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TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2020-10-28 | 2 | project, unless one is coming from San Leandro. If coming from San Francisco, this problem has not been solved from Broadway by this project. Paul Ashby: He encouraged the City of Alameda to support inclusion of the Webster Tube walkway for bicyclists. He has concerns about traffic off the island, for bicyclists and for pedestrians. This $100 million project is not yet funded and he is concerned about how to fund the $200 million bike/pedestrian bridge and when it could be funded. Pedestrian improvements will be valuable. Bicycling is difficult in the tubes, and the Webster Tube bike improvements are not satisfactory; however, a four-foot wide path (in Webster Tube) would be better than the three-foot wide path (in Posey Tube). Sugiarto Loni, representing Oakland Chinatown Chamber. He stated that Chinatown receives the brunt of the traffic problem. He was involved in the previous Broadway-Jackson Study; however, Alameda was opposed so the study was delayed for ten years, is his understanding. The OAAP project is a good project for the Chinatown community. The project would open up the Chinatown community making it better for pedestrians. He thinks the horseshoe will work, and he does not want to lose time with a $200 million bike/pedestrian bridge, especially with the planned development of Alameda Point. He hopes that Alameda will support OAAP and not derail it. Serena Chen: She has lived in Alameda for 23 years, and also lived in Oakland and helped build the social communities in Oakland. The freeway cut off Chinatown, and this project is a serious social justice issue. Institutional decisions destroyed the Oakland Chinatown area. She does not want to hold up the opportunity to bring Chinatown together and reduce pollution from Alamedans who drive. She wants to move forward, and she also supports the bike/pedestrian bridge. John Han: He was born in Alameda, and he lives and works in Alameda. The progress of this project is necessary. Alameda will grow yet there is no other ingress or egress. The collisions cont… | TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2020-10-28 | 3 | Michael Sullivan: He bikes through the tubes on a daily basis. It would be unfortunate to spend monies on another path in Webster Tube. It is not a multimodal project. He strongly supports investing in the bike/pedestrian bridge. Ed Manasse, Deputy Director of Planning with the City of Oakland. He has been working with the Alameda CTC project staff and consultants. He appreciates the comments heard tonight, and the City of Oakland will be drafting a letter of support for this project. He also supports the bike/pedestrian bridge project, which will be positive for both cities. Jim Strehlow: He is a bicyclist and motorist. The 2009 Estuary Crossing Study stated that the number one priority would be the water taxi program, and he wants to know the status of this project. The OAAP project is multimodal. The bike/pedestrian bridge is too far north for his needs so he would not use it. Sixth Street is six lanes, and will become a traffic jam. He supports this project. Cyndy Johnson: She is with Bike Walk Alameda, and highlighted the portion of their submitted letter about the bike/pedestrian bridge. The project path does not meet best practice standards. The bike/pedestrian bridge should have been included in this project, and could accommodate up to 13 percent of the estuary trips. Alameda CTC should identify funds for the bike/pedestrian bridge. This bridge has been ten years in the making. Commissioner Comments and Discussion for #6A Commissioner Kohlstrand: She stated that this project is a long time in coming, and it is an important project, particularly for the City of Oakland. It seems to be a reasonable solution, and we should support the project as recommended by City staff. She has used the bus more than the car in this corridor, and is concerned that no transit improvements are listed as part of the project. She would like to have transit priority on both sides of the tube, and would like to hear why it was not included in the project. She would rather see the Webster Street path improvements than shift the … | TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2020-10-28 | 4 | Commissioner Weitze: He supports the bike/pedestrian bridge, though he recommends that it be designed as a bike/pedestrian/transit bridge, since transit will help individuals who do not bike or walk. He is disappointed that the conversation is focused on a one-foot wider bike path, and instead would like to see a path protected from traffic and air pollution. He would like other path options, and not to have a path that exposes people to the air in the Tube. He is hesitant to support the project as is. It is not multimodal. The bike/pedestrian bridge is the long-term solution. Vice Chair Nachtigall: She supports the project, and the current experience is dangerous for pedestrians. She is concerned about the potential for delay, and the bike/pedestrian bridge should not preclude this project. It is not the most multimodal solution but incremental improvements are needed and this project has been in the works for a long time. Commissioner Kohlstrand: She requests that it needs to be clear what the Commissioners are being asked to do for any agenda item. She is open to adding language to enhance pedestrian and transit access as a motion. Vice Chair Nachtigall: She asked for clarification on if it an action item. Staff Thomas: Staff would like to pass comments to the City Council. Can be either consensus-based or an action. Commissioner Weitze: It is not a multimodal project so it does not feel like Alameda should give up on the Webster Tube path improvements. Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion to support the staff letter with two modifications: Remove statement that the City would not oppose the removal of the proposed Webster Tube walkway if it could help fund the next phases of the Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge. Request that Caltrans and Alameda CTC enhance transit access to and from the Tubes both in Oakland and Alameda, which would improve multi-modal access of the project. Commissioner Yuen: She seconded the motion by Commissioner Kohlstrand. The motion passed 6-0. Transportation Commission Special Meeting Minut… | TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2020-10-28 | 5 | 6B. General Plan Update (Andrew Thomas, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation Department) Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director, gave a presentation and introduced consultant Sheffield. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4672975&GUID=66886312-9FOE-4C9E-9485- 317F282E7D8E&Options=&Search= Chair Soules requested to take community comments and to set up a process for future commissioner comments as a sub-committee. She would like a high level of engagement. The General Plan sets a baseline for projects moving forward. It is an opportunity to have community members' voices heard. There were no community comments on Item #6B at this time. Commissioner Comments and Discussion for #6B Commissioner Yuen: She had the following comments: It is a great start of this General Plan and she commends staff for all the hard work on it. The pandemic has changed city planning and how we are dealing with commercial and slow streets, and it impacts fiscal budget of the City. The General Plan needs to mention the pandemic. Staff Thomas agreed about the pandemic and released this draft just as the pandemic began, and will add lessons from the pandemic in the second draft. Commissioner Yuen continued her comments: The actions within policies should be enumerated. Some actions are specific and others are broad, and would like the actions to be as specific as possible to be able to check them off the list if completed. Some actions are global across several chapters such as complete streets, climate and mobility element, and would like to see if it is possible to see mapping by element and action. Staff Thomas said that the update needs to be restated to better understand progress to inform budget decisions, and staff/consultants are working on cross indexing. Vice Chair Nachtigall agreed about the need to include mention of the pandemic. It is well designed and pretty, and yet the photos and the design graphics need to better visua… | TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2020-10-28 | 6 | Alamedans think of density and land use. She would like to see a special workshop meeting or sub- committee to capture all the different perspectives of the commissioner members. She would like more emphasis on transit in that a higher percentage of trips are on transit compared to bicycling and walking, especially getting on/off the island. She is unsure how to proceed with housing obligations until we know what happens with Measure Z. Staff Thomas: He said that Measure Z will impact how the City can proceed with residential density. The City needs to meet the state's housing obligations. Commissioner Kohlstrand: She stated that she would like to consider doing sketch planning with Measure A or with something more rational. Chair Soules: She agreed, and would like to have more comments on the General Plan with a sub-committee process. Commissioner Weitze: He would like measurable actions agreeing with Commissioner Yuen. He would like to set an actual goal for the percent of trips going on and off the island such as car-free to help with funding projects. Chair Soules: She stated that the surveys need more quantification. For example, the survey responses are heavily skewed towards white. The report does mention the groups that are underrepresented, and it needs to report back on how the gap would be reduced. She would like to have more prioritization of projects as well as timing. It is important to have rigor in the objectives and metrics. Transit moves the most amount of people, and transit needs to come back strong. She would like to see another Planning Board and Transportation Commission joint meeting to better understand zoning and development agreement requirements and to ensure coordination. Commissioner Yuen: She likes the idea of the joint meeting with the Planning Board, and supports the transit first idea, and would like to lift it up in the update. The survey results are lacking, and the charts are confusing. She would like an expert to look at it who knows qualitative research. There needs more out… | TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2020-10-28 | 7 | Staff Thomas: He stated that it would be a worthwhile conversation, and could help guide the priorities. It is difficult to prioritize bicycling, walking, greenhouse gas reductions because these projects are trying to solve multiple problems. Chair Soules: She said that having rigor costs money. We need to base the traffic numbers on an updated analysis to serve as a backdrop and for context on how to prioritize projects. Staff Thomas: He would like to have a sub-committee with the specific policies in front of the group. We are unsure how the future will be for transportation and if the entire travel pattern will shift due to COVID and telecommuting in the future. For example, WETA is expecting midday boats to be more crowded. Chair Soules: She agreed that it is difficult and we are trying to think long term, and she will follow up with the study team on how to follow up for more details on the sub-committee. Commissioner Kohlstrand: She would like to have a viable transit system even if we have less congestion by making it more attractive. Commissioner Weitze: He asked how does Alameda promote working from home. There is talk about incentives for local businesses such as financial incentives. Alameda should try to do it. Chair Soules: She said that regionally, telecommuting is being mandated. Public Comment for #6B Christy Cannon: She said that she is on the Community Action for Sustainable Alameda, and she attends Planning Board meeting, and thinks it would be wonderful to have regular joint meetings with the Planning Board. It is tightly related, and is complicated. There are no easy ways to get people to talk about these issues. Making a City plan forces us to think 20 years ahead. She worked on promoting AC Transit bus line 19, and is excited to emphasize transit. It is a great conversation, and she appreciates the time taken by commissioners and staff. 6C. Public Works 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan Draft Recommendations Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer and Robert Vance, Supervising Civil Engineer gave a pr… | TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2020-10-28 | 8 | Commissioner Kohlstrand: She said that it is difficult to understand the funding and the process, and she requested more input earlier than next Spring such as briefings on how it is coming along would be helpful. The discussion on metrics is pertinent with limited funding, and is needed to have the most effective and efficient use of public funds. Chair Soules: She asked Commissioner Kohlstrand if it is a topic to fold into the General Plan subcommittee study sessions. Commissioner Kohlstrand: Yes, it would be helpful. Chair Soules: She stated that Alameda has been extremely competitive with grants compared to the rest of the region. It is a commendable track record. These projects have done the greatest good with the least assets. We need to closely consider our regional partners, and how the projects impact the region. The projects need to state the benefits such as showing the mode split quantitatively, and staff needs to factor this analysis into the entire cost of the project. For equity, it is important to reduce barriers such as credit card issues, language issues, etc. She appreciates that lens in Alameda, and would like for staff to do this outreach to educate ourselves and transit users. Administratively, the commissioners will provide input to staff through the subcommittee. More voices and louder voices are great at this stage. Public Comment for #6C - none 7. Announcements / Public Comments Jim Strehlow: Before COVID, the Bay Area was seeing increased use for water shuttles. Water taxis were the 2009 solution, and he would like to know the status of the water shuttle program, especially the status of the Alameda Landing payment for it. It should have been a yearly commitment. The General Plan discussion needs to address the main problems similar to what the discussion stated. 8. Adjournment Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 10:30 p.m. Transportation Commission Special Meeting Minutes - October 28, 2020 8 | TransportationCommission/2020-10-28.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 1 | Approved Minutes Transportation Commission Meeting Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Due to Governor Executive Order N-29-20, Transportation Commissioners were able to attend the meeting via teleconference. The City allowed public participation via Zoom. City Hall was NOT open to the public during the meeting. Legistar Link: https://alameda.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=760090&GUID=4152DF75-6717-443E- 9689-38C92CB3CD4B&Options=info/&Search= 1. Roll Call Present: Chair Soules, and Commissioners Yuen, Kohlstrand, Hans, and Weitze. Absent: Vice Chair Nachtigall and Commissioner Johnson. 2. Agenda Changes None. 3. Staff Communications 3-A Electric Vehicle 101 Webinar: Wed, Sept 30 at 6:30 p.m. - sponsored by Alameda Municipal Power - - https://www.alamedamp.com/349/Electric-Vehicles 3-B Central Avenue and Encinal Avenue Project Joint Virtual Open House, October 1-20, www.alamedaca.gov/Central 3-C Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. Ten-Year Capital Improvement Program for Transportation Projects 2. Central Avenue Final Design Approval / Encinal Avenue Project Update 3. Traffic Signal Policy 4. Oakland Alameda Access Project Update 5. Active Transportation Plan Update 3-D Future Meeting Dates for 2020 - Meetings start at 6:30 p.m. 1. Wednesday, October 28 (special meeting) Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission September 23, 2020 1 | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 2 | 2. Wednesday, November 18 3-E Alameda Active Transportation Plan: Latest info at www.ActiveAlameda.org 3-F Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools online resources, activities, and webinars during coronavirus pandemic: :http://www.alamedacountysr2s.org/covid-19 3-G Alameda Slow Streets program web page: http://www.slowstreetsalameda.org 3-H Alameda Commercial Streets program web page: www.alamedaca.gov/commercialstreets 3-I COVID 19 Get Around Safe Pledge: www.alamedaca.gov/AlamedaPledge 3-J Vision Zero Program: www.alamedaca.gov/VisionZero 3-K Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2020 Trainings: ps://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Fire-Department/Alameda-CERT 3-L Emergency Alerts for Alameda - Subscribe at AC Alert web page: https://www.acgov.org/emergencysite/ 3-M Regional Emergency Transportation Alerts - Subscribe: https://511.org/alerts/emergencies/511Alert 3-N Clipper Card (adults) - order online or at Walgreens or set up Autoload to add value automatically: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do 3-0 Clipper Card Discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities - https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/index.do 3-P FasTrak or new toll tag for upcoming I-880 Express Lanes scheduled to open late summer 2020: online or at Walgreens (except not Park Street location) and then register online: https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/signup/signUp.shtml 4. Announcements/ Public Comments None Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission September 23, 2020 2 | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 3 | 5. Consent Calendar Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, said due to an administration change there would be a delay in minutes but they would be available at the next meeting for approval. 6. Regular Agenda Items 6-A 2020-8317 Status Report on Transportation and Recommendations for Commercial Streets and Slow Streets Programs. (Actions) Staff Member Payne introduced this item and gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4643213&GUID=342A24A5-DA6E ID3A-93BD-6D4800COF781&FullText=1. Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer, also presented some of the new developments and the status of those developments. Robert Vance, Senior Engineer, discussed resurfacing projects around the city and how they would be giving notice to residents. Lisa Foster, Transportation Planner, discussed the status of Vision Zero Implementation. Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, gave an update on the status of the Active Transportation Plan and Alameda's Slow Streets. Commissioner Clarifying Questions #6A. (Not related to the slow streets program) Commissioner Weitze asked about a gap on a bike trail, the gap between Pacific and West Atlantic, and if there were any plans to close that gap. Staff Member Wikstrom said there was no short-term plan to correct that gap but in the long-term plan that would be a component in the master infrastructure plan for Alameda Point, Site B, but there was no time frame for that. Commissioner Weitze wanted to know if there were any plans to update the light at the intersection at Appezzato and West Atlantic to a modern light that could have traffic lights programmed based on ferry times. Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission September 23, 2020 3 | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 4 | Staff Member Wikstrom said yes and that was part of Site A Phase 2. Site A was having some challenges and they were not sure when Phase 2 would move forward. He discussed the Traffic Signal Policy and they were looking at how 2 Way cycle tracks function at major intersections. Commissioner Yuen asked about the reductions in AC Transit services and wanted to know if these changes would be temporary or permanent. She was concerned for essential workers who rely on public transit. She also wanted to know more about the reduction in Transbay crossing and if there was any possibility for Federal Aid for transit. Staff Member Payne said that since March AC Transit had reduced their services but when the SAH (Stay at Home) was lifted they increased their services. AC Transit was also putting out extra buses in some locations due to the limited capacity they were allowed to have on each bus. They were monitoring ridership in real-time. AC Transit was hoping to get some infusion of Federal Aid, they were looking at reducing their services next year. She discussed Alameda's plan to encourage and transfer people to the ferry since Alamada just got its 3rd ferry terminal and the Bus to BART plan to get into San Francisco. Commissioner Kohlstrand was curious if the sidewalk work at Alameda Point was being paid for by the developer or the city and if it was the developer she wanted to know what areas the city would focus its investments on. Staff Member Wikstrom said that most of the workaround Site A would be covered by the developer. He added that when Covid hit they focused most of their attention and funding on the residential and commercial slow streets and the restriping of Webster and Park. These had exhausted their funding and they would be going back to council in October to restore some funding. Public Comments for #6A (not related to the slow streets program) Jim Strehlow discussed how he already regularly rides his bike on Clement Ave as it is now. He believed that the plan outlined for Clement was very dangerous a… | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 5 | Commissioner Yuen wanted to discuss the work done for Police Reform and to highlight that work since she believed that it intersected with the work they were doing on the Transportation Commission. She said that a safe and functioning transportation system is dependent on traffic safety and they rely heavily on police officers to enforce that safety. She put forth to her fellow commissioners that for the Vision Zero Action Plan she wanted to see goals and policies that included equitable enforcement strategies that wouldn't disproportionately endanger black and brown folks. She also asked that this commission should be plugged into the city and what was going on and to even have someone from the Police Reform Committee come and talk with them on better ways they could be involved. Chair Soules asked Staff Member Foster to discuss the goals and how they planned to include the equity component. Staff Member Foster discussed that the core of Vision Zero was to create system change. It would create an environment that people would be set up for success. She also discussed how Vision Zero does have enforcement as an element but it has been deemphasized. Alameda would include enforcement but there would be caveats about equity. Chair Soules asked the staff to consider Commissioner Yuen's comments in future updates and how that would be appreciated. Commissioner Kohlstrand thanked staff and supported the comments made by Commissioner Yuen in regards to equity issues in enforcement. She then brought up the issues of traffic circles and how they hadn't been given much consideration in any of the plans. She discussed how helpful traffic circles could be for Alameda and wanted to see more comprehensive research about traffic circles. Staff Member Wheeler said from the perspective of the Active Transportation Plan, traffic circles were a key treatment that the city could use for pedestrian safety and traffic calming. They would even consider temporary traffic circles in slow streets as part of the grant they had applied for.… | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 6 | Staff Member Wikstrom said that would be in 2022 and also added information about the difference between traffic circles and roundabouts. He said with the temporary barricades on the slow streets there is the question if it should become permanent and traffic circles are a great alternative. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked about lane reduction on Pacific and wanted clarification on where on Pacific that would happen. Staff Member Wikstrom clarified the lane reduction on Pacific Ave would be from Main to Fourth Street. Commissioner Kohlstrand wanted to know more about the AC Transit reductions and when those hearings would take place. She had concerns about the elimination of the O Line and what effect that would have on citizens. She also requested that the staff make their recommendations as clear as possible. She wanted to see the recommended action from the staff at the beginning of the Staff Report. She wanted to know exactly what actions the commission was being asked to act on. Staff Member Payne said that AC Transit would be having virtual public hearings that were separate from the Alameda Transportation Commission meetings and she would make sure all the commissioners and the community knew about those meetings. Chair Soules thanked the staff for putting this together and agreed with Commissioner Yuen and Kohlstrand for their comments on equity. She discussed her thoughts on AC Transit reductions, she did not want to see these temporary events have a negative long-term effect. She also wanted to see continued progress on the Emergency Responses and to not let that be forgotten. Staff Member Payne said they would have a progress report by the next meeting and between Covid and the fires the Emergency Response team really had been maxed out. They have had some opportunities to work on Tsunami and Earthquake preparedness. Commissioner Clarifying Questions (Action Items) Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if planters would be more aesthetically pleasing and safe rather than using the water-filled barrels to protect… | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 7 | roadway. He said water-filled barriers are the best at protecting against a car and anything smaller wouldn't be as safe. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked about encroachment permits and wanted to make sure she understood it correctly. District-wide encroachment permits cover Webster and Park St and anything outside of that would need a separate individual permit. Staff Member Wheeler said that was correct. Chair Soules asked as this program moves forward would there be metrics put in place to study if there was an increase in travel time delays. Staff Member Wikstrom explained where AC Transit got the 10% travel time reduction number, from GPS transponders in their buses. They also have good reliable data pre-pandemic to look at the traffic impact. He also explained how he personally had been monitoring traffic on the island and that they were working on integrating and coordinating the signal timing on Park and Webster St. Staff Member Wheeler added that having signal coordination is what would most improve AC Transit's travel time. Chair Soules said she supported the slow streets program but she did see the importance of beta testing parklets and seeing the full impact. She asked about the effect on side streets, like Oak St, that was along Park and Webster St. Staff Member Wikstrom said that they definitely needed to do more data collection. He said the main challenge was making sure they had good pre and post-data, which they don't really have on side streets. He said what they needed to bring forward as part of the Active Transportation Plan was to really see what was important to the community. When the pandemic is over what will Webster and Park St return to? Staff Member Wheeler added that those questions were a part of their staff recommendations. She said that with everything still being new it would be next July that they would look at what effect all of these programs have had and that diversion was something they would need to look at. Chair Soules gave her full support to waving the permit fees, with b… | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 8 | Commissioner Yuen discussed the many uses and demands of the commercial streets and the safety people needed as they eat outside. She saw the slow traffic as a trade-off for business to be able to continue during the pandemic. She said the priority of the Commercial Street Program was to give businesses a fighting chance of survival and that means having slower traffic in these corridors. She threw out the idea that maybe parts of AC Transit routes would need to be removed during this time. Commissioner Weitze said the trade-off was worth it and doing these experiments was worth it. He asked about parking lots on Webster that had been transformed to eating areas, crediting Sandy Russell from Fireside, and wanted to know if that was a city-driven or a private party project. He pushed for that being permanent and something that could set Webster apart. Staff Member Wheeler said that was a private parking lot that had really been pushed by Sandy Russell and WABA (West Alameda Business Association). She said making it permanent was something that would need to be discussed further and yes it had been very popular and successful. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked about the 8th and 9th streets that were included in the permanent slow street program. She felt that further study was needed since she didn't think both needed to be included. Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion for the Transportation Commission to recommend to the City Council to approve the 3 items recommended by the staff. To wave encroachment permit fees through October 31st, 2021, for the commercial street program - delay short-term temporary special event closures along Park St and to authorize the staff to apply for the Alameda CTC (County Transportation Commission) Covid-19 Rapid Response Program. Commissioner Hans seconded the motion and a roll call vote was taken. The motion passed 5-0. 6-B 2020-8318 Alameda Active Transportation Plan Update: Community Survey Results (Information) Staff Member Wheeler introduced this item and introduced Sara LaBatt, … | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,9 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 9 | Chair Soules thought that it was great that this was all pre covid data since it created a baseline. She also commended the decision to incentivize the survey, she believed this was really the best way to get an actionable equity program. She was curious to know how e-bikes and new bike paths would affect mode shift and how they were reaching out to people who may not think they could afford an e-bike app. Staff Member Wheeler said that they did ask questions about e-bikes and ownership of e-bikes. This was also part of the Climate Action Plan, so they did have data on that. Ms. LaBatt added they learned through the survey that about 10% of people surveyed said that they have an e-bike or a scooter-share membership. Chair Soules thanked Ms. LaBatt for her presentations and for breaking down the information in a very easy-to-understand way. Commissioner Weitze wanted to know how many of the 32% of residents using active transport to get off the island and how many were West End Alameda residents. Ms. LaBatt said that number did include West Enders getting off the island but did not know how much of the 32% was from them. Public Comments for #6B. Jim Strehlow referred to page 2 of the presentation. He found the presentation wording by Sara LaBatt to be wonderfully clarifying but the verbiage was not printed. He found certain parts of the presentation to be initially misleading since tens of thousands of residents were not part of the survey. He gave examples of better wording that would be more adequate. He also believed that certain surveys were accepted and others rejected based on their own undocumented bias. Commissioner Comments and Discussions for #6B Commissioner Kohlstrand found the amount of data to be very helpful as they move forward on the Active Transportation Plan. She wanted to know if there was going to be an opportunity to discuss the issues over cost and prioritization into the survey as it was presented to the public. She gave an example of her past work when people were excited about a project u… | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf,10 | TransportationCommission | 2020-09-23 | 10 | Staff Member Wheeler said that was the plan to use the survey to see what were the priorities and what would be the implementation plan be. Obviously, with implementation, they would need to know the costs and they would meld together cost and priorities. Commissioner Weitze was surprised by the low amount of children who walk to school in groups and discussed ways to improve that. He also wanted to make it a priority to get bikes into commercial districts. Ms. LaBatt wanted to answer Commissioner Weitze's earlier question. She said that it was 23% of West Enders use active transportation, 15% walk or use a mobility device on the sidewalk, 11% ride a bike, and 4% ride a bike to get off the island. Chair Soules was curious how this worked with the Travel Demand survey that had been done earlier. She brought up that reliability is very important when it comes to using public transportation and how many high schoolers will drive their own cars to high school. She added that if anyone had additional thoughts they wanted to think more about they should email Staff Member Wheeler. 7. Announcements / Public Comments Jim Strehlow was amazed that no one had mentioned that Bike to Wherever Day was tomorrow and cyclists could pick up goody bags at participating locations. Chair Soules thanked Mr. Strehlow and said more information on Bike Wherever Day could be found on the city's website. 8. Adjournment Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:47 p.m. Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission September 23, 2020 10 | TransportationCommission/2020-09-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 1 | Approved Minutes Transportation Commission Meeting Wednesday, July 22, 2020 Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Due to Governor Executive Order N-29-20, Transportation Commissioners were able to attend the meeting via teleconference. The City allowed public participation via Zoom. City Hall was NOT open to the public during the meeting. Legistar Link: https://alameda.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=760089&GUID=A99C9591-DCEB-46B5- SE9E-A8C47FDCE07E&Options=info/&Search= 1. Roll Call Present: Chair Soules, Vice Chair Nachtigall and Commissioners Yuen, Kohlstrand, Hans, Johnson and Weitze. Absent: None. 2. Agenda Changes None. 3. Staff Communications are as shown in the web link here: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4593184&GUID=DB9DC6E5-62EE- 41E5-A423-1EDDF584B964. Commissioner Kohlstrand wanted clarification that the O line was going to be eliminated. Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, said yes that was correct as a temporary COVID measure that AC Transit is considering. 4. Announcements / Public Comments A recorded message - Jim Strehlow from the Fernside Homeowners Association wanted to thank Public Works for removing an unwanted sign on southbound High St. Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission July 22, 2020 1 | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 2 | 5. Consent Calendar 5A. Draft Minutes Transportation Commission Meeting from Wednesday, May 27, 2020 (Action Item) https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4593101&GUID=9299F04F-AE62- 4707-AA00-96A00687406B&FullText=1. Commissioner Kohlstrand clarified her comments on page 5 second paragraph, her concern was that retaining parking along Park St was going to contribute to congestion on the street. Commissioner Kohlstrand moved to approve the minutes as corrected and Vice-Chair Nachtigall seconded. A roll call vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0. 6. Regular Agenda Items 6A. Elect Chair and Vice-Chair of the Transportation Commission Commissioner Weitze made a motion to reelect Samantha Soules as Chair and Alysha Nachtigall as Vice-Chair and Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded both motions. A roll call vote was taken and both motions passed 7-0. 6B. Discuss the New Transbay Rail Crossing - BART to Alameda Chair Soules recused herself from this agenda item. Staff Member Payne introduced this item and introduced Sadie Graham from BART and Camille Tsao from Capitol Corridor who gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4593186&GUID=692D3207-694B- 41C6-B7C4-18C42E061513&FullText=1. Commissioner Clarifying Questions for #6B Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if Capitol Corridor would be using the same criteria as BART for their system expansion and if the employment consideration was going to factor in the density for the potential around future stations. Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission July 22, 2020 2 | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 3 | Ms. Graham said she saw this program as more infill in terms of growth than exurban growth. She acknowledged the importance of the balance of employment and housing and that is something they will need to take into consideration. Ms. Tao said that the Capitol Corridor team would do more work on policy for station development. Commissioner Weitze wanted to know if they would be using data that had already been collected for the best places to put a station and other useful information that was already available. Would they be integrating that data into their reports? Ms. Tao said that her team had already been reviewing existing reports and studies. She explained in further detail the information they had already gathered and the data her team would be collecting. Commissioner Johnson asked how BART and Regional Rail would share tracks. Ms. Tao discussed the options but said it came down to what would be most beneficial. Commissioner Johnson asked if the crossings would be under or above the water. Ms. Graham said that is information they just don't have right now. They are focusing now on what best serves the needs of the network and the region. It could be a BART crossing or a standard gauge crossing or even both. Staff Member Payne asked if they had already determined if the plan was to have both BART and Regional Rail. Ms. Graham said that had not been decided, both plans or a combination of the two would be considered. Public Comments for #6B. There were no public speakers. Commissioner Comments and Discussions for #6B Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission July 22, 2020 3 | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 4 | Commissioner Weitze wanted to know if this commission had any role in picking future stations in Alameda. Ms. Graham said that was to be determined, they would want to build relationships with the cities they are coming to but there were many technical elements that needed to be considered. Commissioner Kohlstrand wanted to know how they planned to analyze and assess the data to see the need for a station in Alameda. Also, how can they get the information about what a station in Alameda would generate in terms of ridership? Ms. Tao said they had not developed that methodology yet but once they have their teams on board early next year that is what they will be working on. Ms. Graham added that the teams would specifically be helping them build their ridership models. They also would be using market analysis as well. Commissioner Kohlstrand hoped there would be opportunities for the commission to be a part of those discussions and add their input. Commissioner Weitze wanted to know if there was anything that could be done to speed up the timeline by 5 years since some Alameda residents might be shocked or concerned by the 2040 timeframe. Ms. Graham said there were many factors that could speed up development such as private/public partnership. Parts of the Environmental Review Process could hold up development. She said having political champions who raise awareness and funding would be beneficial. Ms. Tao added there were many projects in the works and not enough funding to go around. Getting everyone to support a master plan and support the same projects could have the potential to speed up development. Commissioner Yuen agreed that if there was any way to prioritize this project to speed up development that would be great. She hoped Ms. Graham and Ms. Tao would come back to keep the conversation going. Staff Member Payne wanted to add her support and offered whatever Alameda could do to champion this project. Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission July 22, 2020 4 | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 5 | Vice-Chair Nachtigall was excited by this project and understood this would be a long-term project. She was pleased by all the positive feedback. Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcroft wanted to say how much she enjoyed the presentation, what a well- run meeting this was, and that she was a huge proponent of this project. Vice-Chair Nachtigall welcomed Chair Soules back to the meeting. 6C. Alameda Active Transportation Plan Draft Recommendations Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, introduced this item and gave a presentation. Attachments and staff report can be found at https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4593220&GUID=83995912-734B- 4C48-802B-D5C127AB4F27&FullText=1. Staff Member Wheeler also introduced Megan Wooley-Ousdahl, Project Manager with Toole Design, and Jessica Zdeb, Portland Office Director with Toole Design, who also presented parts of the presentation. Chair Soules thanked the staff for their excellent presentation. Public Comments for #6C Recorded comment - Jim Strehlow addressed that it was wrong to summarize that 80% of the residents in Alameda wanted more biking and walking unless there were over 70,000 results in the survey. He found the percentages presented to be wrong, offensive, and misleading to the public. He urged that Lincoln Avenue should be for trucks since there were already other streets designated for bikes. He wanted no bicycle enhancements on Lincoln Avenue and said that bicyclists already use Lincoln Avenue as it is at their own risk. Commissioner clarifying questions and comments #6C (Goals and Visions) Commissioner Weitze asked if intra-island car trips and getting off-the-island car trips were included in the goals. Staff Member Wheeler said that was not directly incorporated into the mode shift goal, it's seen as a subset of it. It could be made into an action item under the goal of increasing walking and biking trips off the island. Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission July 22, 2020 5 | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 6 | Commissioner Hans said that he would prefer separated bike lanes whenever possible. He also stressed that safe access to schools and shops should be the priority right now. Commissioner Kohlstrand wanted to better understand how this bicycle and pedestrian plan fits into the overall circulation plan for the city, and felt that it hadn't been given that context. She was in full support of making safe bicycle routes but believed the solutions needed to be multimodal. She also asked if there was an additional reference made to connecting with transit stops. Staff Member Wheeler said that improving access to destinations including transit was included in the vision statement, although it's not explicit in the goals. Commissioner Kohlstrand reiterated that the tendency was to look at each of the modes individually and when they are all put together it needed to make sense for everyone. Staff Member Wheeler said that more analysis was needed. The main goal was increasing safety, she also reminded the Commission that at their next meeting they would be able to review the revised General Plan, which would look at the big picture. Commissioner Johnson also wanted to look at all the modes together, not just the bicycle mode, and to strongly endorse the liberal use of bike boulevards. It is best to separate out the modes of transportation keeping the cars on the busier streets and putting the bikes on the slower neighborhood streets. Chair Soules agreed and that their job was to look at projects comprehensively, in a balanced way for all and not look at mode to mode solutions. Vice-Chair Nachtigall said she appreciated that safety had become a primary goal. She added that the online map and survey showing where pedestrians and cyclists were nearly hit really did support a strong safety goal. Ms. Wooley-Ousdahl said along with the bicycle network they have recommendations for the pedestrian facilities. She also added that not every bicycle facility would require them to take away an auto lane. Ms. Zdeb discussed how bike bou… | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 7 | Vice-Chair Nachtigall asked if the overlays for truck and transit routes were current or had been changed. Staff Member Wheeler said what they were using now for truck routes was what was in the General Plan. She was not aware of any discussion on changing those and what was in the General Plan were the official truck routes. Chair Soules said she was bothered by the transit mode connection not really having a tangible piece in this work. Her concerns with the goals were that it seemed there was a missing piece on the importance of people getting to transit points. She believed it was worth monitoring the routes that they had to choose and hold themselves to a high level of accountability. She liked the link between goals and objectives - this was going to be important. Commissioner Yuen suggested creating a goal percentage for mode shift and for safety. She added that one of the objectives or actions should be to create a set of performance measures in regards to the goals to see how well they were achieving these goals. She also agreed with finding a balance between different modes of transportation. Commissioner Kohlstrand agreed there needed to be measures of effectiveness. She said that these issues had been brought up in the past and she was concerned that they would be forgotten at the point of implementation. She also stressed