BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA

Transcription

1 BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE CALL TO ORDER 1. ROLL CALL 2. ORDERS OF THE DAY 3. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS: Wednesday, January 14, :30 PM VTA Conference Room B North First Street San Jose, CA AGENDA This portion of the agenda is reserved for persons desiring to address the Committee on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are limited to 2 minutes. The law does not permit Committee action or extended discussion on any item not on the agenda except under special circumstances. If Committee action is requested, the matter can be placed on a subsequent agenda. All statements that require a response will be referred to staff for reply in writing. 4. ACTION ITEM - Conduct voting to determine the Committee's chairperson and vice chairperson for Receive update on Envision Silicon Valley. (Verbal Report) (Haywood) CONSENT AGENDA 6. Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of November 12, REGULAR AGENDA 7. INFORMATION ITEM - Receive information on the Great Streets Corridor Study proposal. 8. INFORMATION ITEM - Receive an update on the SR 82 (El Camino Real) Relinquishment Exploration Study North First Street San Jose, CA Administration Customer Service

2 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee January 14, INFORMATION ITEM - Receive update on Light Rail Enhancement Program. 10. INFORMATION ITEM - Hear success stories from selected BPAC members and discuss Member Agency priorities for bicycle and pedestrian transportation. OTHER 11. Receive Committee Staff Report. (Verbal Report) (Y. Smith) 12. Receive Santa Clara County Staff Report. (Verbal Report) (Cameron) 13. Receive Chairperson's Report. (Verbal Report) 14. Receive Reports from BPAC subcommittees. (Verbal Report) 15. Receive Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and 2000 Measure A Citizens Watchdog Committee (CWC) Report. (Verbal Report) (Wadler) 16. Review BPAC Work Plan. (Y. Smith/D. Cameron) 17. ANNOUNCEMENTS 18. ADJOURN In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, VTA will make reasonable arrangements to ensure meaningful access to its meetings for persons who have disabilities and for persons with limited English proficiency who need translation and interpretation services. Individuals requiring ADA accommodations should notify the Board Secretary s Office at least 48-hours prior to the meeting. Individuals requiring language assistance should notify the Board Secretary s Office at least 72-hours prior to the meeting. The Board Secretary may be contacted at (408) or board.secretary@vta.org or (408) (TTY only). VTA s home page is on the web at: or visit us on Facebook at: (408) : 中文 / Español / 日本語 / 한국어 / tiếng Việt / Tagalog. All reports for items on the open meeting agenda are available for review in the Board Secretary s Office, 3331 North First Street, San Jose, California, (408) , the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday prior to the meeting. This information is available on VTA s website at and also at the meeting. Page 2

3 4 Date: December 16, 2014 Current Meeting: January 14, 2015 Board Meeting: N/A BOARD MEMORANDUM TO: THROUGH: FROM: SUBJECT: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez Board Secretary, Elaine F. Baltao Election Process for 2015 Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Leadership: Conduct Elections Policy-Related Action: No Government Code Section Applies: No ACTION ITEM RECOMMENDATION: Conduct voting to determine the Committee's chairperson and vice chairperson for BACKGROUND: The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) bylaws require that the committee elect from its membership a chairperson and a vice chairperson annually to serve as the committee leadership for the upcoming calendar year. The bylaws also provide that the chairperson and vice chairperson positions serve one-year terms and are eligible for election to multiple terms. The elections for the BPAC chairperson and vice chairperson positions are conducted during the committee s last meeting of the calendar year (usually December), if practical. The duties of the chairperson are to preside at all meetings of the committee and represent the committee before the Board of Directors. The duty of the vice chairperson is to perform the duties of the chairperson when the chairperson is absent. It is the responsibility of all advisory committee chairpersons and vice chairpersons to participate in periodic coordination meetings between themselves and the VTA Board chairperson North First Street San Jose, CA Administration Customer Service

