John Harpootlian; Gary C. Waldeck; J Radford; Courtenay C. Corrigan; Roger Spreen; Deborah Padovan

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1 Supplemental No. 5 AGENDA ITEM #6.E Distributed 1/22/16 From: To: Cc: Subject: Date: Attachments: John Harpootlian; Gary C. Waldeck; J Radford; Courtenay C. Corrigan; Roger Spreen; Deborah Padovan Draft ordinance prohibiting biking in Byrne Preserve Thursday, January 21, :36:32 AM TIME LINE.doc bikes in byrne.pdf CalTrans_BikeTransDesign.pdf Bike_Regs_on_Trails pdf BikePathMapMed pdf BikesinByrne_Letter doc To: Members of the Los Altos Hills Town Council From: Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee Please find attached 6 documents for your review in support of the Open Space Committee's unanimous recommendation to prohibit bikes in Byrne Preserve. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Time Line of Actions Related to this Subject Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee Recommendation (7/9/15) Caltrans Highway Design Manual Section Trails Overview of Bike Use Regulations in Local Parks & Open Space Areas Map Showing Paths Other Than Byrne Preserve That Bikes Can Use Letter from Resident to the Open Space Committee Thank you. George Clifford and Nancy Couperus - Co-Chairs of LAH Open Space Committee This has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.

2 TIME LINE Bicycles in Byrne Preserve April 2014 Town received complaint that a cyclist riding in Byrne Preserve was riding very fast and spooked a horse no injury but a close call May 2014 Open Space Committee unanimously voted to recommend installation of bicycle yield signs at four locations in Byrne Preserve June 2014 Traffic Safety Committee approved (4-1) a recommendation to install four bicycle yield signs in Byrne Preserve July 2014 Planning Commission reviewed the issue and approved (5-0) the recommendation to install four signs in Byrne Preserve August 2014 City Council approved signs, which were installed in September November 2014 Open Space Committee requested that the newly installed signs be lowered for better visibility July 2015 Complaint by a Westwind Barn boarder that a bike coming from the Byrne trail spooked a horse in the lower arena resulting in the rider being thrown and the horse falling on top of the rider. Letter cites two other incidents with different riders. July 2015 Open Space Committee recommends that bikes be prohibited on trails in Byrne Preserve. Bikes can continue to use the fire road connecting Central Drive to Moody Court, which is adjacent to, but outside Byrne Preserve. Pathways Committee and Parks & Recreation Committee joined OSC in its recommendation. October 2015 At the October 14 th Council meeting the Open Space Committee proposed prohibiting bikes in Byrne Preserve and allowing bikes only on the fire road connecting Central Drive to Moody Court. City Council moved (5-0) to direct staff to prepare an ordinance to prohibit bikes in Byrne Preserve and to post signs as quickly as possible. January 2016 City Council will consider a draft ordinance to prohibit biking in Byrne Preserve

3 To: Richard Chiu From: Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee Date: July 9, 2015 Subject: Prohibiting bikes in Byrne Preserve RECOMMENDED ACTION On June 11, 2015, the Open Space Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the Town of Los Altos Hills prohibit bicycle use throughout Byrne Open Space Preserve, with the exception of the fire road connecting Central Drive to Moody Court. BACKGROUND After receiving complaints in April 2014 about cyclists in Byrne Preserve spooking horses, the City Council voted to install signage in four different locations within Byrne Preserve notifying cyclists that they need to yield to pedestrians and equestrians. Unfortunately, the signage has not prevented bikers from careening down steep and windy slopes at breakneck speed, imperiling hikers, walkers, and equestrians. These continued incidents lead us to conclude that bicycle use is incompatible with safe management of the Preserve. RATIONALE FOR CLOSING BYRNE PRESERVE TO CYCLISTS Safety is the primary rationale. The Caltrans Highway Design Manual regarding design for mixed- use trails (Chapter Bicycle Transportation Design) states that trails not meeting Class 1 standards should not be signed as bicycle trails and warns for safety reasons against allowing bicycles and horses to share the same pathway. The Caltrans Design Manual also explains horse behavior on trails ( Trails, see attached), underscoring that horses have a flight response that can lead to serious injury to both horse and rider. While you can get a horse trail ready, you can never train the flight response out of a horse. Secondly, bikes on narrow, winding trails or on any steep terrain cause significant environmental damage. Unlike walkers or equestrians, bicycles accelerate erosion by creating a continuous tire track, creating a rill into which water flows. Bicycle tires rip the soil when cyclists speed downhill, lock brakes around sharp corners, or dig in for uphill traction. Disturbances to both the vegetation in these protected open spaces and also the wildlife seeking refuge in them are significant concerns. Preserves are intended for quiet, low- impact recreation where people can enjoy peace and quiet in a natural setting without worrying that a speeding bike may be around the next corner. Limiting bicycle use in Byrne will not significantly reduce recreational opportunities for off- road biking in LAH; the Town has over 90 miles of pathways outside of Byrne that are accessible for bicycle use. In addition, nearby MROSD lands provide 220 miles of trails open for biking. Finally, prohibiting cycling in Byrne Preserve would bring us in line with the policies in state and county parks and MROSD. Most state and county parks in Santa Clara and San Mateo County restrict bicycles to paved roads or fire roads. MROSD specifically prohibits cycling in all areas immediately adjacent to Los Altos Hills, while in their Rancho San Antonio preserves (which run contiguous to LAH), they only permit cycling east of Deer Hollow Farm (in Cupertino).

