City of Sunnyvale
Excerpt Meeting Minutes - Final
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Commission
6:30 PM Online and Redwood Conference Room,
City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale,
CA 94086
Thursday, February 20, 2025
6:30 P.M. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Beagle called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Chair Bryce Beagle
Vice Chair Arwen Davé
Commissioner Alex Bonne
Commissioner Geeta Gollakota
Commissioner Dan Hafeman
Commissioner Leia Mehlman
Commissioner Jonathan Wilson
Present 7 -
PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS
2 25-0371 Discussion on Projects for Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 Application
Angela Wong, Transportation Engineer, gave a presentation highlighting the following:
- Overview of TDA Article 3 Funding: Explained the Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 funding for fiscal year 2025/26, including its eligibility criteria and available funds.
- Funding Usage: TDA funds can be used for bicycle and pedestrian capital improvement projects (CIP), including design and construction, quick-build projects, secured bicycle parking facilities, and restriping (e.g., Class II bike lanes). - Previous Year’s Allocation: Last year’s funding of $411,038 was banked for the construction phase of a sidewalk installation project on Poplar Avenue, a high-priority project for the City Council.
- Current Available Funds: The City currently has $621,513 in TDA funds, including the banked funds from last year and rescission funding from completed projects that
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Meeting Minutes - Final
did not use their full allocations.
- Potential Projects: Staff identified several potential projects for TDA funding, ranked by cost:
1 - Poplar Avenue Sidewalks: Near Peterson Middle School, completing missing sidewalk connections. Total construction cost: $895,000. 2 - Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs): At California Avenue & Frances Street (part of ATP) and Sunset Avenue & Washington Avenue (resident request and near a park). Estimated cost: $700,000.
3 - Evelyn Avenue Multi-Use Trail: Construction phase from the western city limits to Mathilda Place. Estimated cost: $300,000.
4 - Crossing Improvements at Gail Avenue & Iris Avenue: High-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, and green stormwater infrastructure near Braly Elementary School.
Estimated cost: $225,000.
5 - Pork Chop Island Reduction on El Camino Real: Westbound at Murphy Avenue and Frances Street to improve bike safety. Estimated cost: $65,000. 6 - Full-Time Bike Lanes on Homestead Road: Converting part-time bike lanes into full-time lanes. Funding needed for signage installation. Estimated cost: $60,000. 7 - Class III Bicycle Route on Pastoria Avenue: Marking the route with signage, sharrows, and shoulder striping. Estimated cost: $35,000. - BPAC Decision Process:
- If BPAC agrees with staff’s recommendation to bank the funds for the Poplar Avenue Sidewalk project, a motion can be made.
- If BPAC prefers to fund other projects, staff will assess feasibility and return with findings in the March BPAC meeting.
- BPAC must make a final funding recommendation by the May meeting.
Commissioner Hafeman asked about the following:
- The long history of the sidewalk project on Poplar Avenue and the decision made a year ago to bank TDA funding for it.
- Whether assurances made by the Mayor and possibly others last year still hold true—that if BPAC banked the funds again this year, additional funding would be available to complete the project this summer.
- Clarification on whether banking the funds again this year, combined with other funding sources, would indeed be enough to fully complete the project. - Concern that, at least a year ago, even with another year of banking TDA funds, there would still be a funding gap.
- The uncertainty regarding where the additional funding would come from and a desire for a City Council representative to provide clarification.
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Commissioner Hafeman asked about the following:
- Last year, we were assured that if we banked TDA funds again, additional funding would be available to complete the Poplar Avenue sidewalk project this summer.
Does that assurance still hold?
- Do you have any feedback on whether or not there is enough funding if we apply the money this year to that project?
Council Liaison Le and Ms. Tsang responded.
Chair Beagle asked about the following:
- The Homestead Road project mentions a slurry seal scheduled for 2026. If funded, will the signs also be installed in 2026, or could they be installed earlier? - Even if funding is allocated, full-time bike lane is still about a year and a half away.
Is there a way to accelerate the slurry seal work, possibly to summer 2025? - In past TDA funding meetings, the Las Palmas Park fence project was discussed multiple times. It is not listed as a potential TDA item this year. Has a solution been found, or has it simply been removed from consideration? - Regarding the RRFB project, why were RRFBs chosen over other traffic-calming measures for this intersection?
