HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-01-10; Sustainable Mobility Plan Update; Gomez, PazTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date I/lo 12D CA ✓ CC I/""
CM v coo ✓ocM (3) ~
Jan. 10, 2020
To:
From:
Via:
Re:
Council Memorandum
Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Pubrl· Works
Elaine Lu key, Chief Operations Officer .
Sustainable Mobility Plan Update
{cityof
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2020004
This memorandum provides an update on the efforts associated with the Sustainable Mobility
Plan (SMP) which is anticipated to go to the City Council for consideration in April 2020.
Background
For just over a decade, the city has actively been developing and implementing a series of
stand-alone documents, technical analyses and recommendations relating to improving
mobility for all modes of travel within the city. The SMP is designed to help the city integrate
and synthesize these multiple previous planning efforts. It is a key element in implementing the
General Plan Mobility Element adopted in 2015 and will help meet the greenhouse gas
reduction goals of the Climate Action Plan by shifting community members away from private
automobiles toward modes that are more livable, cleaner, and healthier.
The SMP will examine alternative transportation options in a comprehensive and interwoven
way to present an existing and a future network. It will develop modal 'blueprints' to evaluate,
plan, expand and fund initiatives such as:
· 1. Bicycle and pedestrian improvements
2. Safe routes to schools and parks
3. Transit
4. Mobility hubs featuring car-share and bikeshare services
5. The transportation demand management effort
6. Improvements in under.served communities such as the Barrio.
As the city continues to grow this network, it endeavors to empower all residents with choices
that improve commuting, recreation and getting around the city overall, while accomplishing
these important benefits:
1. Increased safety
2. More convenient options
3. Healthier travel options
4. Better traffic flow
In addition to broader stakeholder engagement activities for the SMP, the SMP Stakeholder
Working Group is providing insights to the city and the technical team regarding the
Public Works Branch
Transportation Department
Faraday Center 1635 Faraday Ave I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 760-602-2730
I
Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Jan. 101 2020
Page 2
methodology and prioritization of projects. The working group is comprised of representatives
· from the business community, hospitality industry, Carlsbad Unified School District, regional
transportation agencies and other community partners. SMP Stakeholder Working Group
members are also encouraged to support broader stakeholder engagement and
communications efforts to support the planning process.
Discussion
SMP Development
On Aug. 8, 2019, city staff provided a memorandum to City Council as an update on the current
progress of the SM P (Attachment A). Since this time city staff has been working with the project
team to further refine the plan based upon feedback received from new city staff and the SMP
Stakeholder Working Group.
The fourth and final meeting of the SMP Stakeholder Working Group occurred on Dec. 10,
2019. During this meeting, members of the project team presented the primary elements of the
draft SMP, for which public review will occur in late December through January. The group
reviewed the criteria for identifying projects and the planned networks for transit, pedestrian,
trail and bicycle modes. Stakeholders provided feedback and asked questions about the
networks and other elements of the draft SMP. A summary of the comments received from the
stakeholders during this meeting is included as Attachment B.
Next steps
City staff expects to present the draft SMP to City Council in April 2020, following completion of
these next steps:
• January 2020 -The SM P Stakeholder Working Group will complete their review of the
draft SMP. Staff will make needed revisions based on the SMP Stakeholder Working
Group's feedback .
. • March 2020 -The draft SMP will be presented to the Traffic and Mobility Commission at
its Mar. 2, 2020 meeting. Staff will make needed revisions based on the Traffic and
Mobility Commission's feedback.
• April 2020-Staff will present the SMP to City Council.
• April 2020-Once the SMP has been accepted by the City Council, staff will prepare a
comprehensive analysis so that any additional resources needed to initiate
implementation of the SMP are requested in the fiscal year 2020-21 budget.
Attachments: A. Council Memorandum on Sustainable Mobility Plan dated Aug. 8, 2019
B. SMP Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #4 Summary
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
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Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Jan. 10, 2020
Page 3
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services
Tom Frank, Transportation Director
Kristina Ray, Communications Director
Mike Peterson, Interim Community & Economic Development Director
Amanda Guy, Deputy City Attorney
Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager
John Kim, City Traffic Engineer
Jason Geldert, City Engineer
Don Neu, City Planner
Nikki Matosian, Community Relations Manager
3
To the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date ~CA ✓ CC /
CM Zco16 _/ocM (3).L
August 8, 2019
Council Memorandum
To:
From:
Via:
Re:
Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Pubpi . Works
Elaine Lu key, Chief Operations Officer
Sustainable Mobility Plan Update .
