BICYCLE AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMISSION Meeting Minutes February 9, 2017 The Bicycle and Trails Advisory Commission was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Chair Hasser in the City Hall Committee Room, located at 955 School Street. 1. Call to Order / Roll Call: Commission Members Present: Jean Hasser (Chair), Jimmy Kawalek, Joel King, Damian May, and Jeremy Sill (Vice Chair) Commission Members Absent: Mark Lucas (Parks and Recreation Commission Representative) Staff Present: Eric Whan, Deputy Public Works Director Engineering; Tim Wood, Senior Civil Engineer; Lorien Clark, Transportation Planner; Ed Moore, Engineering Assistant; Elizabeth Clark, Public Works Secretary; and John Coates, Parks and Recreation Director Public Present: Patrick Band, Napa County Bicycle Coalition; Diana Meehan, Napa Valley Transportation Authority; and Catherine Heywood, Visit Napa Valley 2. Agenda Review and Supplemental Reports: Chair Hasser suggested that the City of Napa Bike Plan policy discussion (Agenda Item No. 6B) be limited to one hour so there is enough time to get through the remaining agenda items by 6:00 p.m. There was no objection to this suggestion. 3. Public Comment: Patrick Band gave updates on the following Statewide legislation bills: Idaho Stop Bill Allows cyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. (Most local bike groups are taking a pass on this bill, including the Napa Valley Bicycle Coalition.) Automated Speed Enforcement Bill Pilot Program in San Francisco and San Jose which uses cameras to take photos of license plates of motor vehicles that are speeding. Full Lane Bill Amends vehicle code to clarify that cyclists are allowed to use the full lane. The current language states that cyclist should be as far to the right as practicable.
Page 2 of 6 Patrick Band also reported on the following: A bike share/rental program is being set up by Napa Valley Bicycle Tours at downtown hotels in Napa and Yountville. Urban Greening Grant through the Natural Resources Agency for urban greening/complete streets type projects. Chair Hasser introduced Catherine Haywood from Visit Napa Valley. Transportation Planner Clark introduced Tim Wood, Senior Civil Engineer, who is the new Development Engineering Division Manager. 4. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the regular meetings on October 13 and December 8, 2016, were reviewed by the Commissioners prior to the meeting. Action: Moved, seconded and carried (King/Sill) that the minutes of the regular meeting on October 13, 2016 be approved as submitted. Hasser, Kawalek, King, May, Sill Action: Moved, seconded and carried (Sill/King) that the minutes of the regular meeting on December 8, 2016 be approved as submitted. Hasser, Kawalek, King, May, Sill 5. Presentations:. 6. Administrative Reports: a. Election of Chair and Vice Chair for 2017 Transportation Planner Clark explained that the Chair and Vice Chair will serve for a one-year term. Action: Moved, seconded and carried (King/Kawalek) that Jeremy Sill serve as Chair of the Commission. Hasser, Kawalek, King, May Sill
Page 3 of 6 Action: Moved, seconded and carried (King/Hasser) that Jimmy Kawalek serve as Vice Chair of the Commission. Hasser, King, May, Sill Kawalek b. City of Napa Bike Plan Update The process for updating the Bicycle Plan was discussed. Once Napa Valley Transportation Authority begins the countywide review, staff will provide the Commissioners with information and updates. The Commissioners then reviewed the summary of the Commission recommendations for the Bike Plan update from the October and December 2016 meetings. The following revisions and modifications were suggested: Bicycle Plan Maps Class I: Change Pascale Court to Pascale Place Bicycle Plan Maps Class II: After Saratoga Drive to Terrace Drive add (via Capitola to Terrace) for clarification CN-1.m: Add stronger language, such as, City shall pursue instead of Consider providing. CN-1.i: Revise sentence to read: Pursue a Class II or better on Third Street or a parallel street through Downtown from the existing end of Third Street at Jefferson Street to the planned Class II facilities on California Boulevard. There was also discussion about pursuing a design exception for First Street over Highway 29 to continue the Class II connection. Objective 5.0: CN-5.e Add at end of sentence: and conflict zones for Class II bike lanes. Commissioner King also noted that on the Proposed Bikeways and Projects list that #23 Oxbow Commons Bypass Trail (West Street & Soscol Ave) should be changed to partially complete. Combining #23 and #25 was also discussed. Action: Moved, seconded and carried (King/May) that the BTAC Recommendations from the October and December 2016 meetings, as revised at this meeting, be approved. Hasser, Kawalek, King, May, Sill