that the items they invest in needed to be the most cost- effective. Staff Member Wheeler said that performance measures and metrics would be the next steps in the plan, and also making goals more specific. The goal, for now, was figuring out the recommendations, then they would look at prioritization criteria that would include cost- effectiveness and mode shift potential. She added that at the September meeting they would be evaluating the 10-year capital improvement project list that would focus on criteria and prioritizing projects for the next 10 years. Chair Soules added that benchmarking was a really important step in this process. Her concern with asking what people wanted w… | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 8 | Chair Soules addressed the concerns over mixed mode streets and how to make sure there was parity between the modes. She thought an overlay of a transit line for the map in a PDF was helpful. She did have some concerns for AC Transit and other areas. Commissioner Weitze asked if the land to the east of Constitution Way was city land. Staff Member Wheeler said that most of that land was still owned by Union Pacific (UP) and that some of it further north was owned by the City. Commissioner Weitze clarified that the way it was shown on the proposed Bike Network map is that it would be a potential bike path toward the estuary. However, since it was not owned by the city that would be a long time in the future. Staff Member Wheeler said that was correct but that the sidewalk was owned by the city. They could potentially widen the sidewalk. Commissioner Weitze asked if the city had been talking to Union Pacific about the land. Staff Member Wheeler said the city had not prioritized that area given the other UP land (in Jean Sweeney Park and adjacent to Tilden Way) that they were interested in. Commissioner Kohlstrand wanted to know if they as Commissioners would have an opportunity to give input and if they could do that through the staff. Staff Member Wheeler said yes as individuals they could do that. Chair Soules pointed out that they could review the online maps and that through August they could leave online comments. She encouraged everyone to take a look at the maps and leave comments. Commissioner Weitze brought up the interest in the continuation of a bike lane on Pacific Avenue, to be able to bike to the new Ferry Terminal. He said that it wasn't a safe area as it is now. He wanted to know if there was any work planned due to the public's interest. Staff Member Wheeler said that her understanding was that the short-term plan was to use Oriskany to connect out to the future Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal. She added that due to conflicting land uses and a dead-end street there were no plans to focus on Pacific A… | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,9 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 9 | Chair Soules wanted clarification on where the Commissioners could send any other comments. Staff Member Wheeler explained all the online tools they could use from the online Bikeways Map to all the surveys that were available under each element. She also provided the project email: activealameda@alamedaca.gov Commissioner clarifying questions and comments #6C (Park, Webster and Lincoln Streets) Chair Soules wanted to know how the Commission felt about the reconfiguration that Park Street and Webster Street had undergone already. She wanted to know more about how businesses felt and if the public was still going out and enjoying these areas. Commissioner Weitze wanted to know if the protected bike lanes would preclude parklets because that was how it was drawn. If the parklets prove to be a success, it would be something to consider. Staff Member Wheeler believed that was a downside of the separated bike lanes. She said that they could do a combination of two but that wasn't ideal. She explained that all of the concept plans would also make a lot of pedestrian improvements and further explained where those would be. She said there were many iterations of what they could do and that with expanded sidewalk space they could have room for sidewalk dining. Commissioner Weitze wanted to clarify that the determination of which side of the street on which to widen the sidewalk was ultimately the city's decision, but that businesses could petition to get their side expanded. Staff Member Wheeler said that was correct, all the transportation options were the city's decisions with input from the community and that the City Council would make that decision. Chair Soules said it ties into the concept of complete streets. They were looking at it through the lens of a particular mode and they need to think of it with the concept of a complete street. They need to make sure they have enough information and data that correlates to make an informed recommendation. Commissioner Nachtigall addressed how they could learn from current… | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,10 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 10 | looking at more than one option because of what looked good. She also found the street typology interesting and a useful tool. Commissioner clarifying questions and comments #6C (Pedestrian Infrastructure) Commissioner Kohlstrand addressed the street typology map they had been given and gave some recommendations on places where it could be improved. She also made recommendations on how to make the bike/ped paths around the island a complete network and pointed out gaps she found. She addressed the pedestrian overlays and noted that the Northeast area of Alameda was lacking in these areas. Staff Member Wheeler clarified the areas that Commissioner Kohlstrand had recommended. She said that the gaps that were mentioned were filled, and said that all the information hadn't made it to the pedestrian map. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked Commissioner Hans to comment about the pathway through Lincoln Middle School that was often used in that the access was blocked by a locked gate. Commissioner Hans explained on the map where it should be opened and where it got locked. He further explained on the map the area that was secured and that it was an agreement with BCDC (Bay Conservation and Development Commission) and the school district. Chair Soules encouraged everyone to think about where commercial and industrial traffic would travel. Trucks bring in goods and services and for safety and other concerns they needed to accommodate commercial traffic. She also addressed the public comment about data slicing and how information is skewed to the individuals who have the luxury and time to send in public comments and fill out the surveys. She wanted to make sure the City understood who was answering, this is why equity and outreach were so important. She also stressed that staff be mindful that they don't become myopic, that they need to look at comprehensive solutions and find the best ways to deliver them. Staff Member Wheeler addressed the concern about data slicing, stating that from the beginning, with this project they had… | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf,11 | TransportationCommission | 2020-07-22 | 11 | Commissioner clarifying questions and comments #6C (Priorities) Staff Member Wheeler said right now they are taking the opportunity to focus on high-level input from the community on priorities. She added that the goal now was checking in with the general public on it. Ms. Wooley-Ousdahl said that was correct and that the next phase would be to prioritize the projects. They wanted to give people the opportunity to weigh in from the beginning. Commissioner Weitze wanted to know about maintenance and the pedestrian infrastructure and if it would be considered in the context of slow streets that had been implemented and if it would be considered with current infrastructure or a separate category. Staff Member Wheeler explained that maintenance with current infrastructure was just barricading on the slow streets. As of now, not much maintenance was needed. Commissioner Weitze clarified his question. Is maintaining the current slow streets a concept within Alameda? Should we keep the streets as they are now and expand them? Staff Member Wheeler said yes, they could see that as a program to potentially keep slow streets or to turn them into bike boulevards. It could be an evolution of the project. Chair Soules encouraged everyone to tell friends and family about the surveys, and that there was an open house next Wednesday. 7. Announcements / Public Comments Jim Strehlow wanted the maps to educate the public about the beautiful views of Alameda from Oakland with beautiful walking and biking paths that are public. He urged to keep bicycle enhancements on potential bike boulevards and side streets, not Lincoln Avenue, Webster Street, Central Avenue or Park Street, which are transit routes. He pleaded to make the plan a multi-modal plan. 8. Adjournment Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:31 p.m. Approved Minutes - Transportation Commission July 22, 2020 11 | TransportationCommission/2020-07-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2020-05-27 | 1 | APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 *This meeting was held via Zoom* Chair Soules convened the meeting at 7:00pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Soules, Commissioners Kohlstrand, Nachtigall, Hans, Johnson, Yuen, Weitze. Absent: None. 2. AGENDA CHANGES None. 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3A. Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, July 22 3B. Alameda Active Transportation Plan: Latest info at www.ActiveAlameda.org 3C. Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools online resources, activities and webinars during coronavirus pandemic: http://alamedacountysr2s.org/covid-19/ 3D. Alameda Slow Streets program web page: http://www.SlowStreetsAlameda.org 3E. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2020 Trainings: https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Fire-Department/Alameda-CERT 3F. Emergency Alerts for Alameda - Subscribe at AC Alert web page: https://www.acgov.org/emergencysite/ 3G. Regional Emergency Transportation Alerts - Subscribe: https://511.org/alerts/emergencies/511Alert 3H. Clipper Card (adults) - order on line or at Walgreens or set up Autoload to add value automatically: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.de 3I. Clipper Card Discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities - https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/index.do 1 | TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2020-05-27 | 2 | 3J. FasTrak or new toll tag for upcoming I-880 Express Lanes scheduled to open late summer 2020: on line or at Walgreens (except not Park Street location) and then register on line: https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/signup/signUp.shtn 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2020-7983 Approve Meeting Minutes - February 26, 2020 Commissioner Nachtigall made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0. 4-B 2020-7984 Approve Meeting Minutes - January 22, 2020 Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Nachtigall seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2020-7985 Recommendation to Approve the Updated Clement Avenue Safety Improvement Project Concept. Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4541945&GUID=6AD344D4- CC4B-4286-A626-32E7B35CCDFB&FullText=1. Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, reviewed the feedback received by the public and explained staff's position related to each. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked for clarification about which portions would be resurfaced or rebuilt. Jake Gunther, CDM Smith, said they are planning to widen sidewalks around power poles and fix driveways and intersections as necessary. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked what criteria was being used for having the elevated cycle tracks. Brian McGuire, Transportation Planner explained that the cycletrack would be raised in two places to in front of the Alameda Marina project in order to access the Bay Trail and one other access point into the new development. Chair Soules opened the public comment: 2 | TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2020-05-27 | 3 | Pat Potter said Bike Walk Alameda supports the recommended design. Chair Soules closed the public comment. Commissioner Nachtigall made a motion to approve the staff recommendation. Commissioner Hans seconded the motion. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked how the design would address the safety of the two way cycletrack conflicting with the many driveways. Mr. Gunther said they would apply green paint at driveways as a visual cue and will consider elevated bikeways in some sections. Chair Soules suggested that the construction notices include educational outreach about the safety issues related to the new design. Commissioner Johnson asked if the concerns about turning lanes at Park Street had been addressed. Staff Member Payne said they included a right turn lane to accommodate people heading towards the bridge in the morning, which is the busiest turning movement. Commissioner Weitze asked if the buffer details would come back to the Commission given previous discussions surrounding bollards. Staff Member Payne said they do not typically bring that type of detail back to the Commission, but that request can be made given the circumstances and changing design. Commissioner Johnson said he would prefer the bollards be minimized as much as possible. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if the buffer would be a raised, physical buffer, or if it might be only paint. Staff Member Payne said that if there was parking adjacent to the bikeway there would not be more physical elements and that where there was not parking, more physical elements would be included. The motion passed 7-0. 5-B 2020-7986 Recommendation to Approve Transportation Commission Bylaw Revisions 3 | TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2020-05-27 | 4 | Staff Member Payne gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4541999&GUID=E57A81D1- - 3B8-4BB3-97F0-2C24685CC7B6&FullText=1. Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion to approve the staff recommendation. Commissioner Yuen seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0. 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A 2020-7987 Status Report on Transportation Staff Members Payne, Wheeler, Wikstrom and Vance gave a presentation. The staff report and presentation can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4542015&GUID=E4D178D6- 767-4024-9339-2657B73F9149. Commissioner Johnson expressed support for reworking the business districts to provide space for outdoor dining and pushing even further. Commissioner Weitze asked what the plan would be for when traffic returns to higher levels. Staff Member Wikstrom explained that the traffic volumes in the business districts can be supported by the reduced number of lanes if turn pockets are included. Commissioner Weitze asked what can be done for restaurants not on the main corridors. Staff Member Wheeler said the parklet ordinance is being streamlined to allow parking to be removed for dining where a lane reduction is not planned. Commissioner Weitze asked if the shelter in place is showing how beneficial it can be to have more people working from home and if we are looking at ways to incentivize that behavior. Staff Member Payne said one project the City is working on is utilizing our past as a telecom provider to develop internet infrastructure for residents. Commissioner Yuen noted that some of the drop in traffic is related to the large numbers of people furloughed and laid off and we should be sensitive to that. She asked how the expanded pedestrian zones on commercial streets would be demarcated. She also asked how we would be allowing public input on such large changes to these streets. Staff Member Wikstrom said they would restripe the streets in phases in a relatively permanent fashion… | TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2020-05-27 | 5 | Staff Member Wheeler said the public did have an opportunity to hear the plan and provide input when the item went to City Council. She added that staff is working intimately with the business community as plans are developed. Commissioner Kohlstrand expressed concern that retaining parking along on Park Street could lead to delays, including for buses, as people try to park. She asked if there would be expansion of Slow Streets on the East End to connect into the rest of the network. Staff Member Wheeler showed the proposed network and how Versailles would connect via San Jose. She said connecting the northern section to Pacific is challenging given the intersections in the area. Commissioner Nachtigall asked if preserving parking on Park Street was necessary given the competing priorities of expanding parklets and maintaining traffic and transit throughput. Staff Member Wikstrom explained that the existing parking lanes are narrow and would not provide much space on their own without removing the second travel lane. Chair Soules said the Transportation Research Bureau puts out lots of useful information that Commissioners could benefit from. She noted we are in new territory and priorities may be changing and she looks forward to seeing what projects become more attractive in the current environment. Commissioner Yuen asked how Covid is impacting the Active Transportation Plan process and priorities. Staff Member Wheeler said the emergency measures are an opportunity to test out aspects under consideration in the Active Transportation Plan. Staff Member Payne added that the 10 year CIP would be coming as soon as September and would be an opportunity to take a fresh look at how projects are prioritized. Chair Soules opened the public comment. Kristy Cannon said the CASA transportation group would be supportive of working on options to incentivize teleworking. Ashley Lorden said the Park Street plans should have more of the parking lane used for pick up and drop off instead of having so much regular parking. Staf… | TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2020-05-27 | 6 | 6-B Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. General Plan Updates 2. Active Transportation Plan Updates 3. Central Avenue Concept Approval 4. Ten-year Capital Improvement Program 5. Traffic Signal Policy 6. Oakland Alameda Access Project Update 7. Election of Transportation Commission Chair and Vice Chair 6-C Future Meeting Dates for 2020 1. Wednesday, July 22 2. Wednesday, September 23 3. Wednesday, November 18 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT None. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m. 6 | TransportationCommission/2020-05-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 1 | APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 Chair Soules convened the meeting at 7:00pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Soules, Commissioners Kohlstrand, Nachtigall, Johnson, Yuen, Weitze Absent: Commissioner Hans 2. AGENDA CHANGES None. 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3-A Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, March 25 at 7 p.m. 3-B Grand Opening Celebration of the Cross Alameda Trail (Main Street to Jean Sweeney Park) - Sat, Feb. 29, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Webster Street Plaza by Ralph Appezzato Pkwy. Event Listing: https://www.alamedaca.gov/Shortcut-Content/Events-Activities/Grand- Opening-Celebr ation-Cross-Alameda-Trail 3-C Traffic Safety Town Hall: Thurs, March 5 at 6 p.m., Love Elementary, Multi-Purpose Room 3-D Spring into Bike Fair: Sat, March 21 at City Hall parking lot on Oak Street between Santa Clara Avenue and Lincoln Avenue 3-E Bike Festival: Sun, May 3, 12 noon to 3 p.m., Bay Farm School 3-F Bike to Work and School Day: Thurs, May 14 3-G Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2020 Trainings: ittps://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Fire-Department/Alameda-CERT 3-H Alameda Active Transportation Plan: Latest info at www.ActiveAlameda.org 3-I Emergency Alerts for Alameda - Subscribe at AC Alert web page: https://www.acgov.org/emergencysite/ 3-J Regional Emergency Transportation Alerts - Subscribe: tps://511.org/alerts/emergencies/511Aler 1 | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 2 | 3-K Clipper Card (adults) - order on line or at Walgreens or set up Autoload to add value automatically: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do 3-L Clipper Card Discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities - ps://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/index.do 3-M FasTrak or new toll tag for upcoming I-880 Express Lanes scheduled to open late summer 2020: on line or at Walgreens (except not Park Street location) and then register on line: https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/signup/signUp.shtm Public Comment: Maria Gallo spoke about her ongoing efforts to address traffic calming along Fernside Blvd. She asked that the traffic engineers answer the question about which configuration of Fernside (west or east of High Street) is safer. Jim Strehlow renewed his question from the January meeting about crossing the solid lines of the bike lane on Broadway at Clement. He said he disagrees with the position of the previous speaker regarding the Fernside corridor. He said the no right on red sign added on High Street would divert traffic through the Marina-Windsor neighborhood. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR None 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2020-7745 Endorse The City Council's Adoption of a Resolution Establishing Policies on Street Width, Lane Width, Crosswalks And Bulb-Outs to Promote Safe, Livable Streets and Environmentally Sustainable Transportation Choices; and, Give Direction to Staff on Tools For Improving Safety At Intersections. Brian McGuire, Transportation Planner, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4337173&GUID=77514CDC 901E-48B2-A86E-047864BE44D5&FullText=1 Commissioner Johnson asked if the example "ladder" crosswalk would be the standard for all crosswalks going forward. Staff Member McGuire said the criteria for what types of crosswalks would be used in which places was being developed internally and as part of the ongoing planning processes, but were not part of the resolution before the Commission tonight. … | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 3 | Lisa Foster, Transportation Planner, said we have the police reports with the primary collision factors for each collision. She added that the interactive web map for the Active Transportation Plan included a prompt for drivers to add comments about problem areas that created safety issues. Staff Member McGuire added that there are often a number of factors that go into any collision. He said the resolution is focused on enacting national standards based on data driven conclusions. Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director said city staff are trying to address these issues from three angles: engineering (the focus of tonight's resolution), education, and enforcement. Chair Soules opened the public comment. Susie Hufstader expressed strong support for the resolution. She said there have been many fatalities in the region lately and Alameda is one of the only cities that is responding with the appropriate sense of urgency. She said we need to make it physically impossible to drive at high speeds. Christy Cannon said she is most concerned about hitting someone when making right turns and that the bulb outs near Lake Merritt have really been helpful in making things safer. Pat Potter, President of Bike Walk Alameda, expressed support from the resolution and liked how it prioritized safety. Jim Strehlow said we need to drill down on the causes of collisions not just rely on statistics. He said narrow lanes would just bring vehicles closer together and create safety problems. He suggested adding more loading zones for delivery vehicles. Chair Soules closed the public comment. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she supports much of what is in the resolution. She said we are being asked to endorse a lot of high level policies without the data to back that up. She said some of the language is vague, such as where to place crosswalks. She said the standards are not tied to what type of street is being discussed. Staff Member McGuire said the most prescriptive elements in the resolution such as lane widths are… | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 4 | streets or developing new projects. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if we have data to show that the bicycle lane on Central has many collisions. She asked if the physical barrier is necessary for safety and questioned whether two way separated bike lanes are appropriate in applications where there are numerous cross street and/or driveway conflicts. Staff Member Thomas outlined some of the safety concerns along Central Avenue that lead to the staff recommendation for separated bike lanes. Chair Soules mentioned that it was clear when she was on the Central Avenue site visit that some of the simpler safety measures that could be applied to the Central and Webster intersection had not been deployed. She said there is a balance between doing regular maintenance safety measures and the larger, transformative projects. Staff Member Payne stated that Public Works is working with Caltrans to implement short- term visibility and other safety improvements along Central Avenue ahead of the larger safety project. Staff Member McGuire said that the resolution preference for separated bikeways does not dictate two-way facilities and that there would be a number of new one-way separated facilities, especially at Alameda Point. 4 | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 5 | Commissioner Johnson said we are getting too granular and are looking into the minutiae and we should be focused on endorsing the high level national standards while preserving flexibility for specific cases. Staff Member McGuire explained how staff would use the policy resolution to move beyond some high level discussions that often get renewed with each project and can slow down implementation. Commissioner Yuen said it may be helpful to more clearly articulate how this policy interacts with other planning and policy documents. She appreciated the clearly defined hierarchy to protect vulnerable road users. Commissioner Nachtigall said we are moving to a more agile approach, and that a bold approach is needed. She said agile is not perfect and it can be iterative. Commissioner Johnson asked what was being done on the enforcement side of the equation. Staff Member McGuire said APD had just completed a two week enforcement period where they wrote over 900 citations, triple their typical number. He said staffing challenges mean that is not sustainable at the moment, but their intention is to fill those vacancies and increase enforcement. Staff Member Foster said that APD had applied for state funds to help increase their ability to conduct enforcement efforts. Commissioner Weitze asked if endorsing the resolution would mean they are endorsing the use of bollards. Staff Member McGuire said that the resolution endorses the idea that bollards are a cost- effective safety measure, but not cost-free and would set up a discussion about budget priorities if Council wants to move forward with expanded safety measures. Commissioner Weitze said use of bollards would be controversial and giving aesthetic guidance is a granular issue that it seemed the Commission was trying to avoid getting bogged down with. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she is in support of the overall goal and is just trying to figure out how we prioritize implementation. Chair Soules said the policy seems far reaching and the lack of data or benchmarking mak… | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 6 | Commissioner Nachtigall said she understands what it feels like to re-hash the same issues at every meeting and that if this helps move that forward while doing what Council has asked of staff, she supports the resolution. Chair Soules asked what it would do if they recommended removing some of the specific items around lane widths and bollards and the like while endorsing the general principles. Staff Member Thomas said the Commission could take any action they desire, including endorsing the resolution but saying they have an issue with some of the specifics because they do not seem thought through. Commissioner Weitze said it seemed like the hierarchy was the main part of the resolution and most of the rest was very granular and not needed in the resolution. Commissioner Johnson made a motion to endorse the resolution and capture and transmit the feedback provided by commissioners to City Council. Commissioner Kohlstrand suggested that Council's desire for some of these actions may mean that a motion supporting the resolution but capturing hesitation over some of the more specific items would be appropriate. Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded the motion while offering an amendment to endorse the resolution's concepts with some reservation about some specifics with the assumption that they would be able to revisit them as part of the Vision Zero and Active Transportation Plans. Chairs Soules asked for a friendly amendment to the motion that as we move forward and fine tune policies it is done with whatever data is available and we are doing some sort of benchmarking in order to hold ourselves accountable. Commissioner Johnson accepted the amendments. The motion passed 6-0. Staff Member McGuire briefly described the discussion questions raised in the staff report. Commissioner Johnson said he feels strongly about marking all four legs of a crosswalk because it is a lot to ask for people to walk three legs of an intersection to cross the street. He also said the high visibility crosswalks are important because it p… | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 7 | Staff Member McGuire described factors that might lead to a decision not to mark all legs of an intersection but was unaware of whether there were any recent cases of removing a crosswalk. Commissioner Kohlstrand said we cannot only rely on the numbers of pedestrians using a crosswalk to decide whether to provide a marked crosswalk or not. Staff Member McGuire said that the "regular and frequent intervals" language would address the need for safe crossings on challenging corridors with low volumes of pedestrians. Chair Soules said they use a forced spiral in system engineering to automatically revisit policies to implement best practices and lessons learned which could be useful for the issues staff is bringing up. Commissioner Yuen said she wanted to add "Equity" and "Evaluation" to the Engineering, Education and Enforcement safety efforts. She said looking where high injury corridors meet places that have historically had underinvestment in active transportation should be where we prioritize actions. 5-B 2020-7747 Review of Alameda Point Parking Plan Staff Member Thomas gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4337174&GUID=50F70940 OF5-47F1-BD97-2A89EAB2EOA1&FullText=1. Chair Soules opened the public comment. Jim Strehlow said he is glad license plate readers will be used. He expressed concerns about how data would be stored. He asked if there are plans to track everyone that comes and goes from Alameda Point. He asked for the opportunity to provide input on an LPR policy before it goes to City Council. Chairs Soules closed the public comment. Chair Soules asked if the LPR policy would be an ordinance or resolution. Staff Member Thomas said staff is creating an LPR policy specifically for this parking use to take to Council as a resolution. Chair Soules asked what drove the decision for how much space there would be for public parking at Alameda Point. 7 | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 8 | Staff Member Thomas said the land plan was intended to provide room to provide surface parking and then convert to structured parking if the demand warranted. Chair Soules said she would like to know what the impact of constraining the availability of parking would be over time to organically limit the amount of congestion new development created. Commissioner Weitze asked if any of the parking plan would affect Main Street or Pacific or other residential streets as having controlled parking. Staff Member Thomas said Main Street would be the initial border and staff would have to monitor commuter behavior to see if they are parking in the neighborhoods to avoid paying for parking. Commissioner Weitze asked if commercial tenants could lease their extra private parking to commuters. Staff Member Thomas said that tenants could use their parking in that way unless there was something in their lease preventing it. Commissioner Kohlstrand said charging for parking could make an expensive commute option more expensive for people who do not have other good options to get to the ferry. Staff Member Thomas said that a $5 parking fee would put the cost of a ferry trip well in- line with other transbay options. Commissioner Weitze suggested we want to draw people towards the ferry in order to keep people away from the estuary crossings so the cost should incentivize that behavior. Chair Soules said that a modern system can provide a lot of flexibility to manage the parking use of different areas for different users by analyzing usage data while preserving privacy. Commissioner Nachtigall said we do not want to preclude people from using the ferry and cannot get mode shift if the other modes are not available. Commissioner Yuen asked for the opportunity to review the data gathered and make recommendations based on it as the system moves forward. Commissioner Weitze asked if we would be funneling parkers through the Appezzato intersection or Pacific. Staff Member Thomas said West Atlantic would be the primary route. He said we… | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,9 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 9 | No action was taken. 5-C 2020-7748 Review and Comment on 2019 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Report and General Plan Update Work in Progress. The review of the annual report and General Plan update draft elements are exempt actions under the California Environmental Quality Act Staff Member Thomas gave a report. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4337245&GUID=76CC4132- A630-4DB1-900C-4AACC4DFECF9&FullText=1. Commissioner Kohlstrand said that in the future to accommodate required housing we would have to focus on our transit corridors in order to meet the need for housing while dealing with congestion and climate concerns. Staff Member Thomas said that much of the focus for future housing would continue to be at Alameda Point and the Northern Waterfront, but also likely to include shopping centers. Commissioner Yuen said it is amazing that we are even coming close to meeting our RHNA obligations. She said so much of the climate plan is dependent upon us thinking big and bold about transportation solutions. Chair Soules suggested it may be useful to have another joint meeting of the Transportation Commission and Planning Board at a future date to discuss the housing and transportation issues together. No action was taken. 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. Central Avenue Concept - Webster Street Area and Environmental Clearance 2. General Plan Updates 3. Active Transportation Plan Updates 4. Ten-year Capital Improvement Program 5. Transportation Commission Bylaw Changes 6-B Future Meeting Dates for 2020 - Meetings start at 7 p.m. 1. Wednesday, March 25 2. Wednesday, May 27 3. Wednesday, July 22 4. Wednesday, September 23 5. Wednesday, November 18 9 | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf,10 | TransportationCommission | 2020-02-26 | 10 | 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Strehlow said his concerns about the parking management item is about forcing private businesses become parking enforcers which creates a new burden. He hoped that the City would help private owners address this problem created by the paid parking program. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:44 p.m. 10 | TransportationCommission/2020-02-26.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2020-01-22 | 1 | APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2020 Chair Soules convened the meeting at 7:00pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Soules, Commissioners Kohlstrand, Nachtigall, Hans, Johnson, Yuen, Weitze. Absent: None. 2. AGENDA CHANGES Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, requested that Staff Communications be moved to the front of the meeting in order for the City Engineer to give a status report on recent and upcoming Public Works actions. Commissioners expressed unanimous support for moving item 6, Staff Communications, to the front of the agenda. *6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS* Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer, gave an update on near term actions taken in response to the collisions involving children that occurred in Fall 2019 as well as some near term safety and maintenance projects. Commissioner Kohlstrand noted that the warrants used for decisions like new stop signs seem skewed towards automobiles and asked if we can look at updating the criteria we use when evaluating safety for people walking and biking. Lisa Foster, Transportation Planner, gave a brief update about Vision Zero planning and implementation efforts. Commissioner Johnson referenced a news story about success Norway has had with safety by reducing and enforcing speed limits. 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3-A Transportation Commission Special Meeting: Wed, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. 3-B Save the Date: Grand Opening Celebration of the Cross Alameda Trail (Main Street to Jean Sweeney Park) - Sat, Feb. 29, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Webster Street Plaza by Ralph Appezzato Pkwy. Event Listing: https://www.facebook.com/events/1770417466416590/ 3-C Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2020 Trainings: ttps://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Fire-Department/Alameda-CERT 1 | TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2020-01-22 | 2 | 3-D Alameda Active Transportation Plan Web page: www.ActiveAlameda.org Existing conditions map link for input: https://tooledesign.github.io/F0061-Alameda-City-ATF 3-E Emergency Alerts for Alameda - Subscribe at AC Alert web page: https://www.acgov.org/emergencysite/ 3-F Regional Emergency Transportation Alerts - Subscribe: https://511.org/alerts/emergencies/511Aler 3G. Clipper Card (adults) - order on line or at Walgreens or set up Autoload to add value automatically: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do 3H. Clipper Card Discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities - ttps://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/index.do 3I. Mastick Senior Center Transportation 101 - Tues, Feb 11 at 1 p.m. 3J. FasTrak or new toll tag for upcoming I-880 Express Lanes scheduled to open late summer 2020: on line or at Walgreens (except not Park Street location) and then register on line: https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/signup/signUp.shtml 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2020-7648 Approve Meeting Minutes - November 20, 2019 Commissioner Kohlstrand moved approval of the minutes; Commissioner Nachtigall seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2020-7649 Endorse the Transportation Choices Plan Year 2 Annual Report and the West Alameda Transportation Management Association Year 5 Annual Report (Andrew Thomas, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation) Commissioner Yuen recused herself from the discussion regarding the West Alameda TMA because she is a resident of Alameda Landing. Staff Member Payne gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4306960&GUID=6660FA4F- B751-454E-9296-7EA4262ED671&FullText=1 John Atkinson, Executive Director of the West Alameda TMA, spoke about the history of the TMA. 2 | TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2020-01-22 | 3 | Commissioner Weitze asked about the Line 96/96x changes and ending of the Target shuttle. He asked how we would decide if the change has been a failure and trigger returning to what has been a very successful shuttle program for Alameda Landing. Staff Member Payne listed some of the benefits of the change including expanding hours, service areas, access to the ferry, eliminating competition between a private shuttle and a public transit route, and serving our lowest income and most transit dependent neighborhoods with increased service. Commissioner Weitze noted that the nature of the shuttle only having two stops may have been what attracted people from the new development and worried that the ridership could drift if the service was part of a longer line. Commissioner Kohlstrand expressed support for consolidating the TMAs. She said there is a lot of good data available for the commercial users and asked if there would be a way to identify trip origin and destination solutions. Commissioner Nachtigall asked if the Line 19 would serve a similar role for the Northern Waterfront developments as the Line 96 does, increasing frequency with fees from new developments. Staff Member Payne said that the Line 19 is actually the model, and the peak hour increased service is a result of funding from the new residents. Commissioner Hans made a motion to endorse the West Alameda TMA Annual Report. Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0. Commissioner Yuen rejoined the dais. Staff Member Payne gave presentation on the Transportation Choices Plan Annual Report. Chair Soules opened the public comment. Susie Hufstader recommended that the Transportation Commission get involved in some of the regional and Oakland planning efforts underway and expressed strong support for the public bus options over maintaining private shuttles. Chair Soules closed the public comment. Commissioner Kohlstrand said we need to have better measures of effectiveness to see if we are making the most cost effective decisions ne… | TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2020-01-22 | 4 | Chair Soules said she was looking for rigorous criteria on how to prioritize the numerous "high priority" items in the Transportation Choices Plan. She said we need to be more accountable in measuring success and failure for our own projects and create a sense of competitiveness to see which would achieve the greatest impacts. Commissioner Weitze said the light timing changes are needed when infrastructure changes, mentioning the changes at Pacific and Appezzato on Main Street. Staff Member Payne responded to some of the issues raised by Commissioners. Commissioner Kohlstrand added that being able to put the impact into clear soundbytes for public consumption would be really helpful. Commissioner Nachtigall made a motion to endorse the Transportation Choices Plan Annual Report. Commissioner Hans seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0. 5-B 2020-7650 Endorse the 2019 Annual Report on the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (Patrick Pelegri-O'Day, Climate Action Coordinator) Patrick Pelegri-O'Day, Climate Action Coordinator, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4306974&GUID=3E3FA250- 7C90-42E6-B6CC-82030620D359&FullText=1. Chair Soules expressed appreciation for the realistic approach taken in the report as to which items are achievable in given time periods. Commissioner Weitze suggested tying the scary flooding and sea-level rise maps to the recently passed infrastructure bond to show how the two are connected for residents in a concrete, understandable way. Commissioner Yuen said the dashboard should reflect changing health outcomes from these type of climate related actions. Commissioner Kohlstrand said so much of this discussion is determined by land use policy which needs to be part of the climate action equation. Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion to endorse the report. Commissioner Yuen seconded the motion. The motion passed 7-0. 5-C 2020-7651 4 | TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2020-01-22 | 5 | Provide input on Active Transportation Plan Draft Vision and Goals, and Receive Project Update (Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator) Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: attps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4306999&GUID=0F41AD7D- 39A1-4465-B886-583743D11DBC&FullText=1. Chair Soules opened the public comment. Susie Hufstader, Bike East Bay, said Alameda's community is the most engaged she has seen after watching many of these plans be developed. She said the city is ready for some big transformations and difficult choices ahead. Chair Soules closed the public comment. Commissioner Yuen gave feedback on using consistent language and connecting these issues to the need for transit connectivity. Commissioner Kohlstrand suggested inserting the community health impacts into this language. Commissioner Nachtigall provided active words to improve the vision statement. Commissioner Weitze suggested splitting the goals into on-island and off-island trips because of the different challenges each pose. 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. Vision Zero Policy Implementation in Response to City Council Referral 2. Central Avenue Concept - Webster Street Area and Environmental Clearance 3. General Plan Updates 6-B Future Meeting Dates for 2020 - Meetings start at 7 p.m. 1. Wednesday, February 26 (Special Meeting) 2. Wednesday, March 25 3. Wednesday, May 27 4. Wednesday, July 22 5. Wednesday, September 23 6. Wednesday, November 18 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Strehlow asked if he was allowed to cross a solid white line to enter the newly re- striped bike lane on Broadway at Clement. 