REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Discussion and Possible Action Regarding the Conversion of Part-Time Bicycle Lanes on Homestead Road to Full-Time Bicycle Lanes (Study Issue)
Report
BACKGROUND
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) sponsored Study Issue DPW 15-04 (Attachment 1) to evaluate converting the existing weekday part-time bike lanes on Homestead Road to permanent full-time bike lanes. Currently the bike lanes on Homestead in front of residential uses are part-time and only available on weekdays between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM. During all other time periods the bike lanes are converted to parking lanes. Full-time bike lanes on Homestead Road will require the permanent removal of approximately 250 on-street overnight and weekend parking spaces, which will affect the current parking patterns in the area.
The City continues to work towards the development of bicycling infrastructure, practices, and policies, all intended to provide a convenient transportation alternative to motor vehicles. The goals of the City’s bicycle program include continued build-out of the bikeway network to facilitate commute and recreational trips, and development of additional policies and standards to support bicycling. Consistent with these efforts, staff has evaluated the possibility of converting the part-time bike lanes on Homestead Road to permanent full-time bike lanes. Homestead Road is also identified in the Countywide Bicycle Plan (2008) as an east-west Cross Country Bikeway Corridor (8A).
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan, Chapter 3, Land Use and Transportation Element Policies:
• LT-5.5(d): Maximize the provision of bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
• LT-5.8: Provide a safe and comfortable system of pedestrian and bicycle pathways.
• LT-5.9: Appropriate accommodations for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians shall be determined for City streets to increase the use of bicycles for transportation and to enhance the safety and efficiency of the overall street network for bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles.
• LT-5.10: All modes of transportation shall have safe access to City streets.
• LT-5.12: City streets are public space dedicated to the movement of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. Providing safe accommodation for all transportation modes takes priority over non-transport uses. Facilities that meet minimum appropriate safety standards for transport uses shall be considered before non-transport uses are considered.
• LT-5.13: Parking is the storage of transportation vehicles and shall not be considered a transport use.
• LT-5.14: Historical precedence for street space dedicated for parking shall be a lesser consideration than providing street space for transportation uses when determining the appropriate future use of street space.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The creation of bicycle lanes on existing rights-of-way is exempt from environmental review under CEQA. (CEQA Guideline 15304(h).)
DISCUSSION
This study consisted of an evaluation of existing conditions (e.g., parking restrictions and striping), a parking study, collision evaluation, and community outreach with adjacent property owners and all other interested parties to solicit feedback on the proposal. Staff also met with the City of Cupertino Traffic Engineering Division to inform them of the pending study issue, and they did not object to changing the existing part-time bike lanes to full-time.
Existing Conditions
Homestead Road is an east-west arterial defining the southern limits of the City. The study area limits on Homestead Road extend from State Route (SR 85) on the west to approximately Lawrence Expressway on the east. It is predominantly a four-lane roadway (two lanes in each direction) with a two-way center left-turn lane. The road carries approximately 24,000 vehicles per weekday with a peak hour volume of 2,000 vehicles and 13 bikes. The posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour. The study corridor has 31 intersections (including 13 signalized) and is approximately 3.3 miles long. Including both eastbound and westbound directions, there are a total of 5.0 linear miles of full-time bike lanes and 1.6 linear miles of part-time bike lanes.
To allow overnight and weekend parking, selected sections of the bike lanes in front of residential developments are converted to parking lanes between 6:00 PM and 7:00 AM. The existing bike lanes and parking layout can be found in Attachment 2.
Collisions
In the past three years a total of 113 collisions, including eight bike collisions, were recorded within the study corridor. Of these, 93 (82%) took place at intersections; 86 occurred at signalized intersections and seven occurred at non-signalized intersections. Intersections, particularly signalized, generally have higher overall collision frequency than the rest of the roadway.
Out of the eight bike-related collisions, seven of them took place at intersections, and five resulted in injuries. There was one mid-block bike collision, which also resulted in injury.
Parking Study
In April 2015, staff conducted a parking study to determine the occupancy of on-street parking. Parking counts were conducted during weekday and weekend overnight hours with the study starting at approximately 2:00 AM and 3:00 AM respectively; these hours are within typical 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM residential peak parking times. Based on the parking study, it was determined that Homestead Road has a total of 317 on-street parking spaces (267 on the north side, 50 on the south), but only 250 spaces would be affected by the proposal. Out of the available parking spaces a maximum of 28 were found occupied during the peak period, giving an overall parking utilization of 9% within the study area.
