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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-12-05; Traffic and Mobility Commission; Minutes Page 1 of 13 Council Chambers 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008 Dec. 5, 2022, 4:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER: 4:04 p.m. ROLL CALL: Linke, Penseyres, Coelho and Newlands Absent: Perez and Proulx PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Vice Chair Linke led the Pledge of Allegiance APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes of the Special Meeting held Oct. 27, 2022. Motion by Acting Chair Linke, seconded by Commissioner Coelho to approve the minutes of Oct. 27, 2022, special meeting as presented. Motion failed 0/4/1/2 (Abstained: Fowler; Absent: Perez and Proulx) Vice Chair Linke pointed out that on page 2 where it states:”Commissioner Newlands inquired about the part of the presentation where staff says that going down an one-way street does not have any impact on traffic” should be “reducing the street down to one lane as opposed to going down on one-way street.” Motion by Acting Chair Linke, seconded by Commissioner Coelho to approve the minutes of Oct. 27, 2022, special meeting as amended. Motion carried, 4/0/2/1 (Abstained: Fowler; Absent: Perez and Proulx) Minutes of the Regular Meeting held Nov. 7, 2022. Motion by Acting Chair Linke, seconded by Commissioner Coelho to approve the minutes of Nov. 7, 2022, regular meeting as presented. Motion carried, 5/0/2 (Absent: Perez and Proulx). PUBLIC COMMENT: Christina McGoldrick spoke about the state of emergency for bicycle safety that is making the streets safer for everyone. However, she said that the $2M that was authorized to fund these critical projects on public roads and public outreach is not enough. She requested that the Traffic and Mobility Commission recommend to the City Council that they authorize additional funds for the bicycle state of emergency. The public policy should provide all minors with safe and direct routes to school. CONSENT CALENDAR: This item was pulled by staff and will return to the Commission at a later date. 1. 2023 SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECT NO. 6002-23 – Support staff’s recommendation to implement the 2023 Sidewalk Construction Project, CIP Project No. 6002-23, as part of the Sidewalk Construction Program. (Staff Contact: Kevin Moghadasi and Hossein Ajideh, Public Works Department) Page 2 of 13 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS: 2. POLICE REPORT REGARDING TRAFFIC & MOBILITY-RELATED MATTERS DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2022 – Receive a presentation from a representative of the City of Carlsbad’s Police Department that provide an overview of traffic and mobility-related police matters during the month of October 2022. (Staff Contact: Sergeant Scott Meritt, Police Department). Staff’s Recommendation: Receive a presentation Sergeant Meritt presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk) PUBLIC COMMENT: Tim Morgan spoke about violations that he and his neighbors have documented daily at the corner of Valley Street and Tamarack Avenue. They have documented violations 21453 and 21453A which is vehicles running red lights and illegally turning on red. These violations are in direct result from the HAWK system that was put up in October of this year. The neighbors are asking city staff to listen to the residents, to the commission and deactivate the HAWK system. Commissioner Fowler inquired about the data which breaks down e-bike and bicycle involved incidents with hit and run and injury versus non-injury. Could they find a way to add this data to the report? Sergeant Meritt responded that they can add this to the report. Commissioner Penseyres asked for the report to separate the crashes for bicycles and e-bikes that don’t involve a vehicle from the crashes that do involve a vehicle. Sergeant Meritt responded that they can make the requested changes to the report. Vice-Chair Linke asked about how many of the e-bike and bicycle crashes listed were automobile involved versus solo crashes? Sergeant Meritt responded that the majority of the e-bike and bicycle crashes were automobile related. Vice-Chair Linke inquired about the e-bike crashes at the Cannon Road and College Boulevard intersection. Would these incidents get reported to Police if the e-bike rider gets up and says they are not injured and doesn’t make a report? Sergeant Meritt answered that both e-bike collisions were documented. In both of these incidents it was found that the e-biker were at fault. If there is an e-bike involved the Police will make a collision report due to the interest in this data and the importance of documenting, it. Vice-Chair Linke asked if there are incidents where these types of accidents might not get reported? Sergeant Merrit replied that it is possible that some incidents might not get reported. Page 3 of 13 3. KELLY DRIVE AND PARK DRIVE COMPLETE STREET IMPROVEMENTS, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECT NO. 6075 – 1) Receive the presentation regarding the Public Input Report, dated June 2022, on the Kelly Drive and Park Drive Complete Street Improvements, Capital Improvement Program No. 6075; and 2) Receive input from the community; and 3) Support staff’s recommendation to implement buffered bike lanes along Kelly Drive from Hillside Drive to Park Drive and on Park Drive from Kelly Drive to Neblina Drive, and an urban compact roundabout at the intersection of Kelly Drive and Hillside Drive. (Staff Contact: Brandon Miles, Public Works Department and Nikki