STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: January 4, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor & City Council
From: Daren Grilley, Assistant Public Works Director/City Engineer Jessie Holzer, Transportation Planner
Subject: Proposed Minimum Grid Bicycle Markings
Attachments: 1. Holistic Bikeway Network Map
2. Bikeway Implementation Process
3. Proposed Quick Build Minimum Grid
4. Proposed Markings and Signage
INTRODUCTION
This report forwards unanimous Traffic and Parking Commission support for a proposed minimum grid of shared roadway markings, which would be painted as an interim first step toward implementation of the long-term holistic bikeways network identified in the Complete Streets Plan without removing vehicle lanes or parking.
BACKGROUND
On April 20, 2021, City Council adopted the Complete Streets Plan that outlines a longrange vision for improving mobility in the City. The Complete Streets Plan (available on the City’s website: www.beverlyhills.org/completestreets) includes a Holistic Bikeways Network Map (Attachment 1) to serve as a blueprint for new bikeways in Beverly Hills.
Based on feedback received from the Traffic and Parking Commission, staff intends to implement the bikeways shown on the Holistic Bikeways Network Map as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that the public outreach and implementation process approved by City Council (Attachment 2) is followed for each individual street.
DISCUSSION
To assist with expediting installation of the bikeway network, in September 2021, the Traffic and Parking Commission developed a Bicycle Infrastructure Ad Hoc Committee (“Ad Hoc”). At their monthly meetings, the Ad Hoc previews upcoming bikeway proposals scheduled for Traffic and Parking Commission meetings and brainstorms ideas for outreach and engagement strategies, bikeway designs and innovative installation methods.
Meeting Date: January 4, 2022
One of the ideas generated from the Ad Hoc is accelerated implementation of a Class III Bike Boulevard network as a first step to installation of the long-term holistic bikeways network identified in the Complete Streets Plan.
Class III Bike Boulevards are shared streets between motorists and bicyclists that highlight bicycle travel via “sharrow” pavement markings and signage. These bikeways do not require removal of any vehicle lanes or parking. They function exactly the same way as other streets, but the pavement markings and signage help bicyclists navigate the Class III bikeway network, avoid streets that can be more challenging to ride on and determine proper lane positioning outside of the “door zone.” As there is no dedicated space for bicyclists on Class III bikeways, they are most appropriate for lower volume streets with slower speeds to help minimize conflicts with drivers.
Implementation of a Class III network would provide in the short-term a series of connected bicycle travel-ways throughout Beverly Hills that improve safer and more convenient bicycle access to key destinations, while allowing the more time-intensive City Council approved public outreach and implementation process for bike lanes to continue simultaneously.
Starting with the Complete Streets Plan’s Holistic Bikeways Network Map, staff identified a “minimum grid” network that could be completed within a matter of months (Attachment 3). The term “minimum grid” refers to the concept of quickly implementing a basic bikeway network, while also continuing to pursue longer-range efforts to expand and upgrade cycling infrastructure.
The proposed minimum grid for Beverly Hills includes streets that provide access to schools, parks, existing bikeways, future Metro stations and key commercial corridors.
While Class III bikeways provide the lowest level of protection for cyclists, the advantages of implementing Class III for the proposed minimum grid include:
There are no impacts to vehicle travel lanes, turn lanes or on-street parking. They can be installed quickly and at a low cost.
Markings and signage identifying the network provide guidance for cyclists to key destinations in and around the City.
Markings raise motorist awareness that bicyclists are allowed to ride on public streets and serve as a reminder to share the road.
Staff proposes to continue the use of green background sharrows on commercial streets where traffic volumes are typically higher and white sharrows for residential streets (Attachment 4). Additionally, staff proposes supplementing the sharrow markings with wayfinding signage at key locations to further assist bicyclists in traversing the City (Attachment 4).
Community Feedback
Staff presented the proposed minimum grid network, sharrow markings and signage to the Traffic and Parking Commission at the December 2, 2021, regular meeting. All five Commissioners expressed support for the proposals, noting that installation of the minimum grid network is a good first step to a network that could be expanded upon in the future, it would help bicyclists navigate more appropriate routes and it would remind drivers that bicyclists are legally allowed to ride on public streets. Three community Meeting Date: January 4, 2022
members also provided their support for these reasons, as well as the fact that Class III facilities do not impact vehicle travel lanes or on-street parking.
The proposed minimum grid network also incorporates community feedback received for the November 9, 2021, public meeting to review draft options for bikeway types on Charleville Boulevard and Gregory Way. The majority of community members that provided their thoughts did not support bikeway types that involved a reduction in vehicle travel lanes or on-street parking and specifically opposed bicycle lanes on both streets.
Next Steps
Staff anticipates installation of the minimum grid network would begin as early as January 2022, and be completed by April 2022. Following the typical procedure for pavement marking and signage installations, public notices advising of the final designs and construction timelines would be mailed to properties along the identified streets prior to installation by Public Works Street Maintenance.
Environmental Review
This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c), Existing Facilities, which exempts minor alterations to existing highways and streets that do not create additional automobile lanes on existing highways and streets.
FISCAL IMPACT
Installation of the proposed quick build minimum grid network is estimated to cost approximately $10-15,000. Funding is available in the approved budget for CIP No. 0100:
Complete Streets.
