MINUTES
SUNNYVALE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee met in regular session in the West Conference Room, City Hall, 456 West Olive Avenue, Sunnyvale, at 6:30 p.m. on September 16, 2004 with Committee Chair Mayer presiding.
ROLL CALL
Members Present:
Thomas Mayer
Kevin Jackson
Ralph Durham
Gerald Gras
Members Absent: Cindy Cotton (excused)
Virginia Runion (excused)
Staff Present: Dieckmann Cogill, Transportation Planner
Jack Witthaus, Transportation and Traffic Manager
Captain Mark Stivers, Public Safety
Visitors: Rand Blakewood
Larry Klein, Planning Commission
SCHEDULED PRESENTATION
Discussion with DPS on School Traffic Safety
Public Safety Captain Mark Stivers described Public Safety activities relating to school traffic safety. These activities included Operation Safe Passage, Educational articles in news papers, a helmet educational training session at Columbia Middle School, and a discussion of numbers and types of citations issued.
Jackson stated that he would like Public Safety to respond more proactively to reports of reckless driving, road rage and harassment.
|
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS |
Jackson announced the Transportation Fair at Juniper Networks on September 28, 2004, 11:30-1:30 p.m. |
CONSENT CALENDAR
|
Gras moved, and Durham seconded, approval of the Consent Calendar. The motion carried unanimously. |
1.A. Approval of Draft Minutes from June 17, 2004
1.B. Approval of Agenda
1.C Approval of 2004 Calendar
|
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD
|
None |
PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS
2. Emergency Item - Bernardo Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Undercrossing Feasibility Study
|
Gras moved, and Durham seconded, motion to consider the emergency item. The motion carried unanimously. |
Witthaus presented the staff report and asked for BPAC comments and approval.
Jackson made the following comments
1. The project should consistently be called Bernardo Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Undercrossing.
2. Don't dwell on the fact that a window of opportunity was missed while weekend Caltrain service was suspended.
3. Pg. 5 - The text describing Alternative 3 Jacked, Pre-Cast Box is in conflict with the JPB meeting minutes. This seems like it could easily be justifiable as the preferred alternative.
4. Pg. 7 states that there is a bike lane on Central Expressway. There is no BL, only a wide shoulder.
5. Put careful thought into the crosswalk location on Evelyn Avenue.
6. Pg. 9 is incomplete.
7. Pg. 11 - The city would not see a cost savings by postponing the 4 track element of the project. If the project was built to 4 tracks at the start we would be able to leverage the VTA funding. This may not be the case if that phase was put off.
8. Consider a 9ft high tunnel for additional cost savings
9. Pg. 13 there is a sentence that is incomplete.
10. Make sure bike sensors are included in all traffic signal modifications.
11. Maybe merchants on the Bernardo Avenue would support the project because employees would now have easy walking access to restaurants and shops on Bernardo.
Durham made the following comment:
12. Consider light piping (reflective tubes that bring natural light from outside, into the tunnel.
Mayer made the following comment
13. Building this project in conjunction with the Mary Avenue track elevation could be a good idea.
14. Consider installing web cams.
The BPAC does not want to see the project halted because of the increased local match. However they could not say definitively that they would de-fund one project to close the funding gap for the Bernardo undercrossing project.
|
Jackson moved, and Durham seconded, to whole heartedly endorse the Bernardo Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Caltrain Undercrossing and encourage staff to pursue all possible funding to complete the project. |
3. Study and Budget Issue Development
Cogill presented the staff report and asked that BPAC list any new concepts for inclusion in the Study and Budget Issue process.
Jackson requested a formal policy on allocation of roadway space. This would create a rational process for removing on-street parking.
Mayer requested the inclusion of the use of the word collision instead of accident to describe roadway crashes.
Gras requested that staff study the possibility of closing a roadway on a temporary basis for recreational use.
Public Comment
Klein recommended an update/review of traffic calming methods
NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS
Jackson reported that on the website B/C side bar, the BPAC is the only committee listed as an acronym. He believes that this is unclear and should be changed to read the full committee name. He also stated that there was a report that Downtown restaurant owners were trying to discourage the use of city bike racks on Murphy Street. He also reported that the sign problem that he reported on Homestead is still blocked by vegetation. He also asked for information regarding the Wolfe Road Sharrows.
Durham reported problems navigating the Mauge/237 intersection due to short cycle phase.
STAFF ORAL COMMENTS
Staff asked new members if they would like their personal email addresses on their BPAC business cards.
INFORMATION ONLY ITEMS
Larry Klein stated that he is now the BPAC liaison to the Planning commission. There was a discussion regarding Planning Commission Activities and how they relate to bicycle and pedestrian improvements. He encouraged future BPAC communication.
ADJOURNMENT
|
Gras moved, and Mayer seconded, to adjourn the meeting. The Motion carried unanimously. |
The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
_________________________________
Dieckmann Cogill, Transportation Planner