Matosian, Communications & Engagement Department) Staff’s Recommendation: Receive the presentation and support staff’s recommendation. Associate Engineer Miles and Community Relations Manager Matosian presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk). PUBLIC COMMENT: Chris Wright lives near the intersection of Park Drive and Kelly Drive. Her understanding is that there will be a roundabout at that intersection, but we have not seen that in the presentation. Her suggested solution is to place stop signs at each corner with crosswalks. The children in the neighborhood can then safely cross to get to the nearby elementary school and park. The community could then have two lanes to exit in case of an emergency. Carl Pope spoke about the slide that shows a bicycle leaving a sidewalk. It is his impression that bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks, including at a roundabout. Inside of the roundabouts could we consider putting one sharrow on each side to indicate clearly that is where bicycles should go? Are there any improvements happening from Kelly Drive going east towards El Camino Real? Vice-Chair Linke commented that one of his concerns is that we will be pushing bicyclists onto sidewalks and encouraging behavior that is not legal. Or the bicyclists will have to take the lane and go through the roundabout. This could be dangerous if they are elementary school children. Associate Engineer Miles responded that the roadway segment between Kelly Drive and El Camino Real would receive buffered bike lanes on both sides, speed cushions to reduce speeding and there would be a raised median on the north side and on the south side. For mobility, on the east side the sidewalk would be widened and there would be landscaping and more concrete for a wider path. They will also relocate some of the streetlights that are currently in the middle of the sidewalk. Associate Engineer Miles answered the question regarding what improvements are planned for Kelly Drive and Park Drive. He has talked to Mrs. Wright many times about her concerns, and they have discussed options such as an all way stop, bulb-outs or a roundabout. For a long time there has been a roundabout proposed for this location for emergency access as well as crossing for pedestrians. We felt this was the safest solution instead of having everyone stop. Transportation Director Frank wanted to highlight that this is a frequent question. There are two options when you get to a roundabout that has access ramps for the bike lane. Most bicyclists will take the lane Page 4 of 13 and travel through the roundabout at the speed of cars which is 15 to 20 mph. The others that do not feel comfortable like the young or elderly can take the 45-degree access ramp. We widen the shared pathway to about 10 feet wide. Vice-Chair Linke said that he is concerned that none of the renderings are accurately portraying what will happen at these roundabouts. None of them show the bicyclists going through the roundabout with the vehicle traffic. We should show the heavy traffic during peak school drop off and pick up hours, so the residents know what to expect. He reiterates that he supports roundabouts, but he wants to make sure the public outreach gives the correct impression about what the bicyclists should be doing. Transportation Director Frank said that for future depictions we will take your advice and see if we can have some accurate representations of what the area would look like during school peak. Vice-Chair Linke asked if the owners of the homes in the area are ok with widening the shared pathway to ten feet. Transportation Director Frank said that the homeowners in this area are in support of staff’s recommendation to widen the shared pathway. Commissioner Coelho asked if staff is recommending option A where there would be buffered bike lanes and separated multi-use pathways. Transportation Director Frank said yes, that is staff’s recommendation. Commissioner Coelho inquired about the area in the presentation where bicyclists are going in both directions. Transportation Director Frank said that this is called a Class I bike lane. Commissioner Coelho asked if there will be an enhanced signage package that will be included on here so that it is clear to residents that they can go in the street through the roundabout or through the pathway? Transportation Director Frank responded that they use the California Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices to uniformly sign our roundabouts. There will not be additional signage as it is inherent for people using the infrastructure. As part of a delineation, we do have the typical transition coming to an intersection with the dashed broken edge line for the bike lanes. We would put sharrows in advance of the roundabout, so the bicyclist knows they have the ability to take the lane. Commissioner Coelho inquired if we could put a stencil or sign there to help people initially. Transportation Director Frank said that they will review the signage. We will put up additional signage to help he behaviors on the class 1. Where the Class I is wide enough you will see a white line. We will put signage up saying that pedestrians use the space and for bicyclists to stay to the left. At the intersections we will use bike legends and sharrows to help promote good bicycle behavior. Commissioner Coelho asked how far past Laguna Riviera park does this project extend on Kelly Drive? Page 5 of 13 Associate Engineer Miles answered that the project extends the entire length of Kelly Drive to Park Drive and on to Neblina Drive. Commissioner Coelho asked if the final design will come