TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Keith R. Cooke, P.E., Engineering and Transportation Director
Michael Stella, P.E., Principal Engineer
Reh-Lin N. Chen, P.E., Senior Transportation Engineer
Title: Public Hearing to Recommend to the City Council Adoption of the 2018 Update of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION
The City’s adopted Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan should be updated every five years to maintain the City's eligibility for many of the bicycle and pedestrian grant funding programs. The current Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was adopted in 2011, so the City retained a consultant in Fall 2016 to facilitate a public process in updating the plan. The process utilized the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to guide the consultant and allow a forum for public input and discussion. The BPAC’s involvement assured that the plan balanced the needs of both bicyclists and pedestrians by identifying deficiencies in the City’s current network, and by recommending solutions to overcome those deficiencies.
The draft update provides a blueprint for future improvements together with a prioritization strategy that will allow implementation in logical sequence based on funding availability. With the BPAC’s work now complete, Staff presents the draft update to the Planning Commission with a recommendation that the Commission forward the update to the City Council for approval.
BACKGROUND
Bicycling and walking are low-cost, quiet, environmentally-friendly, and healthy forms of transportation; ideal for many trips. In 1997, the City of San Leandro adopted a Bicycle Master Plan to set forth a blueprint for completing a system of bikeways and support facilities (such as bicycle parking) as well as education programs. This document was updated in 2004 and again in 2010 to reflect changes in the bicycling environment and to add a pedestrian component. By incorporating pedestrian policies, programs, and proposed improvements, the City became more competitive when applying for grant funding to construct needed improvements.
The City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan has been a critical planning, policy, and implementation document to support efforts to improve the safety, attractiveness, and participation in bicycling and walking as a means of transportation and recreation. The Plan has helped the City achieve a number of key objectives such as:
• Identifying a network of facilities, supportive programs, and policies;
• Gathering input on needs and opportunities related to bicycling and walking;
• Ensuring that recommended improvements are aligned with community priorities; and
• Identifying available resources needed to formulate an implementation strategy.
To continue its usefulness, however, the Alameda County Transportation Commission requires the Plan to be updated every five years.
The 2018 update to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan represents a fourteen-month effort to ensure that the Plan remains aligned with local priorities, to ensure that there are additional projects and programs to be implemented, and to assess barriers to implementation. This update reflects and supports San Leandro's 2035 General Plan policies and goals, as well as other recent planning initiatives such as the San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan, the East Bay Greenway, and the draft Bay Fair Transit Oriented Development Specific Plan.
The draft 2018 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was developed with the input of a City Council-appointed Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) and from the general public. The BPAC, which acts as an ad hoc committee, was convened to guide the update and is comprised of 11 members. BPAC members, who represent both bicycle and pedestrian interests, were selected to represent each of the six Council districts. The BPAC met five times over fourteen months, hosted two Open-House events, and received comments via an on-line survey. During the course of the update, two BPAC members resigned, so staff has filled in the vacancies based on recommendations from councilmembers who represent those districts. The two interim members will seek City Council approval for permanent appointment when the updated Plan is presented for adopted in March or April 2018.
DISCUSSION
The updated Plan includes the following chapters:
• Introduction;
• Goals and Policies;
• Bicycle Network;
• Pedestrian Network;
• Safety, Education and Enforcement; and
• Implementation.
The Introduction chapter identifies relationships with other plans, conformance with funding requirements, community involvement in development of the plan, and project setting which identified major activity centers. These activity centers included schools, community/senior centers, libraries, parks, government services, retail destinations, major employment centers, and multimodal connections (e.g., BART, AC Transit).
