{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 1, "text": "Transportation Commission\nApril 24, 2013\nItem 4A\nAction\nTransportation Commission Minutes: Wednesday, January 23, 2013\nCommissioner Jesus Vargas called the Transportation Commission to order at 7:00 p.m.\n1.\nRoll Call\nRoll was called and the following was recorded:\nMembers Present:\nJesus Vargas, Chair\nMichele Bellows\nThomas G. Bertken\nEric Schatmeier\nSandy Wong, Alameda Unified School District Representative\nMembers Absent:\nChristopher Miley, Vice Chair\nStaff Present:\nStaff Naclerio, Public Works Director\nStaff Payne, Transportation Coordinator\n2.\nAgenda Changes\nCommissioner Bertken proposed the Bay Fair Island Loop Trail Brochure item under \"Staff\nCommunications\" should be brought up before the Consent Calendar because Kelly Hosokawa\n-\nwho created the brochure - is in attendance.\nCommissioner Vargas made a motion to move the item up. Commissioner Bellows seconded the\nmotion. The motion was approved 5-0.\n3.\nAnnouncements / Public Comments\nCommissioner Vargas commented that he was listening to the news regarding the most recent\nfire near the Webster/Posey Tubes, which reminded him of Alameda's connection with the City\nof Oakland. All listeners were notified not to anticipate free flow traffic out of Alameda through\nthe Posey Tube due to a fire at 7th Street and Harrison Street. Thus, it is just a further reminder\nhow we are living close to a neighbor that we rely on for access.\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 1 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 2, "text": "Bay Farm Island Loop Trail Brochure\nCommissioner Vargas read from a certification of appreciation stating that the City of Alameda\nPublic Works Department awards this certificate to Kelly Hosokawa in recognition of her\ncontribution to the Bay Farm Island Loop Trail. He thanked Ms. Hosokawa for her efforts to\nmake the City of Alameda a better place to walk and bicycle. He was able to use the map while\nriding a new bicycle purchased just a few weeks ago, and stated that the map is a great way to log\nexercise. Along with the creation of the document, publication and distribution, he wanted to\nacknowledge Kelly Hosokawa and presented her with the certification of appreciation by the City\nof Alameda Public Works Department.\n4.\nConsent Calendar\n4A.\nMeeting Minutes - November 28, 2012\n4B.\nProposed Neptune Park Path Conceptual Layout\n4C.\nAdditional Proposed City CarShare Pod on Santa Clara Avenue at Webster Street and\nRemoval of One Metered Parking Space\n4D. Review Proposed Ordinance Amending Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-7.15a,\nRelated to Bicycle Parking Space Requirements to Comply with the City's Bicycle Facility\nDesign Standards\nCommissioner Vargas called for a motion to approve the Consent Calendar.\nCommissioner Bertken moved to approve the Consent Calendar. Commissioner Schatmeier\nseconded the motion. The motion was approved 5-0.\n5.\nNew Business\n5A. Traffic Calming Improvements on Otis Drive between Mound Street and High Street\nStaff Naclerio presented the staff report.\nCommissioner Vargas opened the floor to public comment. Additionally, he acknowledged an\nemail comment sent to the Commission from Board member John Knox White of the Alameda\nPlanning Board.\nSusan Davis, Bayview resident, had children who went to Frank Otis Elementary and she walked\nher children to school almost everyday. She remembered that crossing Otis Drive was a\nterrifying feat. The cars traveled too fast and since it is a four lane state highway, many drivers\ndo not obey the rules such as when one lane stops then the other lanes should stop. She pointed\nout that glare is a major problem during the morning commute hours (approximately 8 am) when\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 2 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 3, "text": "cars are traveling east and it is hard to see pedestrians attempting to cross. She is one of the\nparents who worked with Public Works staff on this project and she wanted to thank the Public\nWorks Department for reaching out extensively with the public and concerned residents. She\nmentioned that the department conducted a public meeting in July 2012 and had unanimous\nsupport for the project. There has been a bit of community concern, but she urged the\nCommission to support the project because it is a viable, low cost solution.\nMichael Karp, Bayview resident and President of the Bayview Estates Home Owners\nAssociation, appreciated Public Works staff outreach on the issue. He mentioned traffic is\ndangerous at Court and the traffic is close to Ms. Davis' house. Moreover, there is a tree\nblocking the path, which was addressed. He explained that Otis Drive is almost directly east and\nwest, so early hours of the day drivers traveling from the west to the east are hampered by the sun\nrising and the exact opposite occurs in the afternoon. The association and Public Works\naddressed the issues while acknowledging the fact that it is a state highway. They support the\nmeasures drafted and they hope the Commission will implement them.