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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/3/2013 - Bicycle Master Plan Oversight Committee1 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Bicycle Master Plan Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes Meeting Date: September 3, 2013 Time: 5:00 p.m. Location: Community Room, 100 Civic Center Drive 1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm. Chair Petros announced he would have to leave the meeting early to attend a family event and Committee Member Matsler would run the meeting in his absence. 2. ROLL CALL Committee Members Present – Councilman/Chair Tony Petros, Lou Cohen, John Heffernan, Robert Kahn, Greg Kline, Sean Matsler, Frank Peters Committee Members Absent – Michael Alti City Staff –Lt. Jeff Lu, Sr. Civil Engineer Brad Sommers, Associate Planner Fern Nueno Consultant Staff – Paul Martin - Alta Planning and Design; Michelle Lieberman - RBF Consulting 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Staff Sommers noted an email with minor edits to the July 1 meeting minutes requested from Jim Mosher. ACTION: Motion to approve the minutes with comments by Jim Mosher incorporated. Motion passed unanimously. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS Chair Petros noted many members of the Public attended the meeting to discuss the recent incident involving Ms. Debra Deem and suggested Public Comment be held until after the Police Department reviewed the incident as part of Current Business Item 6D. Chair Petros noted Public Comment would also be allowed after each Current Business Item. 2 6. CURRENT BUSINESS Chair Petros suggested Current Business Item D, Police Department Update, be presented first, followed by Public Comments, and then continue with the agenda items. ACTION – Motion to move Current Business Item D, Police Department Update, to the top of Current Business. Motion passed unanimously. D. Police Department Update Lt. Lu reviewed bicycle-involved incidences within the City, noting 62 incidents through the end of July 2013, compared to 66 through the end of July 2012. He noted 42 percent of the bicycle- involved incidents did not involve a moving motorized vehicle. Lt. Lu noted the incident involving Ms. Deem is still under investigation and the Police Department could only provide general information regarding the accident. He noted the incident occurred on Tuesday, August 27th around 4:27 pm on Coast Highway east of Newport Coast Drive. The bicyclist was traveling westbound on Coast Highway, moving towards Newport Coast Drive. A white minivan and the bicycle collided. The incident was not a hit and run. The other involved party stayed on the scene and has been cooperative. Committee Member Peters asked if the bicyclist was riding alone or in a group. Lt. Lu responded he is not able to disclose that information at this time. Committee Member Heffernan asked if the markings on the street where the incident occurred are accurate. Lt. Lu responded crime scene investigators have been out to the area and the markings are may be from them. Committee Member Kline asked if the relative speed of the bicyclist and vehicle are known. Lt. Lu responded he is not able to disclose that information at this time. Chair Petros asked if the area where the incident occurred is under the ownership of Newport Beach. Lt. Lu responded the area is within the city limits, but the owner/operator of Coast Highway in this section is Caltrans. Committee Member Kahn asked when the investigation will be complete. Lt. Lu responded the investigation is ongoing and the timeframe for completion is unknown. Public Comment Jeff Kessler asked if any violation has been determined on the accident. Lt. Lu responded he is not able to disclose that information at this time. Kelley Gast suggested that additional signage is needed in strategic areas and commented that visitors/tourists are unfamiliar with Newport Beach and would benefit from signage. Ron commended the City for providing extra striping for bike lanes at the right turn lanes along Coast Highway from MacArthur to Jamboree and suggested that this be provided in additional 3 areas. He commented that the striping is instructive to both bicyclists and cars and is needed in high speed areas with high numbers of cyclists. Bob Masuzumi commented that right turn lanes are dangerous for cyclists going straight and that the cyclist should be outside of the right turn lane. He commented that PCH in Long Beach has a designated bicycle lane and signage that helps bicycles merging in to the other lanes. John Williams commented that the City should be talking to people at Caltrans and working to get responses from them. Stacy Kline commented that the sharrow sections in San Diego are comfortable and she feels safe, but she has experienced aggressive drivers in Orange County. She commented that high speed interchanges are not appropriate in a community. She noted where there are sharrows in Corona del Mar, the drivers have been courteous to her. She suggested the City look at intersections without stop signs/signals. Maureen commented that the existing bicycle lanes are hard to see. She suggested a different color should be used and that bumps or dots be used to separate drivers from the cyclists. The City should look at Amsterdam as an example. Kelley Gast provided information from an email she received from April Morris. She noted Ryan