5 | TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2020-01-22 | 6 | 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:05 p.m. 6 | TransportationCommission/2020-01-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2019-11-20 | 1 | Transportation Commission 1-22-20 Item 4-A APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 Chair Soules convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Soules, Commissioners Nachtigall, Kohlstrand, Hans, Johnson, Weitze. Absent: Yuen. 2. AGENDA CHANGES A portion of Staff Communications was moved to the front of the agenda in order to allow the City Engineer to introduce new staff members and provide an update related to Vision Zero actions. *STAFF COMMUNICATIONS' Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer, introduced two new engineering hires for the Public Works Department. Donya Amiri, Traffic Engineer, and Robert Vance who will be supervising many of the capital improvement projects that come before the Transportation Commission. Staff Member Amiri introduced herself to the Commission. Robert Vance, Senior Engineer, introduced himself to the Commission. Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, provided an update on the Transportation Choices Plan outreach process. She said the recent open house was well attended and a big success. She said the project webpage is now up at ActiveAlameda.org. She noted the City Council unanimously adopted the Vision Zero Policy at its November 5th meeting. Staff Member Amiri reported on short term actions being taken in response to recent youth involved collisions, including refreshed crosswalks, daylighting intersections, adding advanced stop bars, replacing signage, and changes to signal operations to improve pedestrian safety. She said there would be a citywide speed survey completed soon which can provide opportunities to reduce speed limits and analyze flow characteristics. 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3-A Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, Jan 22 at 7 p.m. 3-B Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2020 Trainings: register on Fire Department web page 1 | TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2019-11-20 | 2 | Transportation Commission 1-22-20 Item 4-A 3-C Alameda Active Transportation Plan web page: www.ActiveAlameda.org 3-D Emergency Alerts for Alameda - Subscribe at AC Alert web page: tps://www.acgov.org/emergencysite/ 3-E Regional Emergency Transportation Alerts - Subscribe: https://511.org/alerts/emergencies/511Alert 3-F Clipper Card (adults) - order on line or at Walgreens or set up Autoload to add value automatically: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do 3-G Clipper Card Discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities - https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/index.do 3-H Clipper Card senior sign-up event at Mastick Senior Center - Tues, Dec 17 at 1 p.m. - Conference Room D 3-I FasTrak or new toll tag for upcoming I-880 Express Lanes scheduled to open late summer 2020: on line or at Walgreens (except not Park Street location) and then register on line: ittps://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/signup/signUp.shtm Laura Katz said her 15 year old daughter was struck in a crosswalk at Fernside and High St. by a hit and run driver on October 3rd. She said it has been a traumatic event for her family. She requested crossing guards and improvements along the entire corridor of Fernside from Versailles to High. Andy Stoddard said he would like to see a light on Fernside at Harvard. He said people go too fast. He said they have been trying to address that area for at least 12 years. He suggested having the commissioners do a visit to the site. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she walks that corridor regularly and that it is a very dangerous corridor. Chair Soules noted that many of the recent collisions have been happening around the time change. Commissioner Johnson said he lives near Fernside and understands the concerns there very well. Maria Gallo requested the commissioners to come walk the corridor with the residents. She asked for stop signs and other measures to help slow cars down. 2 | TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2019-11-20 | 3 | Transportation Commission 1-22-20 Item 4-A 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2019-7469 Draft Meeting Minutes - September 25, 2019 Commissioner Kohlstrand moved approval of the minutes. Commissioner Nachtigall seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2019-7470 Discuss the AC Transit Line 19 Promotional Pilot Program Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, gave a report. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4228445&GUID=E655A108- CE47-448B-B312-E6AC7D057282&FullText=1. Kristy Cannon said it was a good experience interacting one on one with residents and they learned a lot about barriers people have that prevent transit usage. Chair Soules said she loved the model of this program. Commissioner Nachtigall thanked the team for their efforts, noting that the team knocked on her door as well. Commissioner Weitze said the Line 19 has a branding problem. He said the "BART Shuttle" branding is powerful and should be incorporated into the signage on the bus displays. No action was taken. 5-B 2019-7471 Review and Comment on Draft Goals for AC Transit's Comprehensive Operations Analysis Staff Member Payne gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4228572&GUID=10E395B0- 4726-44A0-9E74-EB10D2E078B7&FullText= Commissioner Kohlstrand said that successful transit is dependent upon three factors in an area: income levels, automobile ownership, and density. She said we need to make our transit investments in concert with our land use decisions, focusing on our densest corridors. She said we are setting ourselves up to have to subsidize the services outlined in these goals that might not be the most efficient allocation of resources. Chair Soules said there is a disconnect between the statements that we are well served by transit and the public's impression that they cannot get where they need to go in a given 3 | TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2019-11-20 | 4 | Mirabelle Reyes, appellant, said she started keeping track of the crashes at the intersection since 2016. She said drivers are speeding to try and make the light at the next intersection. She said there are many kids, elderly and people pushing strollers at this dangerous intersection. She said the intersection needs a four way stop. Commissioner Nachtigall asked Ms. Reyes what she meant by a systems issue. 4 | TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2019-11-20 | 5 | Transportation Commission 1-22-20 Item 4-A Ms. Reyes said that Oak Street is a high injury corridor with lots of speeding and the traffic flow is not being contained correctly. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if Ms. Reyes had evidence that there have been five or more collisions in the past 12 months. Ms. Reyes said she shared some images with Public Works staff. Chair Soules asked Staff Member Wikstrom to explain the warrant process and data discrepancies. Staff Member Wikstrom said they use the police logs, which only include incidents that generate a police report. He said that Oak Street is a common bypass for Park Street. He added that collision numbers have been mostly stable in Alameda over the past ten years. Commissioner Johnson said he biked through the intersection in order to evaluate the safety. He said the visibility at the intersection was now pretty good. He said he did not believe there were crosswalks marked across Oak Street, which he thinks may help in that area. Staff Member Wikstrom said that creating an uncontrolled crosswalks imply a degree of safety when the vehicles on Oak do not need to stop. He said they are mindful to limit the number of those, but might want to install rectangular rapid flashing beacons at those types of crossings. Commissioner Kohlstrand said this intersection would be a good candidate to return to in six months or a year to see if the visibility improvements have reduced collisions. Chair Soules asked that staff give more information at a future meeting about what Vision Zero is and what the effort is about to provide context for the community. Commissioner Hans said we need to improve how we collect data on minor traffic incidents. Staff Member Wheeler explained some of the ways they will be collecting data for the Active Transportation Plan. Chair Soules summarized the Commission's feedback: staff will look for ways to improve the ability to report and how that impacts the warrant process; report back on how the daylighting improvements are working at Pacific and O… | TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2019-11-20 | 6 | Transportation Commission 1-22-20 Item 4-A Commissioner Johnson made a motion to uphold staff's decision not to install a four way stop at Pacific and Oak. Commissioner Weitze seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0. 5-D 2019-7473 Discuss Electric Vehicle Adoption Staff Member Payne gave a presentation. The report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4228580&GUID=2C474DDF- F4DD-4A03-B091-CC1E8E09A727&FullText=1 Sonia Manrique, Alameda Municipal Power, continued the presentation. Commissioner Weitze asked about the fleet replacement policy and whether replacing existing vehicles with new electric vehicles was a net benefit. Staff Member Payne said they are replacing vehicles that are beyond their useful life. She added that charging capacity is the main limiting factor to the number of EVs they can purchase at this time. Commissioner Weitze asked what would happen to the green energy surcharge once the shift to 100 percent clean energy occurs. Rebecca Irwin, Alameda Municipal Power, said they will be repositioning the Alameda Green program to allow people to green up the regional grid instead of just their individual home. Commissioner Weitze asked if the rebate would apply towards the infrastructure or just the charger. Staff Member Irwin said that the rebates can be applied towards infrastructure, but that multifamily units present unique challenges that can dramatically increase the cost of adding individual chargers. She added that AMP staff will come out and talk through the issues for any particular site. Commissioner Nachtigall asked if the rebate would apply to leased EVs. Staff Member Irwin said that AMP is focusing on rebating used vehicles, saying that the market is already taking care of encouraging new vehicles. No action was taken. 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. Annual Report for the Transportation Choices Plan and the Climate Action and 6 | TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2019-11-20 | 7 | Transportation Commission 1-22-20 Item 4-A Resiliency Plan 2. Annual Report for the Alameda Transportation Management Association (TMA) and the Alameda Landing TMA 6-B Future Meeting Dates for 2020 - Meetings start at 7 p.m. 1. Wednesday, January 22 2. Wednesday, March 25 3. Wednesday, May 27 4. Wednesday, July 22 5. Wednesday, September 23 6. Wednesday, November 18 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Strehlow said that not everyone in the Fernside area would be agreeable to changes to Fernside that would favor neighbors on the north side of Fernside. He said the center turn lane solves a lot of needs for people that live on Fernside. He asked that all neighbors be included in a meeting on the issue. Chair Soules asked that the Fernside HOA be included when staff arranges a site visit for commissioners and neighbors of Fernside and Harvard. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 8:58 p.m. 7 | TransportationCommission/2019-11-20.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 1 | APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 Chair Soules convened the meeting at 7:01 pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Vice Chair Soules, Commissioners Nachtigall, Yuen, Kohlstrand, Weitze. Absent: Commissioners Hans, Johnson. 2. AGENDA CHANGES None. 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3-A Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, Nov 20 at 7 p.m. 3-B Tsunami Presentations: Thurs, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (boating community) and Wed, Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. (citywide) - City Hall, Council Chambers 3-C Alameda Bike for the Parks - Community Bike Ride - Sat, Sept 28 3-D International Walk and Roll to School Day - Wed., Oct 2 3-E Smart Driver Refresher Course by AARP at Mastick Senior Center - Wed., Oct 9 - 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 3-F Electric Vehicle 101, City Hall Council Chambers: Wed, Oct 16 at 6:30 p.m. 3-G Transportation 101 + Clipper Card Registrations at Mastick Senior Center - Tues, Oct 22 at 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 3-H Transportation Services Survey for Seniors and People with Disabilities at Mastick Senior Center or on-line at www.AlamedaParatransit.com by Thurs, Oct 31 3-I Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2019 Trainings in October: register on Fire Department web page 3-J Upcoming Grant-Funded Bicycle Safety Education Classes: https://bikeeastbay.org/alamedabikeed 3-K Emergency Alerts for Alameda - Subscribe at AC Alert web page: https://www.acgov.org/emergencysite/ 1 | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 2 | 3-L Regional Emergency Transportation Alerts - Subscribe: ttps://511.org/alerts/emergencies/511Alert 3-M Clipper Card (adults) - order on line or at Walgreens or set up Autoload to add value automatically: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do 3-N Clipper Card Discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities - https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/index.do 3-O FasTrak or new toll tag for upcoming I-880 Express Lanes: on line or at Walgreens (except not Park Street location) and then register on line: https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/signup/signUp.shtm Chair Soules recognized and congratulated Commissioner Kohlstrand on her recent retirement and described some of the highlights of her career in Transportation Planning. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she looks forward to giving back to the community during her retirement. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2019-7280 Draft Meeting Minutes - July 24, 2019 Commissioner Nachtigall made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2019-7281 Uphold the Public Works Director's Decision to Remove One Parking Space at the Corner of Walnut Street at San Antonio Avenue to improve intersection visibility and safety Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139789&GUID=7EAB8214- OBE2-4480-A488-5C82AE7E4927 Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if the request for improved visibility came from someone in the neighborhood. Staff Member Wikstrom said that the request came in via SeeClickFix. Commissioner Weitze noted that in 2012 the warrants for an all way stop sign were not met and asked if that was still the case. 2 | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 3 | Staff Member Wikstrom said that they have not done updated traffic counts. He said the counts were 30% below the threshold in 2012 and that he would not expect that large of a change at this intersection since 2012. Steve Mack, appellant, gave a presentation. Chair Soules asked what the rest of the conditions of the intersection are, such as signage and striping. Staff Member Wikstrom said that there are no marked crosswalks and that the aerial image displayed is accurate. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked whether Walnut was considered a local street or a collector in the City's street classification system. Staff Member Wikstrom said that Walnut is a local street. Commissioner Weitze asked if there were any other examples of four way stops in Alameda that did not meet the thresholds, but were installed because of community input. Staff Member Wikstrom said he is not aware of any recent examples that would meet that criteria. Chair Soules opened the public hearing. Sean McGowan said that high schoolers zip through the intersection. He said that parking is very difficult during the school year. He said the neighborhood cannot afford to lose a parking space. He said they need a stop sign to reduce speeding. Bob Ralston said the High School students take up all the available parking during the day. He said drivers like to speed through the intersection. He said they need a stop sign before someone gets killed. Shemaiah Stanton said that the primary issue is not visibility, but speeding. He said things have changed a lot since 2012. He asked that staff take a fresh look at the need for a stop sign. Jane Kramer said we don't need to eliminate parking spaces. She said she stops at that intersection automatically when driving, but most people don't know what to do there. She said visibility is not a problem and that it needs a four way stop. Denyse Trepanier, Bike Walk Alameda, said we are trying to make our streets safer. She said safety has to come as a higher priority than parking. She said every study shows that 3 | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 4 | daylighting improves safety. She said a stop sign would be nice, but it would not remove the need for daylighting. Richard Thomas said parking does not take precedence over safety, but that the intersection would still need a stop sign. Jim Strehlow said that a similar situation happened in 2009 on Buena Vista. He said an argument was made that Safe Routes to Schools concerns could override the lack of warrants for three stop signs that were desired. He said a similar argument could be made here. Chair Soules closed the public hearing. Commissioner Weitze asked what it would cost to conduct a new study of the intersection today. Staff Member Wikstrom said he does not have exact numbers, but suggested it would take several hundred dollars and several hours of staff time. He said for warrants they typically do traffic counts, not speed surveys. He said speed surveys would add additional cost and staff time. He cautioned the Commission that there are probably 50 intersections in town that we could be having this exact same discussion about. Chair Soules asked what it would take for the intersection to meet the warrants. Staff Member Wikstrom said there are two primary warrants that enter into the decision. He said one was collision history. He said that if the collision warrant is met, they must be able to say that all other potential improvements have been made, including improving visibility. Commissioner Kohlstrand said the attached policy emphasizes arterials and collectors. She said that these are both local streets and asked if this is where we should be prioritizing improving visibility. Staff Member Wikstrom said that the crash history is sufficient to merit addressing visibility at the intersection. He said that would be a required step before consideration of installing a four way stop where the traffic volumes do not meet the thresholds. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if limiting the height of vehicles parked near the corner could be the first step. Staff Member Wikstrom said that could be the first step, … | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 5 | Commissioner Yuen asked if there were other measures which could be taken to reduce speeds and improve safety at the intersection without removing a parking space. Staff Member Wikstrom said that after education and enforcement, from an engineering standpoint, improving visibility is the logical action to take to increase safety at the intersection. Chair Soules asked if Alameda High School has any educational programs for their new drivers to promote safe driving in the community. Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, said the Safe Routes to Schools program is looking to expand to High Schools and Alameda hopes to be one of the pilot cities for that program. She said she is not aware of any activities that are happening now at Alameda High. Chair Soules asked if planning staff has evaluated residential permit parking policies. Staff Member Payne said that the neighborhood around the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal has implemented permit parking through their HOA. She said that it was resident initiated. Commissioner Kohlstrand said that there were discussions about the issue during her tenure on the Planning Board, but nothing was ever implemented. Commissioner Nachtigall said she visited the intersection to better understand the visibility and parking situation. She said she believed the daylighting would be helpful. She said that need not contradict the possibility of a four way stop in the future. Commissioner Weitze asked Commissioner Nachtigall if she noticed any available parking in the area when she visited at 6:45 p.m. Commissioner Nachtigall said she saw one space on Walnut and several spots on San Antonio between Walnut and Willow. Commissioner Kohlstrand said that she understands the need for parking but needs to come down on the side of safety. She said it is unfortunate that we have to wait until there are accidents before safety improvements are made or stop signs added. She added that she understood that traffic engineers have to balance safety with the need to move people through an area… | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 6 | daylighting the intersection and encouraging staff to look at other engineering options to slow traffic at the intersection. Chair Soules said that she would support preserving parking and limiting height of vehicles, but does not think that is sufficient, noting that many children are shorter than cars. She said the tradeoff between improved safety and visibility against the inconvenience of having to park further away is a necessary one. Chair Soules made a motion to approve the staff recommendation. Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. 5-B 2019-7282 Discuss Tsunami Awareness Captain Sharon Oliver, Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139806&GUID=969322E6- 5B51-43F1-A87A-OCDD2C2C9F09&FullText=1 Commissioner Yuen asked what level of coordination there is with Oakland on this issue. Captain Oliver said she does coordinate with her counterparts in Oakland and with both police departments to coordinate evacuation plans. Chair Soules asked how vulnerable populations that do not and cannot drive are being addressed. Captain Oliver said we have our own shuttle and also partner with paratransit. She said they are at the beginning of the conversation and are working on the transportation plan, but it is not complete yet. Chair Soules opened the public hearing. Jim Strehlow said this is what he fears most about the overdevelopment in Alameda. He said we should know what the evacuation rates are of our exits and we should know how many people will die because we have overpopulated the island. He said he remembers regular flooding events that created dangerous conditions for driving and most evacuation routes are vulnerable to flooding. Chair Soules closed the public hearing. Informational item, no action was taken. 