\nCommissioner Schatmeier asked what comments were included in Board member Knox's email.\nCommissioner Vargas replied he would send Commissioner Schatmeier the entire email since it\nis quite extensive.\nCommissioner Schatmeier was curious about the elimination of the crosswalks within the staff\nreport and how the community feels about that since there was some opposition stated within the\ndocuments. His experience in the area goes back to when his son used to play ball at Krusi Park\nlocated at 900 Mound Street and at times there was a lot of parking and a lot of uncontrolled\nstreet crossings. So, the idea of eliminating crosswalks seems interesting, especially around the\narea.\nStaff Naclerio explained that a petition with 19 signatures was handed to Public Works staff at\nthe first community meeting. The person who handed the petition was asked to stay to discuss\nthe pros and cons and the person did not stay. Public Works staff brought up the petition at the\nmeeting. The Mound Street intersection should be enhanced due to the bus stops located there\nand the area has the most pedestrian crossings. Usually staff reviews warrants for crosswalks by\nobserving the number of individuals crossing. The standard includes 20 individuals or 15\nchildren minimum, and none of those crosswalks had that kind of volume. The staff report also\nindicates that at Fountain Street and Court Street problems occur with wheelchair ramps. For\nexample, one crosswalk leads into a loading and unloading zone. Ultimately, he felt the safest\nalternative was to consolidate the crosswalks.\nCommissioner Bellows explained that the crosswalk to be eliminated is 250 feet from another\nmarked crosswalk in one case and 240 feet for the other one. Regarding visibility, she felt that\nthe recommendation was much safer. Pedestrians are not walking much further to get to the\nremaining marked crosswalks. She appreciated the consensus in the neighborhood and although\nthe result may not be a perfect solution, it is a good solution for now and could be tweaked.\nCommissioner Schatmeier stated that he is in favor of what the community wants, but he\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 3 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 4, "text": "wondered how Public Works staff could market or visibly guide pedestrians to the remaining\ncrosswalks.\nStaff Naclerio explained that they developed a Safe Route to School maps for all the schools.\nThey would enhance those maps to direct students to the existing marked crosswalks. He\nmentioned that Caltrans would have to approve the removal of the crosswalks as well as any\nother improvements that they are recommending. Also, he mentioned that the Bayview Home\nOwners Association could promote the use of the crosswalks through their newsletter.\nCommissioner Bertken stated that all indications of the original crosswalks would be removed to\nindicate to pedestrians that they should not cross there. He brought up that a barricade could be\nincluded to prevent pedestrians from crossing. Ultimately, he wondered how staff would handle\nthe process.\nStaff Naclerio explained that they would remove and black out the crosswalks and remove the\nsigns. He did not recommend installing barricades.\nCommissioner Bellows moved to accept staff recommendations. Commissioner Schatmeier\nseconded the motion. The motion was approved 5-0.\n5B.\nResident Appeal of Public Works Staff's Decision to Not Install an All-Way Stop\nControl at the Intersection of Robert Davey Junior Drive and Channing Way\nStaff Naclerio presented an overview of the staff report.\nCommissioner Vargas asked staff if they received public input about the proposed mitigation of\nextending the bike lane stripes.\nStaff Naclerio replied that staff has not and they would use this meeting for community input\nabout the proposal.\nCommissioner Vargas opened the floor to public comment.\nRed Wetherhill, Harbor Bay Resident, veteran architect, felt that the City of Alameda and the\nstate were using the wrong criteria, which moves vehicles first and foremost. He felt vehicles\ntravel way too fast when exiting off of Channing Way with a blind corner and vehicles go\nquickly around the bend on Robert Davey Junior Drive. He wanted staff to continuously observe\nthe area because it is a problem for pedestrians. He mentioned that 15 to 20 years ago, residents\nsubmitted a request for a stop sign for this same intersection. They received a run down from a\n\"technocrat\" that the average speed was 32 miles per hour (mph), and the street did not qualify\nfor a four-way stop. He then asked if the maximum speed limit was posted as 25 mph, then how\ncould the City count it as an average of 32 mph. Ultimately, he felt that staff was bandaging the\nproblem by modifying the crosswalks instead of policing more stringently along Robert Davey\nJunior Drive.