back to the Traffic and Mobility Commission before it goes to City Council for approval. Transportation Director Frank replied yes, when we get to the final design stage, we will bring the project back to the Commission. Commissioner Coelho asked if there are currently two temporary roundabouts already in this area? Transportation Director Frank clarified that there are object markers that were put in to slow traffic. We look forward to replacing those with something that performs better. Commissioner Coelho asked if there will be roundabouts in both of those locations at Park Drive and Kelly Drive Transportation Director Frank replied that staff proposed a roundabout in both of those locations. Commissioner Coelho commented that he believes the roundabouts are much safer than the stop signs. People blow through stop signs all the time and it is not effective for safety. Transportation Director Frank referred to a public comment about the emergency exit out of their neighborhood in case of fire. We closely coordinate with both emergency response teams and we review our plans through all of the phases with the Fire Marshal and they support our project. As we go into final design, they will continue to be a part of the design effort. Commissioner Fowler followed up on the comment about the emergency exit. He asked about the brush on the other side of Park Drive. Does the Fire Department assess the probability of a fire in this area that would warrant evacuation? Transportation Director Frank responded that he can’t speak for the Fire Department. I can get back to the Commission with a more detailed response on how they assess the risk in this area. Commissioner Fowler commented on the shared pathway and asked how do they cross over Hillside Drive if they don’t take the offramp? How do you resolve the conflict between an e-bike and the pedestrians who are sharing this ramp? Is this the only way to get across Hillside Drive. Transportation Director Frank answered that at this intersection with what exists today with object markers in the road he has witnessed bicyclists both taking the lane and going through the intersection and also bicyclists come up onto the sidewalk via driveway access. They take the sidewalk and go through the access ramp and go across Hillside Drive in the crosswalk. According to code they are supposed to dismount their bicycle and walk across. However, if there are drivers blocking the roundabout then the bicyclist may choose to dismount their bicycle and walk it across the crosswalk and then walk into the school. When it is congested you will see all different types of behavior. Page 6 of 13 Commissioner Penseyres asked about the sharrows, and the provision in the MUTCD for installing sharrows within the roundabout as well as leading in and out. Is this the intention here? Transportation Director Frank said yes, that is staff’s intention. Commissioner Penseyres asked if they would extend the speed hump into the buffered area? Transportation Director Frank said they could extend it or they could do another object to prevent the driver bad behavior. Commissioner Penseyres suggested that at the handicap ramps to use a stencil that says bicyclist’s dismount. Could staff consider this? Transportation Director Frank responded that it is something that we can consider. We like to stay close to the MUTCD for uniformity. We always look at what is available in the industry that is working. Vice-Chair Linke asked about Option A and this concept where you mix bicyclists and pedestrians on the right is concerning. The bicycle is going in one direction and the pedestrians in the other. Do we need to have two separate sets of lanes for bicyclist, one for slower ones and one for faster? Option B is more expensive, but it protects the pedestrians by keeping them separate from the bicyclists. Transportation Director Frank said that in our design you will see a wider, more separate space than you would see in other areas. It is similar to what was done up in the City of San Clemente along their coast highway. They have a separated landscape area and a wide Class I facility that has separated delineated pedestrian pathways along with the shared pathway. They have Class II that enables the high-speed bicyclist to use the space and not feel pressured by the cars behind. If you have the sharrow in Option B, then the bicyclists that can’t go over 25 mph you will have frustrated cars behind them. That is the issue with Option B. The benefit of Option A is it provides space for all the different modes of travel in an efficient manner. It also minimizes the frustration from other modes of travel like vehicles. Vice-Chair Linke inquired about the logistics of the Kelly Drive and Hillside Drive area regarding drop off and pick up. Is the right turn only lane sufficient to handle the traffic or will the traffic back up into the roundabout? Transportation Director Frank replied that what he has observed is that during the peak period which lasts five to seven minutes that the traffic does back up through the intersection from two to five houses. The school staff and PTA are good about training the parents and students to have good behavior. You are supposed to handle a roundabout as you would any other intersection. If you don’t have a clear way through you are not supposed to enter so you don’t block it. The crossing guard does help and the Police Department also helps encourage good driving behavior. Transportation Director Frank said that he does not think the roundabout will create any additional impediment or delay for this intersection. If anything, it will help