4 k++adnyw,tt* b otltvle Much7,2014 HIGIIWAY DESIGN MANUAL I I (a) If bus operating speed is 25 miles per hour or below. (b) If the grade of the facility is 5 percent or less Trails Trails are generally, unpaved multipurpose facilities suitable for recreational use by hikers, pedestrians, equestrians, and off-road bicyclists- While many Class I facilities are named as trails (e.g. Iron Horse Regional Trail, San Gabriel River Trail), trails as defined here do not meet Class I bikeways standards and should not be signed 4s. bicycle paths. Where equestrians are expected, a I sepglate eouestrian trail should be provided.!"" I DIB 82 for trail requirements for ADA. See lndex I for equestrian undercrossing guidance. -) Pavement requirements for bicycle travel are not suitable for horses. Horses require softer surfaces to avoid leg injuries. Bicyclists may not be aware of the need to gdl slow or of the separation need when I approaching or passing a horse. Horses I reacting to perceived danger from predators I may behave unpredictably; thus, if a bicyclist I appears suddenly within their visual field, I especially from behind they may bolt. To help I horses not be surprised by a bicyclist good I visibility should be provided at all Roints on J equestrian paths. When a corridor includes equestrian paths and I Class I bikeways, the widest possible lateral I separation should be provided between the two. I A physical obstacle, such as an open rail fence, I adjacent to the equestrian trail may be I beneficial to induce horses to shy away from I the bikeway, as long as the obstacle does not I block visibility between the equestrian trail and I bicycle path., ' See FHWA-EP , Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access and DIB 82 for additional desrgn guidance Miscellaneous Criteria The following are miscellaneous bicycle treatment criteria. Specific application to Class I, and III bikeways are noted. Criteria that are not noted as applying only to bikeways apply to any highway, roadways and shoulders, except freeways where bicycles are prohibited), without regard to whether or not bikeways are established. Bicycle Paths on Bridges - See Topic 208. (l) Pavement Surface Quality. The surface to be used by bicyclists should be smooth, free of potholes, and with uniform pavement edges. (2) Drainage Grates, Manhole Covers, and Driveways. Drainage inlet grates, manhole covers, etc., should be located out ofthe travel path of bicyclists whenever possible. When such items are in an area that may be used for bicycle travel, they shall be designed and installed in a manner that meets bicycle surface requirements. See Standard Plans. They shall be maintained flush with the surface when resurfacing. If grate inlets are to be located in roadway or shoulder areas (except freeways where bicycles are prohibited) the inlet design guidance of Index 837.2(2) applies. Future driveway construction should avoid construction of a vertical lip from the driveway to the gutter, as the lip may create a problem for bicyclists when entering from the edge of the roadway at a flat angle. If a lip is deemed necessary, the height should be limited to Yzinch. (3) At-grade Roilroad Crossings and Cattle Guards. Whenever it is necessary for a Class I bikeway, highway or roadway to cross railroad tracks, special care must be taken to ensure that the safety of users is protected. The crossing must be at least as wide as the traveled way of the facility. Wherever possible, the crossing should be straight and at right angles to the rails. For bikeways or highways that cross tracks and where a skew is unavoidable, the shoulder or bikeway should be widened' to permit bicyclists to cross aj right angles (see Figure ). If this is not possible, special construction and materials should be corxidered to keep the flangeway depth and widthto aminimum. Pavement should be maintained so ridge buildup does not occur next to the rails. In Choph, /oco B,"y./u Tonsyarfa*'on Du",3, -/-tlru hl Vant Htghu"y Desijn Manuof f,etlior, /oos,4 Tatls - pqje )4

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7 Letter from Resident to OSC about Bikes in Byrne Preserve PWC Meeting 08/24/15 On 8/17/2015, and LAH RESIDENT wrote to Open Space Committee Chair: I am writing to you at the suggestion of Sarah Gualtieri. I am a current member of the Parks and Recreation Committee. Over the past year or so the committee has been discussing the presence of mountain and road bikes on the Central Drive and Artemis Ginzton pathway system trails that border Westwind Barn. The situation that I would like to make the Open Space committee aware of is the following: 1. Byrne Preserve, Central Drive Pathway and Artemis G trail systems are heavily used by recreational horse riders as well as riders from LAH town programs on trail rides from Westwind. These riders are often children under the age of The above Open Spaces and Paths have lately (over the last 18 months) been discovered and used by mountain bikers, regular road bikers and a bike group that parks at the barn once a quarter or so and rides in the preserve at night. 3. Many times while out walking or driving home at all hours of day and even at dusk and at night I have seen or been narrowly passed by mountain bikers aggressively riding on single track pathways (namely Artemis G between Moody, Byrne Park Lane and Central) and these riders NEVER yield the right of way to me as a hiker. They are often going very fast and do not stop or yield right of way as they should. 4. If these bikers encounter a person on horse back at the speeds they ride on a single track the resulting accident could actually kill the horse, rider or cyclist. 5. I would like Open Space and Pathways to consider banning any form of bike from the single track parts of this pathway system, ban them from the preserve where horses are pastured and place better signage explaining acceptable behavior and trail etiquette for the parts of the path system and open space that they are allowed on. I believe that Parks and Rec would also support this but we would like to discuss more as a committee to come up with the request. My letter this evening was spurred by discussion at the P and R meeting earlier tonight and also by my own recent encounters with cyclists on Central and AG. When I shared my story, [another P and R member] shared that he was recently out with a group of children doing a nature walk on the AG path and encountered a cyclist on a fat tire bike who was coming down a section of path at an alarming speed. These conditions are very dangerous for people on foot but for mounted horse riders they could be fatal. I urge you and the committee to explore this issue (I would be happy to come and talk about it at your next meeting) and to make a recommendation that we move toward limiting bike access in this area that is used by horses as part of a Town sponsored program as well as privately. From a resident of Central drive whose family donated the 15-acre easement for pathway from Westwind barn to Central Drive and who participates and supports the WWB riding program BikesinByrne_Letter doc 1/21/16