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TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 1 | DRAFT TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MINUTES October 25, 2006 Chair Knox White called the Transportation Commission to order at 7:38 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL - Roll was called and the following recorded. Members Present: John Knox White Robb Ratto Robert McFarland Eric Schatmeier Members Absent: Jeff Knoth Michael Krueger Staff Present: Obaid Khan, Supervising Civil Engineer Barry Bergman, Program Specialist II Chair Knox White requested that Item 6A be addressed immediately because of the number of public speakers. 6A. REVIEW ALTERNATIVES AND RECOMMEND BUS STOP LOCATION ON OTIS DRIVE AND REVISIT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION TO CITY CUNCIL TO ADPT AC TRANSIT BOARD'S BUS STOP POLICY. Staff Bergman presented the staff report. Bus Stop Location - Otis Drive. At the last meeting in May, the Commission made a recommendation that the City Council adopt AC Transit's bus stop policy, but did not comment on the merits of specific bus stop locations on Otis Drive. Because of the public interest in this issue, the PW Director has since requested that the Commission make a recommendation about a specific location for the stop. Staff Bergman reviewed the background of the issue, and noted that some of the major considerations were the impacts on the neighborhood such as removal of on- street parking, street trees, opposition from adjacent property owners, sign clutter, potential conflict with street furniture, the need for new crosswalks, availability of lighting, presence of traffic control devices, availability of ramps, etc. Staff assessed the possible locations in that area and assumed that bus stops would be in position at Otis and Willow, which had not gone through the process yet. He described the spacing, signage, street furniture, crosswalk, striping, visibility and tree removal issues at the intersections. Staff requested that the Commission recommend a location for a bus stop at one of the listed locations. | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 2 | Chair Knox White inquired whether the neighboring property owners had been notified of this discussion meeting. Staff Bergman noted that at this time, there was no proposal to actually install anything at those locations, and that the standard noticing procedure had been followed. Chair Knox White did not feel comfortable moving forward with this item without hearing from the residents at these locations. He suggested that the discussion be refocused on Otis Drive at Sandcreek Way, and whether or not there were other, better options; the discussion may be rescheduled for November after taking public comment. Commissioner Ratto inquired when and why the bus stop was abandoned. Audience member responded that it was abandoned in February 2005 because of safety issues. Public Comment Elmer Garlitz, 1511 Pacific, noted that he has worked as a crossing guard at Otis and Sandcreek Way for Lum School, and that he was totally opposed to a bus stop anywhere near Sandcreek Way and Otis Drive. He believed it would create a safety problem for the crossing guards in getting the children across the street, and noted that it would be very difficult to hold the children until the bus went by. He believed the bus should be held to allow the children to cross. He believed the bus stop as proposed would create a safety hazard because the bus stop sign was placed in such a position that the bus stops right on top of the crosswalk, thereby blocking the view of oncoming traffic from either direction from behind the bus, requiring the crossing guard to step into the path of oncoming traffic without being seen until he or she clears the body of the bus. Since the average traffic speed is about 30 mph, this would mean that a driver could not safely stop the vehicle in time to avoid striking a pedestrian using the crosswalk. He would like to see changes in the current signage. Barbara Nemer suggested that this bus stop would be a mistake, and noted that two children had been hit at Franklin Elementary the previous week. She did not underst… | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 3 | at Otis and Pond or Otis and Sandalwood. She believed that a bus stop at this location would have a far great potential for a pedestrian accident than the other two listed on the spreadsheet. She believed that safety should be the primary issue, and urged the Commission not to allow the bus stop to be reinstalled at Otis Drive and Sandcreek Way. Marilyn Teploe agreed with the previous speakers' statements, and noted that her driveway was located right at the crosswalk. She noted that the red curb was there when she moved in six years ago, and that it was not put there because of the bus. She believed it was put there for the safety of the schoolchildren, and added that she also did not have parking in front of her house. She would be in favor of a bus stop in the vicinity of Pond Isle. Liz Cleves noted that there were skid marks at the crosswalk at Otis and Sandcreek, which was of concern to her. She agreed with the other speakers that it was a very dangerous crosswalk, and was extremely concerned that a bus would block a driver's view of children in the crosswalk. Shannon Nicholson, 2122 Santa Clara Avenue, noted that she had also seen the skid marks and uses extreme caution in that area. She agreed with the previous speakers, and cited AC Transit's Board Policy #508 that "the ultimate decision for placement of a bus stop is made by the jurisdiction in which the stop is located. The bus stop must also be convenient to the places where passengers wish to go." She questioned how many passengers wish to go to the area near Otis and Sandcreek Way. She believed that a midblock bus stop directly in front of a crosswalk used primarily by children would not be in the best interest of AC Transit or the City of Alameda, and would definitely not be in the best interest of the children and other pedestrians. Closed