4 4 DISCUSSION: The election process for chairperson and vice chairperson is comprised of three distinct steps. The first step is appointing the nomination subcommittee. The second is presentation of the nomination subcommittee s report. The final step is conducting elections to select the chairperson and vice chairperson. Each of these components is conducted during the committee meeting. Appointing the Nomination Subcommittee The chairperson requests volunteers to serve on the nomination subcommittee, which is typically comprised of two or three members. If there are no volunteers or an insufficient number, it is the chairperson s prerogative to appoint committee members to serve on it. It is required that the committee votes to approve the appointment of members to the nomination subcommittee. This step normally takes place two meetings prior to conducting the elections. The nomination subcommittee identifies members interested in serving as the chairperson or vice chairperson. This is done by soliciting nominations from members, either for themselves or other members, and is done at a time other than during the committee meeting. Additionally, it is the nomination subcommittee s responsibility to determine that members who have been nominated are willing to serve. The nomination subcommittee may also make a recommendation as to its recommended candidate for each position. At its October 2014 meeting, the BPAC approved the appointment of members David Simons and Paul Goldstein to serve on the nomination subcommittee. Report from the Nomination Subcommittee At the meeting immediately preceding the elections, the nomination subcommittee provides a verbal report to the advisory committee identifying committee members who have confirmed their willingness to serve. This establishes the initial list of candidates for the elections to be held at the next meeting. The nomination subcommittee is automatically discharged when its report is formally presented to the committee. No action is required of the committee other than to receive the report. At the November 2015 BPAC meeting, the nomination subcommittee reported that the following individuals had been nominated and had confirmed their willingness to serve: Chair: Wes Brinsfield, representative for the City of Los Altos Vice Chair: (A) Jim Bell, representative for the City of San José (B) Kristal Caidoy, representative for the City of Milpitas (C) Melanie Hanssen, representative for the Town of Los Gatos (D) Breene Kerr, representative for the Town of Los Altos Hills (E) Jim Stallman, representative for the City of Saratoga The nomination subcommittee will also verbally reiterate its findings and recommendation, if any, for each position immediately prior to the elections being conducted. Page 2 of 3

5 4 Election of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson Due to cancellation of the December meeting, the elections will be conducted as one of the first items of business at the January 2015 meeting. The elections are conducted for the chairperson and vice chairperson positions individually and in sequence. Immediately preceding the vote, the chairperson will ask if there are any nominations from the floor, then close the nomination process to establish the final list of candidates for each position. For BPAC, the affirmative vote of a majority of the total authorized membership, which is nine votes, is required to elect each position. Due to cancellation of the December meeting, the term of office for each position begins immediately following the completed vote for that office. ALTERNATIVES: There are no alternatives since the Committee s bylaws specify the election process. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact resulting from the election process. Prepared by: Stephen Flynn, Advisory Committee Coordinator Memo No Page 3 of 3

6 6 CALL TO ORDER BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE Wednesday, November 12, :30 PM MINUTES The Regular Meeting of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chairperson Brinsfield in Conference Room B-104, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), 3331 North First Street, San José, California. 1. ROLL CALL Attendee Name Title Status Herman Wadler City of Campbell Present James Wiant City of Cupertino Absent Vacant City of Gilroy Wes Brinsfield, Chairperson City of Los Altos Present Breene Kerr, Vice Chair Town of Los Altos Hills Present Melanie Hanssen Town of Los Gatos Present Kristal Caidoy City of Milpitas Present Barry Chaffin City of Monte Sereno Present Mary Seehafer City of Morgan Hill Present Simon Purdon City of Mountain View Present Paul Goldstein City of Palo Alto Present Jim Bell City of San José Present Dale Schouten City of Santa Clara Present Jesus Gomez County of Santa Clara Present Jim Stallman City of Saratoga Present David Simons City of Sunnyvale Present Corinne Winter Ex-Officio, SVBC Absent Colin Heyne Alternate Ex-Officio, SVBC Present A quorum was present. 2. ORDERS OF THE DAY Chairperson Brinsfield requested the following: 1) Agenda Item #13, Santa Clara County Staff Report, be heard after Agenda Item #3, Public Presentations; and 2) Regular Agenda Item #10, Three-Position Bike Racks Equipment Review, be heard after Regular Agenda Item #11, Bicycle Expenditure Program Semi-Annual Status Report North First Street San Jose, CA Administration Customer Service