Chamberlin as a contact at Caltrans. Mal Chetsini commented that Newport Coast Drive is hard to bicycle on because of the speed of cars. He suggested the City look at cement blockades used in Canada, orange cones, or divots to separate cars from bicycles. Steve Squarlo commented that signage for bicycle friendly routes would help cyclists avoid traffic congestion on PCH. Mike Hoag commented that Caltrans has Deputy Directives related to complete streets and traffic calming. Arthur Yelsy commented that San Clemente has signage directing bicycles off of PCH. He suggested this be done in Newport. He expressed concerns with sharrows, commenting that they place cars and bicycles in close proximity. He said the sharrows in Corona del Mar should be more visible. He commented that the goal of the Committee should be to minimize fatalities. He suggested the City look at the separated bicycle path on PCH in Dana Point and San Clemente as an example of how to separate bicycles from car traffic. He also commented that education on bicycling/safety will not reach the entire population. 4 Pete Van Nuys commented that conflicts between bicyclists and car drivers are a cultural issue that is not limited to Newport Beach and will take a long time to address. He commented that the Bicycle Master Plan should include an educational component. He commended the City for the efforts it has made thus far and said the sharrows do help drivers understand that bicycles can be in the lane. He commented that there is a Class I bike path from Reef Point to Corona del Mar. He suggested that the community talk to elected State representatives and business people to leverage talks with Caltrans. Barbara Caldwell commented that she feels bicyclists would be safer if they rode in the direction facing vehicle travel. Dick Nichols commented highways are supposed to be high speed and that bicycles cannot keep up with the speeds so it is unsafe for them. He commented that bicycles should not be allowed on PCH and that alternate routes should be used. He also commented that community members do not know what sharrows are. Daniel Levine suggested that the City consider how bicycles are incorporated into left turn lanes. He suggested that safe routes for Newport Harbor High School and Ensign Intermediate School be called out and that more signage is included. He suggested the City look at Boulder, Colorado and other cities in the US with strong cycling communities for ideas. Chair Petros noted that a meeting between Dr. Navarro (Newport-Mesa Unified School District Superintendent) and the City’s traffic engineer has been set up to address school issues. Mark Goodley demonstrated the lights on his bicycle that are visible from ¼ mile away. He said they are available at any bike shop. Brenda Miller asked if the Bicycle Master Plan will look at changes to Level of Service (LOS) and re-allocating roadway width. Chair Petros noted the City is currently reviewing its General Plan Land Use Element and then it will review its Circulation Element. LOS and roadway standards may be included in changes to the Circulation Element, but may not be addressed by the Bicycle Master Plan. Jim Mosher suggested the City record the Committee meetings and post the recordings online. He suggested the Committee consider directing the consultant to prepare a reading list of other Bicycle Master Plans with components that Newport Beach could use as a starting point. Steven Bates suggested that the Share the Road banners be put up for a longer period of time. He asked if the development on the corner of Dover and PCH has considerations for cyclist safety. 5 Stacy Kline provided information from an email from OC Wheelmen about a CDM Today blog and noted motorist’s attitude towards cyclists. Harold Schneider asked if video surveillance and signage could be used. Committee Member Kahn asked if Caltrans was invited to the Committee meetings. Staff Sommers noted Caltrans was invited, but a representative was not able to attend the meeting. He said they have a standing invitation. Chair Petros asked that meeting agendas be sent to Caltrans prior to each meeting. Staff Sommers responded he would send the agendas to Caltrans. NO ACTION TAKEN A. Bicycle Master Plan Project Update/Discussion a. Project Update Ms. Lieberman provided an overview of the community outreach efforts that have occurred. She noted the outreach booth at McFadden Plaza and an online survey provided a summary of community input to date. Mr. Martin presented an overview of the “4 E’s”- Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Evaluation that will be included in the Bicycle Master Plan and noted some of the potential strategies that could be included. Committee Member Peters commented that educational strategies shown may not reach a broad audience. He gave an example of the Metro buses in Los Angeles County that are painted with a share the road message and suggested the City talk to OCTA about a similar campaign in Orange County. Committee Member Peters commented that portable speed feedback devices are often placed in the bicycle lane, forcing cyclists into the other travel lanes. He noted that speed feedback devices may be more effective when they are portable/not permanent, but that placement should be addressed. Committee Member Heffernan said the streets need to be changed to be safer before the City can encourage more people to bicycle. Staff Sommers noted the Bicycle Master Plan is a long term document and that Engineering is a main component, as are the other “4 E’s”, to ensure sustainability of the Master Plan. Committee Member Matsler asked if a similar presentation on Engineering improvements will be made to the Committee at a later date. Mr. Martin responded yes. Committee Member Peters commented the City should collaborate with Huntington Beach and have long term discussions with Caltrans and OCTA. Mr. Martin said there will be stakeholders meeting with those agencies during the process. 