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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2-13-24 Traffic Safety Commission Meeting Minutes FinalCALL TO ORDER: ROLL CALL: Present: Absent: City Staff: REGULAR MEETING MINUTES February 13, 2024 CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO REGULAR MEETING TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION The meeting was called to order at 5:48 p.m. by Chairperson Dave Carbone David Carbone, Chairperson Hermes Monzon, Vice Chairperson Brandon Chan, Commissioner Dana Abarca, Commissioner Justin Yuen, Commissioner None. Marissa Garren, Secretary to the Traffic Safety Commission Diana Wang, Clerk to the Traffic Safety Commission Dave Backhaus, Public Works Deputy Director Daniel Matthews, Public Works Office Assistant AGENDA REVIEW: No changes. 1. Approval of the Traffic Safety Committee Meeting Agenda for February 13, 2024. Motion -Commissioner Chan I Second -Commissioner Abarca -to approve the February 13, 2024 meeting agenda as submitted. Approved by voice vote (5-0-0). PUBLIC COMMENT: Darryl Yip -Vice Chair of Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) • Darryl Yip introduced himself to the Commission. He has been on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) since 2021 and has been living in the Westborough area since 2002. Darryl works as a Professional Transportation Planner for a neighboring jurisdiction. One of the issues he brought up is the widening of the US 101 from San Bruno to San Francisco. He is part of a coalition with other South San Francisco residents who have started a petition to stop any additional widening of Highway 101 and 280 in San Mateo and San Francisco Counties. Widening highways doesn't reduce congestion. It simply encourages more people to drive until congestion gets back to previous levels. More cars means more greenhouse gases, more air pollution, and more health problems for the low-income and diverse neighborhoods adjacent to the highway. In addition, more cars will increase congestion and delays in our neighborhoods, increase danger for residents who walk and bike, and increase competition for Caltrain , which has seen an enormous drop in ridership and lacks a stable funding source. Instead, let's save the hundreds of millions of dollars and use it for public transportation and for making the streets safer for people who walk, bike and drive. CONSENT CALENDAR: 1. Approval of the Traffic Safety Committee Meeting Minutes for January 9, 2024. Motion -Commissioner Chan/ Second -Commissioner Abarca-to approve the January 9, 2024 meeting minutes as submitted. Approved by voice vote (4-0-1). Commissioner Hermes abstained from vote as he was absent in the January 9, 2024 meeting. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS: None. ITEMS FROM THE COMMISSION: • Vice Chair Monzon brought up his absence from the January 9, 2024 commission meeting. On the agenda, it states the Traffic Safety Commission starts at 5:30 p.m., but the previous meeting did not start until 6:19 p.m. He had a conflict which resulted in his absence. Secretary Garren responded , the municipal code does not state a end time for commission meetings as they are public meetings. The municipal code states that the Traffic Safety Commission meeting starts immediately after the Parking Place Commission. • Vice Chair Monzon was wondering if staff could promote the Parking Place Commission and Traffic Safety Commission in city newsletters or social media channels. Secretary Garren will share with the City Manager's office and post on social media pages for other departments to share. • Commissioner Yuen gave some background information regarding the 101 Express Lane Project that Darryl brought up during public comments. Phase II of the project was completed a few years ago on highway 101 between highway 380 and Redwood City. As part of that project, there was an additional lane added in both directions as an express lane. The idea was to encourage carpooling for high occupancy and allow FasTrak Flex holders to use the lane for an additional fee . The additional lane would spread the flow of traffic more evenly. With highway widening, there is also the potential for increase traffic volume due to the increased capacity. The next phase of the project is to widen highway 101 between 380 and the San Francisco/San Mateo line. The proposal is to add an additional lane as an express lane in both directions. With that, there is the potential to traffic in South San Francisco to the downtown area and Oyster Point, as well as areas closest to the freeways. He is unsure of how this project will be executed but there will be questions asked regarding traffic impacts. Commissioner Yuen asked if there is any information staff can provide on this project. Chair Carbone asked if there is fund ing to execute the project. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded there have been preliminary discussions with Caltrans and with the County. There was a presentation given to the council regarding the project which can be shared with the Commission. • Vice Chair Monzon mentioned he was part of the 101 Express Lanes Project with the County. The County sent out surveys to the residents of Old Town to get their .. input. They were told their neighborhood would be impacted the most from phase II of the project and would receive assistance from the County. After phase II of was completed, none of their input was put into motion. An additional lane was not added but instead the fast lane was converted to an express lane. The County provided the Community Transportation Benefits Program to underserved communities adjacent to the highway. This program offered 2 options: $100 annual clipper card or a one-time $100 toll