\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 4 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 5, "text": "Mary Andersen, President of Clipper Cove, stated 204 families reside in Clipper Cove. She had\nmany residents explain to her that they never try to exit off of Channing Way onto Robert Davey\nJr. Drive. The residents always drive to Oyster Pond Road, which brings more traffic into\nClipper Cove because they are afraid to exit at Channing Way. She has experienced this\nsituation herself because there have been too many close calls. She commented on the visibility\nissue and the proposal to sneak up to the bike lane. She referred to Figure 2 (the little red car) of\nthe staff report and that the car represented her car recently. She sneaked up to the bike lane and\nsuddenly coming from her right a car approached at high speed to make the turn onto Channing\nWay. The vehicle did not expect a car to be where she was and nearly clipped the front end of\nher car. To advise drivers to sneak up and wait at the edge of the bike lane is an invitation for\ntrouble. She recalled when she took her vehicle license test, she did something very similar to\nthe previous incident where she stopped at the crosswalk and sneaked forward. The examiner\ncited her for making an illegal rolling stop. She questioned the legality of the procedure listed in\nthe staff report. Thus, she recommended that the Commission adopt the stop signs. If they\ncannot then extend the bike lane lines and cut the concealing bushes on the left side of the street.\nJim Strehlow, Alameda resident and local employee, explained he was glad to see that not every\nstop sign is being erected at residents' requests. He was glad to see analysis conducted before\nimplementation.\nCommissioner Vargas stated he biked over to the intersection and tried to see what the sight\ndistance limitation was.\nSergeant Ron Simmons, Alameda Police Traffic Section Supervisor, responded to Ms.\nAndersen's inquiries and explained that although vehicles are supposed to stop at the first line\nbefore the crosswalk, vehicles are allowed to creep up through the crosswalks and into the bike\nlanes if visibility is an issue and they are legally allowed to creep forward safely into the\nintersection. When Ms. Andersen occupied that portion of the roadway and if she did so safely,\nshe had a legal right to be there. In addition, when that vehicle was coming down and turning\nleft and if they were to hit Ms. Andersen they would be found at fault. The rules also would\napply for bicycles as well and the bicycle has to yield to the vehicle in that case.\nCommissioner Bertken explained that he was glad the question was brought up because there are\na number of intersections around town where the cross traffic is heavy and there is no way to\ncross the intersection safely without moving your car forward a bit.\nCommissioner Vargas asked Sergeant Simmons if reports were filed about near collisions around\nthat intersection.\nSergeant Simmons replied he received many field calls so he does not know.\nCindy Lum initiated the appeal request and felt a lot of near collisions are not reported. She\nreviewed reports in the last three years at the Police Department, and she could not find anything.\nWhen she gathered signatures and talked to neighbors she again felt collisions were not reported.\nShe observed that vehicles passing the Speed Trailer do not travel under 34 mph, and she has\ntaken pictures of some vehicles go as far as 45 mph. She felt physical observations need to be\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 5 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 6, "text": "taken into account for pedestrian spikes before and after school hours. When she went out to\nreceive signatures, many residents were supportive of the stop sign. She would like to have an\nalternative such as speed bumps brought up if they cannot erect a stop sign.\nStaff Naclerio replied that speed bumps are not an approved traffic control measure. However,\nthere are speed lumps found on Bayview Drive, which allows wide axle vehicles to pass. The\ninstallation would require Police and Fire Department approval. In the past, the Fire Department\nstaff has said if there is a major route they use for emergency access, they cannot have speed\nlumps installed. Robert Davey Jr. Drive would be considered an emergency access route.\nCommissioner Vargas asked Ms. Lum if she needed additional briefing from the City to\nunderstand the bike lane lines that are being proposed instead of the stop signs.\nCindy Lum replied she would like more information from the City.\nCommissioner Vargas asked staff if that is something that could be scheduled offline.\nStaff Naclerio replied he would schedule a meeting in the next week or SO.\nCommissioner Wong stated that speed lumps could not be installed unless approved by the Fire\nDepartment. She wanted to know what could be done to reduce vehicle speeds.