HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-11-04; Traffic and Mobility Commission; ; TRAFFIC AND MOBILITY COMMISSION COMMUNICATIONS PLANItem # 2
Meeting Date:
To:
Nov. 4, 2019
Traffic and Mobility Commission
Staff Contact: Doug Bilse, Senior Engineer
Doug.Bilse@carlsbadca.gov , 760-602-7504
Subject: Traffic and Mobility Commission Communications Plan
Recommended Action Approve the Traffic and Mobility Commission Communications Plan referenced as Exhibit 2.
Background
Carlsbad Municipal Code (CMC) Section 2.15.020 (C) requires that each commission provide to
the City Council for its approval an annual work plan of activities to be undertaken. The purpose
of the work plan is to encourage increased dialogue between the commission and the City
Council. On Oct. 7, 2019, the Traffic and Mobility Commission formally recommended City
Council approval of the attached work plan that includes the activities that the Traffic and
Mobility Commission anticipates undertaking during this fiscal year ending June 30, 2020.
At the City Council meeting held on Aug. 20, 2019, City Council directed staff to incorporate a
Communications Plan into the Traffic and Mobility Commission Work Plan. This document
provides guidance for the routine presentations made by the Traffic and Mobility Commission
Chair coordinated with the semi-annual reports presented by staff. In addition, the Traffic and
Mobility Commission Chair, or another delegated Commissioner is expected to attend City
Council meetings that involves a recommendation from the Traffic and Mobility Commission.
The Chair or delegated Commissioner of the Traffic and Mobility Commission is expected to be
available to provide direct feedback to City Council on the item.
The proposed Traffic and Mobility Commission Work Plan includes an item to develop a
Communications Plan. The attached Communications Plan will be presented to the City Council
along with the Work Plan. The Traffic and Mobility Commission Rules and Regulations
document will be revised after the work plan is approved by City Council.
Necessary Council Action
Pursuant to Carlsbad Municipal Code section 2.15.020, the City Council must approve the work
plan for the Traffic and Mobility Commission before it is implemented. The City Council is not
required to approve the Traffic and Mobility Commission Rules and Regulations document.
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Next Steps
Staff anticipates presenting the Traffic and Mobility Commission Work Plan to the City Council
on Nov. 12, 2019. The Communications Plan is expected to be incorporated in the Rules and
Regulations document approved by the Traffic and Mobility Commission.
Exhibits
1. Draft Work Plan for FY 2019-20
2. Draft Communications Plan.
City of Carlsbad
Traffic and Mobility Commission Work Plan
Fiscal Year 2019-2020
I.Mission Statement
The Traffic and Mobility Commission is committed to enhancing safe mobility for the city and
its residents by using data-driven decision-making and a forward-looking approach to
transportation. We are transparent and do the right thing the right way.
II.Duties
The City Council has established a goal to have the City of Carlsbad become a leader in
multimodal transportation systems and creative approaches to moving people and goods
through and within the City of Carlsbad. Consistent with Carlsbad Municipal Code Chapter
2.28, the City of Carlsbad Traffic and Mobility Commission was established. The duties of the
Transportation and Mobility Commission are defined as follows by the Carlsbad Municipal
Code section 2.28.050:
It shall be the duty of the traffic and mobility commission to study matters concerning
mobility and traffic safety, including implementation of the General Plan Mobility Element,
and to make written recommendations to the city council and planning commission
regarding measures that should be taken to promote mobility and traffic safety within the
city as follows:
A.Review staff studies and reports, and make recommendations to the city council
and planning commission on mobility and traffic safety matters, including but not
limited to those related to pedestrian, bicycle, vehicular, and transit modes of
travel, and parking and school safety;
B.Provide a public forum to review community input regarding mobility and traffic
safety matters, including but not limited to those related to pedestrian, bicycle,
vehicular, and transit modes of travel, and parking and school safety;
C.Review and provide recommendations for revision to the city codes and plans on
mobility and traffic safety matters, including but not limited to pedestrian, bicycle,
vehicular, and transit modes of travel, and parking and school safety.
III.FY 2019-2020 Goals & Objectives
Consistent with Carlsbad Municipal Code Chapter 2.15, the Traffic and Mobility Commission
will provide advisory recommendations within the scope of this work plan.
The Traffic and Mobility Commission will focus on the following FY 2019-20 Goals/Tasks:
1.Goal: Review staff recommendations on the multimodal transportation system, and provide
input based on data, best practices and public input.
a)Objective: Review and provide input on mobility policies, programs, processes and
informational reports including the Growth Management Program (GMP) Annual
Monitoring Report and other reports within the purview of the Commission.
