{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 1, "text": "Approved Minutes\nTransportation Commission Meeting\nWednesday, July 28, 2021\nTime:\n6:30 p.m.\nLocation:\nDue to Governor Executive Order N-08-21, Transportation Commissioners can\nattend the meeting via teleconference. The City allowed public participation via Zoom.\nLegistar Link:\n https://alameda.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=811335&GUID=54809A56-6AF9-435D-\n311A-81073DAB8EB1&Options=info/&Search=\n1. Roll Call\nPresent: Chair Soules, Vice Chair Nachtigall and Commissioners Rentschler, Hans, Kohlstrand\nand Weitze.\nAbsent: Commissioner Yuen.\n2. Agenda Changes\nChair Soules requested to move item 6E to after item 6A to accommodate the consultant's time.\nNo one objected.\n3. Staff Communications are as shown in the web link here:\n https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037416&GUID=9CD69079-4C3B-\n  4F7D-833A-9428E0160AD5&FullText=1.\n4. Announcements/ Public Comments\nCommissioner Rentschler discussed a deal that Congress was working on that had many benefits\nfor the Bay Area.\nCommissioner Weitze praised Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) for the system they had set up\nto reimburse businesses for setting up Electrical Vehicle (EV) charging stations.\n5.\nConsent Calendar\n5A. Approve Meeting Minutes of the Special Joint Meeting of the Planning Board and\nTransportation Commission - May 10, 2021 (Action Item)\nTC Meeting Minutes\n1\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 2, "text": " ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037417&GUID=C108F591-B9D7-\n4FAF-9DF2-2CC39C5426ED&FullText=1.\nCommissioner Weitze moved to approve as is and Vice-Chair Nachtigall seconded. A vote was\ntaken by a raise of hands and the motion passed 5-0 with Commissioner Hans abstained since he\nhad been absent.\n5B. Approve Meeting Minutes - May 26, 2021 (Action Item)\nhttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037418&GUID=E1EF96FE-5C3C-\n4C78-BEF2-DA7C32B4F47D&FullText=1.\nCommissioner Kohlstrand moved to approve the minutes as is and Vice-Chair Nachtigall\nseconded. A vote was taken by a raise of hands and the motion passed 6-0.\n6. Regular Agenda Items\n6A. Elect Chair and Vice-Chair of the Transportation Commission (Action Item)\nThe staff report can be found at\nhttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037419&GUID=EFD295E3-0188-\n4D90-820E-A52EB8BC601D&Options=&Search=\nPublic Comments for #6A\nThere were no public speakers.\nChair Samantha Soules opened the floor for nominations.\nVice-Chair Nachtigall nominated Chair Soules as Chair for the next term and Commissioner\nWeitze seconded the motion. A vote was taken by a raise of hands and the nomination passed 6-0.\nChair Soules thanked everyone for their confidence in her leadership.\nChair Soules nominated Commissioner Yuen for Vice-Chair, she had discussed this with her\nbefore the meeting and could confirm her interest in the role. Commissioner Rentschler seconded\nthe motion. A vote was taken by a raise of hands and the nomination passed 6-0.\n6E. Discuss Citywide Roundabout Analysis Results (Discussion Item)\nTC Meeting Minutes\n2\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 3, "text": "Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, introduced this item and gave a presentation. She\nalso introduced Mike Alston, a consultant with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. The staff report and\nattachments can be found at\nhttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037423&GUID=1BE1750D-6EA2-\n 4133-A912-638485701722&FullText=1.\nCommissioner Clarifying Questions for #6E\nChair Soules asked about the Social Vulnerability Index and its update status.\nStaff Member Payne shared that the update is being covered as part of the Hazard Mitigation Plan\nupdate effort.\nPublic Comments for #6E\nJim Strehlow was pleased that there was not enough space for roundabouts everywhere. He\ndiscussed what his concerns were and called out Pearl Street by Tilden Way as an example of what\nmight get overlooked. He also pointed out that at Otis Drive and Grand Street it was difficult for\nFire Engine 1 to make a turn.\nStaff Member Payne addressed his concerns about roundabouts and this was an initial scan to see\nwhat was possible. For the intersection discussed (Tilden/Blanding/Fernside) they would of course\ntake Pearl Street under consideration. Then for Otis and Grand, they did consider that issue, the\nconsultants did make sure it could fit.\nMr. Alston discussed all the elements they look at when they evaluated an intersection. He\nexplained what they had studied and looked at for the intersection analysis.\nCommissioner Comments and Discussions for #6E\nCommissioner Kohlstrand wanted to know if smaller traffic circles could work in locations that\nhad been deemed too unsuitable for roundabouts. Instead of focusing on those intersections, she\nwanted to focus on intersections that could still use a traffic circle.