\nStaff Naclerio replied that from an engineering standpoint there are not many alternatives\navailable. Otherwise, staff has been working with the Police Department because it becomes an\nenforcement issue. They are working with Police staff to monitor speed during commute hours\nbased on Police staffing levels. Alternatively, Public Works staff could look at the entire\nintersection to see if they could conduct narrowing at all of the lanes. There are studies that show\nnarrower lanes make drivers feel constricted and reduce their traveling speeds.\nCommissioner Bellows asked about curb bulb outs and if that would help narrow the road since it\nis a pedestrian-oriented concern.\nStaff Naclerio replied the option would be possible, but there is a bike lane in the way.\nCommissioner Bellows explained that staff could put a slice of a bulb out and since there is no\nparking and include a slice for the bikes to get through and then carry the paint through.\nStaff Naclerio said he would look into the option, but it could become costly. He felt that by\nnarrowing the lanes, you are moving the vehicles away from the people who are trying to make\nthe turns and that would create a bit of increased visibility and comfort. Ultimately, staff's goals\nare to allow vehicles traveling along Robert Davey Jr. Drive to stop or slow in enough time to\nallow approaching cars to make the turn.\nCommissioner Vargas asked a public speaker - Red Wetherhill - to come to the podium to have\nhis comments recorded.\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 6 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 7, "text": "Red Wetherhill stated if he cannot see the driver coming around the corner, it stands to reason\nthat the driver cannot see him either.\nCommissioner Schatmeier explained that he lives in the area and used the road frequently. He\nwanted to know about the appeal process. He wondered if this is the first line of appeal or the\nlast line.\nStaff Naclerio stated there was a $100 fee to appeal the decision to the Transportation\nCommission and if the appeal is not upheld, they could appeal it to the City Council.\nCommissioner Vargas called for the Commission to make a motion.\nCommissioner Schatmeier moved to accept staff recommendations. Commissioner Bellows\nseconded the motion.\nCommissioner Wong asked if she opposed the motion due to the need for staff to observe the\nintersection in terms of speed and safety how would she proceed or would she include an\namendment.\nStaff Naclerio asked if she agreed that the stop sign is not warranted.\nCommissioner Wong replied she is in agreement with that, but she wanted staff to observe the\narea and monitor the speed levels for safety.\nStaff Naclerio asked Commissioner Schatmeier to possibly accept an amendment that states the\nCommission does not approve the appeal, but staff would continue to look at ways to improve\nthe intersection by reducing speeds through installing bulb outs, striping and narrowing lanes.\nCommissioner Schatmeier explained that he would be open to amending the motion to include\nstaff's additional recommendations.\nCommissioner Vargas called for the Commission to make a motion and include Staff Naclerio's\nrecommendations.\nCommissioner Schatmeier moved to accept staff recommendations. Commissioner Bellows\nseconded the motion. The motion was approved 5-0.\n5C.\nEncinal High School Interim Pedestrian Improvements\nStaff Payne presented a summary of the report.\nCommissioner Vargas opened the floor to public comment.\nRoxanne Brown Garcia, Principal of Encinal High School, was there on behalf of several\nstakeholders groups including: PTSA, the Athletic Booster Club and the future Junior Jets, which\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 7 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 8, "text": "will accommodate 6th through 8th graders. She recently has taken on the principal position at\nEncinal High School, but she is not new to administration. Her goal as an instructional leader is\nto keep students, staff and families safe. There are 1,100 students and they share the campus\nwith a charter school. Whenever possible, she is outside to help youth cross the street along with\ntwo other administrators. At this point, her community needs help and there is an active parent\nand the Police Department has stepped up to support the cause. Yet, there is only one resource\nofficer that is assigned to the youth and the officer has other duties within the City. She\nexplained that Mr. Juhala has a very clear plan, and she would like the Commission to consider\nhis thoughts. She also explained that she has worked with Staff Payne and corresponded\nfrequently with her by email. Since starting at Encinal High School, what worries her is the fact\nthat she has sent three electronic alerts to families about students being struck by vehicles.\nCommissioner Vargas explained that staff received a ten-page document proposal authored by\nMr. Juhala.