal has been discussed before and neighborhood association has been working on it. Said that they received pushback due to its lack of priority. Says that Public Works and northern San Rafael leaders need better communication. Would like to see the project on the priority list. Public member Lauren also adds perspective from parents not letting kids cross Freitas because it is dangerous. Would like to see the project as a long-term plan, but also taking quick action to solve problems. Other roads could also be closed off for resurfacing as well. Implementing more crosswalks. Public member mention crosswalk improvements and quick build options are better than nothing for pedestrian safety. High danger in San Rafael for pedestrian and bicyclists. Doing safety improvements while slurry projects are happening should be a part of the normal process. Public member Patrick has comment about having a clean streets policy in the BPMP. Complimenting DPW and City Council for involving the public more. Public member Kurt comments on the roundabout coming off 101. Concerned about roundabouts since they are close to 101 and might cause more traffic. Public member Maura Wong from Guide Dogs for the Blind. Question about traffic signals and installation of audible beacons and potential locations for those to assist people with sight loss. Public member John Buffman mentions barriers on Monticello and Freitas. Does not think that closing will fix the problem. Public member Kimberly Ng is a resident from Terra Linda. Impacted by Monticello and Freitas interchange. The street needs to be crossed to get to the bus stop. Students in danger. Suggests putting in more crosswalks, along with flashing lights to make it safer. Happy that the lane was closed. Public member Leo Bezard is Terra Linda resident. Recommends that City should look at the Netherlands for doing more pedestrian focused infrastructure. Public member Avery Whitmarsh is Terra Linda homeowner. Thinks that Terra Linda can be a very good walkable and bikeable neighborhood, but the main roads don’t feel practical for that. Encourages safety improvements. Public member Susan thanks Mayor Kate for showing up. Thinks that connectivity for getting from the ferry to downtown is poor. Lights are timed poorly, and bike paths are covered and hopes there can be street sweeping prioritized. More pedestrian improvements for B Street. Urging the City to do things right the first time for safety. Public member Lizzie Horevitz is Gerstle Park parent. Urges the City to prioritize safe streets for all for bicycling. Currently drive to other places in Marin to bike. Wants to invest in making the neighborhoods safer for families and kids. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN MASTER PLAN PRESENTATION FROM NHAT PHAN Developing a plan that sets San Rafael on its way for increasing bicycle and pedestrian safety. Lots 4 of previous plans that can be utilized, including the County led Local Road Safety Plan for Fiscal Year 2023/2024. Using the information from those plans into this plan. Including BPMP updates with policies, short-, mid-, and long-term goals and projects, connectivity, pedestrian projects, and outreach. Wants to see what feedback other consultants bring to the table. BPMP will take some time, estimated completion date is in 2025. UNDERSTANDING AB 43 AND SPEED LIMITS PRESENTATION FROM APRIL MILLER Speed limits advise drivers on the maximum speeds. Previously had a specific method for setting speed limits, but AB 43 has changed this. Besides standards, engineering and traffic surveys (E&T) surveys. The 85th percentile is determined by the fastest 15% of drivers, which determines the speed limit. In the past, the speeds were determined after these studies, causing speed limits to rise and adverse safety affects. Repeats every five years. Narrowing lanes and other traffic calming measures used to lower speeds. 85th percentile method is outdated. AB 43 came into effect in January 2022. AB 43 takes into other variables when determining speed limits, such as pedestrians and vulnerable groups. Allowed to keep speed limits the same and do not have to meet the speeds that the top 15% are driving at. Can also create business activity districts to limit speed limits and now can-do surveys every 7-14 years. Managing speeds is a combination of strategies including roadway design, public education, and enforcement. AB 43 in San Rafael. Currently evaluating speeds in San Rafael with studies. Will then look at applying AB 43. Can also reduce speeds to 25 or 20 mph. Receive all traffic and engineering surveys in the Fall/Winter 2023 and then evaluate the data to reassess speed limit recommendations and speed limit reductions. In the Spring/Summer/Fall 2024, will look at how to establish speed limits and speed limit procedures. Limited staff and lots of projects. BPAC’s role is to focus on the advisory concept. Listed below are comments from BPAC Members and the public. Chair Bergman comments on how implementation of AB 43 would require outreach and coordination with school and business districts. Is curious about how this will work with the BPMP. April says that the plans are separate, but related. Major Kate mentions that AB 43 can be used as a tactic to help bike and pedestrian safety. Chair Bergman thinks that input on multiple efforts might miss things. Suggests keeping a schedule and requests. Thinks that comments on BPMP and AB 43 are related. Public