make the flow more orderly. With the roundabout option we are proposing to eliminate the left turn to make those vehicles go through the roundabout to turn around or get into the school. Page 7 of 13 Commissioner Penseyres brought up the left turn pocket and wonders why it is necessary in view of the fact that parking is still going to be allowed on the east side of the street. Transportation Director Frank said that we do have options, but it is favorable not to have the left turn in. We recommend the roundabout at Hillside Drive and Kelly Drive. Motion by Commissioner Penseyres, seconded by Commissioner Coelho to support the staff’s recommendations to implement buffered bike lanes along Kelly Drive from Hillside Drive to Park Drive and on Park Drive from Kelly Drive to Neblina Drive, and an urban compact roundabout at the intersection of Kelly Drive and Hillside Drive. Motion carried, 5/0/2 (Absent: Perez and Proulx). 4. 2022 EAST-WEST CORRIDORS EMERGENCY RESURFACING AND RESTRIPING, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECT NO. 6001-22E – 1) Review and provide input on the draft striping plans; and, 2) Review and provide input on the vehicle Level of Service methodology for evaluating realignment projects. (Staff Contact: Eric Zielke and Hossein Ajideh, Public Works Department) Staff’s Recommendation: Provide input. Senior Engineer Zielke and Transportation Director Frank presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk). Commissioner Newlands inquired about the green paint in the conflict zones. On College Boulevard right before you get to Palomar Airport Rd. there is the green area between the bike lane that comes up really fast and can be quite jarring. He asked if there are any studies to show how those are working? Senior Engineer Zielke responded that the contractor hasn’t put the bike lane symbol on there yet as the contractor is still working on the striping in that area. Commissioner Penseyres said that when you widen a roadway and approach an intersection and the bike lane is currently on the far right and stays there. The cyclists continue to go straight. This makes it very clear to the motorist that they are the ones that have to yield and go into the right. Vice-Chair Linke said that he wants the bicyclists to have as much room as possible and feel safe, however, he did drive the new ten-foot lanes on Cannon Road when there was moderate to heavy traffic. If you are in the far-left lane closest to the median and a big truck comes up with the narrow lanes it is nerve wracking. He suggested that we consider a compromise. If it is a single lane street, then ten feet wide is fine. If there are multiple lanes and there is a median and cars can get pinched off then leave the inside lanes at eleven feet. Then make the lanes ten feet adjacent to the bike lane where there is some room to maneuver. Another situation is where we have a center turn lane where there is no buffer between the lanes. After the La Costa project was done they reduced the center turn lane to ten feet. When you have a car coming toward you fast and all you have to separate you is the line and you have a ten-foot-wide turn lane the room for error is minimal. Please consider the motorists as well as the bicycles for safety. One argument is narrowing the lane will reduce speed, but the contrarian view is that cars don’t slow down and the lanes are narrow and it is more difficult. Page 8 of 13 Vice-Chair Linke commented that he does not understand the methodology that was used in regards to the reconfiguration of the arterials. The presentation said that the city was using a methodology that looked at intersections. Transportation Director Frank said that the city is using the methodology for roadway segment level of service and we are referencing the guidelines for the Transportation Impact Studies in the San Diego region. We are recommending this as we feel it is more appropriate for evaluating level of service for arterial reconfigurations. Vice-Chair Linke referenced table 7-2 saying that is a crude way to look at level of service. It does not take into consideration any of the characteristics of the streets of Carlsbad such as signal spacing, intersection configurations, etc. He is surprised that we are going back to this non-specific approach to level of service. He wants to understand why we can’t use the methods that were validated for the city? Transportation Director Frank responded that they will actually present both when they come back before the Commission and the City Council. The current methodology that we are using with our grown management plan that was referenced in our Mobility Element is very conservative. We feel that evaluating arterial reconfigurations or road yoga where we are considering a reduction of vehicle lanes that this is more appropriate. Vice-Chair Linke inquired if staff will be using the criteria listed in table 7-2 when making their recommendations. Transportation Director Frank answered that this criterion is the most appropriate to evaluate the arterial reconfigurations. He would like to highlight that the main issue with vehicular congestion is at the intersections. This is solely focused on the road segments and has nothing to do with intersection control. Vice-Chair Linke stated that we are supposed to be a data driven body, but this particular approach is only for general planning purposes and not a project. These guidelines say to do a traffic study and take traffic counts that are less than two years old, and to do an intersection analysis. We should be collecting the data and giving a level of service based on that