REPORT TO BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Recommend to City Council a Project to be Used in the Application of Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 Funding for Fiscal Year 2020/21
Report
BACKGROUND
TDA Article 3 is a source of funds created by State legislation and processed through the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) that annually returns sales tax revenues to local agencies earmarked for bicycle and pedestrian projects.
In FY 2020/21, the City anticipates receiving $157,810 for eligible projects. Funding is based upon population.
The eligibility requirements to receive funds in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020/21 funding cycle are as follows:
1. The project shall fit within one of these project types:
• Construction and/or engineering of a bicycle or pedestrian capital project.
• Maintenance of a multi-purpose path which is closed to motorized traffic.
• Bicycle safety education project (no more than 5% of county total).
• Development of a comprehensive bicycle or pedestrian facilities plan (funding requests under this project type may not be made more than once every five years).
• Restriping Class II bicycle lanes.
2. Environmental clearance is required for construction projects only.
3. Potential projects must have been reviewed by the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC).
4. Bicycle projects funded by TDA Article 3 funds must comply the VTA Bicycle Technical Guidelines as adopted on December 13, 2012.
5. Have an authorizing resolution (Attachment 1 - reserve for City Council)
6. The project must be ready to implement within one year of the application cycle.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan, Chapter 3, Land Use and Transportation Element:
• Goal LT-1: Coordinated Regional and Local Planning - Protect the quality of life, the natural environment, and property investment, preserve home rule, secure fair share of funding, and provide leadership in the region.
• Goal LT-2: Environmentally Sustainable Land Use and Transportation Planning and Development - Support the sustainable vision by incorporating sustainable features into land use and transportation decisions and practices.
• Goal LT-3: An Effective Multimodal Transportation System - Offer the community a variety of transportation modes for local travel that are also integrated with the regional transportation system and land use pattern. Favor accommodation of alternative modes to the automobile as a means to enhance efficient transit use, bicycling, and walking and corresponding benefits to the environment, person-throughput, and qualitative improvements to the transportation system environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
DISCUSSION
The determination of TDA Article 3 projects for FY 20/21 is based on the review of TDA eligibility requirements, consideration of the Pedestrian Safety and Opportunities Study, Bicycle Capital Improvement Program, Bicycle Plan, Comprehensive School Traffic Study, resident requests, and Commission members' and staff's knowledge of bicycle and pedestrian facility safety priority needs in the City.
The following project was identified as the preferred use of this year’s TDA Article 3 grant funds:
Safety Improvements at the intersection of Fremont Avenue and Manet Drive/Bobwhite Avenue
The project would include the design and implementation of the following pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements to:
• Install curb extension on the northwest corner with bi-directional ADA compliant curb ramps
• Install high visibility crosswalks at the intersection
• Install an Accessible Pedestrian System (APS)
• Replace all existing 8” vehicle signal heads with 12” vehicle signal heads to improve visibility
• Modify traffic signal as needed for the implementation of the above improvements
At the May 21, 2019 City Council meeting (RTC No. 19-0461), Council approved the application for TDA Article 3 grant to begin the design and implementation of improvements at the Fremont Avenue and Manet Drive/Bobwhite Avenue intersection. The estimated cost to complete the project exceeded the FY 19/20 TDA Article 3 funding allocation of $172,712. Therefore, it was anticipated that implementation of the project would occur over a two-year period, with FY 19/20 funds used for design and environmental clearance. Any remaining FY 19/20 funding allocation above the design consultant costs will be combined with FY 20/21 TDA Article 3 funds for construction.
Approximate Total Cost: $300,000
FISCAL IMPACT
TDA Article 3 fund a program that reimburses cities for the incurred costs of selected projects. No local matching funds are required for funded projects. The City anticipates receiving $157,810 funds from the City’s guaranteed fund apportionment. TDA funds are accounted for in a Special Revenue Fund. As the allocation is annual and subject to review, the budget does not include any anticipated funding in its planning process. Therefore, this funding provides resources for projects that might otherwise not be completed.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made through posting of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board, on the City’s website, and the availability of the agenda and report at the One-Stop Desk in City Hall.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Recommend to City Council to use the TDA Article 3 grant fund for FY 20/21, estimated at $157,810, for the recommended project: Safety Improvements at the intersection of Fremont Avenue and Manet Drive/Bobwhite Avenue.
2. Recommend to City Council to use the TDA Article 3 grant fund for another project.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Recommend to City Council to use the TDA Article 3 grant fund for FY 20/21, estimated at $157,810, for the recommended project: Safety Improvements at the intersection of Fremont Avenue and Manet Drive/Bobwhite Avenue.
At the intersection of Fremont Avenue and Manet Drive/Bobwhite Avenue, safety improvements have been identified by the Vision Zero Plan based on the number and severity of traffic collisions at the intersection. In addition, the City has received multiple requests from the community to improve safety at the intersection as several students cross the intersection while traveling to and from nearby schools including Fremont High School. Applying FY 20/21 TDA Article 3 grant funds towards this project will allow the project to proceed through construction and provide safety improvements for the public.
Staff
Prepared by: Ralph Garcia, Senior Transportation Engineer
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Public Works
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Reserved for Report to Council.