7 6 Vice Chairperson Kerr took his seat at 6:33 p.m. Member Simons took his seat at 6:34 p.m. On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee approved the orders of the day. 3. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS Omar Chatty, Interested Citizen, expressed concern on bicycle/pedestrian safety along Tenth Street in the City of San Jose. The Agenda was taken out of order. 13. Santa Clara County Staff Report Dawn Cameron, County Transportation Planner, provided the following report: 1) informed the Committee of upcoming community meetings regarding Expressway Plan 2040; 2) the planned Santa Clara County (County) Workshop Meeting on December 10, 2014, will include multiple projects for discussion; and 3) the Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance will be on the County Housing, Land Use, Environment, and Transportation Committee s (HLUET) November 20, 2014, Regular Meeting Agenda. 4. Update on Envision Silicon Valley Scott Haywood, Policy and Community Relations Manager, provided a brief overview of the Envision Silicon Valley initiative and noted ongoing stakeholder group meetings to draft goals and principles of the proposed 2016 ballot measure. Staff will be providing regular updates to the Committee through Bernice Alaniz, Director of Public Affairs & Marketing, provided a brief report on outreach and communications goals and strategies. Staff is in the process of building an ambassador network, comprised of stakeholders with different representations and perspectives, to enhance outreach efforts. Public Comment Mr. Chatty made the following comments: 1) analyze where commuters are coming from due to regional impact on traffic patterns; 2) advocated for BART around the Bay Area; and 3) suggested that ambassadors for the Envision Silicon Valley include automobile-dependent individuals. Members of the Committee provided the following comments: 1) bicycles/bicyclists should be adequately represented in the proposed ballot measure; and 2) the proposed ballot measure could include bicycle and pedestrian projects with regional significance that would not otherwise be funded. Chairperson Brinsfield made the following comments: 1) bicycle projects that might be included in the proposed ballot measure should be consistent with the Bicycle Expenditure Program (BEP) and other Countywide programs; and 2) specific projects that might be included in the proposed ballot measure project list should still be eligible to compete for other applicable grant programs based on its merits. Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Page 2 of 6 November 12, 2014

8 6 CONSENT AGENDA 5. (Removed from the Consent Agenda and placed on the Regular Agenda.) Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of October 8, TFCA 40% - Project Selection Criteria M/S/C (Stallman/Wadler) to recommend that the VTA Board of Directors approve the criteria used to evaluate and select projects for the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) Program Manager Fund and review the status of ongoing Santa Clara County TFCA projects. 7. Proactive CMP Quarterly Report for July-September 2014 M/S/C (Stallman/Wadler) to receive the Proactive CMP Quarterly Report for July-September REGULAR AGENDA 5. Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of October 8, 2014 Member Stallman requested that the word projects in his comment on Agenda Item #5, Page 2 of the Regular Meeting Minutes of October 8, 2014, be changed to plan. M/S/C (Stallman/Wadler) to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of October 8, 2014, as amended. 8. SPUR Report: VTA Freedom to Move Ratna Amin, SPUR Transportation Policy Director, provided a brief overview of SPUR and proceeded with the report, highlighting: 1) overview of transportation choices over time; 2) forces expanding and limiting transportation choices; 3) examples of auto-oriented urban design; 4) opportunities at VTA joint development sites; and 5) SPUR's suggested strategies to create better transportation options in the South Bay. Member Hanssen took her seat at 7:00 p.m. Public Comment Mr. Chatty reiterated his support for BART around the Bay Area and expressed concern on SPUR s strategy of restricting road expansions, citing benefits of an efficient roadway system. Member Hanssen queried why the report did not mention affordable housing as a factor that could be exacerbating transportation issues. Lauren Ledbetter, Sr. Transportation Planner and Staff Liaison, noted that staff is in the process of developing a response to the suggestions in SPUR s report. Member Goldstein expressed interest in receiving a status update on VTA s response to SPUR s suggestions. On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee received the report from SPUR on VTA entitled Freedom to Move. 9. Election Process for 2015 Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Leadership: Nomination Subcommittee Report Member Simons provided a brief overview of the election process and status report of the Nomination Subcommittee, noting the following nominations for Committee Vice Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Page 3 of 6 November 12, 2014