Page 4 of 6 The Commissioners then continued their review of the Policy Section of the Bicycle Plan. Objective 5.0: Safety and Security (page 23) 5.1 Do not capitalize Safety Education Programs 5.2 Change high-visibility crosswalk markings to enhancements Add CN-5.f to note that the City will work with the Wine Train to update railroad crossings. Use of rapid flashing beacons and bicycle collision data were discussed briefly. Objective 6.0: Land Use (page 24) Discussed adding a policy that loss of existing bicycle facilities should be reviewed by the Commission. Later in the meeting, it was noted that 8.6 addresses the elimination of existing bicycle facilities. Objective 7.0: Education and Promotion (page 25) Typo correct number for 7.8 Add CN-7.b The City shall support bicycle events, such as, Bike to Work Day, Bike Fest, and Bike to School Day. Objective 8.0: Planning (page 26) No changes were suggested. Objective 9.0: Maintenance (page 27) Revise 9.3 to add projects affecting roadways and include utilities and their subcontractors. Add CN-9.d regarding street sweeping. Maintenance of the Vine Trail was brought up, and it is still under discussion on whether local jurisdictions will be handling the maintenance or whether a third party will be hired. Objective 10.0: Funding (page 28) Add 10.4 (county-wide policy) regarding Measure T funding. Staff will provide recommendations and draft language for Objectives 5.0 to 10.0 at the next meeting. c. Vine Trail Soscol Gap Transportation Planner Clark reported that RSA is still working with the City and developer of the Borreo Building to determine the best alignment for the Class II bike lanes at the corner of Soscol Avenue and Third Street. The plans will be brought back for review at a future meeting once the alignment is determined. Additionally, the City has included this project in its MTC One Bay Area II (OBAG 2) request for funding which will be reviewed by the NVTA Active Transportation Advisory Committee and NVTA Technical Advisory Committee. The recommended project list will go to the NVTA Board for approval in April 2017. Chair Hasser requested that the minutes reflect the Commission s support of the funding request for this key bicycle infrastructure project, since the Bicycle and Trail Advisory Commission cannot make a recommendation directly to the Napa Valley Transportation Authority.
Page 5 of 6 d. Visit Napa Valley Bike Routes Visit Napa Valley requested input from the Commission on six bike routes that they currently provide to visiting bicyclists. The welcome center represents all of Napa County so there are several jurisdictions represented in the bike routes. Katherine Heywood of Visit Napa Valley also explained the information and routes they provide is very tailored to the needs of each guest. The following comments/suggestions were provided: Since Highway 29 and Silverado Trail are high speed roads, the Vine Trail which parallels Highway 29 should be added as an alternative when riding up valley. The Heart of the Valley/Napa to Calistoga Add the Vine Trail from Napa up to Yountville as an alternative to Solano Avenue. The Lower Valley/Yountville For the novice, use the Vine Trail instead of Solano Avenue. Katheryn Heywood noted that Visit Napa Valley was waiting for the Vine Trail intersections to be completed before adding it to their bike routes. Silverado Country Club Make sure cyclists are aware that Oak Knoll Avenue and Big Ranch Road have no shoulders. An alternate to this route would be BTAC Bike Loop #8 which goes east to the Napa vineyards and avoids the busy roads. Southern Region/Cuttings Wharf An alternative to this route would be BTAC Bike Loop #3 which goes down Stanley Lane to Cuttings Wharf and includes connections to other areas. Another easy route for the Lower Valley would be the Vine Trail from Kennedy Park along the river to Third Street. Visit Napa Valley will be provided a list of Commissioner comments. Commissioner May left the meeting at 5:15 p.m. e. Bike Fest & Bike to Work Day Patrick Band of the Napa County Bicycle Coalition spoke about Bike Fest. It will be held on Saturday, May 6, at the Oxbow Commons from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There will be activities, workshops, and several bike rides including a KIDical mass ride. Bike to Work Day will be held on Thursday, May 11. Napa Bike plans to expand the number and location of the energizer stations throughout the Valley. They also hope to increase their sponsorship participation and are providing information to employers to encourage their employees to participate in Bike to Work Day. City staff will work with their Public Information Officer to get the information out on social media and internal networks. f. Agenda Items for Next Meeting The following agenda items were requested by the Commissioners for the April 2017 meeting:
Page 6 of 6 Vine Trail Gap Closure on Soscol Avenue Continuation of City of Napa Bike Plan Update Project Updates Caltrans D-4 Bike Plan 7. Comments by Commissioners and Staff Deputy Public Works Director Whan gave a brief update on the Silverado Trail Five-Way Intersection roundabouts, and the first step is to enter into a Cooperative Agreement with Caltrans. Transportation Planner Clark gave an update on the Highway 29 Undercrossing funding. The Active Transportation Program Cycle 3 grant funds have been recommended by MTC and final approval by the California Transportation Commission is expected in March. Commissioner Kawalek asked about road and trail closures and detours for Bottlerock in May, 2017. City staff will be reviewing the traffic control plan and will work with the Highway Patrol to help correct issues that have arisen at previous events. Deputy Public Works Director Whan spoke about an upcoming Community Meeting on Tuesday, February 28, at the Napa Valley Language Academy from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. regarding the plan to repave the Westwood area. As part of this project, staff is looking at ways to improve pedestrian access in this area by adding modified sidewalks and new street lighting. The City of Napa Pedestrian Plan will be going to Council on February 21, 2017, for adoption. This is the subset of the Napa Countywide Pedestrian Plan that was previously reviewed by this Commission. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.