REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt a Resolution of Local Support, Authorize the Filing of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Safe & Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Grant Application, and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Grant-Related Documents for the Sunnyvale Bicycle, Pedestrian and Safe Routes To School Safety Improvements Project
Report
BACKGROUND
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the metropolitan planning organization for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region, which includes Santa Clara County. The MTC administers the federally funded One Bay Area Grant 2 (OBAG 2) Program where funds are provided to invest in various areas including local street and road maintenance, streetscape enhancements, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, safe routes to school projects, priority conservation areas, and transportation planning.
The MTC has created a new $54.4 million one-time grant in the regional Surface Transportation Block Grant Program/Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (STP/CMAQ) program. It was originally programmed for other projects and was returned to the STP/CMAQ balance for re-programming. The STP/CMAQ fund is part of the Federal Highway Infrastructure Program (FHIP).
On January 27, the MTC adopted Resolution Nos. 3925, Revised and 4202, Revised, and the policy framework for a Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Program to be funded through capacity created by the FHIP within the OBAG 2 framework. The Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Program is a one-time, competitive grant program to fund local projects that can be implemented very quickly to benefit communities responding and adapting to the COVID-19 environment. The Program emphasizes bicycle/pedestrian safety and mobility, connections to transit, and projects that advance equitable mobility. Santa Clara County has a targeted funding amount of $14.69 million.
In order to be eligible for this grant, MTC requires that local jurisdictions adopt a Resolution of Local Support to authorize the filing of the application for funding assigned, commit any necessary matching funds and assurance to complete the project. Project eligibility and requirements are included in MTC Resolution No. 4202, Revised, Appendix A-11 (Attachment 2).
EXISTING POLICY
Resolution No. 793-16 Complete Streets Policy (and Resolution No. 896-18 amending Resolution No. 793-16): the City wishes to improve its commitment to Complete Streets and desires that its streets form a comprehensive and integrated transportation network promoting safe, equitable, and convenient travel for all users while preserving flexibility, recognizing community context, and using the latest and best design guidelines and standards.
General Plan Chapter 3 Land Use and Transportation:
• 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.
Vision Zero Plan
• Reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 50 percent by 2029 and to continue improving traffic safety towards zero fatal and serious injury collisions in the ten years that follow.
• Call to action to make Sunnyvale’s streets safer, especially for people biking and walking.
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 newly created one-time Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Program emphasizes bicycle/pedestrian safety and mobility, connections to transit, and projects that advance equitable mobility. Eligible project types include quick-build projects that improve bike, pedestrian and transit facilities and accessibility, provide equitable mobility options, improve bike and pedestrian safety, and implementation of safe and seamless mobility planning and programming efforts.
Quick-build measures and strategies are designed to facilitate faster deployment to provide maximum timely benefit for the public. The city would like to utilize this grant opportunity to implement some strategic quick build safety improvements to improve the walking and bicycling experience on Sunnyvale streets.
Pursuant to the City’s newly adopted Active Transportation Plan (ATP), there are proposed bicycle, pedestrian and safe routes to school (SRTS) improvements that can be implemented using low-cost, quick-build methodology such as signing, striping, and channelizing curb systems to improve safety at a number of locations throughout the city. In addition, staff has reviewed other city adopted plans such as the Vision Zero Plan and Roadway Safety Plan to identify other quick build bicycle and pedestrian improvements that can be implemented quickly. Staff also received neighborhood requests to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety at locations where there is currently a gap in the bicycle and pedestrian network; improvement at some of these locations are also included in this grant application. These improvements are listed in Attachment 3 and are shown graphically in Attachment 4.
Staff will complete the environmental document in-house; the design will be completed both by staff as well as by on-call consultant. The application for the grant is for the construction phase of the project only, with a project budget of $1.9 million.
Staff presented the proposed project to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) at its March 18 meeting as a review and comment item only and no action or vote was taken, however BPAC commissioners expressed support for the project.
FISCAL IMPACT
There will be no fiscal impact related to designing or constructing the improvements. Staff will be using existing resources and budgets to complete the design and environmental study. The City has requested allocation of Toll Credits in lieu of providing local matching funds for the construction phase. Upon completion of construction of the improvements, there will be an increase in costs and loss of efficiency for the Street Maintenance Division in the Department of Public Works due to necessitation to hand-sweep or blow the areas, but the Division will attempt to absorb the impacts for these limited number of strategic installations.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, Sunnyvale Public Library and Department of Public Safety. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution of Local Support, Authorize the Filing of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Safe & Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Grant Application, and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Grant-Related Documents for the Sunnyvale Bicycle, Pedestrian and SRTS Safety Improvements Project.
By implementing bicycle, pedestrian and SRTS safety improvements, our goal is to improve safety and accessibility for people walking and bicycling throughout the city, which will promote the usage of alternative transportation modes such as walking, biking, etc. The safety improvements proposed are intended to make Sunnyvale streets safe for all road users, complying with our Complete Streets Policy. In addition, the improvements included in this project are located in various neighborhoods around the city, with widespread benefits for all Sunnyvale residents. For the SRTS improvements, we have identified locations closest to the schools where the most students can benefit from the improvements. Some of the improvements identified include filling in a sidewalk gap or a pedestrian/bicycle path where there is no existing sidewalk or bicycle facility. In addition, we propose to narrow travel lanes at some locations by installing centerline and shoulder stripes to upgrade streets with no bicycle facility to Class IIIB bicycle routes, where the road would be shared between bicyclists and motor vehicles. All these improvements would create a connected network for bicyclists and pedestrians traveling on Sunnyvale streets, providing safe access to major arterials (i.e., El Camino Real, Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, Fremont Avenue and Wolfe Road), and connections to nearby transit facilities (i.e., VTA bus stops and Caltrain station).
Staff
Prepared by: Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Department of Public Works
Reviewed by: Jaqui Guzmán, Deputy City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution of Local Support for the Sunnyvale Bicycle Ped SRTS Safety Improvements Project
2. MTC Resolution No. 4202, Revised, Appendix A-1
3. Project Improvement List
4. Project Location Map