5-C 2019-7283 Recommend City Council Adoption of Vision Zero Policy Staff Member Wheeler and Lisa Foster, Transportation Planner, gave a presentation. The st… | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 7 | https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139823&GUID=F4F57230- D1C1-4647-85B9-C4DCDEB6B4C7&FullText=1 Commissioner Weitze asked if there are punitive or enforcement aspects to Vision Zero. Staff Member Foster said that increased enforcement is part of other cities' plans. She said San Francisco initially focused enforcement on locations and violations where fatalities and collisions were most likely. Staff Member Wheeler said she sees it as a data driven process to perhaps redistribute where enforcement occurs in order to have the most impact on behavior, rather than simply increasing overall enforcement. Commissioner Weitze asked if reconsidering the standards and process for placement of stop signs was part of the Vision Zero process. Staff Member Wheeler said they have not looked at that as a standard to evaluate, given that federal guidelines exist on stop sign placement. Chair Soules opened the public hearing. Jim Strehlow said NACTO implementation in San Francisco did not make him feel safer while cycling. He said it took him out of his way, compared to the older, more direct route. He recalled a recent fatality in San Francisco on a NACTO redesigned intersection. He warned the Commission not to believe that this would be a perfect solution. Chair Soules closed the public hearing. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she supports the Vision Zero movement and looks forward to developing the policy. Commissioner Yuen said she strongly supports Vision Zero and is excited by the focus on equity. She said she would like to see a focus on design and engineering over enforcement, which can be punitive. She asked that the annual report be brought back to the Transportation Commission. Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion that the Vision Zero Policy be recommended to the City Council with the amendment that the annual report come to the Transportation Commission. Commissioner Yuen seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. 5-D 2019-7284 Update on Active Transportation Plan 7 | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 8 | Staff Member Wheeler and Megan Wooley-Ousdahl, Toole Design, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139824&GUID=46062EA4- SEOC-4F62-8938-8DC2CD9B2970&FullText=1 Commissioner Yuen asked if the Technical Advisory Committee has changed to the Community Advisory Group. Staff Member Wheeler said that it has indeed changed to a Community Advisory Group. She said they would still use the Vision Zero Task Force in order to gather technical feedback. Commissioner Yuen asked how we were recruiting for the Community Advisory Group. Staff Member Wheeler said they are reaching out to people now from different groups and demographics in the city to attempt to identify a diverse representation of the community. Commissioner Weitze asked why we are doing all the audits and data collection before a major piece of infrastructure like the Cross Alameda Trail is complete. Staff Member Wheeler said most of the data collection has been gathering the existing data rather than generating new data. She said there are lots of other facilities and areas of the city that have identified issues that they want to move forward with. She said there will be an automatic bike counter on the new trail which will provide an ongoing source of data. Chair Soules asked how the survey sample size will ensure an accurate representation and not oversample or under sample certain populations. Ms. Wooley-Ousdahl said the community survey would be statistically significant with a professional research firm that has methods to ensure a proper sample. She added that the focus groups would be another area where they can be very deliberate about who they reach out to for input. Chair Soules said that equity in lifestyle, not just demographics, is important to achieve a true mix of Alamedans, and that transparency in that area will be important. Commissioner Nachtigall said she is not sure that what is described as a focus group is a true focus group. Staff Member Wheeler exp… | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,9 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 9 | Commissioner Weitze asked if the survey results would be broken out by renter versus homeowner. Staff Member Wheeler said that is not something that has been looked at yet for this survey, but that staff can consider it further. Commissioner Kohlstrand said that transit should be considered as part of the assessment in how pedestrians and bicyclists access the city. Staff Member Wheeler said that connections with transit are part of their analysis. Commissioner Kohlstrand said we should take care to ensure that the West End and Bay Farm are adequately represented in the surveys. Chair Soules suggested having events at mode connections would be a good way to capture folks and get information on the first and last mile issues. Commissioner Yuen said capturing input from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities comes in multiple forms, including geographic areas that lack active transportation facilities, looking at collision data for areas that are disproportionately impacted, and looking at demographics such as income, race, ethnicity, and age. She said she appreciates the many ways people can get involved in the planning process. Commissioner Weitze suggested the West End Art Walk as a good place to find survey participants. 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A 2019-7285 Status Report on Activities Related to Transportation Policies and Plans Staff Member Payne gave an update. The report can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139839&GUID=BF2758A2- 715F-42CD-9795-E9BA6541F532 Staff Member Wheeler said the expected opening of the Cross Alameda Trail segment under construction is now slated for December. She reported on the theft of the Cycles of Changes storage truck from outside of Maya Lin School, and their fundraising appeal in order to get back in service. Staff Member Wikstrom explained that the bike lanes on Pacific from Main Street to 4th Street would be delayed due to federal funding requirements and the language in the environmental clearance. 6-B Potential Future Meeting Age… | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf,10 | TransportationCommission | 2019-09-25 | 10 | 2. Electric Vehicle Adoption 3. Line 19 Promotional Program Evaluation 4. Long-term Goals and Objectives for AC Transit Service in Alameda 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Strehlow told a story of bicycling in the park above the Transbay Terminal on a quiet Saturday morning. He said multiple police officers stopped him for riding his bicycle even though there was no signage saying it was not allowed. He asked if this body was the right place to find out if cycling was permitted there or not, since he has not had success getting responses from AC Transit in the past. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:44 p.m. 10 | TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 1 | APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2019 Chair Soules convened the meeting at 7:00pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Vice Chair Soules, Commissioners Johnson, Nachtigall, Kohlstrand, Weitze, Hans. Absent: Commissioner Yuen. Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, introduced the newest member, Commissioner Weitze. Commissioner Weitze provided a brief background about himself and why he wanted to be on the Commission. Staff Member Payne announced that Commissioner Yuen was out because she recently had a baby boy. 2. AGENDA CHANGES None. 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3-A AC Transit Proposed Line 96 Increased Frequency and Route Adjustment for Alameda Point, Community Meeting: Wed, July 31 at 6 p.m., Alameda City Hall and Public Hearing: Wed, Aug 7 at 2 and 6 p.m., AC Transit, 1600 Franklin St..: http://www.actransit.org/public-hearings/ 3-B Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. 3-C Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2019 Trainings in September and October: register on Fire Department web page 3-D Upcoming Grant-Funded Bicycle Safety Education Classes: https://bikeeastbay.org/alamedabikeed 3-E Travel Tips Workshop by the Center for Independent Living at Mastick Senior Center - Friday, Sept 13, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 3-F Tsunami Presentations: Thurs, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (boating community) and Wed, Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. (citywide) - City Hall, Council Chambers 1 | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 2 | Jim Strehlow said he wants to address electric scooters and bicycles misusing the bike lanes. He said that on July 4th, he was bicycling on Broadway when a car turned suddenly and nearly hit him. He wondered how many near misses happen because there is no reporting for that statistic. He told a story of a car using a bike lane in Oakland and creating a hazard, pointing to the confusing lane markings as the likely cause. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2019-7113 Draft Meeting Minutes - May 22, 2019 Commissioner Kohlstrand asked staff to review her comments on page 8 of 9, at the top, for accuracy. Commissioner Kohlstrand motioned approval of the minutes as corrected. Commissioner Nachtigall seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2019-7114 Board Elections Staff Member Payne introduced the item. The staff report can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4065041&GUID=92522B1C- 5433-4A75-92C6-46086298E374 Commissioner Johnson nominated Commissioner Soules as chair. Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded the nomination. The nomination passed 6-0. Commissioner Soules nominated Commissioner Nachtigall as Vice Chair. Commissioner Kohlstrand seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0. 5-B 2019-7115 Discuss the I-880 Express Lanes Staff Member Payne introduced the item. The staff report and exhibits can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4065113&GUID=AAD5A3EC- 6AE6-45E4-9DD0-654529F301EC&FullText=1 Barbara Laurenson, MTC, gave a presentation. Commissioner Nachtigall asked how far apart the entrances and exits would be along the corridor. Ms. Laurenson showed a map illustrating the types and characteristics of entrances and exits to the express lanes. Commissioner Nachtigall asked if all buses, whether public or private, would be able to use the lanes toll free. 2 | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 3 | Ms. Laurenson said that all buses would be free. Commissioner Weitze asked if Uber and Lyft vehicles with three total passengers would also be free. Ms. Laurenson said that those vehicles would also be free. Commissioner Weitze asked if consideration has been given to mandating Fastrak to eliminate cash lanes. Ms. Laurenson said that conversation has not gone very far. There were no public speakers. 5-C 2019-7116 Approve the Clement Avenue Safety Improvement Project Recommendations (Andrew Thomas, Director of the Planning, Building and Transportation Department) Outcome: Commission to provide recommendations Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Department Director, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4065114&GUID=20E10C59- 20AE-43AE-AF1F-F761759F89D7&FullText=1. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she did not feel like all three alternatives got a fair comparison, and that staff was advocating for one alternative. She asked what the advantage of the hybrid alternative would be. Staff Member Thomas said the hybrid alternative eliminates fewer parking spaces and keeps the Park Street intersection the same as it is today. Thaddeus Wozniak, project consultant from CDM Smith, said that if there is a decision not to use a two-way bikeway for the entire Cross Alameda Trail, there would have to be a transition somewhere. He added that if the hybrid alternative is chosen, the transition would be at Walnut and if bike lanes are chosen for the corridor, the transition would be at Grand. He said the hybrid option continues the two-way bikeway as far as possible in the areas where there are few driveways before transitioning to traditional bike lanes. Commissioner Kohlstrand said Alameda has so few streets that trucks and buses can run on and that she is concerned that we are giving so much priority to bicycles on this particular street. She said option 3 puts more capital improvements into the street that would make it harder f… | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 4 | Staff Member Payne said that they discussed the Line 19 restoration with AC Transit and specifically chose Buena Vista to increase ridership with a wider catchment area. She added that Clement is a truck route and that staff prefers not to burden the truck route with a bus route as well. Commissioner Johnson asked if the bike signal at Park Street would be on demand, or always active. Mr. Wozniak said the plan would be to have detection so that the bike signal phase would only activate when a bicyclist is present. Commissioner Johnson asked what would happen to the abundant power poles and lines along the north side of the street. Staff Member Thomas said the higher voltage lines run along the northern side and they have been told by AMP to not expect to underground those lines. He said that there will be some poles that get undergrounded along the northern side with each new development, but the 115kv lines will stay. Commissioner Nachtigall asked how option 3 would make it so that more street trees could be placed along the corridor. Staff Member Payne explained how street trees could be placed in the striped visibility zones adjacent to the bike facility near intersections. She added that more detail would be included as the plans get further developed. Commissioner Weitze asked what percentage of the project is already paid for. Staff Member Payne said they have a federal grant for over five million dollars that will pay for 88% of the project. Commissioner Weitze said that his research showed that trailered boats could only be nine feet wide without getting a wide load permit. Commissioner Johnson asked for more information about the stop sign discussion that has taken place. Staff Member Thomas said they would put in stop signs when it is warranted. He said the Alameda Marina project would result in some additional stops signs. Mr. Wozniak said there would be two new four way stops at two new locations for access to the Alameda Marina project. 4 | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 5 | Chair Soules asked for and received confirmation that the parking loss counts do not reflect additional loading zones that may be added. She said that Clement may become a more attractive bus route as there is increased development in the area. She asked how the two-way bikeway would work with bus stops. Mr. Wozniak explained the safety benefits of not having buses crossing bike lanes to access stops. He said a bus boarding island can be built where there is parking adjacent to the bikeway. Chair Soules asked what the alternative truck route would be if it were not Clement. Staff Member Thomas said that Buena Vista would be the alternate truck route. He said the City has been working with residents to move the existing truck route segments off of Buena Vista. Chair Soules asked what the data were showing for safety on this corridor compared to other areas in Alameda. Staff Member Payne showed the slide demonstrating the number and locations of collisions along the corridor. She said the wide lanes contribute to speeding and a disproportionate number of incidents. She said that there are fewer incidents being seen where protected bike lanes have been installed. Chair Soules opened the public hearing. Jim Strehlow said the key on page 5, figure 4 was not clear. He said adding street trees near Everett would make it very difficult for the businesses in that area. He said the current design is working fine. He questioned whether there are enough collisions to warrant such a major design change. He said he liked the shade he gets currently in the afternoon when riding on the south side of the street. He asked how many bike routes we need. He said there are alternatives, and he uses Buena Vista because it continues further east. He expressed support for option 1. Shawn Throwe said he owns the only remaining boatyard in Alameda. He said four years ago they asked the board to not support this plan and the Commission agreed. He said he had 54 wide load trucks last year, up to almost 17 feet wide. He said truckers have opt… | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 6 | James Falaschi, Alameda Marina, said they support the staff recommendation and look forward to working with the City to make it a reality. Bonnie Wehmann said she supports option 3. She said she teaches kids how to bicycle safely and drivers get angry and impatient sharing the road with bicyclists. She said protected bike lanes provide the most safety. Susie Hufstader, Bike East Bay, said she supports the protected bike lane. She said her partner test rode her commute to Berkeley today and said it was really hard and stressful having cars brushing by all the time. She said the Cross Alameda Trail is about a bigger vision that is safe, comfortable and continuous. Pat Potter, Bike Walk Alameda, supported option 3. She said this option makes the most sense. She said they want to get 40% more people on bikes. She urged the commission to imagine what the street will look like in the future, not what it looks like today. Norene Griffin shared some research about the health and safety benefits of protected bike lanes. She said this project is needed to meet the City's goals. She supported option 3. She said she does not let her son ride his bike in Alameda because it is not safe. Suzanne Diers said her family owns property near Clement Ave where two boat related businesses operate. She said option 3 would make maneuvering boats more difficult, and that it was not necessarily the safest option. She said narrow streets do not make drivers slow down. She suggested putting the bike lanes through the marina property. Gene Oh supported option 3. He cited studies that show increased economic activity when bike lanes replace space for cars. He said bike lanes reduce gridlock. He said adding protected bike lanes would help future proof Alameda for things like autonomous delivery vehicles. Abraham Warner said he rides his bike a lot, but avoids Clement. He supported option 3. Rich Cusimano supported option 3. He said he and his son were struck by a driver riding in what would be the option 2 bike lanes. He said they chose to come… | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 7 | Chair Soules closed the public hearing. Commissioner Weitze said that multiple people have suggested this money be used for other uses, such as police. He asked if that is permitted. Staff Member Payne said that this is a competitive federal grant that can only be used on this project. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she is concerned about option 3. She said she does not want to hurt businesses along Clement Avenue. She said she supports better access for bicyclists and improved safety where we are able. She said she is not convinced that even the in-street bike lanes of option 2 would be the best on this street. She said she is concerned about the dimensions of option 2, though is leaning towards that option. She expressed worry about the serpentine alignment of alternative 3. She said she is concerned about the design of the Park Street intersection under option 2, asking why there cannot be a bike lane there. Mr. Wozniak explained that the center line at Park Street is pushed really far to the south to accommodate turning trucks from southbound Park Street onto westbound Clement Avenue. He said the two-way bikeway uses unused space next to the northern curb in option 3. Staff Member Payne said the situation is exacerbated because the lane that trucks turn from at Park Street is against the curb, where at many intersections there would be parked cars enabling trucks to turn from further away. Commissioner Hans said he participated in the recent ride with Bike Walk Alameda and enjoyed hearing from business owners and seeing how option 3 would still allow trucks to complete their turns. He said he supports option 3 because it would be the safest alternative. Commissioner Johnson said he was initially in favor of striped bike lanes, but hearing the comments and feedback from the breakout sessions he is now strongly in support of option 3. He said new families moving into developments along the waterfront will be looking for this type of facility and that it supports the City's goals. Commissioner Weitze said the proj… | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 8 | Commissioner Nachtigall said there will be lots of change in that area and the Cross Alameda Trail should have continuity. She added that she strongly supports option 3 as a way to get people out of vehicles. She supported the idea of adding sharrows to provide experienced bike riders an alternative. Commissioner Johnson endorsed the idea of including sharrows in the eastbound lane. Chair Soules asked what the difference might be in overall cost, and City contributions, between option 2 and option 3. Staff Member Payne said they have not done detailed cost estimates for the different options. She said $74,000 of City funds would be combined with Measure B and BB funds to fulfill the local match requirements. Mr. Wozniak said that most of the costs would surround the sidewalk and bulb outs work. He said the cost differences between options are not that great. Staff Member Thomas said that the local match funds from B and BB have to be used for transportation projects, and could not go to police or parks or other uses. Chair Soules said making accommodations for businesses is very important for Alameda's jobs-housing balance. She asked if we have worked with Alameda Police to help coordinate wide loads and mitigate some of the impacts to businesses. Staff Member Thomas said that staff can work more closely with different departments as more detailed plans are developed. He said 11 foot lanes are standard in business areas across Alameda and we need to figure out how to operate businesses in this corridor with 11 foot lanes. Commissioner Kohlstrand said the industrial nature of Clement is different than a commercial district like Park Street. Chair Soules asked if the bikeway could be smaller. Staff Member Thomas said that the facility is already at the minimum width permitted. Chair Soules asked if the idea of doing option 2 now and option 3 later was considered. Staff Member Thomas said that having the new segments of the Cross Alameda Trail opening up to the west in 2020 will increase the need for this facility i… | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf,9 | TransportationCommission | 2019-07-24 | 9 | also a timeline on the federal funds which means they will not be available in the future when the City is ready to change configurations. Staff Member Payne said there are federal requirements that we keep anything that is done in place for at least 20 years. Commissioner Johnson made a motion to endorse option 3 with the condition that sharrows be included in the eastbound travel lane. Commissioner Weitze seconded the motion. Chair Soules suggested including a bike counter with the bike signal at Park Street as a way to develop metrics and performance reporting on projects like this. Staff Member Payne said that metrics are a citywide initiative that staff is working on developing. The motion passed 5-1 (Kohlstrand opposed.) 