data. Transportation Director Frank clarified that they will be bringing back this information when they bring the report back to the Commission in January. He would like to highlight the volumes, the ADT’s to the left on table 7-2 which range from 7,000 to 10,000. To emphasize, the congestion points are at intersections. This table would raise a flag to see if we need further analysis. We feel confident that when we look at these levels of vehicular volume based on these ADT’s that we won’t have significant issues. Vice-Chair Linke agreed that if the ADT is less than 10,000 then it is a good candidate for lane elimination. He does not want that table used for projects that are more borderline since it is so simplistic. Commissioner Penseyres inquired about lane reduction on Tamarack Avenue from Carlsbad Village Drive to Skyline Road. Before you get to Skyline Road when going west there is a street off the left side about a block from Skyline Drive. In order to make a left turn from that road it is impossible with no visibility in either direction. If you go down to one lane each way then this problem would go away. If we want to expect people to use other modes of transportation, we need to make these improvements. Page 9 of 13 Transportation, Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt summarized that overall the Commission is in support of the concept plans. The main concerns were in regard to the methodology used for the analysis of the roadway configuration. Commissioner Linke’s comments were that the roadway reconfiguration is appropriate on roadways with 10,000 ADT or less but beyond that the city should utilize the current standard for roadway analysis which are the GMP standards. There were some concerns voiced about the ten-foot driving lanes on Cannon Road and La Costa Avenue. 5. TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECT ON TAMARACK AVENUE FROM ADAMS STREET TO SKYLINE ROAD – Support staff’s recommendation on the proposed traffic calming concept plan on Tamarack Avenue from Adams Street to Skyline Road. (Staff Contact: Lindy Pham and Miriam Jim, Public Works Department) Staff’s Recommendation: Support staff’s recommendation Associate Engineer Pham and Senior Engineer Jim presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk). PUBLIC COMMENT: Jason Oziel thanked staff for adding the crosswalk at James Drive. He asked if staff could consider putting lighted signs in the pavement at the crosswalk at Valley Street and Carlsbad Boulevard because the number of children crossing. The HAWK signal is still causing many violations and residents are emailing Mr. Frank daily to report these issues. He asked for the removal of the HAWK signal because it is dangerous. Tim Morgan asked how the data collection is being recorded on the HAWK system. He wanted to clarify that no one in the meeting wanted the HAWK system. The meeting was about the speed bumps and how to calm speeding on Tamarack Avenue. When the HAWK system was brought up the 100 % consensus from the community was that they did not want it. Thorny Wisnecks reiterated that the community meeting was excellent. He said that the speed bumps look great and he appreciates the raised crosswalks. He asked if there are any projects planned for the intersection of Park Drive and Tamarack Avenue. Transportation Director Frank spoke about the HAWK signal explaining that there is a three-phased approach. We just presented on the first phase which addresses the speed concerns in this segment. The second phase is to evaluate the performance of the intersection improvements at Valley Street and Tamarack Avenue and the specific issue of the HAWK signal. Our commitment is to study the performance of the improvements after six months from when they were put into service. Staff has been in communication with the residents and appreciates all of the feedback. In regard to data collection, we are collecting both quantitative data and also going out and speaking to residents, crossing guards and other users of the area. The study will be completed by April and staff will bring the results of the study to the Commission. Transportation Director Frank spoke about the third phase of improvements addressing Tamarack Avenue is the transformative corridor which is in the budget for next year. This effort will begin next fiscal year which starts July 1, 2023. All of the intersections will be candidates for changes under that transformative project scope. Page 10 of 13 Senior Engineer Jim responded that as part of the short-term traffic calming project the three all-way stop intersections will stay as they are. We will look at these intersections further for the longer-term project. With this short-term project, with the speed cushions and raised crosswalk staff is confident that these will be effective in slowing speed down. We will monitor how traffic will behave after these improvements. Vice-Chair Linke asked what quantitative data is being collected? Transportation Director Frank replied that they will collect volume, speeds, incidents being observed and behaviors. There will be surveys done of all of the modes on that intersection. This will all be part of the data collection and then we will look at our alternative analysis and what our recommendations will be after the study. Vice-Chair Linke confirmed that he spoke with the crossing guard and she expressed concerns that came up since the installation of the HAWK signal. She said that stand behind the pole does not give visibility to the drivers and she almost got hit. She added that after the curb extension was added the kids are riding on the sidewalk because they are afraid of the traffic. Crossing guards are an excellent resource. Motion by Commissioner Coelho, seconded by Commissioner Penseyres to support the staff’s recommendations on the proposed traffic calming concept plan on Tamarack Avenue from Adams Street to Skyline Road. Motion carried, 5/0/2 (Absent: Perez and Proulx). 