Attachment A
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2019090
This memorandum provides an update on the Sustainable Mobility Plan {SMP), which is
anticipated for City Council consideration in January 2020.
Background
For just over a decade, the city has actively been developing and implementing a series of
stand-alone policy documents, technical analyses and recommendations relating to improving
mobility for all modes of travel, including pedestrians and bicyclists, within the city.
The SMP is designed to help the city integrate and synthesize these multiple previous planning
efforts. It is a key element in implementing the General Plan Mobility Element adopted in 2015,
and will help meet the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals of the Climate Action Plan. The
SMP will guide the city in expanding and improving the active transportation network to
promote safe, healthy and convenient travel options for people of all ages and abilities.
Discussion
Community Vision
Promoting walking, biking, public transportation and connectivity is a core value of the Carlsbad
Community Vision, which was developed through an extensive community engagement
process. These core values guided development of the General Plan update in 2015, which
included a new Mobility Element. The Mobility Element represents a fundamental shift in how
the city plans and designs the street system by exploring all potential solutions to enhance the
mobility for all users of the street, including vehicles, pedestrians, bikes and transit.
The city also adopted a Climate Action Plan in 2015, which outlines a comprehensive citywide
strategy and actions to manage and reduce GHG emissions through 2035.
Evolution of Mobility Efforts
As the community's expectations for enhanced travel options have evolved over time, so have
the city's strategies for addressing these needs. Previous planning efforts have typically
involved an assessment of existing conditions, public engagement activities to help understand
the community's needs, a technical analysis to uncover opportunities for improvements and
recommended projects and/or programs for implementation. Each study has had a slightly
different focus, as summarized below:
Public Works Branch
Faraday Center 1635 Faraday Ave I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 760-602-2730
Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Aug.8,2019
Page 2
Attachment A
• Carlsbad Bikeway Master Plan (2007): described a connected system of bike lanes, bike
routes and bike paths and identified necessary support facilities and programs to
improve safety for bicyclists
• Pedestrian M aster Plan (2008): provided a guide for future development and
enhancement of pedestrian facilities citywide to encourage walking
• Agenda Bill -Approve t he City of Carlsbad Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Transition Plan for Pub lic Rights-of-Way (2012): outlined a program that removes public
barriers to travel for people with disabilities and assisted the city with ADA and Title 24
compliance
• Livable Streets Assessment (2013): identified best practices and opportunities for the
city to implement livable streets, which was identified as a City Council priority and
strategic focus area
• Carlsbad Active Transportation Strategy (2015): identified locations with optimal
conditions for implementation of active transportation projects
• Trai ls Master Plan (scheduled to be presented to City Council Aug. 27, 2019): identified
opportunities for improvements to the trails system. Many of the identified
improvements offer transportation options for cyclists and walkers
• Agenda Bill -Accept the Carlsbad Coastal Mobility Readiness Plan (2016): envisioned a
coastal transportation system and offered an implementcition matrix of options to
overcome barriers to coastal access and surrounding neighborhoods
SMP Development
As the city has worked on these efforts, public attitudes about mobility options have evolved
along with the array of strategies available to address personal needs and to meet the city's
mobility goals, such as transportation demand management, Uber/Lyft, bike share, shuttles and
first-last mile solutions. These changes reinforce the need to develop an overall approach to
mobility that is well coordinated, providing the right balance of structure and flexibility to adapt
to a changing environment.
The SMP differs from previous efforts in several ways. Specifically, the plan:
• Takes an integrated approach to presenting an existing and future alternative
transportation network
• Adds a comprehensive demand analysis of where people live, work and visit and how
they currently travel throughout the city
• Goes beyond bicycle and pedestrian improvements and considers safe routes to schools
and parks, neighborhood enhancements, transit system improvements and mobility
hubs
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Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Aug.8,2019
Page 3
Attachment A
• Combines all the prior work with current data and technical analysis into a concise
blueprint
• Reflects broad stakeholder engagement with the business and tourism communities, as
well as digital and in-person public outreach efforts
SMP milestones include:
• City Council approved the application for a California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) Sustainable Communities Grant to develop the SMP (August 2016)
• Caltrans approved the application and entered'into a contract with the city (May 2017)
• City Council approved a professional services agreement with Chen Ryan Mobility (May
2018)
• Existing Conditions Assessment (June/July 2018)
• Outreach Framework Plan (June 2018)
• SMP Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #1 (August 2018)
• Design Guidelines Development (November 2018)
• Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #2 (December 2018)
• Online survey data collection and in-person surveys at Farmers Market (December 2018)
• Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #3 (January 2019)
• Agreement with Chen Ryan Mobility extended (February 2019)
• Interim draft report provided to Caltrans (March 2019)
While the SMP was under development, the city continued to make progress on several
initiatives related to mobility that were consistent with the framework of the SMP, including:
• Development of a Trolley Feasibility Study by a consultant authorized by City Council
(March 2017); estimated completion date September 2019
• Carlsbad Parking Management Plan developed in support of the Village and Barrio
Master Plan to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the parking system in the
Village and beach areas (2018)
• Village and Barrio Master Plan adopted by City Council (2018); waiting for final
certification from California Coastal Commission
• Citywide Transportation Demand Management Plan approved by City Council (February
2019)
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Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Aug.8,2019
Page4
Attachment A
• Adoption of Chapter 18.51 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code to establish Transportation
Demand Management Requirements as part of the development process (March 2019)
• First-Last Mile Transportation Service Pilot Program approved by City Council in
partnership with North County Transit District and San Diego Association of
Governments (SANDAG) (June 2019)
These initiatives complement the SMP and further the city's mobility goals.