Attachment A
b) Objective: Review and provide input on mobility plans currently in process including the
Sustainable Mobility Plan and Traffic Signal Master Plan.
c) Objective: Review and provide input on Carlsbad Residential Traffic Management Program
projects and proposed traffic control devices such as parking restrictions, speed limits, stop
signs, roundabouts and traffic signal evaluations.
d) Objective: Review and provide input to the new Mobility Systems Evaluation and
Monitoring (MSEM) manual which may include: Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA),
Growth Management Program Annual Traffic Monitoring, vehicle level of service (LOS)
evaluation methods, and multimodal (pedestrian, bicycle, and transit) LOS evaluation
methods.
e) Objective: Provide opportunities for public input on scheduled city projects that have the
potential to improve mobility options.
2. Goal: Focus on mobility around school locations including safety.
a) Objective: Review and provide input on significant mobility and safety projects near
schools.
b) Objective: Receive informational reports from the Carlsbad Police Department regarding
school traffic education and enforcement.
3. Goal: Develop a Commission communications plan
a) Objective: Review and consider recommendations to improve the existing communication
practice between the Commission and City Council.
b) Objective: Discuss and determine the roles of the Chair and Commission members in
providing in-person input to the City Council at Council Meetings.
c) Objective: Revise the Commission’s Rules and Regulations to be consistent with the
communications plan.
d) Objective: Propose upgrades of the city website to enhance public input related to mobility
issues.
DRAFT Exhibit 2
Page 1 of 2
Traffic & Mobility Commission
Proposed Communications Plan
Goals
• Facilitate communication between the commission and the City Council regarding the Traffic
and Mobility Commission work plan, including implementation status and City Council actions
related to work plan items.
• Promote opportunities for the public to engage with the commission and obtain information
about the commission’s activities.
Strategies & tactics
Staff Reports
• When preparing staff reports for items coming before the commission for action, city staff will
include the following:
1. Requests for advisory recommendations from the commission.
2. Opportunities for public input.
3. A clear overview of whether the item will require further consideration by the Planning
Commission and/or City Council and whether the item will be considered on the consent
calendar or as a presentation.
• When preparing staff reports for commission items coming before the Planning Commission or City
Council, city staff will include as an exhibit the approved commission meeting minutes related to the
item. If the Commission minutes have not yet been approved, staff reports shall contain a summary
of the commission’s recommendations and actions made on that item.
City Traffic Engineer Comment
• During City Traffic Engineer comment at each commission meeting, city staff will summarize any City
Council actions taken on items related to the commission work plan since the last commission
meeting.
Annual Work Plan
• City staff will collaborate with the commission to prepare an annual work plan to the City Council
and a subsequent report of its accomplishments per Carlsbad Municipal Code section 2.15.020(C).
Participation at City Council meetings
• Per Carlsbad Municipal Code section 2.15.020(D), the commission (chair or another commissioner
designated by the commission) will provide periodic written reports to the City Council, which
should include:
1. Recent activities of the commission.
2. Attendance at the commission’s meetings.
3. Any ad hoc subcommittees which the commission has formed.
DRAFT Exhibit 2
Page 2 of 2
4. Any proposed amendments to the commission’s work plan; and
5. Any matters which the commission wishes to bring to the attention of the City Council or to
have placed on a future City Council agenda.
• In addition to providing the above-described written reports to City Council, the commission (chair
or another commissioner designated by the commission) will also:
1. Participate in the semi-annual update to City Council by city staff on traffic and mobility
initiatives.
2. Participate in the presentation to City Council on the commission’s annual work plan.
3. Affirm the commission’s recommendations and provide input on traffic and mobility items
being presented to City Council.
• The commission will also undertake other tasks from time to time as requested or approved by the
City Council per Carlsbad Municipal Code section 2.15.020(F). Commissioners will coordinate
participation at City Council meetings with the staff liaison to ensure proper protocols are followed.
Public Records
• The commission agenda packet, staff reports, and available meeting minutes will be made available
to the public and commissioners at least 72 hours in advance of a scheduled commission meeting in
accordance with applicable law, including posting on the city’s website. When feasible, city staff will
attempt to publicly circulate the full agenda package at least five days prior to the commission
meeting. Commission meeting minutes will focus on noticed agenda items and accurately record
recommendations, actions and public comments so the commission’s activities are transparent to
the public.