6. UPDATE OF THE TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK AND OVERVIEW OF EMPLOYER SURVEY RESULTS – Receive a presentation on the updates to the Transportation Demand Management Handbook and an overview of the employer survey results. (Staff Contact: Nathan Schmidt and Tom Frank, Public Works Department) Staff’s Recommendation: Provide input. Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt and Transportation Director Frank presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk). Commissioner Penseyres said that the changes that have been made since the first draft are all positive. It is a living, changing document. He likes to think people will get on their bikes again. Vice-Chair Linke said that he will provide comments in writing to staff. He commented for years that we need to expand the TDM program to include residential projects. In particular, we have a provision in our Mobility Element that says if a development is going to add traffic to a street that is congested to the point that it has been exempted from the GMP then they need to do TDM. Under that we have Vehicles Mile Traveled analysis which lead to TDM and is a complex area. Vice-Chair Linke pointed out two statements: First one is in the introduction that says if a project triggers both the TDM ordinance and the General Plan Mobility Element that a TDM plan will be prepared in accordance with the TDM ordinance. The second one in the handbook regarding mixed use developments stating that if you have a mixed use development that has both a commercial component and a residential component you would develop two plans. He inquired which of these two statements is true. Page 11 of 13 Engineering Manager Geldert responded that if both are triggered then that means that it is a non- residential development project that meets the ordinance. As far as mixed use, it depends on whether the commercial, or non-residential portion of the mixed use triggers the TDM. That is when you will have one or two plans associated with that project. We look at these separately. If the commercial space consists of 1000 square feet with only two employees, then a non-residential TDM plan would not work. If the TDM was triggered by the overall project which is probably residential then a residential TDM plan would be prepared. Vice-Chair Linke asked what happens when the project triggers both the commercial and residential, would two plans then be prepared? Engineering Manager Geldert replied that residential and commercial function quite differently with how we approach TDM so two plans would be prepared. There is the nuance in there if the commercial triggers the ordinance also or does it just trigger the Mobility Element Policy. Why we would just go to the ordinance is because the ordinance does require surveying and monitoring. On the ordinance TDM plans we do get surveying and monitoring out of it and goal achievement. Vice-Chair Linke asked if there is any reason that we can’t monitor and survey the compliance with the Mobility Element TDM? Engineering Manager Geldert replied that the Mobility Element is very vague and did not require any surveying or monitoring. Surveying and monitoring residential projects is very difficult where an employer does have the ability to survey employees. What we do monitor on residential is whether or not those measures are still in place. Vice-Chair Linke said there are some TDM measures that could be monitored by Homeowner’s Associations such as unbundled parking. We should not just monitor the existence of a policy but whether that policy has been followed. Engineering Manager Geldert replied that he is unsure if unbundled parking is an option in the TDM handbook. That is a VMT measure which is a different mitigation. Unbundled parking can conflict with parking requirements for the city and zoning so therefore it has not been included as an option for TDM. Vice-Chair Linke reiterated that any measure that can be monitored by either a survey or being looked at directly could be used for TDM. Engineering Manager Geldert said that they can look at these options. He does want to caution that for TDM effectiveness, the bigger bang for the money and resources are the employers and commuters. The residential is not as effective typically. It is a matter of allocation of resources and how we want to approach that. Vice-Chair Linke asked about those developments that introduce relatively low levels of employees but could generate a large number of customer trips. For example, a drive through restaurant that generates a lot of trips. Is there a way to account for the customer trips that are generated? Page 12 of 13 Engineering Manager Geldert said that the ordinance focused on the employee commute trip. He would say that if a business attracts customers, then hopefully wherever the customers work that their employer has a TDM plan that focuses on reducing mode share. Customer trips are not looked at as far as TDM. Vice-Chair Linke said a core concern is the point system and the types of measures available to achieve the points. There are three tier’s. Tier one requires the four base points which are identify a contact person, have some meetings, provide new employees with options for transportation. To get a tier two plan you can easily