\nJerry Juhala is the parent of an Encinal High School student and since October 2012 he\nvolunteers as a crossing guard. He felt that the biggest issue was the congestion caused by cars\nentering into the school and the backup of vehicles trying to turn left onto Third Street from the\neast and westbound directions of Central Avenue. He mentioned that the City's plans to include\nan additional painted line in the crosswalks and the street divider was a good idea. However, the\nCity's plan to include wheel stops and paint on the southwest corner will only increase\ncongestion in the area since cars will not be able to get around a driver who wants to turn left\nonto Third Street. Additionally, he believed the City's decision to include a painted island near\nTaylor Avenue will back up cars heading towards the school as westbound drivers now have less\nspace when trying to turn left or right onto Third Street. Thus, he came up with five alternative\noptions which include: 1) make a dedicated left turn lane from westbound Central Avenue onto\nThird Street; 2) create a permanent barrier to block traffic from entering and exiting Taylor\nAvenue; 3) combine alternative 1 and alternative 2; 4) do not allow left hand turns onto Third\nStreet going north from Central Avenue, which would be coming from the school; and 5) create a\nright turn only lane on Taylor Avenue.\nCommissioner Vargas asked staff if they looked into Mr. Juhala's suggestions.\nStaff Naclerio replied he reviewed his comments and suggestions. At this point, staff is trying to\ncreate a quick interim solution to address the current problem. He believed the solutions\nproposed are viable and the next steps would be to meet with the community at large and the\nschool. He suggested the Commission move ahead with staff recommendations because traffic\nmust be calmed within the intersection and staff's goal was to queue vehicles to slow them down.\nCommissioner Vargas asked Principal Brown Garcia if the City's proposal might create\nadditional safety issues or changes to the drop off locations.\nRoxanne Brown Garcia replied the options made by Jerry are the most viable for them. She\nunderstands the City has limitations, but she would like City staff to meet with her stakeholder\ngroups and discuss options that work for everyone involved.\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 8 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 9, "text": "Commissioner Bellows wondered if they went forward with the staff proposition how long would\nit take to execute the recommendation and if a documented monitoring program could be put into\nplace. She felt it would be best to implement staff's recommendations and improve the\nrecommendations over the summer and have a monitoring program in place by fall to see if\nstaff's recommendations address a few of the issues.\nStaff Naclerio replied that the striping is not done in house so they would have to bid for a\ncontractor. The process will take 30 days or longer. They wanted to use the wheel stops because\nthey could be installed in house; however, he was not sure if they want to install them before the\nstriping.\nCommissioner Bellows replied that from her understanding the project could be partially up by\nlate February and school ends June 7 so that would be roughly three months.\nStaff Naclerio replied even with the solutions proposed by Mr. Juhala it would be the same time\nlimit because the City would need to bid out for a contractor.\nJerry Juhala asked if the City were to put the wheel stops in and they turn out to make the\ncongestion worse how hard would it be to take them out and keep the striping.\nStaff Naclerio replied it would be very simple to take the wheel stops out.\nCommissioner Wong understood that this is an interim solution, but she wanted a clear\nunderstanding of the project's timeline for public outreach to quickly move forward.\nStaff Naclerio said public outreach would occur over the next couple of months. By September,\nthe proposal would ideally be in place. Also, Public Works staff would need the Commission's\napproval at the July 2013 Transportation Commission meeting.\nCommissioner Schatmeier explained the project needs the support of the community. However,\nin the previous item, staff accessed the impacts of putting in a stop sign and assessed that step\nagainst warrants. He then asked if staff have applied particular warrants to this proposal.\nStaff Naclerio replied that unfortunately there are no warrants and they are putting on their\nthinking caps to develop creative solutions while working with the community.\nCommissioner Schatmeier asked if one of staff's goals is to install a proposal with solid\ncommunity input and then when unanticipated results occur withdraw the action.\nStaff Naclerio explained that it is the idea to implement the recommendations within the interim\nand that is why they want to begin working quickly on community outreach.\nCommissioner Wong asked Sergeant Simmons in terms of crossing guards is the department\nlimited based upon funding.\nSergeant Simmons replied there are designated crossing guards for the Safe Routes to School\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 9 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 10, "text": "routes, which are predominately for elementary campuses. Also, they have the School Resource\nOfficer to assist on the crossing guard duty. Overall, there are 24 crossing guards and they can\nonly afford 24 within their budget.