9 6 Chairperson for 2015: Members Bell, Caidoy, Hanssen, Kerr, and Stallman. He added that Chairperson Brinsfield is the only nomination for Committee Chairperson for 2015 at this time. The Nomination Subcommittee further noted the following: 1) nominations from the floor will be accepted at the time of election; 2) encouraged potential chairpersons to consider serving additional years in the position; and 3) recommended that the Committee Vice Chairperson position be on a yearly rotation basis. On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee received the BPAC Nomination Subcommittee's report on members expressing interest in serving as either chairperson or vice chairperson for Bicycle Expenditure Program Semi-Annual Status Report Ms. Ledbetter provided a brief overview of the BEP and the staff report, highlighting: 1) status of Category 1 BEP projects; and 2) next steps and upcoming funding opportunities. Member Stallman requested periodic updates for the Across Barrier Connections that have been identified in VTA s 2008 Countywide Bicycle Plan. On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee received a status report on the Semi-Annual Update of Bicycle Expenditure Program (BEP) projects. 10. Three-Position Bike Racks Equipment Review Christian Reif, Associate Mechanical Engineer, provided the staff presentation, highlighting: 1) overview of bike racks; 2) feedback from Members of the Committee who reviewed the bike racks prior to the meeting; and 3) known issues with three-position bike racks, including maintenance and headlight obstruction. Mr. Reif noted that due to headlight obstruction issues, staff is unable to make a recommendation on a three-position bike rack. Members of the Committee and staff engaged in a discussion covering: 1) feedback from bus operators; 2) possible implementation of the bike racks on certain bus routes and at certain times; and 3) loading and unloading issues. Member Goldstein inquired about liability when a bicycle on a bus rack is damaged while in transit. The Committee proceeded to view the bike rack demonstration and provided the following observations: 1) sightline issues; 2) difficulty with loading onto and unloading from the rack; and 3) seem to accommodate a recumbent bicycle well. Mr. Reif noted that future new buses on heavily used routes and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses may have interior bike storage to increase capacity. Vice Chairperson Kerr provided a comment on a possible solution to the headlight illumination issue. Member Stallman offered the following comments: 1) bike capacity could change as bus service levels increase; and 2) use of collapsible bikes could increase bike capacity on buses. Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Page 4 of 6 November 12, 2014

10 6 OTHER On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee reviewed specifications of three different three-position bike racks and provided input on preferred options. 12. Committee Staff Report Ms. Ledbetter provided the staff report, highlighting: 1) Pedestrian Plan update; 2) release of the El Camino Real BRT Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (Draft EIR/EA) for public comment and noted public outreach efforts; and 3) Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) monthly webinar on November 19, 2014, covering e-bikes, electric assist bikes, and transportation policy. Public Comment Mr. Chatty inquired about the status of state legislation that proposes to allocate a portion of the vehicle registration fee to fund bike paths and trails. On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee received the Committee Staff Report. 14. Chairperson's Report There was no Chairperson s Report. 15. Reports from BPAC Subcommittees There were no reports from the Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance Subcommittee and the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) Scoring Criteria Subcommittee. 16. Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and 2000 Measure A Citizens Watchdog Committee (CWC) Report Member Wadler provided a brief report, noting: 1) CAC/CWC will not meet in December 2014; 2) staff is in the process of organizing a tour of VTA s BART Silicon Valley construction sites; and 3) staff overview report regarding Priority Development Areas (PDA). 17. BPAC Work Plan Members of the Committee and staff reviewed items to be discussed at future BPAC meetings. Ms. Ledbetter noted the following planned BPAC agenda items: 1) Committee leadership election planned in January 2015; and 2) planned BAAQMD staff presentation on TFCA. Members of the Committee suggested the following items be included in the work plan: 1) Across Barrier Connections update; 2) Complete Streets update; and 3) update from City of San Jose staff regarding bicycle and pedestrian improvements. On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee reviewed the BPAC Work Plan. 18. ANNOUNCEMENTS Alternate Ex-Officio Member Heyne provided a brief summary of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) October 2014 workshop concerning the Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant application process. Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Page 5 of 6 November 12, 2014