Next steps
City staff expect to present the draft SMP to City Council in January 2020, following completion
of these next steps:
• August 2019 -Staff will complete its review of the draft Planned Mobility Networks,
Prioritization and Implementation sections of the SMP
• September/October 2019-Staff will complete an external review of the draft SMP,
including review by the Stakeholder Working Group
• November 2019 -Staff will make needed revisions based on the Stakeholder Working
Group's feedback and, barring significant changes, present the draft plan to the Traffic
Safety Commission .
• December 2019-Staff will prepare resource analysis so that any additional resources
needed for implementation are requested in the fiscal year 2020-21 budget
development process
Once a final plan has been adopted by the City Council and any needed resources added to the
budget, staff will proceed with implementation of the strategies identified, resulting in a
significant leap forward for the City of Carlsbad's mobility goals.
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Debbie Fountain, Community & Economic Development Director
Sean Haeri, Transportation Director
Amanda Guy, Deputy City Attorney
Christie Marcella, Economic Development Manager
John Kim, Acting City Traffic Engineer '
4
(city of
Carlsbad
Cal i for n ia
Sustainable Mobility Plan
ATTACHMENT B
Stakeholder Working Group -Meeting #4
December 10, 2019 • 8:30 a.m. -10:00 a.m.
SUMMARY REPORT
INTRODUCTION
On December 10, 2019, the City of Carlsbad convened the fourth meeting of
the Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) as part of the Sustainable Mobility
Plan (SMP) development process. The purpose of the meeting was to :
provide an update on the planning process and latest developments; review
the content of the Draft SMP; and facilitate SWG members' input. This report
summarizes the meeting proceedings and discussions.
Meeting Overview
Meeting #4 of the SWG occurred on December 10, 2019, 8:30am -10:00am
at City of Carlsbad Faraday Center, 1635 Faraday Ave, Carlsbad, 92008. A
total of nine (9) SWG members attended, as listed in Appendix A. Attendees
received a comment form for providing written comments to the project
team (see Appendix B).
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works with the City opened the
meeting with welcoming remarks. After SWG members provided self-
introductions, Andy Pendoley of MIG, part of the project team, served as
meeting facilitator and provided an overview of the meeting objectives,
agenda and format. He then initiated the review of the project background,
process and community engagement efforts before introducing Dr. Sherry
Ryan of Chen Ryan Associates, Project Manager for the project consultant
team. Dr. Ryan presented primary elements of the Draft SMP, for which the
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City of Carlsbad SMP I Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #4
Summary Report, 12/10/19
public review draft is anticipated to occur in late December through early
January. She reviewed the criteria for identifying projects and the emerging
networks for transit, pedestrian, trails and bicycle networks.
SWG members asked questions and provided comments about the networks
and other elements of the Draft SMP. During the discussions, Mr. Pendoley
recorded discussion points on a large, wall-sized "wallgraphic" paper (see
Appendix C).
SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS AND INPUT
Following is a summary of SWG members' questions and input provided
during meeting and via written comment forms. Where questions are listed,
responses provided by the project team are listed in italics.
Transit and Mobility Hubs
• Are there existing or upcoming bikeshare programs in the City, as
noted in the mobility hub diagram? -The City is currently studying
this program concept and learning from adjacent cities that are
utilizing this program.
• How does the SMP promote better transit connections to schools? -
The City and Carlsbad Unified School District are coordinating closely
on transportation demand management strategies, including the
recently launched "Cool Rides" carpool program for schools.
