City of Mountain View

Minutes

Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

6:30 PM

Plaza Conference Room and Video Conference,

500 Castro St., Mountain View, CA 94041

CALL TO ORDER

Chair James Kuszmaul called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Staff members present: Assistant Public Works Director Damian Skinner, Transportation Manager Ria

Hutabarat Lo, Active Transportation Planner Brandon Whyte, Economic Vitality Manager John Lang,

Economic Development Strategist Kirstin Hinds.

Nine members of the public were present including two in person and seven online.

5 -

Present

Committee Member Lada Adamic, Vice Chair Terry Barton, Committee Member Valerie

Fenwick, Chair John Stone, and Committee Member James Kuszmaul

ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

(00:02:00)

Randal Tarly spoke.

Any O-Breen spoke.

April Webster discussed Caltrans Compete Streets Guidelines, Design and Information Bulletin 94 (DIB-94).

She indicated the document discussed travel lane width, green streets, and included a comment that a

flooded street is not a complete street.

Lanie David spoke.

Mitty Bephe spoke.

MINUTES APPROVAL

Meeting Minutes November 29, 2023

(00:17:01)

4.1

Adamic noted her appreciation for the consistently comprehensive minutes.

MOTION (00:18:36): Approve the BPAC meeting minutes from November 29, 2023.

Adamic/Fenwick - 5/0/0 - passed

Yes:

5 -

Committee Member Adamic, Vice Chair Barton, Committee Member Fenwick, Chair Stone, and

Committee Member Kuszmaul

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Election Process for 2024 Chair and Vice Chair

(00:18:44)

5.1

No public comment

MOTION (00:20:11): Elected (John) Isaac Stone as BPAC Chair for 2024.

Fenwick/Barton – 5/0/0 - passed

MOTION (00:22:11): Elected Terry Barton as BPAC Vice Chair for 2024.

Adamic/Kuszmaul – 5-0-0 - passed

Yes:

5 -

Committee Member Adamic, Vice Chair Barton, Committee Member Fenwick, Chair Stone, and

Committee Member Kuszmaul

NEW BUSINESS

Personal Delivery Device Pilot Program Update

(00:22:25)

6.1

Hinds provided a presentation on Personal Delivery Device (PDDs) Pilot Program.

Public comment: (01:03:03)

Bruce England commented that standards implemented in the original program were not adhered to and

requested that the City maintain the agreed standards. He also indicated that 20 mph on the shoulder is too

fast. He suggested that bike delivery be considered an alternative and a priority. He also asked what would

happen if PDDs needed to merge into a 35 mph traffic lane.

April Webster indicated that the program seems counter to City goals. She asked how they could detect and

avoid a conflict with cyclists. She supported the concept of prioritizing bike delivery. She indicated that just

because we can use certain technologies doesn’t mean we should.

Carl Hansen indicated that his company aimed to remove cars from delivery services, especially since many

deliveries are within a short distance. He indicated that the City of Santa Monica had a program trained to

yield to pedestrians, pull to the side or back up. He indicated that half of the cities in the country have

approved pilot projects.

Committee comment: (01:13:00)

Fenwick appreciated the out-of-the-box thinking and support of those developing new technologies. She

expressed her concern about device use on narrow sidewalks and her negative prior experiences. She

requested clarity on whether PDDs would go on private property to avoid contact with people. She noted that

many terms of the prior program were changed during COVID or not enforced. She recommended

considering e-bike deliveries and suggested using an automobile parking spot to ensure that the PDDs are

not parked in the bike lane.

Adamic asked staff to proactively survey people in the City to understand their interactions with PDDs and

how it affects their enjoyment and the usability of sidewalks and public spaces. She indicated that she had

been neutral before the pilot, but became negative after the pilot due to difficulties navigating the sidewalk.

She felt that PDDs operating in the bike lane could be better but should also require a user survey. Finally,

she indicated that there could be underreporting of issues on bike facilities relative to sidewalks and shared

her concern about having bots operate in new bicycle facilities.

Kuszmaul requested that staff identify ways to collect sufficient data to understand the effects on delivery

volumes, safety concerns in the bike lanes, time stopped in various spaces, and complaints. He indicated

that safety issues caused by blocking bike lanes would outweigh the benefits of eliminating a vehicle trip. He

asked for more information on routes where these issues might occur. He also wondered if PDDs would be

allowed to cross train tracks and requested that the PDD size be reasonable within the bike lane. Lastly, he

noted that a sidewalk speed of 10 mph may be too high in areas with many pedestrians.

Stone shared concerns about enforcement and safety. He supported shifting some deliveries out of motor

vehicles but requested vigilance in addressing issues as they arise. He also requested objective program

metrics, including automatic reporting of lane conditions and reasons for exiting a bicycle lane.

Barton requested a pilot program with measurable metrics, including delays in bicycle lanes and time-sliced

delivery data. He indicated that single-occupant vehicle trips for deliveries are environmentally costly and in

other ways. He requested clear specifications on the maximum height, weight, and speed of PDDs in bike

lanes. He asked that PDDs be considered automobiles and required to follow the same regulations as other

vehicles.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory

Committee (BPAC) Update

6.2

(01:41:01)

Adamic provided updates on the VTA BPAC.

Public comment: (01:44:50)

April Webster supported the VTA’s proposal for interchanges especially since those were omitted from DIB

94.

Committee comment: (01:48:10)

Kuszmaul noted that there is crowd sourced data on flooded trails.

BPAC Fiscal Year 2023-24 Work Plan

(01:48:49)

6.3

Whyte provided information on the BPAC Work Plan and Tentative Agenda List.

No public comments.

Committee comments: (01:51:01)

Adamic noted that there were significant changes with Castro Undercrossing and Moffett Precise Plan that

are not reflected in the Work Plan.

COMMITTEE/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS, UPDATES, REQUESTS, AND COMMITTEE REPORTS

7.1. Staff Comments

(01:52:31)

Whyte provided updates on the charity and holiday bike rides. He also noted that the Capital Project team

has performed a PCI survey of trails, and the Council Transportation Committee has considered decorative

treatments on Castro Pedestrian Mall. He highlighted upcoming events for the Active Transportation Plan, the

selection of a consultant for Vision Zero outreach, and the issuance of a request for proposals for planning

Miramonte Phase 2. He also provided updates on AskMV. Lo also noted that staff applied for a Caltrans

grant for Rengstorff Avenue planning.

No public comments.

Committee comment: (01:59:51)

Stone noted that blocked pedestrian ways seem to receive more AskMV comments than blocked bikeways.

7.2. Committee Comments

(02:00:32)

Fenwick noted that the construction concern she raised previously was addressed.

Fenwick and Stone noted that disruptive public comments at the beginning of the meeting were

reprehensible.

Adamic reported that she will lead a bike ride to Mountain View High School on Earth Day.

DATE AND TIME FOR NEXT MEETING:

Next meeting: February 28, 2024

CALENDAR

10. ADJOURNMENT

Stone adjourned the meeting at 8:33 p.m.

Submitted for approval by Brandon Whyte.

Approved on 3.27.2024.