Most of the parking was observed in front of single family homes. The majority of the single family homes within the study area have a two car garage with driveways that can accommodate an additional two cars. A summary of the parking study results can be found in Attachment 3.
Elements of Implementing Full-Time Bike Lane
Implementing full-time bike lanes would require the permanent removal of approximately 250 parking spaces out of the available 317. Approximately 25 of these parking spaces are located within the City of Cupertino (south side of Homestead Road, between Blaney Avenue and Linnet Lane) and would therefore require approval from the City of Cupertino for implementation.
Considerations
Staff considered the following factors as part of the proposed recommendation:
• Homestead Road has a higher vehicular and relatively low bike volume.
• The existing bike collision frequency is low.
• Full-time bike lanes would result in the loss of majority of on-street parking.
• On-street parking utilization was found to be low.
• Majority of community input reflected opposition to removal of on-street parking.
• Future upcoming developments like Apple Campus can potentially change the transportation patterns and bike volumes on Homestead Road.
FISCAL IMPACT
Implementation of a full-time bike lane is estimated to cost $33,500. This includes the addition of a striped buffer, bike lane markings, and sign changes for the parking modifications as-needed.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
On August 10, 2015 staff held a public meeting to solicit feedback from the constituents on the proposal. Approximately 30 people attended the meeting, and staff heard 14 people comment on the proposal (9 opposing, 5 supporting) and received comment cards. Staff continued to accept written comments on the proposal until August 11, 2015. In total, staff received comments from 93 constituents (73 opposing, 18 supporting, and 2 not stated); over 78% opposed the proposal. Summary of comments received can be found in Attachment 5.
As part of the community outreach there was also feedback regarding the option of removing travel lanes on Homestead Road to accommodate both parking and bike lanes on the corridor, however, this was beyond the scope of the Study Issue. A Road Diet Study would require additional funding and consultant support to complete a traffic analysis, roadway geometry options, and environmental clearance. If there is interest to pursue this option further, the consideration of a new Study Issue would be the appropriate approach.
Commission Review
BPAC reviewed this item at their October 15, 2015 meeting (RTC 15-0783) and had specific discussion with respect to the importance of full time bike lanes on Homestead Road and the safety of bicyclists (for excerpt of draft minutes see Attachment 4). BPAC noted that full-time bike lanes will be essential to encourage biking in the City and meet the future demand of the Apple Campus. The Commission did not agree with the staff recommendation to maintain the existing part-time bike lanes. The BPAC voted 5 to 1 (Commissioner Welch being absent) to recommend Alternative 2, convert the part-time bike lanes to full-time bike lanes by removing on-street parking as-needed within the City of Sunnyvale and pursue approval to remove parking within the City of Cupertino as well.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Continue to maintain the existing Homestead Road part-time bike lanes and parking as-is and re-evaluate in approximately three years
2. Convert the part-time bike lanes to full-time bike lanes by removing on-street parking as-needed within the City of Sunnyvale and pursue approval to remove parking within the City of Cupertino as well.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Continue to maintain the existing Homestead Road part-time bike lanes and parking as-is.
Taking all the analyzed elements into consideration, staff recommends that maintaining the current operations provides a good balance between bike facilities and community parking needs and concerns. However, staff is aware that conditions will continue to change in the corridor, and proposes to revisit this issue after a minimum of three years (2018) and after the Apple Campus is fully operational. At that time, staff would complete a similar analysis and determine if a different recommendation is appropriate, should there be a change in the transportation conditions and overall needs.
Prepared by: Carla C. Ochoa, Traffic Engineer
Reviewed by: Shahid Abbas, Traffic and Transportation Manager
Reviewed by: Manuel Pineda, Director of Public Works
Reviewed by: Kent Steffens, Assistant City Manger
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. DPW 15-04 Study Issue: Convert Part-Time Bicycle Lanes on Homestead Road to Full-Time Bicycle Lanes
2. Existing Bike Lanes and Parking Layout
3. Parking Summary
4. Excerpt of Draft BPAC Minutes of October 15, 2015
5. Summary of Comments Received