Public Comment Chair Knox White inquired how many buses travel through the area during school; at what times were they scheduled to go through; and what was the usage of the stop. Nathan Landau, AC Transit noted … | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 4 | visibility. He would entertain a motion to bring this item back in November in order to discuss the validity of selecting another site for this stop. Commissioner Schatmeier would support a bus stop located somewhere, but did not want the conclusion to be that there would be no bus stop located anywhere. Staff Khan expressed concern about the proximity of establishing additional crosswalks at adjacent intersections, and recommended channelizing pedestrians toward the existing crosswalk at Sandcreek Way. He indicated that the concerns of the crossing guards could be addressed by working with staff and AC Transit. Commissioner Ratto moved to eliminate the possibility of putting a bus stop at Otis Drive and Sandcreek Way, to agendize looking at Sandalwood Isle and Pond Isle at the November meeting, and to instruct staff to do the appropriate noticing. Commissioner McFarland seconded. Motion passed unanimously, [4-0]. Revisit Commission Recommendation to City Council to Adopt AC Transit Board's Bus Stop Policy Staff Bergman summarized the staff report, and noted that bus stop spacing recommendations were fairly consistent within the City's current transit plan, which was a range of 800-1300 feet for local routes. He noted that the 63 was considered a local route. Staff was concerned that there were some provisions in the policy that were not applicable to the City, and this might be better handled as part of the Transit Plan Update through the TMP. Staff recommended that in terms of spacing, until the TMP is amended, that the City use the existing Transit Plan's guidelines of approximately 1000 feet. Staff Khan noted that AC Transit policy was more focused on a service-oriented approach, in terms of how to provide and improve service. He noted that the examination of crosswalks and pedestrian ramps were not addressed in the AC Transit policy; that was another reason that staff recommended that when the TMP was looked at as a whole, all those concerns could be addressed to be more consistent with the rest of the TMP p… | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 5 | APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Schatmeier moved to accept the approval of the September 27, 2006 minutes. Commissioner Ratto seconded. Motion passed unanimously, 4-0. 3. AGENDA CHANGES There were none. 4. COMMISSION COMMUNICATIONS Chair Knox White noted that he had attended the previous City Council meeting, and that they had supported the Transportation Commission's seven recommended policies. Staff Khan would present the details of that meeting. 7A. REVIEW AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON DRAFT FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM CONCEPTS. Staff Khan presented the staff report on this item, and noted that it would be part of the Transportation Master Plan and the Multimodal Circulation Plan. 5 | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 6 | Mark Spencer, Principal, DKS Associates, Oakland, made the presentation on this item, and described the scope and goals of the Draft Functional Classification System. He noted that the three main classifications were arterial, collector and local streets. He noted that Caltrans follows the functional classification system put forth by the FHWA, and that any municipality must follow that system to qualify for federal funding. He noted that Denver used a multimodal approach based on surrounding street context and land use, and they created five new street types: residential, main, mixed use, commercial and industrial. He displayed those street types on the overhead screen and described their functions. Austin, Texas, used a "great streets plan," which promoted streets as public places, and they accepted congestion as part of success. He noted that most cities were not trying to achieve every one of their objectives with every kind of street concept; some streets will accept more congestion and lower service levels in exchange for a vibrant, multimodal, multifunctional, pedestrian-dominant street. They instituted several new street types: pedestrian-dominant, bike and local access, mixed mode, commuter, rapid transit (with no on-street parking). He noted that a mixed mode street was designed to serve slow- moving vehicles accessing the street frontage uses, and discouraged any kind of through traffic by design. A four-foot safe zone for parking access and bicycle room was also included, similar to the bike lane on Santa Clara Street. He noted that pavement treatment was also used for crosswalks, parking and safe zones. He noted that the 25 mph concept was used in Denver and Austin, and that Austin used narrow lanes, on-street parking and "commuter streets." Palo Alto used landscaped medians, curbs, narrow travel lanes, curb extensions and 25 mph limits; they used physical changes to the street to force the slow speed. Santa Cruz was the only city using the term "enforcement" with respect to the speed limit. Traffic … | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 7 | Staff Khan noted that this was an initial draft item, and would come back to the Commission in November or December with more detail. Mark Spencer noted that they did not want to bring a finished product to the Commission before it was able to comment on it. Chair Knox White hoped that at the next meeting, they would be able to go back to the work they have already done, and to see how the report mirrors that. He liked the comments regarding landscaping. Mark Spencer noted that information from a subcommittee of the Transportation Commission was used as a starting point for developing the City's street classification system. Chair Knox White noted that even Alameda's commercial streets were residential in character, and that he believed the classifications identified those characteristics. He liked