\nStaff Member Payne answered that this study had been focused on the modern roundabout, our\nfatal and severe injury collisions, and where those took place. They happened on the busier and\nwider streets. She explained more about why they had focused on the modern roundabouts.\nTC Meeting Minutes\n3\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 4, "text": "Mr. Alston discussed the difference between modern roundabouts and traffic circles. He went into\nthe details and the geometric space needed for each to work. He said the main difference with\ntraffic circles is that they are more appropriate for low volume, local streets.\nCommissioner Kohlstrand discussed her experiences with traffic circles. She felt that they would\nnot have that kind of space in Alameda but that should not keep them from improving safety. She\nasked if a smaller version could work in those higher volume intersections that have 25 mph speed\nlimits.\nMr. Alston discussed the emerging trend of using mini-roundabouts. He explained how they\naddress the space constraint issue, the center aisle is completely traversable and can work in spaces\nwith low-speed limits. He did add that they are usually used in places that have an established\nhistory of roundabouts, so people know how they work.\nStaff Member Payne clarified that the 85 percentile speed was more like 32-35 mph, which was\nmuch higher than the actual speed limit.\nCommissioner Weitze wanted to know what was the typical minimum/maximum for a traffic circle\nor a mini-roundabout.\nMr. Alston explained the physical attributes that mark the difference between traffic circles and\nroundabouts.\nChair Soules said she appreciated the criteria to apply some sort of guidance for future funding.\nShe encouraged the staff to focus on education and outreach to help people understand.\nStaff Payne confirmed that the commission wanted them to continue this research and work on the\nremaining arterials and collectors in town.\nChair Nachtigall very much wanted them to continue this work. She agreed with Commissioner\nKohlstrand about being able to implement them in other ways. She had an appetite for exploring\nintersections where any sort of circular intersection could work.\nRochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, discussed the work she had been doing with\nthe Slow Streets Program and how temporary traffic circles had been discussed. The idea was to\ntest out some of these on the streets of Alameda.\nTC Meeting Minutes\n4\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 5, "text": "6B.\nRecommendations for Commercial Streets (Action Item)\nStaff Member Wheeler introduced this item and gave a presentation. The staff report and\nattachments can be found at\nttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037420&GUID=2B5A74EA-642E-\n4F2F-994C-30CE45C3454E&FullText=1.\nPublic Comments for #6B\nCyndy Johnsen, an Alameda resident, gave her support for the continuation and improvement of\nthe Commercial Street Program. She also encouraged that protected bike lanes be incorporated\ninto the program. She discussed her own experiences as a cyclist.\nKathy Weber, Executive Director to the Downtown Area Business Association (DABA), discussed\nthe many benefits of the Commercial Street Program, that City Staff had worked so hard on for\nthe businesses during this difficult time. She thought that continuing the program was vital to\nbusinesses as they continued to navigate through the pandemic. She was in full support of staff's\nrecommendations.\nJim Strehlow thought the parklet structures blocked some businesses' storefronts. He also did not\nthink dining near busy streets was enjoyable. He discussed his other concerns such as backed-up\ntraffic and wanted someone to measure how many people no longer come to Alameda because of\nthe closed streets. He knew many people who no longer visited Alameda.\nJohn Frangoulis, owner of Park Street Tavern and member of DABA, thanked the city for all the\nsupport they had given restaurants and bars. He supported the continued use of the program and\nbelieved that if they made this permanent then more bike lanes would come which would allow\npeople to feel safer. He hoped they would approve all the proposed projects.\nCurtis Azevedo, an Alameda resident, thought the parklets were a spark of joy during a dark time.\nHe thought instead of dedicated bike lanes they should consider more slow streets and traffic\ncircles. He discussed how much he had enjoyed the slow streets as a cyclist.\nRon Mooney, the owner of Daisy's, fully supported the Commercial Street concept and process.\nHe wanted to see more encouragement in changing the mindset of what streets were for, he\nbelieved they should first be for pedestrians than cars. He also wanted to see the two-lane change\non Park St become permanent and to see the speed limit dropped to 20 mph. He discussed all the\npositive changes the parklets had done. He wanted to see a permanent parklet feature in Alameda.