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A City Council Staff Report on Intersection Visibility Recommendations and Verbal Report on Council Action Staff Member Thomas gave an update on recent City Council actions. 6-B Oakland Alameda Access Project: Informational Presentation scheduled for September 17, 2019 City Council meeting Staff Member Thomas previewed the topic which will be before City Council for discussion in September. 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT None. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:38 p.m. 9 | TransportationCommission/2019-07-24.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 1 | DRAFT MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019 Chair Miley convened the meeting at 7:00pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Miley, Commissioners Soules, Nachtigall, Johnson, Kohlstrand, Yuen. Absent: Commissioner Hans. 2. AGENDA CHANGES *None* 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Strehlow said he recently found a Bird electric scooter obstructing the pathway in the Posey Tube. He suggested a minimum speed limit in the tube as a potential solution to deal with problems like scooters being left or slow moving pedestrians pushing shopping carts. 3-A. Transportation Commissioner Appreciation of Service Resolution for Chair Christopher A. Miley Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, thanked Chair Miley for his service on the commission. Commissioner Soules read the resolution and expressed her gratitude towards Chair Miley. 3-B. Climate Action and Resiliency Plan Public Comment - May 14-31. Link to the online platform: www.opentownhall.com/7405 3-C. Clement Ave. Safety Improvement Project Workshop - Mon., June 3 at 6:30 p.m. - City Council Chambers: www.alamedaca.gov/clement 3-D. Car Seat Inspections/Installations (free): Sat., June 15 in the City Hall Parking Lot from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. 3-E. Clipper Card Registration at Mastick Senior Center - Tues, June 18 - 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 3-F. Bicycle Safety Education Classes: Sat, June 22 and July 27 at 9 a.m. to 12 noon: https://bikeeastbay.org/alamedabikeed Transportation Commission draft minutes Page 1 of 10 May 22, 2019 | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 2 | 3-G. Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, July 24 at 7 p.m. 3-H. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2019 Trainings in September and October: register on Fire Department web page Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer, provided an update regarding City Council requests for an updated policy for daylighting intersections. He said they would be bringing the item to the City Council on July 2nd. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2019-6924 Draft Meeting Minutes - March 27, 2019 Commissioner Kohlstrand moved approval of the item. Commissioner Nachtigall seconded the motion. The motion passed without objection (6-0.) 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2019-6925 Approve Otis Drive Traffic Calming and Safety Improvement Project Design Concept Recommendations Staff Member Payne announced that Commissioner Johnson would have to recuse himself from the item due to the proximity of his business to the project area. Staff Member Wikstrom gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3948357&GUID=5FF05DC7- 3762-4F80-AEF9-1B58E7661A5C&FullText=1 David Parisi, project consultant, continued the presentation of the draft concept. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked for more information about the impact of a roundabout on pedestrians, noting that pedestrians would not have a protected cycle. Mr. Parisi explained how the roundabout would work, noting the shorter crossing distances and slower vehicle speeds. Commissioner Nachtigall also expressed concern about safety for pedestrians on the roundabout. Chair Miley asked for clarification of what decisions staff was looking for tonight. Staff Member Wikstrom said staff was looking for recommendations on the short term improvements and feedback on the alternatives for the Rittler Park section. Transportation Commission draft minutes Page 2 of 10 May 22, 2019 | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 3 | Chair Miley opened the public hearing. Jim Strehlow recalled failing his first driving test due to speeding on Otis Drive. He expressed skepticism that a roundabout would function for double long parade floats. He asked about the ramps in the long term plans and how high they would be and whether they would impact vehicles passing through intersections. Joe Keiser said that many Wood Middle School students wanted to provide input to the Transportation Commission, but that tonight was the Wood open house. He said two students put together a video to share with the commission. He said he is a resident of Otis Drive and strongly supports the project. A video of Jacob and Kiley Wong, Will Middle School students, was played. They expressed concern about cars speeding and asked for safety improvements for pedestrians and bikers. Denyse Trepanier, Bike Walk Alameda, said they support the project. She said they urge adoption of the parking protected bike lane near Rittler Park. She said cars doing drop off would force cyclists out into the street. Jon Spangler said he likes the roundabout because it reduces vehicle speeds. He said he supports the project but disagrees with the Bike Walk Alameda suggestion of curbside bike lanes. He said children going to and from cars will cross the bike lane without looking. Karen Boutiler said she supports the plan. She said she thinks all moving traffic should be in the middle of the street, not between parked cars and the sidewalk. Chair Miley closed the public hearing. Commissioner Nachtigall said the proposal meets the goals of the project. She noted that some of the proposed trees would not be a good fit for the area. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she supports dealing with speeding and improving bicycle and pedestrian safety, but noted that many people opposed the project. She asked staff if there were ways to achieve traffic calming without dramatically changing the configuration of the roadway. Staff Member Wikstrom said that road diets have been demonstrated to reduce average sp… | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 4 | needed everywhere and that a landscaped median with occasional turn pockets would be preferable. Staff Member Wikstrom said that a five foot bike lane is the minimum design standard. He said a four foot lane is not recommended and would put cyclists even closer to the door zone of parked cars. He said landscaped medians would be a large short term investment and long term maintenance cost. He said the project is fundamentally different from Shoreline Drive. Chair Miley said he was sensitive to concerns about kids having conflicts in the protected bike lane. He asked if there were any treatments that could be used to mitigate that problem. Staff Member Wikstrom said there is not a very good option for letting kids know that they are crossing a bike lane next to the curb. He said it is a relatively narrow space but any bicyclist travelling at speed could create an issue. Chair Miley asked if homeowners were noticed about the change in bus stop positions, and asked if there were any responses. Staff Member Payne said they did not receive any concerns from homeowners about the change in bus stop locations. Chair Miley said he supports the project in order to calm traffic in the corridor. He said he prefers the buffered bike lane but could support the protected bike lanes in front of Rittler Park. Commissioner Soules asked if AC Transit gave feedback on the moving of bus stops. Staff Member Payne said they have worked closely with AC Transit. She said they are okay with the lane widths and with the bus stop location changes. Commissioner Soules asked whether staff knew the difference in parking loss between the Class Il and Class IV options near Rittler Park. Mr. Parisi said installing red curb at all corners in the corridor would result in the loss of about 10-15% of the parking opportunities. He said the Class IV option would result in the loss of an additional two parking spaces near the park. Commissioner Soules said she had similar concerns as Commissioner Kohlstrand about the number of people opposed to the proj… | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 5 | solve the speeding problem. She asked for more information about enforcement efforts and why that is not a long term solution. Sgt. Brian Foster, Alameda Police Department Traffic Supervisor, said he has three motor officers in addition to himself to deal with this problem. He said they spend more time on Otis Drive and see higher speeds here than anywhere else in the city. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked how the speeding on Fernside compares after the road diet. Sgt. Foster said you can never solve all the speeding problems. He said speed is a problem on Fernside when there is little traffic, but he never sees speeds over 60 mph like on Otis. Commissioner Yuen said she is supportive of all the proposed changes. She said we need to focus on design to address speed. She said we cannot rely on enforcement, which can create its own negative impacts. She added that focusing on multimodal solutions is the key and ties into our climate action goals. Commissioner Nachtigall said she supports the changes, but worries about increased pedestrian bicycle conflicts. Commissioner Soules asked if the Class IV option makes the lane widths tighter. Staff Member Wikstrom said the Class IV option would feel tighter than the Class Il option because of the position of the parked cars, but would have essentially the same lane widths. He said that could have the effect of further calming traffic. Commissioner Kohlstrand said she would support the Class Il option with the parking at the curb. She said she could see the potential for conflicts with people exiting their cars into the Class IV bike lane and added that the Class IV option is not very elegant. Chair Miley moved to accept the staff recommendation on the short term project with direction to support the Class II option at Rittler Park, not include the two tree types indicated by Commissioner Nachtigall, and that a status report be given 12- 18 months after implementation. Commissioner Yuen seconded the motion. Commissioner Yuen asked if staff knew how many reported injuries ther… | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 6 | Commissioner Yuen said she was trying to figure out what was the safest alternative between the Class Il and Class IV options. She said she is uncertain, but would support a Class IV option given her understanding of best practices. Chair Miley said he would normally support protected lanes where ever possible, but thinks that this location would not be right because of the presence of so many children. Commissioner Kohlstrand said that she thinks the street can work as a two lane street with turning lanes, but that her earlier concerns were in the interest of respecting the will of the broader community beyond her personal views. She said that, given that most speakers tonight are in favor of the project, she will support it with some reservations. Commissioner Soules said she is concerned about people who are not represented or cannot bike for different reasons. She said knowing that this project is just paint, she feels okay moving forward. She said that going forward, how workshops are attended and surveys constructed will be important. She said there is not a capacity issue on this portion of Otis. She said she would make a motion to support the staff recommendation and Class Il bike lanes. Chair Miley restated his motion. The motion passed 4-1 (Yuen opposed.) Commissioner Yuen said she opposed the motion because she preferred the Class IV option in front of Rittler Park. 5-B 2019-6926 Recommend Transportation Projects in Alameda's 2019-2021 Capital Budget to the City Council. Staff Member Wikstrom gave a presentation. The staff report and attachment can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3948400&GUID=A88F2666 FFD-40D2-BE8D-39A1651BD151&Options=&Search=&FullText=1 Chair Miley asked if the root damaged pathways around Bay Farm Island would fit into this spending plan. Staff Member Wikstrom said the paths would typically fit under the pavement management program because most of the pathways are asphalt. Chair Miley suggested that there may be other less prominent intersections … | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,7 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 7 | Commissioner Johnson said that Shafter Avenue approaching College in Oakland recently was treated with new roundabouts. He said they were minor streets and used to create a bicycle throughway and were really well done. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked to what degree our traffic signal system is integrated. Staff Member Wikstrom said most of our signals operate independently. He said they are making efforts on Webster and Park to introduce corridor coordination. Commissioner Kohlstrand said that efforts to time the signals on our major corridors would be a positive. Commissioner Soules asked how projects within the traffic calming fund would be prioritized and coordinated. Staff Member Wikstrom said the fund is set aside for smaller needs around the city as opposed to the larger, corridor length, and grant funded projects. Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion to accept the staff recommendation. Commissioner Yuen seconded the motion. The motion passed without objection (6-0.) 5-C 2019-6927 Provide Comment on the Draft Climate Action and Resiliency Plan Erin Smith, Deputy Public Works Director, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: tps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3948401&GUID=9698D1CE- 9A05-4E98-971B-BF4614B2826E&Options=&Search=&FullText=1 Commissioner Yuen asked why the public comment period was only two weeks long. Staff Member Smith said that it was a long process and in order to meet the adoption timeline that two weeks was the best they could do. Chair Miley opened the public hearing. Jim Strehlow said we need to be careful not to road diet too many streets. He supported efforts to time the traffic signals. He scoffed at the idea of taxing everyone to provide EZ Passes to all residents. He said congestion pricing would be a regressive tax and is a bad idea. Christy Cannon emphasized the importance of acting to curb greenhouse gas emissions. She said transportation is where we need to solve the problem. She said we need to get people onto buses, which will req… | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,8 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 8 | and reliability. She supported many efforts to get people out of their cars. She said communication with the public will be critical for getting public support and success. Chair Miley closed the public hearing. Commissioner Soules said the plan has a good balance of aggressive near term goals within the long term vision. Commissioner Kohlstrand expressed surprise that the plan did not make more of a connection between transportation and land use. She said we need to focus on density in order to support transit alternatives. She expressed a preference for improving Alameda's jobs to housing balance. She asked for more information about reducing use of natural gas appliances. Staff Member Smith said that the fuel switching in the plan could involve swapping out heaters and appliances. She said they are looking to make progress increasing the mix of electric versus gas appliances throughout the city. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if there is an expectation that the City would provide incentives to achieve the goal of fuel switching. Staff Member Smith added that the plan calls for all new development to be all electric. She said she can envision the Public Utilities Board providing incentives in the form of rebates for customers to move away from their gas powered appliances. Commissioner Kohlstrand said focusing on communities that are disproportionately impacted and attempting to get people to switch to transit may not work if the island's entire transportation network was not sufficiently protected. She asked for more information about the thinking behind how the plan approaches protecting transportation infrastructure. Staff Member Smith said the network that best serves transit and transit dependent communities was prioritized. She said all the bridges are able to handle about 48 inches of sea level rise. She said they focused on redundancy in the network. Chair Miley said funding the priorities in the CARP would be challenging and suggested setting aside funding for these long term projects. Staff Member Smit… | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,9 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 9 | Staff Member Smith said their goal would be to raise awareness generally in the business community about the benefits of telecommuting. She acknowledged the regional role necessary for successful implementation of that strategy. Commissioner Nachtigall said she had a potential regional connection to suggest for staff to follow up with regarding telecommuting. Commissioner Yuen asked how the CARP would interact with other decisions being made by the City. She asked how we would hold ourselves accountable. Staff Member Smith said the concepts in the plan are pervasive in everything the City does. She said that they would leave it up to Council to determine how the CARP gets integrated into the workflow. Liam Garland, Public Works Director, said annual reports would be a time for Council to make sure we are on track and hold ourselves accountable. He added that staff has been working closely with Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA) and expects them to help hold staff and Council to account. Commissioner Yuen said she supports the coordinator position and advocates that they are represented on other planning processes in the city for coordination purposes. Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if the annual reports would come to the commissions as well as City Council. Staff Member Garland said they could make the reports available to the Transportation Commission, given how significant a share of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. There was no action taken. 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A 2019-6928 Quarterly Report on Activities Related to Transportation Policies and Plans The report can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3948433&GUID=B86FABE1- 614B-44BB-B569-82ED268F2013 6-B Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. Resident Appeal of Walnut Street/San Antonio Avenue Daylighting 2. Transportation Management Association Annual Reports 3. Emergency Plan with Transportation Annex 4. Clement Avenue Safety Improvement Project Transportation Commission draft minutes Page … | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf,10 | TransportationCommission | 2019-05-22 | 10 | 5. Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jon Spangler, Chair of the BART Board Bicycle Advisory Task Force, said BART will be making a decision between including only one, or keeping two multi-purpose/bicycle parking spaces per BART fleet of the future car. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Miley adjourned the meeting at 10:07 p.m. Transportation Commission draft minutes Page 10 of 10 May 22, 2019 | TransportationCommission/2019-05-22.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2019-03-27 | 1 | DRAFT MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019 Chair Miley convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Miley, Commissioners Soules, Hans, Kohlstrand, Nachtigall, Yuen. Absent: Commissioner Johnson. 2. AGENDA CHANGES *None* 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3-A New Transportation Commission Member Introduction 3-B Earth Day - Washington Park - Sat, April 20 3-C Transportation Commission Special Meeting: Wed, April 24 at 7 p.m. 3-D Bike to Work and School Day: Thurs, May 9 3-E Alameda Bike Festival & Rodeo: Sun, May 19, 12-4pm at Otis School 3-F Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, May 22 at 7 p.m. 3-G Upcoming Grant-Funded Bicycle Safety Education Classes: https://bikeeastbay.org/alamedabikeed Commissioner Kohlstrand introduced herself to the commission and explained her background in transportation planning. Commissioner Yuen introduced herself to the commission. She said she has a background in public health and planning. She said she wants to improve transportation safety, access, and mobility for all residents, especially for those who have lacked access to these types of planning conversations in the past. Kim Arrivee asked for bike lanes to be painted on Harbor Bay Parkway. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2019-6713 Draft Meeting Minutes - February 23, 2019 Commissioner Hans made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Soules seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0-2 (Kohlstrand and Yuen abstained.) Draft Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 6 March 27, 2019 | TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2019-03-27 | 2 | 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2019-6714 Transportation Commission Approval of Active Transportation Plan Draft Scope of Work Staff Member Wheeler gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3893581&GUID=9FDCC61C- 07E2-4E4B-B287-B1B15A5BFE30&FullText=1 Commissioner Soules said she was happy to see the outreach plan component for reaching all residents. Commissioner Nachtigall said the equity focus language in the outreach task could be strengthened. She said task 2.1 language could change from "allow for" to something stronger. She said the language in task 2.2 could also be strengthened. She raised questions about how the proposed website would work and what would happen to it after the plan is complete. Staff Member Wheeler said that her intent was that the website would be used only for the duration of the project. She said staff did not want to put too much detail into the RFP in hopes of getting some more creative responses rather than a bulleting out of what the RFP lists. Commissioner Yuen suggested meeting supports like childcare and provision of food in order to achieve broader representation at meetings during the outreach phase. She said she typically considers access to transit as part of the active transportation discussion and asked if that would be part of this plan. Staff Member Wheeler said first and last mile to transit would be an important part of this plan and that she can call that out more specifically in the RFP. Commissioner Yuen asked for the collision analysis, and the location analysis of transit facilities, to include consideration of race and income demographics. Commissioner Kohlstrand said that it is good that the plan includes a phased implementation approach for more expensive projects. She said the plan should focus not only on getting around the island, but getting off the island. Commissioner Soules said that saying what we want in the RFP regarding creative ideas and how that will be evaluated will help u… | TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2019-03-27 | 3 | Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion to approve the staff recommendation. Commissioner Nachtigall seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0. 5-B 2019-6715 Transportation Commission Endorsement of Restriping the Miller-Sweeney Bridge and Alameda Approach Staff Member Wheeler gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3893582&GUID=9A811A3D- 0737-4B93-9A32-CD4A90D84FF4&FullText=1 Chair Miley opened the floor to public comment. Pat Potter, Bike Walk Alameda and CASA, said that Vision Zero and Climate Action plans should inform this project. She said Alameda will not achieve Vision Zero or encourage people to bike with sharrows. She suggested building out the sidewalks to be able to stripe lanes for bikes and pedestrians. She said we are guilty of going too slow when protecting our kids and our climate. James Johnston said he often bikes to Fruitvale BART. He told his story of approaching the bridge (from the Alameda side) while biking in the lane when a Safeway delivery van honked at him and passed very aggressively at close distance which knocked him off of his bike. He said the police officer that responded told him he was wrong for being in the center of the lane. He said the officer told him to ride on the sidewalk even though it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk on the bridge. He said sharrows will not make the road safe for bicyclists and suggested better training for the Police. Bonnie Wehmann said she has heard stories from her students' parents of Alameda Police officers using their loud speaker to tell kids riding in the center of the lane to move over even though she has taught them to ride there, as that is legal when it is unsafe to ride to the right. She said she takes her bicycle camps to Fruitvale BART and that getting back into Alameda is "insane." She said there is no place for cyclists to safely navigate the Tilden/Fernside/Blanding intersection. She said she would like to see some sort of bollards protecting the … | TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2019-03-27 | 4 | Commissioner Kohlstrand said she walks the Tilden Way/Fernside/Blanding intersection 4-5 times per week. She said she fears for her life crossing Tilden at night and in the winter. She said she is most concerned with the bike lane to sharrows transition coming off the bridge into Alameda. She asked for information about the status of the rail right of way. Staff Member Wheeler said the City has grant funds to purchase, design, and build a multi-use trail in the railroad right of way. She said the City is taking possession of the right of way through eminent domain. She said outreach and planning will begin later this year. She said the Tilden/Blanding/Fernside intersection will have to be redesigned. She said they hope to include evaluating the entire Tilden Way corridor. Commissioner Kohlstrand said perhaps a temporary asphalt path through the right of way might be an interim solution. Commissioner Nachtigall said that even some proactive maintenance of the railroad right of way, like cutting back overgrown plants and removing trash, could improve the current situation. Commissioner Soules asked that staff check with APD regarding the vehicle code questions raised and make sure everyone is on the same page. She said she appreciates that the project is a quick safety improvement. She said it would help to inform the public of the other longer-term phases and where they are in the process, and would like to see good signage at the bike lane to sharrows transition. Chair Miley said they received an email comment supporting the bike lanes. Commissioner Yuen said that it sounds like some design options are still being studied. She is concerned about sharrows being used at all. She said she wants to make the right decision and asked if the plan could come back to the commission once there is more clarity. Chair Miley said he appreciates staff trying to get something done quickly even if this is not the final solution. He said he would not want to wait even longer to get bike lanes striped on the bridge, as this was co… | TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2019-03-27 | 5 | 5-C 2019-6716 Presentation on the Pavement Management Program for Alameda including the 3-year paving plan. Staff Member Wikstrom gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3893583&GUID=B47F2C01- A5D9-48B0-A4AC-348E4DB1AC34&FullText=1 Chair Miley said Commissioner Johnson emailed a question about who is responsible for paving the pathways on Bay Farm Island. Staff Member Wikstrom said there is a variety of ownerships for the different pathways. He said pathways adjacent to roadways are eligible for these funds for future consideration now that there are more funds available. Chair Miley said he feels like the inconvenience of closing the road for half a day is a reasonable price to pay to prolong the life of our roads and close the backlog of maintenance work to be done. Commissioner Nachtigall asked if lane striping is done when the crack sealing occurs. She said the crack sealing can make it hard to see the lane markings. Staff Member Wikstrom said that they should go together but do not always. Commissioner Soules thanked staff for hitting the correct level of information to help answer all the most common questions residents have. Commissioner Yuen asked if we use repaving as an opportunity to consider restriping roads to improve active transportation options and increase safety. Staff Member Wikstrom said they do take the Bike Plan into consideration when making striping plans. He said occasionally, like with Fernside, staff will reconsider larger changes when they have an opportunity. He said they choose projects primarily based on the goal of managing the pavement condition rather than having something like the Bike Plan dictate which streets to address. This item was informational and no action was taken. 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. Draft Capital Improvement Program 2. Quarterly Report of Transportation Plans and Policies 3. Transportation Management Association Annual Reports Draft… | TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf,6 | TransportationCommission | 2019-03-27 | 6 | 4. Otis Drive Safety Improvement Project Concept Approval 5. Draft Climate Plan Update Strategies 6. Emergency Plan with Transportation Annex 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT *None* 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Miley adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m. Draft Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 6 March 27, , 2019 | TransportationCommission/2019-03-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2019-02-27 | 1 | FINAL MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019 Chair Miley convened the meeting at 7:00pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Miley, Commissioners Soules, Nachtigall, Hans, Johnson Absent: 2. AGENDA CHANGES *None* 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT 3-A Horizon Long-range Planning Workshop: Tues, March 12 at 6 p.m. - BART in Oakland 3-B Otis Drive Traffic Calming Community Workshop #2: Wed, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. - Wood School 3-C Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed., March 27 at 7 p.m. 3-D Transportation Commission Special Meeting: Wed, April 24 at 7 p.m. 3-E Upcoming Grant-Funded Bicycle Safety Education Classes: https://bikeeastbay.org/alamedabikeed Commissioner Nachtigall gave a report on the 2nd Transportation Awareness Campaign Advisory Group meeting. They discussed the budget, plans, and next meeting scheduled for early May. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2019-6591 Draft Meeting Minutes - January 23, 2019 Commissioner Johnson made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner Hans seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS 5A 2019-6589 Transportation Commission Endorsement of the 2018 Transportation Choices Plan Annual Report and Work Program Priorities. 1 | TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2019-02-27 | 2 | Staff Member Thomas gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3865608&GUID=80FF4F23- 24E8-4BAE-9132-D864811B7ADB&FullText=1 Chair Miley opened the public hearing. Tony Kuttner said thanked staff for the effort that went into studying the free shuttle idea. He asked that the recommendations reflect the community's desire for a free shuttle as the top priority in the plan. Jim Strehlow said that road diets make congestion and pollution worse. He said the bus lane on Webster makes it unsafe for northbound bicyclists. He said the Fernside homeowners would fight the removal of a lane on the Fruitvale Bridge for bike lanes. He suggested more signals in Alameda be timed for traffic flow. Chair Miley closed the public hearing. Commissioner Soules said the report is a good recap of the priorities. She said she does not see the goals and objectives from the TCP addressed in the annual report. She said the projects in the report should map to the goals and be benchmarked to keep us honest and transparent. She said we need data on mode shift results from our surveys and not just opinions. She expressed concern that favoring certain mode shares (ie- bike and pedestrian projects) without providing other options like transit, carpooling, etc., we would run into problems. She said not everyone has the luxury to walk or bike, and we need to serve all the segments of the Alameda population. Commissioner Johnson asked if ten miles of repaving every two years is sufficient, calculating that it would take 25 years to do every road in the city. Staff Member Wikstrom said that was just enough to "tread water." He said there are other ways to manage the street network and he is planning to bring an item to the next meeting to discuss those issues. Chair Miley said he would like to see costs tied in to the listed priorities. He said if the OAAP can improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians inside the tube, we should take advantage of that. He said… | TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2019-02-27 | 3 | Commissioner Soules said she remembered the bridge study from when she first came on the board showed the bike/pedestrian bridge was cost prohibitive. She asked what has changed since then and also where other alternatives were at now. Staff Member Thomas said the study was about 10 years ago. He said it was the first time they really tried to identify the scale of the project options to cross the estuary. He said Bike Walk Alameda made a political push with Council to keep studying the idea. He said they picked up where the old studies left off. He said the Oakland Alameda Access Project is a $100 million project that presents an opportunity to advance work studying the bridge and other alternatives. He said that staff feels that they need to be ready to take advantage of the A's stadium and projects in Oakland that are moving forward now to see if they can make progress on these ideas. Chair Miley said we have to stay in the conversation. Commissioner Soules said she did not want to be in a position where we are deciding between funding for a bike/ped bridge and getting a multimodal lifeline bridge replacement. Commissioner Johnson made a motion to endorse the report with the input received this evening. Chair Miley seconded the motion while asking that staff to incorporate the commission and public comment. The motion passed 5-0. 5-B 2019-6590 Otis Drive Traffic Calming and Safety Improvement Project Workshop and Survey Debrief Staff Member Wikstrom gave a presentation on the informational item. The staff report and presentation can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3865609&GUID=93D5DCC4- 16E-49F2-8E14-3C28BF915796&FullText= Commissioner Johnson asked how the cost of a roundabout compared to putting in new stop lights. He asked how a road diet road would enter a roundabout. Staff Member Wikstrom said the signals cost $400,000-450,000 and a roundabout would be on the same order of magnitude. He said the three lane road would become a two lane road going into the roundabout sinc… | TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf,4 | TransportationCommission | 2019-02-27 | 4 | Chair Miley said that the safety for the school children crossing at that intersection would be his main focus. Commissioner Nachtigall said that Grand is very wide in that area which makes it unsafe. Commissioner Soules asked what the 13% of "hit objects" was in the data. Sgt. Foster said a fixed object is what they check if someone hits something other than moving cars, pedestrians, or bicycles. He said it could be a house, parked car, pole, etc.. Commissioner Soules asked if drainage improvements on poorly design corners would be evaluated as an environmental improvement when considering bulb out projects. Staff Member Wikstrom said that they have not considered that yet, but noted that dealing with drainage issues can get very expensive very quickly. Commissioner Soules pointed out that the top five priorities from the workshop responses can all coexist together. Chair Miley opened the public hearing. Joe Keiser said he lives on Otis and is supportive of this project. He said he sees the high speeds all the time and is concerned for his two young children's safety. He said a girl lives across the street from him and gets driven to her grandparents' home next door to him because it is impossible to safely walk across Otis now. Jim Strehlow said a roundabout at Grand and Otis would be incompatible with the trucks in the Fourth of July parade. Chair Miley closed the public hearing. Commissioner Johnson asked what would happen to the road diet and bike lane when it approaches Willow Street. Staff Member Wikstrom said they have not gotten into that level of design detail yet and would have something when they come back in May with the preliminary design. Chair Miley asked if the signals at the split Willow intersections would be altered at all in order to have better coordination between the signals. Staff Member Wikstrom said that would likely be a phase II item because of the level of signal work and cost required. 4 | TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf,5 | TransportationCommission | 2019-02-27 | 5 | 6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS 6-A Oakland-Alameda Access Project - Request Transportation Commission Member on Advisory Group Staff Member Payne said that Commissioner Nachtigall has accepted the responsibility of serving on the advisory group. 6-B Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items 1. Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Update - Draft Work Scope 2. Miller-Sweeney Bridge Restriping 3. Resurfacing Plan 4. Draft Capital Improvement Program 5. Transportation Management Association Annual Reports 6. Draft Climate Plan Update Strategies 7. Emergency Plan with Transportation Annex Staff Member Payne said the next meeting would be March 27th and the purpose of the special April meeting would be to review the draft CIP. Staff Member Wikstrom asked what level of detail the board would like on the paving program when that item comes back. Commissioner Johnson said he just wants a general understanding, and that he was just concerned that 25 years to cover every mile of road in Alameda seemed like a long time. Chair Miley said he would like to know what level of investment would be necessary to get ahead of the curve instead of just treading water. 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Strehlow, "thinking outside the box," said that he was surprised there was no discussion of the possible BART extension tonight when discussing cross estuary solutions. He said the idea of a tunnel connecting Alameda to Jack London square with people movers does not need to wait until BART is built and could start now. 8. ADJOURNMENT Chair Miley adjourned the meeting at 8:52pm. 5 | TransportationCommission/2019-02-27.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-01-23.pdf,1 | TransportationCommission | 2019-01-23 | 1 | FINAL MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019 Chair Miley convened the meeting at 7:14pm. 1. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Miley, Commissioners Hans, Johnson, Soules. Absent: Commissioners Nachtigall and Palmer. 2. AGENDA CHANGES *None* 3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT Jim Strehlow said he is finding many Lime bikes being left in inappropriate locations such as blocking sidewalks. He said the September minutes were not approved at the December meeting and are not on the current agenda. Chair Miley announced that the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan workshop would be held at Alameda High School on the upcoming Saturday morning at 9am. Staff Member Payne read the announcements listed in the Agenda. 3-D Upcoming Grant-Funded Bicycle Safety Education Classes Jim Strehlow said he is seeing an influx of foreigners in Alameda and he wonders if there is an education gap regarding rules of the road for bicyclists. He said the more diversity there is the more difficult it will be to educate the public about basic traffic laws because of language barriers. Commissioner Soules congratulated the City for the rollout of their new website. (*Note- Due to a wiring issue, Commissioner Soules microphone was not working.) 4. CONSENT CALENDAR 4-A 2019-6461 Draft Meeting Minutes - July 25, 2018 4-B 2019-6462 Draft Meeting Minutes - December 3, 2018 Commissioner Hans made a motion to accept the Consent Calendar. Commissioner Soules seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0. 1 | TransportationCommission/2019-01-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-01-23.pdf,2 | TransportationCommission | 2019-01-23 | 2 | 5. NEW BUSINESS 5-A 2019-6463 Approve the Central Avenue Webster Street Options for Further Analysis and the Two-way Bikeway Extension between Paden School and McKay Avenue Staff Member Payne introduced the item. The staff report and attachments can be found at: https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3836629&GUID=E9A72FB1 ADF9-4D58-8CFF-3637BA660926&FullText=1 Thaddeus Wozniak, CDM Smith, gave a presentation. Chair Miley asked how the transition from the two way bikeway to bike lanes at 8th st. would work. Mr. Wozniak said that the transition would have a two stage turning movement for the westbound bikes and eastbound riders would continue straight. He said they would coordinate the signal timing to make that turning movement consecutively. Staff Member Payne summarized the outreach to this point and outlined the next steps (detailed in the staff report.) Commissioner Johnson asked whether the two right hand turn lanes from Central to Webster in the Continuous Bike Lane option would have the bike lane going straight through the turning vehicles. Mr. Wozniak explained how the peak hour turn lane would work. He said the intent would be to have turns coming from one lane or the other depending on time of day, but not both. Chair Miley opened the public hearing. Brian McGuire introduced a video of what the current City Council members had to say about the plan and what to do at the Webster and Central intersection. Hazel McGuire said kids should be safe and that the bike lane should be closer to the sidewalk and the parked cars should be closer to the moving cars. She said she loves biking and walking to school and parks. Linda Asbury, Executive Director of WABA, said the plan that was approved in 2016 was not the compromise that they agreed to before the meeting. She said meetings need to be had at the intersection in question to understand the problem. She said the businesses cannot afford to lose street parking. She said we need traffic calming. She 2 | TransportationCommission/2019-01-23.pdf |
TransportationCommission/2019-01-23.pdf,3 | TransportationCommission | 2019-01-23 | 3 | said we need to be fair to the businesses that put their investments and jobs on the line daily. J. Lucey said he supports the four lane with traffic calming proposals. He said staff appears to have a clear bias against the business owners. He said the elimination of parking would be hard on the businesses. He said recent construction by PG&E illustrated the traffic that may occur with lane reduction. Jim Strehlow said this area is not comparable to Shoreline or Fernside. He said Castro Valley completed its main street design two years ago and favored business needs over the wants of bicyclists. He said trucks serving Neptune Plaza must use Central Ave and any road diet proposal would prohibit this. He said bicycle safety should mean avoiding truck routes like Central Ave. Jon Spangler said bicyclists on Castro Valley Blvd are taking their lives in their own hands. He said backing up traffic is an acceptable price to pay to keep pedestrians from getting hit. He said the continuous bike lane and two way protected bike lanes are the only options that provide any safety to cyclists. He said the Page crosswalk needs to be taken care of. He said safety is the primary responsibility. Marie RiccoBene, representing the Park Webster Condominium HOA, said safety is very important. She said evacuation is a large concern for residents. She said they support better pedestrian crossings and calming measures. She said they support the four lane option with traffic calming. Bonnie Wehmann, Easy Street Cycling, said she fully supports the protected bike lanes. She said sharrows are confusing and do not always help. She said people are often double parking in traditional bike lanes which forces kids on bikes into traffic. She said the data shows that when you bring bikes into an area you bring more business. Chair Miley closed the public hearing. Commissioner Johnson pointed out that they are not selecting any one design tonight and only choosing the four options to study further. Chair Miley said the Webster and Central intersect… | TransportationCommission/2019-01-23.pdf |
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