the goals stated by the City of Austin. Commissioner Schatmeier noted that with respect to the classification exercise, he felt somewhat constrained because they did not have extensive knowledge about what could be done, without jeopardizing funding for improvements. Having seen this document, he was relieved that there would be a variety of ways of treating classification systems that did not jeopardize funding; if he had known they had that flexibility at the time, perhaps they would have been able to exercise more imagination in that regard. Chair Knox White noted that he would entertain a motion to accept the findings and use the previously defined Task Force classifications as a guideline for the type of plan the Commission would like to see. Commissioner Schatmeier moved to accept the findings and use the previously defined Task Force classifications as a guideline for the type of plan for the multimodal plan, including the Santa Cruz street classification names, and the type of information contained in the Denver plan in terms of how the classifications and overlays affect the streets as a whole. Commissioner Ratto seconded. Motion passed unanimously, 4-0. Chair Knox White suggested that the Commission address t… | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 8 | John Atkinson noted that the tasks had not followed in a chronological order and that they used a generic, multimodal method to look at the hubbing from the 12th Street BART station to the Ferry Terminal, and in looking at services within a 10-12 mile perimeter of those hubs. They also looked at various vehicle types and scenarios of operation. His recommendation to staff was that the City not become involved directly in transportation operations, and that they look at some type of turnkey method for logistic, legal and operational concerns. He added that it would be better to hire a contract for that service. He noted that he could see the City initially needing to close the gap until the second or third phase was underway. Chair Knox White inquired what the initial goal was. John Atkinson replied that it was to look at establishing a viable multimodal link between BART and the Ferry to the areas of development out on the West End. A discussion of ridership in other cities and City funding ensued. Commissioner Schatmeier inquired whether the City had a policy about contracting for services of this type. He recalled that AC Transit used to have a policy about not contracting out for services. John Atkinson replied that there were private shuttles not operated under AC Transit. He noted that historically, AC Transit has not used a private contractor, with the exception of the East Bay Paratransit Consortium. He described the low-fare and no-fare zones, and noted that it was postulated that there would be service sufficient to allow people to live in the development without an automobile; that service would be more frequent than every 30 minutes. Chair Knox White noted that the Commission would provide a range of scenarios to City Council. He was surprised to see AC Transit not mentioned as a possible operator, and he agreed with Commissioner Krueger's idea of adding new transit systems that not only compete, but are another system for people to use. He believed that part of the plan needs to address how it fits in… | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,9 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 9 | 7B. RECONCILING OF TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDED POLICIES FOR REVIEWING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORTS (EIRs) WITH THE PREVIOUSLY RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN (TMP) POLICIES. Staff Khan presented the staff report and summarized the discussion from the City Council meeting. Staff recommends to the Transportation Commission to assign the task of examining the seven policies, and to provide a recommendation during the November meeting. The City Council had approved the process for a General Plan Amendment, and for staff to move forward with the updating of the Transportation Element of the General Plan. During the discussion on October 17, the Council raised issues relating to the seven new policies, particularly Policy 7 regarding the congestion that could be acceptable within the City at certain locations and intersections. City Council comments related to this policy were very specific, and that it may need some language revisions. According to the City Council minutes, Council directed that Policy 7 be rewritten. Staff prepared some discussion points to be considered by the Transportation Commission, and that if Policy 7 were to be expanded in terms of providing guidance regarding how the City would address acceptable congestion levels. Also, the implementation of the policy during the review process and the threshold would be considered. Staff Khan noted that staff also recommended allowable impacts to pedestrians, bicycles and transit be verified due to increasing congestion. Staff also recommends accepting increasing queues at intersections, as a result of increasing congestion. He noted that the next item was to establish quantifiable impacts to the emergency response times. Increasing congestion may increase the emergency response times, so there may be some kind of a threshold that should be established for policy guidance. He stated that the last item was a quantifiable level of service for different modes of transportation that are required at congested locations and intersections. City… | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf,10 | TransportationCommission | 2006-10-25 | 10 | 8. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS A discussion of the packet preparation timeline and meeting schedules ensued. It was decided that the Circulation Subcommittee would meet by November 8 to follow up on Item 7B, and to allow it to fit into the Alameda Landing schedule. Meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. 10 | TransportationCommission/2006-10-25.pdf |
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