\nTC Meeting Minutes\n5\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 6, "text": "Joan Stebbins, the owner of Honey Salon and DABA member, discussed how much businesses\nstill needed the Commercial Streets Program to stay in place. She implored the commission to\nkeep it. She also discussed all the benefits of the program she enjoyed. She agreed that with more\ntime they could make it look more cohesive. She was in full support of staff's recommendations.\nSabrina Cazarez, the owner of Twirl, said she was in full support of the parklets. The parklets\nallowed businesses to survive as well as created a sense of community and helped with safety\nconcerns.\nDenyse Trepanier, Board President for Bike Walk Alameda, discussed the importance of being\nable to reimagine and redesign our public spaces. She added that with all the changes that had\nhappened and the changes that were in the works it would be too disruptive to go back to the way\nthings were. She thanked the staff for their thoughtfulness and hoped they were given the chance\nto continue this work.\nLinda Asbury, Executive Director of the West End Business Association (WABA), said the board\nof directors and members of WABA were in favor of extending the program to December 2022.\nShe discussed the benefits for the many businesses on the West End and thanked the staff for all\ntheir hard work.\nCommissioner Comments and Discussions for #6B\nCommissioner Weitze wanted to know how many short-term parking spots would be lost on\nWebster St. He cautioned that those spots would be treated as permanent spots and he thought the\nshort-term spots were nice to have.\nStaff Member Wheeler did not have an exact number but after talking with businesses they were\ninterested in keeping 4-5 spots along Webster. The staff would still want to consider loading zones\nand green zones.\nChair Soules asked for clarification on the program timeframe of the recommendation.\nStaff Member Wheeler clarified that the recommendation was for two years from this October,\nwhich would then be until October 2023.\nCommissioner Kohlstrand thanked the staff for all their hard work on this program and for getting\nit going so quickly. She supported the staff's recommendations. She echoed the concerns about\nTC Meeting Minutes\n6\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 7, "text": "Staff Member Wheeler explained the work that DABA had done to control late-night activities on\nAlameda Avenue.\nChair Soules said the two-year timeframe concerned her. She said she would be more supportive\nof one year versus two years. She discussed the survey results and that parking enforcement should\nbe monitored more as well as safety and design guidelines. She discussed the importance of really\nlooking at who was being inconvenienced by these changes and not discount how they had\ntraditionally done things.\nCommissioner Kohlstrand said if they wanted to put something permanent in place then they\nwould need to monitor the temporary situation for another year. The second-year could be a more\npublic process of moving into a more permanent process. She also had concerns about trying to\nput a bike lane on Park Street.\nTC Meeting Minutes\n7\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 8, "text": "Chair Soules asked for clarification on what would happen over the proposed two years.\nStaff Member Wheeler explained that over the next year the staff would monitor and make tweaks\non parking and work on design guidelines for the parklets. Then over the next year, they would\nfinish out the Active Transportation Plan, Vision Zero Plan, and their planning.\nAndrew Thomas, Director of Planning Building and Transportation, added that the two years\nwould allow the staff and the community to better understand the final design that Park and\nWebster St should be. He discussed the items that had come up during this meeting only that\nneeded to be addressed sooner rather than later.\nChair Soules appreciated his comments but her concerns were based on the people who wanted\nthe four lanes back. She wanted to acknowledge and recognize the voices who did not like the\nchanges. The planning process that is traditionally used would allow more public outreach. She\ndid not want to just serve half of the community. She also wanted to know the demographics of\nthe survey results to make sure a group of people was not being left out, and thought that would\nbe fairer.\nDirector Thomas agreed.\nChair Soules made a motion to accept and approve all staff's recommendations for the Commercial\nStreets Program and Commissioner Weitze seconded the motion. A vote was taken by a raise of\nhands and the motion passed 6-0.\n6C. Recommend Approval of Draft Amendments to Alameda Municipal Code Section 30-7\nOff-Street Parking and Loading Space Regulations to improve environmental quality in\nAlameda and implement the City of Alameda Climate Action and Resiliency Plan and\nTransportation Choices Plan (Action Item).\nBrian McGuire, Planner with Planning Building and Transportation, introduced the item and gave\nthe presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at\n  https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037421&GUID=AC653E42-7C7E-\n4DFD-A744-96A04E1573D6&FullText=1.