11 6 Member Stallman noted a pedestrian bridge for sale in Foster City in San Mateo County. Vice Chairperson Kerr noted opening of new off-road path in the Town of Los Altos Hills, connecting Magdalena Avenue and El Monte Road. Member Schouten encouraged Committee Members to consider volunteering as a bicycle parking attendant with the SVBC during Levi s Stadium events. Member Simons noted that the developer of the Central & Wolfe Project in the City of Sunnyvale has increased their transportation demand management (TDM)/trip reduction target from 30 percent to 35 percent. Member Gomez remarked that he looks forward to serving on the Committee. Member Wadler noted the City of Campbell s Portals Project Groundbreaking event on October 20, ADJOURNMENT On order of Chairperson Brinsfield and there being no objection, the Committee meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Michelle Oblena, Board Assistant VTA Office of the Board Secretary Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Page 6 of 6 November 12, 2014

12 7 Date: January 6, 2015 Current Meeting: January 14, 2015 Board Meeting: N/A BOARD MEMORANDUM TO: THROUGH: FROM: SUBJECT: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez Director of Planning and Program Development, John Ristow Great Streets: Complete Street Corridor Study FOR INFORMATION ONLY BACKGROUND: The Complete Streets concept calls for public roads to be designed and built for the mobility and safety of all roadway users. Motorists, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities must be able to move safely along and across our streets. VTA has long promoted elements of the multimodal, complete streets concept through its Community Design and Transportation Program, countywide plans, technical guidelines, and funding programs to support incremental improvements for bicycle, pedestrian and public transit along existing roadways. In line with these efforts, VTA is proposing to conduct a series of corridor studies to implement the complete streets concept along select transportation roadways in Santa Clara County. This major planning effort, called the Great Streets Corridor Study, is a partnership between VTA and Member Agencies to transform select transportation roadways into high-quality, multimodal streets that prioritize bicycle, pedestrian and transit travel while still serving motorists. VTA is proposing to lead this collaborative planning process to better coordinate localized planning efforts on corridors that cross multiple jurisdictions. Each corridor study will include planning and conceptual design work to improve one or more of the preferred alternative modes along the corridor (i.e. bicycle, pedestrian, and/or transit), and may result in a number of recommended improvements for transit operations, pedestrian and bicycle safety and connectivity, transit travel time, transit rider amenities, and/or traffic calming measures. The expected outcome of this planning effort is to provide Member Agencies with a completed plan that can be implemented as capital funding becomes available or as redevelopment occurs and cities are able to condition these improvements as part of approval North First Street San Jose, CA Administration Customer Service

13 7 DISCUSSION: VTA has identified a preliminary list of potential corridors to study (Table 1 and Attachment A). These candidate corridors were identified based on factors including geographic and demographic equity; regional significance; connections to major destinations such as shopping, employment and school centers; core transit routes; and major bike corridors. Table 1 - Candidate Corridors to Study # Corridor Rough Extents Length Transit Route(s) (Mile) 1 Tasman N. Fair Oaks to Main Street , 55, 321, 121, 902, 901, 58, 140, 330, 825, Great America Transit Center Jurisdiction Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose, Milpitas, 2 Bascom Santa Clara to Campbell (880 to 85) , 62, 26, 49,25 San Jose, Campbell, County 3 Keyes/Story 1 st Street. to E Capitol Expy , 73 San Jose 4 Middlefield Whisman to County line in Palo Alto , Middlefield LRT station Mountain View, Palo Alto 5 Los Gatos Blvd SR 85 to Main Street Los Gatos 6 1 st Street (Gilroy) Santa Teresa Blvd to Monterey St Gilroy 7 Berryessa Rd. US 101 to I , 65, 66, 61, Berryessa San Jose BART 8 Winchester Blvd Winchester Transit Center to Moorpark , 48, 101 San Jose, Campbell 9 Rengstorff Central Expy to US , 40 Mountain View 10 Scott/Arques N Fair Oaks to Walsh , 822, 58, 827, 60 Santa Clara, Sunnyvale 11 Coleman Guadalupe River Trail to Brokaw , 304, 61, 62, Santa Clara Caltrain station, Future BART station San Jose, Santa Clara 12 Saratoga Avenue 280 to San Jose city limit (Prospect) , 58 San Jose VTA presented the concept of the Great Streets Corridor Study at the October 28 th CIP Working Group and November 13 th Technical Advisory Committee meetings. VTA also met with individual city staff to request feedback on the 12 preliminary corridors identified for potential analysis and to understand the cities planning priorities and level of interest in partnering with VTA in this effort. Based on input received from these meetings, three corridors were selected to move forward for potential funding through available planning grant programs: Story/Keyes, Bascom and Tasman. In October 2014, VTA worked with City of San Jose to submit the Story/Keyes Corridor Study for the Caltrans Planning Grant opportunity, highlighting benefits of complete streets improvements in a corridor located in an environmental justice community. The funding recommendations for this grant are expected to be announced in January In December 2014, the Priority Development Area (PDA) planning grant call-for-projects was released. VTA Page 2 of 3