\nCommissioner Wong stated that the Police Department has volunteers and, besides solely having\nMr. Juhala oversee Encinal High School, could volunteer or rotate to other schools.\nStaff Naclerio said that he would arrange to meet with the volunteer and policing coordinator to\nsee if that is a viable option.\nStaff Payne acknowledged staff person Allen Ta who walked the area several times. She\nmentioned he is eager to work on the project and he took many pictures.\nCommissioner Bertken agreed with the motion to approve, but he asked staff to come back to the\nnext meeting with specific issues addressed by the public and bring an accompanying timetable\nto implement the recommended actions.\nCommissioner Wong moved to accept staff recommendations with Commissioner Bertken's\namendments. Commissioner Bellows seconded the motion. The motion was approved 5-0.\n5D. Quarterly Report on Activities Related to Transportation Policies and Plans\nStaff Payne presented a summary of the report.\nCommissioner Schatmeier asked about the actions taken to implement the International Walk and\nRoll to School Day in Alameda as part of the Safe Routes to School because he administered\nMarin County's Safe Routes to School. He wondered whether there were routes maps and fact\nsheets to promote the event.\nStaff Payne replied that staff works with the lead project administrator - the Countywide Safe\nRoutes to School Program. She mentioned that the City of Alameda has one of the oldest Walk\nand Roll to School events and all Alameda middle and elementary schools participate throughout\nthe City. She explained that Public Works staff revise school route maps and distribute a copy of\nthe map for each student before the event.\n5E.\nAlameda Paratransit Program Annual Review\nStaff Payne presented a summary of the report.\nCommissioner Bellows said she was very excited to see that the public could ride the shuttle. Yet,\nthere is no charge for typical shuttle passengers. She questioned what the resistance would be in\nasking the public to pay for the shuttle service if they do not qualify for Paratransit benefits. Her\nmain concern was that it would be hard to have people pay later when they can start paying now.\nStaff Payne explained that charging is a whole other system and they do not have the components\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 10 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 11, "text": "in place to accept and process money. The returns would not be very high given the costs\ninvolved in getting the system started.\nCommissioner Bellows replied you have to do it at some point.\nStaff Payne said they were not expecting to charge passengers, but the idea is on the table and\nthey may consider it at some point.\nCommissioner Bellows reiterated Staff Payne's comments by stating the shuttle has extra\ncapacity at this time and so why not let other people ride too.\nCommissioner Schatmeier asked if the shuttle shared stops with Alameda County Transportation\nDistrict (AC Transit).\nStaff Payne explained that yes, in some cases, they do.\nCommissioner Schatmeier believed including benches at the stops should be a priority for City\nstaff. Additionally, he stated that staff should bid for specific Paratransit-related features and\nstaff should examine the cost of owning the vehicle.\nStaff Payne replied they wanted to own their vehicle because there is $160,000 coming into the\ncoffers while $170,000 or more is spent each year. The City was requested to spend down\nreserves faster and that is why they initiated the shuttle service in the first place. If the City had\ntheir own vehicle, the operating cost per hour would be less and would reduce the overall\nexpenditures. Furthermore, the Parks and Recreational Department owns their vehicles. A City-\nowned Alameda Paratransit Shuttle vehicle could be used for Parks and Recreation programs and\nother City purposes. They are in the process of issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the\nAlameda Paratransit Shuttle and a low floor, alternative fuel vehicle is within the proposal.\nCommissioner Schatmeier stated the bidders should present staff with a price for both vehicles\nand staff could then compare the price difference.\nCommissioner Bertken asked staff to describe the dark circle on Clinton and Grand on the map\nwithin the staff report.\nStaff Payne said that may have been a Google Map error and she is not sure why that it is there.\nCommissioner Vargas asked a fiscal and operational question about the purchase of the shuttle.\nHe felt the idea of owning or leasing versus hiring would create a fiscal commitment because the\noperator would become a City employee and would burden the City's payroll.\nStaff Payne replied that there are different ways to hire drivers for the shuttle routes. The Parks\nand Recreation Department has a part-time City employee. Alternatively, there are agencies out\nthere that provide drivers.