The Goals and Policies chapter includes eight goals for promoting and enhancing bicycle and pedestrian activity and safety in San Leandro. The goals are bolstered with Policy Statements that define specific actions the City can take to accomplish each goal. The goals touch on broad themes as follows:
• Goal 1: Comprehensive System
• Goal 2: Funding and Implementation
• Goal 3: Bikeability
• Goal 4: Walkability
• Goal 5: Transit Access
• Goal 6: Safety
• Goal 7: Education
• Goal 8: Land Use Policy
The Bicycle Network chapter discusses the City's existing and proposed bicycle network. While the 2010 Plan led the City to focus on bikeways and larger streets, more recent work has expanded the network on smaller streets such that 43 total miles of bicycle facilities. The updated plan anticipates expansion of the bicycle network by employing new standards included in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) as well as guidance from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). Various illustrations within the chapter describe the types of facilities that can be installed as well as locations where the facilities will contribute to an interconnected continuous network. A total of 37.3 miles of bicycle facilities are proposed in the updated plan. Figure 21 on Page 90 provides a map of the entire Bicycle Network which includes key changes as follows:
• East Bay Greenway - Class I
• Alvarado Street between Fremont Avenue and Davis Street - Class II Bikeway
• Fairway Drive between Monarch Bay Drive and Alvarado Street - Class II Buffered Bikeway
• Monterey Blvd between Alvarado Street and Washington Ave - Class III Bikeway
• Bancroft Avenue - Class IV Bikeways
The Pedestrian Network chapter identifies various locations where pedestrian improvements are desired. The locations are identified either as Pedestrian Improvement Areas that encompass a large area of high pedestrian activity, or Key Pedestrian Locations that identify a specific focused location of pedestrian activity. Figure 22 on Page 106 provides a map of the Pedestrian Improvement Areas and Key Pedestrian Locations. Samples of Pedestrian Improvement Areas are as follows:
• San Leandro Marina Pedestrian Improvement Area
• Kaiser Development Area/The Spine Pedestrian Improvement Area
• Downtown San Leandro BART Station Pedestrian Improvement Area
• East 14th Street Corridor Pedestrian Improvement Area
Samples of the Key Locations are as follows:
• Garfield Elementary School
• Wicks Boulevard at the Marina Community Center
• Bancroft Middle School
• 150th Avenue/Hesperian Boulevard/Bancroft Avenue/East 14th Street Intersection
Examples of Recommended Improvements are as follows:
• ADA Transition Plan
• Access and Repair Sidewalk Surface
• Update Signals within City to Meet Accessible Pedestrian Signal Guidelines
• Crosswalk Improvement and Scoring Policy
The Safety Education chapter discusses existing safety conditions for bicycling and walking in San Leandro, including an evaluation of recent collision activity and current safety and education programs available to San Leandro residents. Additional education and enforcement programs are recommended to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.
During the 4-year period of this analysis (from 2012 to 2015), there were 57 bicycle-involved reported collisions in San Leandro, down from 79 in the four-year period before the 2010 Plan Update. One of these 57 collisions did not involve any bicyclist injuries and one collision involved two bicyclists. One fatality occurred during this period. This collision occurred near the intersection of Marina Boulevard, and Pacific Avenue. Additionally, one of these collisions also involved a pedestrian. This reflects an average of approximately 14 bicycle involved collisions annually. This number indicates a continued drop from the average of 20 annual collisions in the 2010 Plan, the average of 23 annual collisions reported in the 2004 Plan, and the average of 32 annual collisions reported in the 1997 Plan. Wrong-way riding and right-of-way violations by either the bicyclist or motorist continue to be the most common cause of motor vehicle-bicycle collisions.
During the 4-year period of this analysis (2012 to 2015), there were 92 reported collisions in San Leandro involving pedestrians with a total of 90 reported injuries. This represents a decrease in pedestrian-involved collisions (down from 109), but an increase in the number of injuries (up from 86). Five fatalities occurred during this period, a sharp increase from zero in the previous period. This data reflects an average of approximately 23 pedestrian-involved collisions annually. This number indicates a drop in the average number of collisions from 27 in the 2010 Plan and the average of 33 annual collisions reported in the 2004 Plan.
Implementation of the proposed bicycle and pedestrian programs described in the previous section will require funding from local, state, and federal sources and coordination with multiple agencies both within and outside the City. To facilitate implementation efforts, this section presents the project prioritization methodologies, summary of past expenditures, and conceptual cost estimates. At the conclusion of this section, funding and implementation strategies are described.
