pages: PlanningBoard/2008-08-25.pdf, 2
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PlanningBoard | 2008-08-25 | 2 | 9. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS: 9-A. Draft Transportation Element General Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Report. A public hearing to take public comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Report and draft amendments to the City of Alameda General Plan. No final action or decision will be made at this meeting by either body. Mr. Thomas summarized the staff report and noted that at this time, staff would record comments on the adequacy of the EIR, and the appropriateness of the Draft Transportation Element. He noted that the Transportation Commission played a critical role in producing this draft Element. Mr. Obaid Khan, Public Works, displayed a PowerPoint presentation describing the Draft Transportation Element in detail. President Kohlstrand suggested that the public hearing be opened, and noted that five speaker slips had been received. She suggested that the speakers' time not be limited in this matter. The public hearing was opened. Mr. Bill Smith noted that land use and transportation issues were closely connected. As a bicycle commuter, he supported additional bicycle capacity along Fruitvale Bridge. He believed that bicycle lanes worked well as a traffic calming measure because they narrowed the street available to cars; they also made room for bicycles. He was encouraged by the direction taken by the Draft Transportation Element. Ms. Susan Decker, Alameda Transit Advocates, stated that she believed the analysis of the impact considering alternative modes like bicycles, pedestrians and transit were very important. She noted that some mitigation was good for public transit, such as widening roads, were not good for pedestrians and bicyclists to gain access to the buses. She inquired about the effect the current parking requirements might have on the amount of traffic generated by a project, as well as other environmental impacts. She inquired about the effect that decisions like street classifications and possible interruptions of the existing grid might have on people's access to public transit. Mr. Richard Bangert noted that he had read Transportation Commission Chair John Knox- White's comments in the newspaper. He wished to discuss some unintended consequences on traffic flow near his home, near Calhoun and Broadway close to Otis. He noted that change to the traffic flow on Broadway between Otis and Encinal, and that there was no strong language in the new Transportation Element that could lead to it being corrected. He believed that most of the focus was on addressing problems that might arise with a new development, and that unintended consequences should be corrected. He noted that signal priority should be given to pedestrians, but that was complicated in instances where there are no signals. He believed that language requiring that a signal or stop sign be installed should be included. He expressed concern about the school-age children in the area. Page 2 of 9 | PlanningBoard/2008-08-25.pdf |