14 7 is planning to submit both the Bascom and Tasman corridors for this funding opportunity in partnership with the cities of San Jose and Campbell and the County, and the cities of Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose and Milpitas, respectively. NEXT STEPS: As more funding opportunities become available in the future, VTA will work with the cities to determine which corridor from the candidate list to move forward based on the timing and relevancy of the grant program, availability of staff resources, and level of interest from participating Member Agencies. Prepared By: Aiko Cuenco Memo No Page 3 of 3

15 M ID DL EF 7.a Complete Street Demonstration Corridor Study IE L D PALO ALTO RE NG ST O RF F 880 MIDD LE F 101 IE L D V U 237 ARQUES SCOTT SC OT T BE RR YE SS LOS ALTOS 680 TASMAN SUNNYVALE LOS ALTOS HILLS 237 A MOUNTAIN VIEW V U MILPITAS 85 SANTA CLARA CO LE 280 MA N O ST RY SAN JOSE South County A CUPERTINO 280 SA RA TO G A WINCHESTER SA R AT O G 101 S YE KE GILROY 1ST CAMPBELL 101 BA SC OM 85 LO S MONTE SERENO GA TO S SARATOGA IN MA LOS GATOS Corridors, Primary Selection Priority Development Area Service Layer Credits: ESRI Miles

16 8 Date: January 6, 2015 Current Meeting: January 14, 2015 Board Meeting: N/A BOARD MEMORANDUM TO: THROUGH: FROM: SUBJECT: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez Director of Planning and Program Development, John Ristow State Route 82 Relinquishment Exploration Study FOR INFORMATION ONLY BACKGROUND: The Grand Boulevard Initiative (GBI) is a collaborative planning effort of local and regional agencies, including Santa Clara County representatives from Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, San Jose and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) as well as representatives from private businesses and nonprofit organizations, to improve the performance, safety and aesthetics of El Camino Real. This effort is funded by various federal, state, local and private grant programs and foundations. The vision of the Grand Boulevard Initiative as established by its committee and task force is to see the El Camino Real corridor achieve its full potential as a place for residents to work, live, shop and play, creating links between communities that promote walking and transit and an improved and meaningful quality of life. This vision also includes guiding principles that support and encourage compact mixed-use development, multimodal completes streets elements, managed parking and attractive public spaces along El Camino Real. Additional information can be found on their website at < At its March 27, 2013 meeting, the GBI Task Force expressed interest in moving forward with the conceptual work scope and requested VTA and City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) staff to inquire if their respective local agencies would also be interested in the relinquishment study with the understanding that the funding would be sought from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). DISCUSSION: On June 6, 2013, the VTA Board approved participation in the SR 82 (El Camino Real) Relinquishment Exploration Study at part of the GBI effort. Since then, MTC approved the funding for this study in September 2014, with work on the study already underway North First Street San Jose, CA Administration Customer Service

17 8 Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates was selected to lead this effort along with their team members Sherwood Design Engineers, Strategic Economics, and Remy Moose Manley, firms in civil engineering, economic analysis and land use law. The limits for the SR 82 Relinquishment Exploration Study extend 20 miles along SR 82 (El Camino Real) from the I-880 Interchange in San Jose to SR 84 (Woodside Road) in Redwood City (see Attachment A). The purpose of this study is to provide communities and stakeholders in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, as well as other cities in the Bay Area, with information to help make informed decisions about relinquishment of state highways to local jurisdictions such as the following: An understanding of Caltrans relinquishment polices and process; Case studies of recent highway relinquishments including schedules, budgets and staffing resources; and An assessment of existing conditions and public infrastructure along El Camino Real (a State urban highway facility) including estimated costs of relinquishment, annual maintenance costs and discussion on potential funding sources. The study is anticipated to take approximately ten to twelve months to complete with VTA as the lead agency. The team is working on the data collection tasks, including literature review, case study research and existing conditions analysis. The first stakeholder meeting is tentatively planned for the January/February 2015 time frame, with the first deliverable draft report on data collection findings anticipated to be completed in March/April 2015 and shared with VTA committees. Prepared By: Eugene Maeda Memo No Page 2 of 2