credit on FastTrak. The program is offered to all underserved San Mateo County residents adjacent to the freeway (if they meet a certain threshold) including Pacifica who are nowhere close to the project location. Vice Chair Monzon expressed his disappointment in the County on how they executed this project and the "assistance" that was not open to all residents who were impacted. • Vice Chair Monzon brought up the lack of bus shelters at SamTrans stops. Secretary Garren mentioned she had a meeting with Sam Trans last week and they have a SamTrans Bus Shelter Plan in progress. Commissioner Monzon brought up the bus shelter at 150 Airport Boulevard that is still missing. Secretary Garren responded she is still waiting to hear back from Engineering. • Commissioner Chan brought up a vehicle accident that occurred last week at the intersection of Baden Avenue and Linden Avenue. The suspect hit a median/island where irrigation was located and burst a water pipe. Eventually the irrigation was turned off and staff on site determined the water pipe as private property that belonged to the adjacent condominium. From a traffic safety standpoint, this intersection seems dangerous. He will provide the group with updates if he hears anything from the HOA. • Chair Carbone brought up the timeliness of the meetings moving forward. City staff will discuss options with City Attorney. ITEMS FROM THE STAFF: 1. Reorganization of Traffic Safety Commission • Commission nominated Hermes Monzon as Chairperson o Motion -Commissioner Chan / Second Commissioner Abarca Approved by vote (5-0-0). • Commission nominated Justin Yuen as Vice Chairperson o Motion -Commissioner Chan / Second Vice Chair Monzon Approved by vote (5-0-0). 2. Traffic Advisory Committee January 24, 2024 Minutes Review • Commissioner Chan requested clarification on the changes of his TAC item. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded the proposed changes will eliminate the three metered parking spots on the west end between 3rd Lane and Baden Avenue. Commissioner Chan asked why the two- way lane is not fully extended to Grand Avenue. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded that would eliminate almost all the parking spaces on Cypress Avenue and would not be feasible. Commissioner Chan asked if there would be an additional one-way sign added to 3rd Lane. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded there might already be an existing sign there but will double check with TAC. Commissioner Chan asked if this change has already been approved or if the Commission will vote on the removal of the three parking meters. Secretary Garren responded she is waiting to hear back from City Attorney on this. Commissioner Yuen suggested a yellow center line on the segment that will be made a two-way lane on Cypress Avenue . City staff will bring up this suggestion to TAC. 3. City's Traffic Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Projects • Project tr1701 -Chair Carbone requested clarification on what type of traffic safety measures were implemented. Dave Bockha1,.1s, Public Works Deputy Director responded, the safety measures include high visibility crosswalks, curb ramp improvements, parking lines, speed cushions, shared bike lane markings, and bulb-outs. This project has not been completed yet. • Chair Carbone asked which projects were active and which were upcoming projects from the list. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded, the two numbers after the letter indicate the year of the project. The list provided are all active projects. • Commissioner Yuen asked if all the projects were fully funded and scoped as part of the capital projects. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded, there is funding for the initial year and what's going to be anticipated but the intention is to fully fund these projects. The list mostly shows impact fees but the City is also looking into grant funding for these projects. • Project tr2403 -Commissioner Yuen asked if the funding amount of $500,000 is part of the construction phase and not the design phase. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director confirmed that amount is for the design phase. Commissioner Yuen brought up the bike lane study on Junipero Serra Boulevard and asked if this project would be part of tr2403 or a stand-alone project. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded right now the project is stand-alone, but they will be worked in concert. • Project tr2201 -Chair Carbone asked staff to elaborate on the Grand Avenue off-ramp realignment project. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded Genentech asked the City to look at the feasibility of bringing the off ramp directly into East Grand Avenue. Engineering deemed this proposal not feasible. • Projects tr1901 and tr1902 -Commissioner Yuen asked what the difference was between the two projects. Dave Bockhaus, Public Works Deputy Director responded we upgraded controllers and installed a system which would collect data in real-time from the existing signals and the corridors in order to evaluate their effectiveness. The IDEA grant will add automated traffic signal performance measures to several corridors in the City that parallel US-101 or feed into it to install equipment to enable implementation of operational strategy at four intersections where beneficial. The adaptive traffic signal control room is being built in the Corporation Yard right next to this conference room. 4. Upcoming Meeting Items • Roles and responsibilities of Traffic Safety Commission o City staff will have an update from City Attorney by next meeting. • Set start time of future meetings Chair Carbone adjourned the meeting at 7:18 p.m. Respectfully submitted. mission Chairperson