6 Committee Member Kline commented Equality should be included as the “6th E”, emphasizing the equal rights of cyclists to the road. He noted the City of Los Angeles recently passed an anti- harassment ordinance that helps with this aspect. Public Comment Stacy Kline suggested the City look at the curriculum used by the national bicycling organizations such as League of American Cyclists as the basis for the educational component of the plan. She provided information on examples in the City of Aspen and resources such as streetfilms.org. Bob Masuzumi noted Huntington Beach is having a meeting regarding bicycling on September 9th. He suggested using existing resources such as the OCTA map and coordination with the DMV, bike rental companies, school district, and Chamber of Commerce could help with education. b. Bicycle Count Process Mr. Martin said volunteers are needed in October to conduct bicycle counts at roughly 10 locations. Staff Sommers will send out an email seeking volunteers, noting at least 20 volunteers are needed. No Public Comment on this item c. BMPOC On-Bike Review of Existing Bicycle Facilities Mr. Martin said an on-bike review is tentatively scheduled for a Saturday morning on November 2. The ride will be followed by a public workshop. No Public Comment on this item NO ACTION TAKEN B. Bike the Village Mr. Ron Yeo presented the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District (CDM BID) bicycle rack and Bike the Village plans noting over 80 potential locations for the racks. Public Comment Hal Pisars commented that he has seen these types of racks in Carlsbad and that they are used by many bicyclists. NO ACTION TAKEN 7 C. Current Project Update Staff Sommers announced a workshop that is being held for the OCTA Districts 1 and 2 Bikeways Project on September 11th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm in Costa Mesa. He encouraged community members to attend and provide information on bicycling issues in Newport Beach. Staff Sommers noted OCTA is conducting a study on Coast Highway that includes all Orange County cities and the study will have a strong complete streets component. Staff Sommers said that the City has 90% design plans for the Bicycle Corridor Improvement program facilities, including Eastbluff Drive-Ford Road, Jamboree Road, Spyglass Hill Road, and San Joaquin Hills Road and anticipates construction to start at the beginning of 2014. Committee Member Peters asked if buffered bike lanes are included in the plans. Sommers responded that buffered bike lanes have been considered but are challenging to deploy as part of retrofit projects on existing constrained roadways. He noted buffered bike lanes would be considered further in the future during full roadway rehabilitation projects. Staff Sommers noted the City is proceeding with the Newport Boulevard and Arches Interchange projects and that both will include bicycle facilities. Additionally, he noted the Bayside Drive and Avocado Avenue pavement rehabilitation projects are moving forward and include bicycle facilities. Committee Member Kahn asked if there are improvements planned on Riverside Avenue. Staff Sommers responded the City is planning on improvements as discussed in the Citizen’s Bicycle Safety Committee, but the improvements have yet to be scheduled. Public Comments Ramon Zavala noted his work at UCI reduced bicycle theft by about 43 percent in 2 years. He said as bicycling in the City increases, security will become more important and offered to provide the City with information on his program. David Huntsman commented that the Committee should include education about sections in the Vehicle Code that allow cyclists to use the road. Brenda Miller commented that parents will not let children bike to school if the roadway is perceived to be unsafe. She said that while LOS plays in to eligibility for Measure M funding, it compromises the bicycle. Committee Member Kline asked if the bicycle counts will include how many bicycles are riding legally. Mr. Martin said that the count sheets will include that category. NO ACTION TAKEN 7. COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS FOR A FUTURE AGENDA (NON-DISCUSSION ITEMS) Committee Member Peters provided flyers with information about bicycle rides that he is coordinating. 8 Public Comments Stacy Kline asked that identifying hotspots be put on a future agenda. Committee Member Matsler noted the previous committee put together a list of issue areas that has been provided to the consultant. Staff Sommers said that there will be more areas identified through the community survey and the public workshops. 8. DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on October 7th at 5:00 pm. 9. ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM in honor of Ms. Debra Deem. Minutes Approved: ____________________________________________ ___ Chairman / Tony Petros Date