• Improve transit access and service with a focus on meeting families'
and children's mobility needs, and encouraging their adoption of
transit as a primary mode
Pedestrian Network
• Focus on closing gaps in the network and at railroad crossings (e.g. at
Oak Ave.), which can be very difficult or dangerous for people who use
wheelchairs
• How is the Coastal Rail Trail addressed in the SMP? -"SANDAG is also
leading the Trench Alternatives Analysis study, which is expected to be
completed in Spring 2020. This 'proposed project could potentially
impact the Coastal Rail Trail as well."
• Consider adding mid-block crossings across high-speed, wide arterials
• Include walking school buses with "bus drivers" and bike "trains" led
by trained parents as part of the City's transportation demand
management program
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City of Carlsbad SMP I Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #4
Summary Report, 12/10/19
• Increase the focus on safe routes to school to reduce congestion at
school sites, and to better accommodate continued population growth
Bicycle Network
• Create design guidelines for intersections that address safe crossings
and turns
• What is the status of the proposed bicycle tunnel at Interstate 5 and
Grand Avenue? -This will be carried forward as part of corridor
planning with. Ca/trans and SANDAG ·
• Will installation of protected bikeways require widening of the
roadway? -No, the additional space ne_eded for the bikeway will be .
created by narrowing the travel lanes
• People on bicycles should still be allowed to ride in the right-hand
travel lane when a protected bikeway is available
• Provide traffic calming measures that also provide protected spaces for
people riding bicycles and walking.
o . Consider providing additional education and signage to build
public understanding and awareness
• Focus on providing bikeways that connect to major employers
• Consider changing some Class IV bikeways to Class I separated
facilities, particularly to reduce potential conflicts-with driveways and
turns
• Consider providing a Class I facility on the west side of El Camino Real
between Palomar Airport Road and Gateway Road for improved safety
and connectivity to commercial area and Viasat campus
• Study alternatives to providing a new traffic light on Avenida Encinas,
such as a roundabout
Additional Ideas
• Create tailored design guidelines that maximize safety for active
transportation modes, including but not limited to:
o Bikeways
o Intersections
o Turns
• Provide phasing and timing for implementation in the Draft SMP
• Evaluate the performance of and consider potential route changes to
the Carlsbad Connector service
• Review the trolley feasibility study and ensure it is coordinated with
the SMP
• Address how the SMP responds to SANDAG's upcoming RTP revisions
(i.e., "5 Big Moves")
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City of Carlsbad SMP I Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #4
Summary Report, 12/10/19
• Clarify the timing of the public review period of the Draft SMP, and if
this will occur before or concurrently with the Traffic and Mobility
Commission review.
NEXT STEPS
Project team members explained the Draft SMP is targeted for public review
within the next month, followed by review by the Traffic and Mobility
Committee and the City Council.
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City of Carlsbad SMP I Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #4
Summary Report, 12/10/19
Appendix A: Stakeholder Working Group Members -Attendees of
December 10, 2019 Meeting
First Name Last Name Organization
Carolina Alban-Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce
Stoughton
Cindy Krimmel California State Parks
Thomas Lee Cape Rey Carlsbad
Jim Mandler Cruzan
Eduardo Moya Legoland California Resort
Pete Penseyres Bike Walk Carlsbad
Katie Persons North County Transit District
Kalim Smith Barrio Strong
Lisa Urbach California State Parks
John Kim City of Carlsbad
Project Team Members
• Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works, City of Carlsbad
• Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager, City of
Carlsbad
• Craddock Stropes, Senior Management Analyst, Public Works, City of
Carlsbad
• Sherry Ryan, Project Manager, Chen Ryan Associates
• Gabriela Dow, Community Relations and Public Affairs, NVS
• Jenna Brossman, Community Relations and Public Affairs, NVS
• Andy Pendoley, Facilitator, MIG, Inc.
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City of Carlsbad SMP I Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #4
Summary Report, 12/10/19
Appendix B: Comment Form
( City of
Carlsbad
Cal i fo rn ia
Sustainable Mobility Plan
Sta keholder Working Group_:_ Meeting #4
December 10, 2019 • 8:30a.m. -10:00 a.m.
COMMENT FORM
You, input is important to us! Please use this form to prnvide written comments about today's meeting
topics, and return it to the project team. Thank You!
Name: _________ _ Organization _________ _
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City of Carlsbad SMP I Stakeholder Working Group Meeting #4
Summary Report, 12/10/19
Appendix C: Wallgraphic (photo-reduced)
Prepared by MIG, Inc. Page 7 of 7
(