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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Contract with JB & Associates, LLC. in the amount of $122,810 to conduct and analyze Citywide Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts
1. Motion to authorize contract with JB & Associates, LLC. for $122,810 for Citywide Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts required for Vision Zero Action Plan Development
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Consent Item
Approved for June 25, 2024 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Council directed staff to begin work on developing a Vision Zero policy for the City, seeking to eliminate traffic related fatalities across all modes by 2030. Vision Zero also seeks to enhance coordination across the various disciplines associated with planning, designing, implementing, and enforcing transportation systems. The policy relies on collecting data that allows for responses that are targeted and focused, while creating synergy amongst the City’s many plans and implementation strategies. Council’s motion to approve this contract will move this project to the next phase of the action plan to identify and prioritize the most beneficial pedestrian and bicycle safety improvement projects, and to allocate more resources to those locations.
A citywide pedestrian and bicycle count is fundamental to developing a data-driven Vision Zero Action Plan. This work will update the last citywide bicycle and pedestrian counts, which were completed in 2019.
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RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Professional Service Agreement with JB & Associates to conduct the Citywide Bicycle and Pedestrian counts and data analysis for the development of the Citywide Vision Zero Action Plan.
ANALYSIS
At the July 12, 2022 and October 18, 2022 City Council meetings, the Council provided staff direction on the creation of a Vision Zero Action Plan. Vision Zero challenges the traditional approach to traffic safety by recognizing that traffic collisions aren’t random and unavoidable. With the right approach, they are predictable and preventable. The City’s Vision Zero Plan will describe a data-driven and systemic approach that will make streets safer through proactive, low-cost measures, preventing fatal collisions on the road. The Vision Zero Action Plan will include detailed recommendations on how to implement strategies to create safer streets for all road users.
The City has begun developing Vision Zero policy guidelines with much of the underlying framework being derived from existing infrastructure, enforcement, and plans, such as the Citywide Pedestrian Plan, Citywide Safety Plan, and Bicycle Transportation Plan. The City has also taken steps to reduce collisions with pedestrians and cyclists by creating events for public engagement, public education, and awareness of City policies and plans.
Utilizing a comprehensive, coherent, and data-driven approach that encompasses aspects of Engineering, Education and Enforcement will serve as the primary drivers for Glendale’s Vision Zero Action Plan. This will be achieved through an initial analyzing of citywide pedestrian and bicycle counts following the completion of the plan, and yearly audits to evaluate the impacts of the engineering, education, and enforcement.
A $122,810 contract with JB & Associates to conduct bicycle and pedestrian counts and analyze the data to evaluate Citywide Bicycle Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Action Plan recommendations are necessary as these plans intimately intertwined. JB & Associates has a comprehensive knowledge of the City’s goals, traffic engineering infrastructure, and established stakeholder involvement.
JB & Associates, LLC is a practice-based and service-oriented consulting firm that provides expert services in traffic engineering, transportation planning, and traffic operations both to public and private sectors. The JB & Associates team are licensed civil and traffic engineers in the State of CA, with over 80 years of combined experience in all aspects of municipal traffic engineering and transportation planning. They have extensive experience in community outreach, consensus building among homeowner associations, business community, and developers of major projects.
Staff developed the Draft Scope of Work for the Citywide pedestrian and bicycle counts and analysis (Exhibit 1).
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The JB & Associates team’s background of City of Glendale’s transportation studies and plans will be instrumental in addressing pedestrian, bikes and analysis for the study. The JB & Associates team is comprised by all former city traffic engineers that have worked for local cities in Los Angeles area and are most familiar with city government’s procedures and project implementation. Key areas of experience include preparing over 40 Traffic Impact Studies and Parking Studies for large and small mixed use residential, commercial and retail projects in the cities of Glendale, Los Angeles and other cities in Los Angeles County in the last 5 years. JBA also has extensive vehicular, pedestrian and bicyclist data collections experience in using the state-of-the- art data collection technology (video detection) for various projects. Additionally, the team has extensive knowledge of City of Glendale Bicycle Master Plan, Downtown Mobility Plan, Circulation Element of the General Plan, and Glendale Citywide Pedestrian Plan. JB & Associates team will apply their knowledge and experience gained from the working in Glendale’s projects to prepare a comprehensive analysis that addresses pedestrian and bicycle challenges and opportunities in the city.
While an RFP was not released for this project because of the lower dollar amount of the contract, this item is before Council for approval because JB & Associates has another contract with the City of Glendale for the Drive Thru analysis. The two contracts together exceed the dollar amount per vendor staff is permitted to execute contracts with without prior Council approval.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
The scope of work will include extensive stakeholder outreach as part of developing and analyzing the pedestrian and bicycle counts for Vision Zero Action Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT
The funds to conduct a Citywide Pedestrian and Bicycle Count in the amount of $122,810, are included in the FY 2023-24 budget in the following account:
Existing Appropriation
Amount Account String Funding Source
$122,810 43110-4090-CDD-0020-P0000
PL: CDD00943AG
TDA Grant – CIP
Reimbursement Fund
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
Exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15262, for projects involving only feasibility or planning studies for possible future actions which the agency, board, or commission has not approved, adopted, or funded. Environmental review would be conducted as part of the Vision Zero Action Plan.
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CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
In accordance with the City Campaign Finance Ordinance, Exhibit 2 shows the names and business addresses of the members of the board of directors, the chairperson, CEO, COO, CFO, Subcontractors and any person or entity with 10% interest or more in the company proposed for contract in this Agenda Item Report.
ALTERNATIVES
Alternative 1: Approve a Motion approving a $122,810 contract with JB & Associates, LLC to conduct pedestrian and bicycle counts and analyses for development of citywide Vision Zero Action Plan.
Alternative 2: Do not approve the motion to award the contract. This will result in the loss of $122,810 in TDA grant funds and a delay in the initiation of the Vision Zero Action Plan as TDA funds must be encumbered by June 30, 2024.
Alternative 3: Consider any other alternative not proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Prepared by:
Fred Zohrehvand, Principal Planner
Tamar Sadd, Deputy Director of Community Development, Administration
Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
1. DRAFT Scope of Work: Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts and Analyses
2. Campaign Disclosure Form