• Commission records will be retained in accordance with the records retention schedule adopted by
the City Council and applicable law.
1
Traffic and Mobility Commission, Commissioner Correspondence
From: Commissioner Steve Linke
Subject: Proposed Communications and Work Plans
Meeting Date: November 4, 2019
Attached is a draft of a proposed letter to the City Council from our commission that includes the
following:
•A bullet point summary of proposed revisions to Staff’s Communications Plan
•Rationale supporting the proposed revisions, including examples of items of business that have
gone directly to the City Council without review by our commission (bypass)
•A marked version of Staff’s proposed Communications Plan with the proposed revisions
Proposed action
At our 11/4/2019 meeting, I intend to make the following motion after discussion and any revisions by
the commission (and depending on whether Staff agrees to include any of the revisions and/or other
revisions proposed by commissioners): I move that we seek guidance on the proposed communications
plan and work plan scope by referring the letter for City Council review at their 11/12/2019 meeting.
Attachment A
Attachment (letter to City Council)
1
November 4, 2019
Carlsbad Mayor and City Council
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Re: Proposed Traffic and Mobility Commission work plan and communications plan
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers:
Summary
The commission is pleased with the proposed work plan developed jointly with Staff, and we thank them
for working with us on it. However, a number of mobility-related matters continue to go directly to the
City Council without commission review and/or advice. We would like to minimize that going forward,
and to increase public input, transparency, accountability, meeting effectiveness, and the transfer of
useful advice to the decision-making bodies. To accomplish these goals, we are requesting revisions to
Staff’s proposed communications plan, as summarized below. Rationale and a marked copy of the plan
with sample revisions follows. The commission welcomes specific guidance from the City Council:
• Traffic and mobility-related Items that will undergo future consideration by the City Council will
be reviewed by the commission as “action” items with advisory recommendations—rather than
as “information-only” items (no advice forwarded) or not at all (bypass).
• Best efforts will be made to distribute meeting agenda packets at least five days before our
meetings (the 72-hour Friday delivery for Monday meetings is insufficient).
• The commission will have the ability to place items that fall under our duties on our own
agendas for discussion, and to submit pre-meeting questions to Staff to make the meetings run
more efficiently, consistent with City Council practice.
• To maximize transparency, meetings will be video recorded, and, at least until that begins,
minutes will include summaries of comments, in addition to final vote tallies.
• Additional materials submitted after agenda packet distribution will be posted on the city
website and become part of the permanent public record, consistent with City Council practice.
• A status report will be maintained that tracks City Council follow-up on our actions, other
pending commission actions, and items planned for commission bypass.
The following matters are recent examples of bypass (details below). Various reasons have been cited,
including timing, sensitivity/importance, Staff vs. City Council origination, etc. Our meetings are an
additional opportunity for public input and advice to the City Council, though, and we welcome guidance
on our role in reviewing such matters going forward, regardless of their perceived importance or origin.
• Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance/program
• Mobility/circulation section of the 2018 GMP Monitoring Report
• Shared Mobility ordinance (bikeshare program/micromobility device regulation)
• Carlsbad Boulevard traffic safety measures
Attachment A
Attachment (letter to City Council)
2
• College Boulevard traffic safety measures
• Tamarack Avenue traffic safety measures
• Terramar coastal mobility project
• Tamarack Avenue coastal mobility project
• Caltrans I-5 undercrossing improvements
• Village/Barrio traffic circles
• Commission’s Municipal Code update (canceled after Commission letter drafted)
• Orion Center traffic/parking impacts (pending matter)
Rationale for proposed revisions to communications plan
Minimizing bypass/information-only items (examples)
The Shared Mobility ordinance (i.e., bikeshare program and micromobility device/e-scooter regulation)
was presented to the commission at our 4/1/2019 meeting and resulted in a 40+ minute discussion.
However, it was presented as an “information-only” item with no vote, allegedly because, due to timing,
the text had not been finalized. The item was then placed on the 5/7/2019 and 5/14/2019 City Council
agendas, but the corresponding Staff Reports did not contain any of the input from the commission,
much of which was independently raised by councilmembers.
The Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance was on the commission’s 12/3/2018
agenda, but it was canceled and then brought directly to the City Council three months later
(2/26/2019). The item was subsequently presented as an “information-only” item at our 4/1/2019
meeting, and the reason given for the bypass was that the timing did not work out based on a legal
issue, and that Staff “did not want to open it up to additional hearings that would not contribute to
decision-making.”