\nCommissioner Clarifying Questions for #6C\nNo commissioners had questions at this time.\nTC Meeting Minutes\n8\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 9, "text": "Public Comments for #6C\nBill Chapin, an Alameda resident, gave his support of these amendments. He also discussed his\nbackground with a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and that his master's project was on\nminimum parking requirements.\nJim Strehlow discussed his concerns with the electric vehicle charging program with the state\nhaving brownout warnings. He did not understand the move to more electrical and wanted to know\nhow the bureau of electricity was going to generate more electricity.\nCommissioner Comments and Discussions for #6C\nCommissioner Weitze asked about User Permits and how would those interact with the required\ndisabled access parking spaces. So if a place wanted to turn their parking lot into outdoor sitting.\nHow would that work?\nStaff Member McGuire explained how the code was written and that in the Use Permit review is\nwhen they could make requirements for accessible parking. Each situation would be different.\nDirector Thomas explained more about what a Use Permit allowed and what impacts the staff\nwould consider. The staff has to make findings and they have the authority to make conditions of\napproval.\nStaff Member McGuire added that they have a pending Use Permit right now that brought up this\nissue. The conditions are where they could add that accessible parking was required or a rideshare\ndrop-off space.\nDirector Thomas discussed how informative and helpful the meeting with the Commission of\nDisabled People had been.\nChair Soules was happy to see the electrification element and agreed that it was important that\nthey find a way to keep up with the need for more electricity.\nCommissioner Kohlstrand made a motion to approve the Draft Recommendation to the City\nCouncil and Commissioner Weitze seconded the motion. A vote was taken by a show of hands\nand the motion passed 5-0, Commissioner Rentschler had to leave the meeting before the vote.\nTC Meeting Minutes\n9\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 10, "text": "6D. Discuss the Alameda General Plan Update, including the Mobility Element and\nTransportation Element Appendix (Discussion Item)\nDirector Thomas introduced this item. The staff report and attachments can be found at\nttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5037422&GUID=7BF1A807-4CFB-\n4402-94F3-DE5D4BAA1B1A&FullText=1.\nCommissioner Clarifying Questions and Discussions and Comments for #6D\nChair Soules discussed what she would want to see at a subcommittee meeting and she wanted to\nsee the timeline for the street categorization.\nDirector Thomas explained more about the appendix maps they had sent AC Transit. He also\ndiscussed the public comments they had received as well as comments from other boards and\ncommissions. He then explained the next steps.\nCommissioner Kohlstrand discussed a few wording changes she wanted to see. She wanted to have\nanother subcommittee meeting on the Mobility Element appendix. She was not comfortable\nincorporating these maps, she had many concerns about Clement Avenue.\nChair Soules and Commissioner Weitze concurred about having another subcommittee meeting.\nDirector Thomas discussed what would be helpful.\nPublic Comments for item #6D\nJim Strehlow took issue with the language around converting gas to electricity for new\nconstruction as well as existing buildings.\nDirector Thomas said they were still taking public comments on these policies. He pointed out the\nnext public hearing for the Planning Board would be September 14. He explained more about the\nElectrification Ordinance and how Climate Change was impacting everything including our use of\nnatural gas.\n7. Announcements / Public Comments\nJim Strehlow discussed how confusing bike only and bus only lanes were on Webster Street at\nWillie Stargell Avenue. He wanted to allow bicycles in the bus lane and wanted a discussion\nTC Meeting Minutes\n10\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2021-07-28", "page": 11, "text": "with AC Transit on this issue. He also wanted the city to create educational materials on how\npedestrians should dress when walking around at night.\nChair Soules reminded everyone that school started on August 6 and that meant many people\nfiguring out new morning commutes. She encouraged everyone to reach out to bring awareness\nin the community to help everyone stay safe. She then thanked Vice Chair Nachtigall for her\nhard work as Vice Chair.\nVice Chair Nachtigall thanked everyone and said it had been an honor. She concurred with\neveryone being aware of children going to and from school and parents figuring out school pick\nup and drop offs.\n8. Adjournment\nChair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:38 p.m.\nTC Meeting Minutes\n11\nJuly 28, 2021", "path": "TransportationCommission/2021-07-28.pdf"}