18 SR 82 EL CAMINO REAL RELINQUISHMENT EXPLORATION STUDY 8.a Santa Clara County Study Area I-880 Interchange, San Jose to SR 84, Redwood City Approx. 20 miles in length 6-8 Lanes, mph posted speed limit San Mateo County 3 cities 1 Santa Clara County 6 cities

19 9 Date: January 5, 2015 Current Meeting: January 14, 2015 Board Meeting: February 5, 2015 BOARD MEMORANDUM TO: THROUGH: FROM: SUBJECT: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez Director of Planning and Program Development, John Ristow Light Rail Enhancement Program FOR INFORMATION ONLY BACKGROUND: VTA is preparing to initiate planning and engineering for a number of light rail projects aimed at improving system speed and reliability. The Light Rail Enhancement Program includes a combination of projects recommended from the 2010 Light Rail Systems Analysis and other projects initiated by staff between 2010 and today. The projects focus on speeding up the entire system by analyzing slow speed zones as well as implementing specific capital projects designed to speed up specific areas. The 2010 Light Rail Systems Analysis was a comprehensive study of the light rail system and analyzed existing operations and system constraints. At the conclusion of that study, numerous capital projects and operational improvements were recommended to alleviate many existing problems and improve overall light rail operations. In October 2010, VTA launched the Light Rail Commuter Express service during peak hours on the Santa Theresa-Alum Rock line between Ohlone/Chynoweth and Convention Center Stations. This service added six additional trips per day and did not require any capital construction. The Express service reduces travel time by 4 minutes between the Ohlone/Chynoweth and Convention Center Stations. In 2013, the three A.M. trips averaged approximately 490 daily boardings. Riders surveyed were very happy with the new service. In 2014, VTA began light rail construction projects on the Tasman West corridor, the Santa Clara Pocket Track and the Mountain View Double Track. The Santa Clara Pocket Track was completed in September of 2014 and allows for VTA to hold up to three 3-car trains in the vicinity of Levi s Stadium and allow for much greater flexibility for pre and post-game operations. The Mountain View Double Track project began construction in November of The project, when complete, will double track the existing single tracked segment between the 3331 North First Street San Jose, CA Administration Customer Service

20 9 Whisman and Downtown Mountain View Stations. This project will also close the Evelyn Station in Mountain View. The project will be complete before the end of Upcoming capital improvements will focus on increasing speed and will support operating changes planned with the implementation of the VTA s BART Extension to Silicon Valley Phase I Project in While the scope of some of the projects may change depending on reconfigured service in 2017, many of the projects will have significant benefits for any operating plan that is chosen. DISCUSSION: An upcoming milestone for the light rail system is the opening of the VTA's BART Extension to Silicon Valley Phase I in late There will be an opportunity to reconfigure the light rail operating plan to capture the ridership potential resulting from the BART connection and to improve overall service. To augment the benefits of this major service change, staff is in the process of beginning planning and engineering for capital projects which will have tangible speed and operating flexibility benefits throughout the light rail system. More details on all of these capital projects can be found in Attachment A. New Service Plan Staff is currently evaluating options for a major service change to reconfigure the current routing of the system. Many service change proposals, including the service plan recommended in the 2010 Study, are being evaluated for cost implications and projected ridership. Generally they all have two main changes from today s existing service: (1) A new line of service will be added along Tasman which will connect the BART connection at the Montague Light Rail Station to the job centers on West Tasman; (2) The current commuter express service will be expanded. The new service will be implemented in Speed Zone Analysis Staff is aware of many slow speeds zones in the light rail system. There is a need to better understand the specifics of these areas and what could potentially be done to increase speeds and improve reliability through those areas. VTA would like a better understanding of the relationship between the maximum potential speeds and VTA imposed speed limits. Planning and conceptual engineering will begin in North First Street Speed Improvements The North First Street corridor is an area where VTA has identified a potential for increasing the existing maximum operating speeds. Light rail currently operates at 35 miles per hour (mph) in the median of North First Street. In order to increase speeds up to 45 mph (the posted vehicular speed limit) VTA needs to comply with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) General Order 143-B, which generally states that VTA will need to install fencing and intersection gates in order to allow trains to travel at the same maximum speeds with adjacent traffic. The analysis will require an intersection-by-intersection analysis for this corridor. Planning and conceptual engineering will begin in 2015 and construction will start in Page 2 of 3