member comments about approach on AB 43. Questions about the implementation. Wondering if there are more goals and objectives alongside implementation. Wonders if there are timelines in AB 43 for implementation. David Parisi mentions that there is no time limit for when things need to be done, but there are limits for when it can start. A lot cannot be started until July 2024. Important to get all the data together and then do implementations. Vice Chair Philip Mooney has a question about complete streets. Downtown Master Plan mentions complete streets. Daylighting intersections and painting red curbs as policies. Questions about what the policies are meant to mean. Mayor Kate says policies are used as over-arching objectives and others provide input on strategies. Nhat sees using policies as standards are compliant and followed throughout the whole City. Wonders how BPAC should contribute. Nhat mentions that a committee with people of interest and BPAC committee members sitting in and providing comments and suggestions. The process was frustrating for the public. Small term projects are done, but projects come in from many sources to see what can be implemented quickly. 5 Public member Patrick suggests looking at things strategically, especially for installing bike paths around Davidson Middle School. A way to invest in all things that have been talked about. Public member provided packets with renderings and drawings for different places with designs for the Civic Center Station. Public member Dave Rhodes comments on City implementation policies. Frustrated advice from Council to continue going to BPAC about pedestrian safety. BPAC doesn’t have authority and acts as an advisory committee and doesn’t have political authority. Public member Allie brings up that San Rafael is ranked as one of the most dangerous City’s in terms of traffic. Son witnessed pedestrian getting hit and killed. Worried about the danger surrounding biking. Public member has commented on the B Street conversion. None of the feedback given was not included to improve the safety for pedestrians in that corridor. Public member Lori mentions that residents need to be included in the process. Worried about B Street conversion. Public member Leo Bezard mentions the transportation efficiency in the Netherlands. Public member Willian Bacon is a parent from Terra Linda. Mentions paving plan and encourages City staff to engage public in a meaningful way to maximize investment in the community. Encourages making the City safer for pedestrians and getting people out of cars. Public member Kurt has a question about pilot program. Wonders what the plan is for putting in permanent curbing instead of the barriers. April mentions that the timeframe has not been discussed yet and will put the information out once it is decided. HOUSEKEEPING • None. ADJOURNMENT • Chair Bergman called the meeting to adjourn at 8:10 P.M. NEXT MEETING • Next scheduled meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 6:00 P.M. FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS • Local Road Safety Plan Update • Electric-Bike Share Program • Bike Parking Requirements January 17, 2024 April Miller San Rafael Director of Public Works 1400 Fifth Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901 Re: Safer Pedestrian & Bicycle Pathways Dear April, Happy new year! I am writing to request that you keep Canal community voices in mind as you pursue your 2024 priorities. In November, Sustainable San Rafael joined environmental non-profit Ride and Drive Clean at its Community Dinner for Cleaner Transportation at Bahia Vista Elementary School in the Canal District of San Rafael. The purpose of the event was to educate local residents about the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on their community and to suggest cleaner transportation alternatives that reduce local emissions, like walking, biking, public transit, electric vehicles, and ebikes. It was also an opportunity to engage residents to take personal action to reduce their gas miles driven by making a “promise to the planet” for cleaner transportation. In addition, Board members from Sustainable San Rafael offered an opportunity for residents to advocate for safer pedestrian and bicycle pathways. Please see the attached file with messages and signatures from 28 Canal residents. Thank you for taking the time to review these messages and to consider the voices of Canal residents as you continue your good work. Please feel free to contact me at 415-302-0110 or our Board Member Annika Osborn of Ride and Drive Clean at 415-286-1077 if you have further questions. Sincerely, William Carney, President Attachments: 28 postcards CCs: Mayor Kate Colin & San Rafael City Council; Omar Carrera, Canal Alliance Executive Director; Marco Berger, Multicultural Center Advocacy & Civic Engagement Manager; Barry Bergman, Chair, San Rafael BPAC; Dave Rhoads, Walk/Bike San Rafael; Warren Wells, Marin County Bicycle Coalition; Wendi Kallins, Safe Routes to Schools; Cory Bytof, San Rafael Sustainability Manager; Kate Hagemann, San Rafael Climate Adaptation & Resilience Planner; Anne Richman, TAM Executive Director; Nick Nguyen, TAM Principal Project Delivery Manager; Eddy Cumins, SMART General Manager BOARD OF DIRECTORS William Carney, President Linda Jackson, Vice President Stuart Siegel, Secretary Greg Brockbank Kay Karchevski Kiki La Porta Phil Muller Annika Osborn Howard Schwartz Miles Smith 415.302.0110