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2017/12/18 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Minutes v,014NERr PAR', 19 4'''M, 62 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) rAL,,0,41, Meeting Minutes 5:30 PM, Monday, December 18, 2017 2nd Floor Conference Room, Rohnert Park City Hall 130 Avram Avenue, Rohnert Park, California 94928 Members Present: Stephen Gold(Chair) X Terry Gault(Vice-Chair)X Gary Gutierrez X Tim Hensel X Katie Musick X Non-Voting Participants: Eydie Tacata, Management Analyst; Vanessa Garrett, Civil Engineer; Jerry Griffin, Parks and Recreation Commission Liaison 1. Call to Order Chair Stephen Gold called the meeting to order at 5:32 PM. 2. Introductions Chair Gold commenced self-introductions. 3. Public Comment There were no members of the public present. 4. Consideration of Approval of Minutes of October 23, 2017 Meeting Chair Gold noted a correction to the minutes: In the 4th bullet item in Agenda Item 5 (Circle Drive Repaving Project Proposed Changes), "Cadiz Court" should be removed, and the resulting sentence should be"Removal of all-way stops at Corinth Court." Committee Member Katie Musick moved to approve minutes of the meeting of October 23, 2017 with corrections; the motion was seconded by Committee Member Gary Gutierrez and was approved by a vote count of 5 ayes(Gold, Gault, Gutierrez, Hensel, Musick)—0 nays—0 absences—0 abstentions. 5. Closing of One SMART Crossing at Copeland Creek Path Chair Gold introduced the item. Civil Engineer Vanessa Garrett said that she received a verbal notification from SMART that in order to reduce hazards along the railroad line,they were going to close one of the Copeland Creek bicycle/pedestrian crossings. SMART would be starting the process with the Public Utilities Commission and Federal Railroad Authority in the upcoming year, and they were seeking the City's input on ways to mitigate the impact of the changes. Chair Gold asked if SMART was asking for the City's permission, or if they would remove a crossing regardless. Committee Member Musick asked if the equipment for the enhanced crosswalks could be re-used elsewhere if a crosswalk was removed. She pointed out the existing problem with the northern crosswalk placement in relation to the curb cut and path west of Seed Farm Drive. Ms. Garrett said that SMART suggested that they could build a sidewalk on the east side of Seed Farm Drive, between the SMART parking lot entrance and the end of the ramp at the north Copeland Creek crossing. Chair Gold suggested that SMART could implement the Committee's current recommendation for the northern crosswalk, which includes the installation of a bulb-out on the crosswalk's west end. There was a question about what the closure would consist of. Ms. Garrett said that the crossing would be fenced off to prevent access from the path, and the equipment at the railroad crossing would be removed, as well as the ramp onto Seed Farm Drive. She would ask SMART to install signage along Rohnert Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee December 18,2017 Meeting Minutes the paths approaching the railroad crossing, multi-use path intersection and street intersection, so that users could be alerted to the changed conditions and where to cross. Chair Gold said that while he would prefer that no crossings are removed, he would choose the northern one if pressed to choose. Committee Member Musick said she would choose the southern crossing. There was discussion about how users would get to the Rohnert Park SMART station from different directions if a sidewalk were added on the east side of Seed Farm Drive, and whether such a sidewalk was necessary. There was also discussion about requesting that SMART replace this crossing with one at Hinebaugh Creek or west of the SOMO Village development. Committee Member Hensel said that he remained concerned about the utility box at the northern crossing. He liked the sidewalk proposal. Committee Member Gutierrez asked if the sidewalk could be extended to the southern crosswalk. Ms. Garrett explained there was no room on the Seed Farm Drive bridge. Committee Member Musick cited the Committee's ideas to improve safety at the path intersection, including a mirror to help users see oncoming path traffic around the obstruction, and also yield signs to slow bicyclists down before the crossing. Chair Gold mentioned near-collisions at this location, and that bikes need to slow down. He said that in particular, southbound users of the multi-use path need to be prepared to slow down and possibly stop. Commissioner Griffin commented that a traffic study might help. Chair Gold said that while the southern crossing seems safer, if the sidewalk is added, he could concede the southern crossing to be closed. Committee Member Musick agreed. Ms. Garrett summarized the input that she would present to