just set up a website, have a few meetings a year and set up a bike rack. If we want this to be meaningful, we need to have more options available. Engineering Manager Geldert said the point system reflects the size and impact of the development. The tier system is just for the initial TDM plan to get them off the ground. The plan is still monitored and surveyed and if they are not meeting goals, they will be required to change the plan and meet the goals. Staff won’t know in the beginning what will take hold and what will not. We will know more from the data collection what will work for Carlsbad specifically. TDM is very specific to the area and region. We could add more points, but we have to balance the initial startup of the development with the costs and the goals. He believes tier two has become a little more complicated. They will look in the handbook and look at Vice-Chair’s Linke’s comments regarding the point systems. Vice-Chair Linke said he agrees with the tier system if it is a smaller company, they should do less than a much larger company. However, he wants to emphasize that almost all of the TDM plans end up being tier one or tier two. If a developer sees a menu of things, they will always select from what is available. If you want to change behavior this won’t happen by providing a link to a website. The vast majority of TDM success was based on working from home. Vice-Chair Linke said there is a trip threshold that is used to determine which tier the company will be in. There are a certain number of employee trips. To get to Tier 2 with the employee trips it is 221. If you assume an average of eight trips per dwelling unit for residential it would be 800 trips for residential. So, the threshold to reach tier two or tier three for a residential project is much higher. Engineering Manager Geldert said that it is quite different for a residential project than employers and it is a matter of maintaining the program and maintaining the infrastructure or programs. The Homeowners Association would have to maintain. We don’t want to overburden residential development projects by requiring too much. The return for investment wouldn’t be there. An 800-unit apartment or housing project could put in some facilities or programs that are effective, but they would have a lot more people paying into that. Vice-Chair Linke commented on the workplan for this, which was originally going to include safe routes to school monitoring, establishing a TDM fee to cover the city’s expenses and a dashboard to track TDM plan development. Are these still being developed or are they in progress? Engineering Manager Geldert said these items are still in development. We started with our businesses and our outreach program to get that off the ground. As we get the handbook squared away, the different aspects of the program will be brought on board. It is also a matter of cost to keep adding to the program, so we are looking at budgeting for these items. When we get more data and get the businesses portion of the program running then we can bring in the schools. CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER COMMENTS: Page 13 of 13 City Traffic Engineer Kim said in addition to the wonderful work being done on Tamarack Avenue the Traffic and Mobility Staff is aggressively pursuing traffic calming on residential streets as well. In the past month and a half staff had neighborhood meetings on four different residential streets including Victoria Avenue, Highland Drive, Monroe Street and Nueva Castilla Way. This Thursday they will be meeting with the residents of Circulo Sequoia. After that staff will be meeting with residents from Celinda Drive. Transportation, Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt brought up the Traffic and Mobility Commission vacancies that they are actively working to fill. City Council is reviewing the applications now and interviews will be conducted at their meeting on Jan. 10, 2023. Then the new appointments or reappointed commissioners will be seated at the first meeting in February 2023. TRAFFIC AND MOBILITY COMMISSION COMMENTS: Commissioner Fowler said that he is interested in conflict zones around intersections. The question is if there is a standard for how these are designed. City Traffic Engineer Kim responded that if he is given the exact location of this intersection then he will look into it further and get back to the Commissioner. We do follow the CA-MUTCD for our striping and they have general scenarios in which they recommend for dashed bike lanes. Commissioner Penseyres commented that on Carlsbad Boulevard going north from Carlsbad Village Drive toward Grand Avenue he noticed that the bike lane is solid approaching the parking lot near the Starbucks. He has witnessed cars stopping in the middle of the road to let cyclists by as they won’t enter the bike lane. He thinks we need to educate the drivers somehow on what these dashed lines mean. We know that the highest number of bike crashes that occur in Carlsbad are often right hooks followed closely by left crosses. Vice-Chair Linke inquired if we can make a motion to expedite a project to address the issues on College Boulevard and Cannon Road intersection near Sage Creek High School. Transportation Director Frank said that staff will be attending a meeting this coming Thursday at the Sage Creek High School to discuss the subject. It is on staff’s to do list and they will address the issues. ADJOURNMENT: Vice Chair Linke adjourned the Traffic & Mobility Commission Regular Meeting on Dec. 5, 2022, at 8:10 p.m. ___________________________ Eliane Paiva, Minutes Clerk