\nStaff Payne explained that every year staff applies for pass through monies to the Alameda\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 11 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 12, "text": "County Transportation Commission (CTC). Staff takes the list of expenditures to the various\ncommissions/boards and the City Council approves a resolution, which then goes to Alameda\nCTC. The Transportation Commission is making a recommendation to the City Council.\nCommissioner Schatmeier asked if opening the service to the public justified the continued\noperation of the shuttle. He then asked if staff had specific general public ridership goals and if\nthey do not attain those goals does that mean service is in jeopardy.\nStaff Payne explained that the service is fine with or without the public riding the shuttle.\nAlthough it is not a full shuttle, there are transit needs in the City so staff feels that they need to\ncreate more transit options for residents. She said that they have about 500 riders per month and\nthe operation is deemed cost effective for now.\nCommissioner Vargas called for the Commission to make a motion.\nCommissioner Bellows moved to accept staff's report. Commissioner Wong seconded the motion.\nThe motion was approved 5-0.\n5F.\nProposed Grant Submittals\nStaff Payne presented an update on staff actions.\nCommissioner Vargas asked about the outcome of the Priority Development Areas (PDAs) that\ndid not meet the Alameda CTC requirements. He wondered whether it was because we did not\nhave enough units constructed.\nStaff Payne explained that the PDAs are required to have constructed a certain threshold of units\nor have them in the pipeline. Also, staff was not done with the planning and the Environmental\nImpact Report (EIR) for Alameda Point.\nCommissioner Vargas asked in regards to the grants that are community oriented do we have the\npotential to partner with a non-profit organization so the City can work in partnership with\nothers.\nStaff Payne replied she would look into it. She explained that staff used the transportation project\npriority list to select the projects for grant submittal. It was a nice way to see the list coming\ntogether and actually being used.\nCommissioner Vargas called for the Commission to make a motion.\nCommissioner Wong moved to accept staff's report. Commissioner Schatmeier seconded the\nmotion. The motion was approved 4-0; 1 abstention.\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 12 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 13, "text": "6.\nStaff Communications\nAC Transit Line OX- Reconsider Opening to Local Riders\n-\nRight now local riders are restricted to board during the morning and they will allow\nlocal riders to board during the morning runs beginning in March.\n-\nCommissioner Schatmeier explained that the Interagency Liaison Committee (ILC)\nmeeting had the item on the agenda that morning and AC Transit reported they are\nworking on modifications on the Line 631 local school trip service to adjust the\nschedule so school kids will naturally gravitate to that bus line rather than board the\nLine OX. This change will allow AC Transit to implement local boardings on Line\nOX in the mornings.\nCommunity Input for the Alameda Beltline Design Needed\n-\nThere is going to be two community meetings on Saturday, February 9, 10 am and\nWednesday, February 13, 7 pm, City Hall.\nPotential Future Meeting Agenda Items\n-\nResidential Appeal of Public Works Staff's Decision to Not Install Street Sweeping\nSigns on La Jolla Drive\n-\nDraft Regional Transit Access Study (RTAS): Overview of Study Corridors, Transit\nDemand, and Service Examples, Part II\n-\nTraffic Control and Contingency Plan during Construction for I-880/29th Ave./23rd\nAve. Interchange Improvement Project in Oakland: Public Information Program and\nTransit Impacts.\n-\nEncinal High School Timeline\n-\nTransportation-related Capital Improvement Program\n-\nTransportation Development Act Article 3 Bicycle/Pedestrian Funds\nCommissioner Vargas asked staff if they could include discussing next steps on the Measure B2\ndecision for the March meeting.\nStaff Payne replied she has not heard much about next steps so that is why she did not include the\nitem in the agenda.\nCommissioner Bellows exclaimed that from her understanding there was a countywide cap. If\nstaff could bring any legislative breakthroughs that would be helpful to understand.\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 13 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2013-01-23", "page": 14, "text": "Commissioner Schatmeier asked what portion of Measure B2 was controversial.\nStaff Payne replied the current Measure B ends in year 2022 and Measure B2, which was voted\non last November, did not have a sunset clause. A news article mentioned that some voters felt\nthat part was controversial.\n7.\nAnnouncements/ Public Comments\nNone.\n8.\nAdjournment\n9:10 pm\nTransportation Commission Meeting Minutes\nPage 14 of 14", "path": "TransportationCommission/2013-01-23.pdf"}