- Residents seem to be requesting RRFBs due to concerns about traffic navigation.
Does this mean RRFBs are being classified as a traffic-calming measure? - How does this approach align with the restriction on traffic calming for Washington Avenue, which is classified as a collector?
- To clarify, is the RRFB installation purely about improving pedestrian visibility rather than acting as a traffic-calming measure?
- What was the cost for the Evelyn Bike Trail?
Ms. Wong and Ms. Tsang responded.
Public Comment opened at 9:08 p.m.
Sharlene Liu, member of the public, commented on the following:
- The importance of the Peterson Middle School sidewalks was emphasized, with concern raised about using TDA funding for large projects due to high costs (over $800,000). It was suggested that TDA funding ($140,000) is insufficient for such projects, leading to potential losses as construction costs increase. - A question was raised regarding the discrepancy between the $60,000 listed for the Homestead Road bike lanes and the $440,000 budget proposal, seeking clarification on how the $60,000 fits into the larger funding needs.
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- It was recommended to install the bike lane sign without the bike icon that's painted on the asphalt for the Homestead Road Bike Lane Project. - It was suggested to remove the Pastoria Avenue Class III bikeways from the TDA list.
- A request was made for a more transparent process in TDA funding decisions, with frustration expressed that previous suggestions, including those from BPAC members, didn’t make it onto the list, despite the time spent identifying suitable projects. There was an emphasis on incorporating more public and BPAC input on project selection.
Kevin Jackson, member of the public, commented on the following:
- Caution about relying on TDA funding for sidewalk projects, as they can sometimes drag on for years and prevent exploration of other funding sources. - Proposal to focus on removing illegal or nonconforming entry barriers (such as chicanes and bollards) on 37 access paths around the city, which obstruct cyclists. - Highway design standards prohibit using barriers to force cyclists to slow down, stop, or dismount.
- Suggestion to remove barriers, add curb ramps, and paint curbs red to prevent parking, improving safety and utility for cyclists.
- Estimated cost of $20,000 per location for improvements, which would fall within the TDA funding budget.
- Recommendation to consider these access path improvements for TDA funding.
Public Comment closed at 9:16 p.m.
Commissioner Mehlman commented on the following:
- TDA funds are not a flexible pool of money the City can access at any time. - The City must submit a grant proposal to the MTC, which must be approved before the funds can be used.
Chair Beagle asked about the following:
- Have all the projects on this list been approved by MTC? - What happens if MTC rejects a project proposal?
- Is there another round of project selection if MTC rejects a proposal, or is it just done for that year?
- What types of projects does MTC typically approve for TDA funding, such as improving bike and pedestrian cut-throughs? Would that type of project be eligible? Ms. Tsang responded.
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Vice Chair Davé asked about the following:
- Can the funds be split between banking some and using some for specific projects?
- Would it be possible to use a portion of the funds, such as the $60k needed for full-time bike lanes on Homestead Road, while still banking the remainder? Ms. Wong and Ms. Tsang responded.
Chair Beagle commented about the following:
- The signs for the bike lane on Homestead Road should be able to be changed without repainting the road, as it already works as a bike lane during the day. - The signs could potentially be changed sooner without waiting for the slurry seal or repainting the road.
- Future TDA funding should focus on smaller projects rather than large ones that require banking funds for several years.
- The Class III Bike Boulevards project should be excluded from the list, as it has been considered a degradation of the road by the community.
Ms. Wong and Ms. Tsang responded.
Commissioner Wilson asked about the following:
- Whether the funding could be earmarked for the signage change for the full-time bike lanes, even with the lag between when the painting will be done and when the signs can be installed.
Ms. Wong and Ms. Tsang responded.
Commissioner Hafeman moved and Commissioner Mehlman seconded the motion to not bank the funds.
The motion carried with the following vote:
Yes Chair Beagle
Vice Chair Davé
Commissioner Bonne
Commissioner Gollakota
Commissioner Hafeman
Commissioner Mehlman
Commissioner Wilson
7 -
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