In early 2019, the commission had been requesting for several months to work with Staff to develop our
Municipal Code (duties) update, but the plan to do that kept getting delayed and changed. Then, a code
update written without commission review was abruptly placed on an April City Council agenda,
allegedly because it had suddenly become a priority that needed to meet a City Council deadline. Our
commission voted at our 4/1/2019 meeting to write a letter to the City Council opposing that action,
and it was canceled as a result.
Four other recent items (Village/Barrio Traffic Circles, and Carlsbad Boulevard, College Boulevard, and
Tamarack Avenue safety concerns) went directly to the City Council without commission review,
ostensibly because the commission had to focus on developing its work plan over a three-month period,
and because the original requests came from the City Council (8/6/2019 John Kim email).
Other instances of bypass have been justified based on the level of “sensitivity” or “importance” being
too high for our commission. Examples include the mobility/circulation section of the 2018 GMP
Monitoring Report, the Terramar coastal project, and the Tamarack Avenue coastal project. Another
example was in reference to the City’s upcoming Orion Center. It was suggested that, because of the
Attachment A
Attachment (letter to City Council)
3
$40 million overall scope of that project, the potential traffic/parking impacts should not be reviewed by
our commission.
Also, at our 10/7/2019 meeting, Staff disclosed that the Caltrans I-5 undercrossing improvements
matter would be going to the City Council without commission review, but it was implied that Caltrans
had already decided on the improvements, and that the City had no discretion on the matter. However,
the City Council Staff Report included a choice between Chestnut Avenue and Carlsbad Village Drive
(with associated pros and cons) to be made by the Council with a staff recommendation of the Chestnut
Avenue option.
Agenda and packet distribution time and pre-meeting questions
Under current practice for City Council meetings, agendas and packets are typically distributed five days
before meetings (prior Thursday for Tuesday meetings). That was formerly the case with our
commission meetings, as well, but distribution has recently slipped to the Thursday or Friday before our
Monday meetings. In addition, the City Council is afforded time by Staff to answer questions in writing
or at in-person briefings prior to their meetings, but that opportunity has generally not been available to
our commission.
While Friday distribution for our Monday meetings complies with the minimum State notice
requirement, Carlsbad should uphold a higher standard. With only the weekend to examine the packet
and little or no opportunity to get any questions answered prior to our meetings (or having Staff
prepared to answer questions at the meetings), the effectiveness, efficiency, and useful of the meetings
are compromised. And it is equally important that members of the public be provided access to the
agenda material with time to submit correspondence/plan public comment on matters that affect
them—and for the commission to be able to review any submitted material.
Commission ability to agendize items
On a few occasions, the commission has attempted to place items on its own agenda through votes
during the commissioner comment period at the end of meetings. However, these requests are
generally not honored. This is not expected to be a frequent occurrence, but it is particularly important
when the commission wishes to introduce a new matter that arises during public comment, advance a
stalled matter, or have a discussion to consider forwarding a concern to the City Council.
Minutes and recordings of meetings
Our commission has been informed that our meeting minutes are our primary way to relay our advice,
recommendations, and concerns to the City Council, but only summary minutes (vote totals on
recommendations) are being proposed for our meetings—and only on action items. While meeting
audio is currently recorded on an iPad to help prepare the minutes, the audio is not of high quality, it is
not made publicly available, and it has been suggested that it may be erased.
Under current practice for the City Council and Planning Commission, meeting video is recorded and
placed in the permanent public record, and the Planning Commission has had comprehensive minutes. It
Attachment A
Attachment (letter to City Council)
4
has been argued that there is an associated cost with video recording and minutes that include
comments. However, at a recent City Council meeting (10/22/2019), an approximately $16 million
annual budget surplus was reported, and a councilmember indicated that a price could not be placed on
government transparency. It also has been argued that the Planning Commission is different than our
commission, in that they have a direct decision-making role. However, many of their items of business
are only advisory to the City Council, similar to our commission.
Further, previous Staff analysis of the City’s eleven boards and commissions for 2016-17 (Staff Report
for Item #1 of the 2/1/2018 City Council meeting) showed that the planning and traffic commission
meetings had the vast majority of public speakers (369 and 71 speakers, respectively) compared to the
nine other bodies (ranging from 0 to 9 speakers)--and that was before our traffic commission’s duties
were significantly expanded to include mobility. The magnitude of public input and broad citywide
impact of our meeting topics justifies recordings and/or minutes with comments at a small incremental
cost that is critical to transparency.
Best regards,
Carlsbad Traffic and Mobility Commission
Attachment A