SMART, including: • If the northern crossing is kept open, the crosswalk should be straightened, and sidewalk added on east side of Seed Farm Drive between the ramp and the entrance to the SMART station. • Directional and warning signage should be added on the Copeland Creek paths on both sides of Seed Farm Drive and the multi-use path to direct users to the remaining crossing. • Replacement crossings at Hinebaugh Creek or SOMO should be considered. • Solutions to the obstructed view caused by the utility box, which may include a mirror, should be implemented. • A traffic study to understand the usage patterns, user speeds, and how to mitigate safety issues, should be considered. The committee indicated general consensus. There was brief discussion about why SMART was closing the Copeland Creek crossing,relative to other SMART line crossings throughout the county. Ms. Garrett said that SMART is looking at lowering maintenance costs—including having fewer crossings to maintain—and that for safety reasons in general,they try to reduce the number of places where the railroad tracks must be crossed. Chair Gold asked to add changing the placement of the crosswalk activation-button on the north side of Southwest Boulevard at the multi-use path intersection; the button should be closer to the path. There was general discussion about the changes in the Southwest Boulevard median, including the increased width and bollard placement, which were regarded positively. Committee Member Musick asked whether SMART would install and service trash cans along the multi-use path. Ms. Garrett said that while SMART might consider installing them, they have said that the City would be responsible for collecting the trash; in other words, there would need to be coordination between the City and SMART for trash management. Rohnert Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee December 18,2017 Meeting Minutes Committee Member Musick asked about wayfinding at the SMART station. Ms. Garrett said that SMART is slowly implementing more aspects of the operational line over time, including wayfinding at the stations,which might be done within a year. 6. Staff and Committee Member Updates on Previous Matters Staff had no updates on previous matters. Committee Member Gutierrez asked why the Age-Friendly Initiative had made no further inroads with the City of Rohnert Park, beyond a visit with the City prior to the October 23, 2017 BPAC meeting. Ms. Tacata said that she saw on the Age-Friendly Initiative website that they met a Council Member and the Assistant City Manager in 2016, as well as with the City's Senior Advisory Committee. Committee Member Musick thought the presentation by the Age-Friendly Initiative Coordinator was more informational, and there was not really a specific request of the BPAC. Chair Gold recalled mention of a walking audit checklist that Committee members could assist with. Ms. Tacata said that she was under the impression that an action plan by the Initiative was forthcoming, which would inform the next steps. Committee Member Gutierrez said that he would follow up with the Age-Friendly Initiative staff on next steps. Committee Member Musick said that she thinks a specific "ask" of the City would be helpful. 7. New Matters for Future Consideration Chair Gold said that he would like for elections to be held at the January 2018 meeting. Commissioner Griffin commented that with development activity increasing, there should be a way to address parking lot design to be more pedestrian-friendly. Chair Gold said that his understanding from what the Planning Manager said is that there is not much opportunity for the City to affect the design of existing parking lots. There was a discussion about the Downtown District and the opportunity to be involved sooner in shaping the design of the parking lots that would occur, the role of the zoning ordinance, and City's staffs role to implement the zoning ordinance as well as documents such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Committee Member Gutierrez said that he felt like the Committee was more reactive and expressed the desire to be more proactive. Commissioner Griffin said that the Parks and Recreation Commission reviews projects, and suggested that maybe the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee could also do the same. Chair Gold suggested that he as the Chair of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee could attend the Planning Commission, which reviews and approves development. There was general agreement that a representative of the BPAC should attend Planning Commission meetings. 8. Adjournment The Committee concurred to adjourn the meeting at approximately 6:28 PM. Eydie Tacata, Recording Secretary Stephen Gold, Chair Rohnert Park Bicycle and Rohnert Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Pedestrian Advisory Committee