RECOMMENDATION
This report is for information only.
Shana Epstein,
Director of Public Works
Approved By
Attachment 1
City of Beverly Hills
Complete Streets
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Proposed Bike Enhanced Network
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Existing Bike Facilities
Existing Bike Lanes (Class II)
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City of LA & City of West Hollywood Future Bike Facility #
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Æó Existing bike share station
Proposed Bike Facilities
Proposed Bike Lanes (Class II)
Proposed Bike Boulevard (Class III)
Proposed Protected Bike Lane (Class IV)
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Complete Streets Plan
Holistic Bikeway Network Map
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Attachment 2
Bikeway Implementation Process
On April 20, 2021, the City Council adopted the Complete Streets Plan, which is broken into two standalone documents: (1) Complete Streets Plan and Technical Appendices and (2) Complete Streets Action Plan. Both documents are available on the City’s Complete Streets website:
www.beverlyhills.org/completestreets
The Complete Streets Plan is a long-range document with three main components. First, it includes multi-modal goals and polices that describe the overall vision for transportation in Beverly Hills and guide decision makers as they make decisions about mobility in the City. Second, each modal chapter includes a high-level network map that identifies streets where improvements are proposed; the maps do not dictate how to improve the streets, just generally that they are identified as streets to explore further. Third, the modal chapters include a menu of design options to explore the feasibility of during Plan implementation. The Complete Streets Action Plan prioritizes recommended and ongoing projects from the Plan for implementation in the first six years after plan adoption.
In the bicycling chapter, the Complete Streets Plan features a Holistic Bikeways Network Map (Attachment A), which serves as a blueprint for pursuing new bikeways in Beverly Hills. Based on feedback received from the Traffic and Parking Commission, staff intends to implement the bikeways shown on the network map as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that the implementation process approved by the City Council (outlined below) is followed for each individual street:
Identify bikeway design concepts to explore
Gather data, such as traffic volumes, roadway geometrics, parking utilization, and traffic speeds
Discuss tradeoffs in design concepts, such as level of separation between bicycle and vehicle traffic versus parking removal
Meet with the community and the Traffic and Parking Commission to present information Refine design concepts
Present concept recommendations to the Traffic and Parking Commission and City Council
Develop engineering drawings
Install bikeways
Monitor and evaluate projects based on baseline traffic safety analysis and performance metrics
Adjust designs as needed
The purpose of following this process is to provide adequate opportunities for stakeholder input and to consider the unique conditions and design considerations of every street. Though each street is pursued individually, they all are part of the Holistic Bikeways Network Map and therefore are not being implemented in isolation from the big picture.
The City is pursuing bikeway projects on two parallel tracks: (1) High priority projects identified in the Action Plan that are likely to have significant tradeoffs with vehicle/parking lanes and/or include construction of traffic calming elements and (2) projects with minimal or no tradeoffs therefore could be implemented during ongoing street maintenance.
High Priority Projects
The first year of the Bicycle Action Plan lists high priority bikeway projects the City will pursue before moving onto other projects from the Holistic Bikeways Network Map, including:
Charleville Boulevard-Gregory Way Class IV Protected Bike Lanes Roxbury Drive Class II Bike Lanes
Clifton Way-Le Doux Road Class III Bike Boulevard (with traffic calming) Doheny Drive Class II Bike Lanes
These projects were selected based on community feedback indicating a strong desire for projects south of North Santa Monica Boulevard that provide first/last mile connections to the future Purple Line stations, as well as projects that would provide a backbone network of key eastwest and north-south bikeways. Staff has started to collect data for some of these streets to determine the range of design options that can be discussed with the community. These projects are anticipated to go through robust community engagement processes to discuss the tradeoffs with stakeholders.
Street Maintenance Projects
Each year of the Bicycle Action Plan states that the City will pursue opportunities to install or enhance bikeways through ongoing maintenance, like street restriping and repaving. With regards to the first year of the Action Plan, this includes “low hanging fruit” bikeways as they would require few if any tradeoffs with vehicle/parking lanes and do not include physical elements like traffic calming. None of the high priority bikeway projects identified above meet this criteria.
Any bikeways pursued through ongoing maintenance are in addition to the high priority projects identified above. Bikeway projects the City is currently pursuing as part of Fiscal Year 2021-2022 ongoing street maintenance include:
San Vicente Boulevard Class II Bike Lanes (southbound from north of Clifton Way to north of Wilshire Boulevard)
Burton Way Class II Buffered Bike Lanes (Crescent Drive to eastern City limits) Spalding Drive Class II Bike Lanes (Wilshire Boulevard to Olympic Boulevard) North Beverly Drive Class II Bike Lanes (Sunset Boulevard to North Santa Monica Boulevard)
Streets identified as Class III Bike Boulevards to receive sharrows as a first step, including Clifton Way-Le Doux Road
Attachment 3
Existing bike lanes
In progress bike lanes
(for future City Council consideration)
Existing / planned sharrows
Minimum Grid network
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Proposed Minimum Grid
Attachment 4
Proposed Sharrow Markings:
Commercial Streets
Proposed Sharrow Markings:
Residential Streets
Proposed
Wayfinding:
Sharrow Markings
with Angled Chevrons
Proposed
Wayfinding:
Signage at Key
Locations
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