21 9 Montague Expressway Grade Separation This project would grade separate the light rail tracks from the general travel lanes at North First Street and Montague Expressway. This intersection is a known problem area on the light rail system - 32% of trains get delayed at this intersection for an average of 44 seconds. It is anticipated that these delays will only continue to grow at this location as automobile traffic levels continue to increase. Thus grade separation is the most likely solution. VTA would start with planning and conceptual engineering to determine a high level overview of what could potentially be constructed, followed by Conceptual Engineering in early However, there is no timeline for construction. Downtown San Jose Speed Improvements Downtown San Jose is known as one of the slowest portions of the VTA Light Rail System. The current maximum operating speed in Downtown San Jose is 10mph, which is a restriction selfimposed by VTA. According to CPUC standards, light rail could conceivably operate at 20mph. Staff plans to incorporate some design improvements to create a more distinct separation between pedestrian walkways and light rail tracks. This study will analyze downtown on a blockby-block basis and create specific recommendations for each intersection. Planning and conceptual engineering will begin in 2015 and construction will start in Vasona Corridor Improvements This project would construct improvements along the light rail system between the Winchester and San Fernando stations, generally known as the Vasona corridor. There are currently two single tracked segments in this corridor and all of the platforms are sized for only two car trains (the rest of the system can accommodate 3 car trains). These limitations are major sources for operational flexibility and delays throughout the light rail system, and constructing these improvements would improve service reliability and increase overall light rail capacity. Conceptual engineering will begin in early 2016, but there is no timeline for construction Siding at Ohlone-Chynoweth With the service changes planned in the near future, operations at the Ohlone-Chynoweth station will become more critical to overall system operations. Adding a siding track at this location could greatly improve operating flexibility for the express service. Planning and conceptual engineering will begin in 2015 and construction will start in Prepared By: Jason Kim Memo No Page 3 of 3

22 10 Date: December 19, 2014 Current Meeting: January 14, 2015 Board Meeting: N/A BOARD MEMORANDUM TO: THROUGH: FROM: SUBJECT: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez Director of Planning and Program Development, John Ristow Member Agency Success Stories and Priorities FOR INFORMATION ONLY BACKGROUND: As outlined in the mission of the VTA Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), members are responsible for serving as a liaison between VTA and the Member Agency bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees. In spring 2014, VTA staff met with the BPAC Chair and Vice Chair to review and discuss the annual workplan. The discussion included ways to facilitate BPAC members role as liaisons. To this end, Chair Brinsfield and Vice Chair Kerr suggested that VTA host a success story session, in which BPAC Members describe key projects or plans that have been successfully implemented in their community. DISCUSSION: Several BPAC members will provide short presentations outlining a success story from their community. The presentations will cover: he impetus for starting the project or plan, Challenges faced and strategies for overcoming the challenges, Opportunities for improvement, Lessons learned. VTA staff will facilitate a dialogue with the entire BPAC Membership to discuss Member Agencies priorities for bicycle and pedestrian transportation. This conversation is intended to identify common threads and concerns, ways in which nearby communities can work together, and issues that can be solved at a regional level North First Street San Jose, CA Administration Customer Service

23 10 NEXT STEPS: Based on the outcome of this initial session, VTA may host additional success story sessions. VTA staff will gather ideas and suggestions from the discussion of Member Agency priorities and determine ways in which they can be incorporated into VTA s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program. Prepared By: Lauren Ledbetter Memo No Page 2 of 2