Since there are more projects than can be completed at any given time, it is necessary to prioritize the projects to provide guidance as to which projects are to be developed first. Full lists of these bicycle and pedestrian projects can be seen in Tables 17, 18, and 19 on Pages 161-172. Additionally, high priority bicycle and pedestrian projects for the 5-year expenditure plan are also listed on Table 20 on Pages 174-177. Conceptual unit cost estimates for bikeway and bikeway network are also listed in Table 21 on Pages 181-182, and Tables 22 and 23 on Page 184.
GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE
• Policy T 2.1 - Complete Streets Serving All Users and Modes. Create and maintain “complete” streets that provide safe, comfortable, and convenient travel through a comprehensive, integrated transportation network that serves all users.
• Policy T-2.2 - Context Sensitive Design. Be positive to local conditions when planning and implementing street improvement projects. The City will work with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders to improve streets in a way that creates a stronger sense of place.
• Policy T-3.1 - Citywide Bikeway System. Develop and maintain a bikeway system that meets the needs of both utilitarian and recreational neighborhoods to employment and shopping areas, BART stations, schools, recreational facilities and other destinations through San Leandro and communities.
• Policy T-3.2 - Funding. Maximize the City’s eligibility for funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and aggressively pursue such funding to complete desired projects.
• Policy T-3.3 - Designing for Multiple User Groups - Recognize the dual needs of experienced cyclists relying on bicycles for commute trips and daily travel and less experienced cyclists using bicycles principally for recreation. When needed, develop facilities designed to serve each user group, with recreational routes primarily using low-volume streets and off-street bike paths.
• Policy T3.4 - Future Trail Alignments. Encourage the use of existing natural and man-made corridors such as creeks, shorelines, railroad corridors, and other open space corridors for future multi-use trail alignments.
• Policy T-3.6 - Pedestrian Environment. Improve the walkability of all streets in San Leandro through the planning, implementing, and maintaining of pedestrian supportive infrastructure.
• Policy T-3.7 - Removing Barriers to Active Transportation. Reduce barriers to walking ad other forms of active transportation such as incomplete or uneven sidewalks, lack of wheelchair ramps and curb cuts, sidewalk obstructions including cars parked on sidewalks, trail gaps, wide intersections, and poor sidewalk connections to transit stops.
• Policy T-3.8 - Education on Walking and Biking Benefits. Raise awareness of the benefits of walking and biking, such as reduced noise, energy consumption, congestion and parking demand; improved air quality; and opportunities for exercise and healthy life style.
• Policy T-3.9 - Coordination with Bicycle Advocacy Groups. Coordinate local bicycle and pedestrian education efforts with interest groups and bicycle advocates such as Bike East Bay, the Cherry City Cyclists and other relevant advocacy associations.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Notification of this meeting included publication of a legal notice in the Daily Review and posting of the meeting agenda at City Hall, and emailing of written notices to more than 500 interested persons and three parties (i.e., Bike East Bay, Cherry City Cyclists, and Bike Walk San Leandro).
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
This project has a statutory exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per California Public Resources Section 21083.3 (b) and CEQA Guideline Section 15183. Projects “Consistent with Community Plan or Zoning”; whereby the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is being updated pursuant to previous approved General Plan and Climate Action Plan policies and the General Plan’s certified EIR.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission recommends City Council approval of the draft 2018 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
ATTACHMENTS
Attachments to Staff Report include separate Chapters of the 2018 Update of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, and staff’s PowerPoint Presentation:
• Exhibit A - Front Pages and Executive Summary
• Exhibit B - Chapter 1 - Instruction
• Exhibit C - Chapter 2 - Goals & Policy
• Exhibit D - Chapter 3 - Bicycle Network
• Exhibit E - Chapter 4 - Pedestrian Network
• Exhibit F - Chapter 5 - Safety, Education, & Enforcement
• Exhibit G - Chapter 6 - Implementation
• Exhibit H - Appendices
• Exhibit I - PowerPoint Presentation in PDF Fornmat
The final draft plan and the Planning Commission presentation are also available in an OneDrive at <https://sanleandro-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/rchen_sanleandro_org/EqtDZVyeoBxHr3dI744ePXMBBmoVAr1T9z60xFE0GgjsoA?e=nFewz5>
PREPARED BY: Reh-Lin N. Chen, Senior Transportation Engineer