City of Sunnyvale
Meeting Minutes - Draft
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Commission
6:30 PM Online and Redwood Conference Room,
City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale,
CA 94086
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Public Participation
6:30 P.M. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
CALL TO ORDER
Vice Chair Beagle called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m.
SALUTE TO THE FLAG
Vice Chair Beagle led the salute to the flag.
ROLL CALL
Vice Chair Bryce Beagle
Commissioner Alex Bonne
Commissioner Geeta Gollakota
Commissioner Dan Hafeman
Commissioner Leia Mehlman
Commissioner Diyi Zhu
Present 6 -
Chair Jonathan WilsonAbsent 1 -
Council Liaison Chang (present)
Vice Chair Beagle read a Public Announcement regarding the Transgender Flag Raising Ceremony.
Commissioner Gollakota arrived at 6:36 p.m.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Public Comment opened at 6:36 p.m.
Sharlene Liu, member of the public, commented on the following:
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- Sunnyvale Earth Day, April 11
- CalBike Summit, April 23 and 24
- El Camino Real Annual Ride, May 30
Public Comment closed at 6:38 p.m.
STUDY SESSION
A 26-0406 Sunnyvale Safe Routes to School Coordinator Updates 2025 Angela Obeso, Transportation & Traffic Manager, introduced the topic as an informational item, not an action item, introduced Maria Arellano, Coordinator for Sunnyvale Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) Program, and reminded the Commission of their role. Ms. Arellano gave a presentation. Highlighting the following:
- Goal for Tonight's Study Session
- Safe Routes to School Program
- Student Travel Tallies (Fall 2025)
- Incentives
- Current Programs
- Events
- 2026 New Programs
Commissioner Mehlman asked about the following:
- How survey results were obtained pertaining to who is biking and walking to school
- What percentage of schools responded to the survey notices - Which schools are walking more and which schools are biking more Ms. Arellano responded.
Commissioner Bonne asked about the following:
- If it's possible to make the next SRTS presentation more quantitative rather than qualitative
- Whether Ms. Arellano has access to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) contact list
- What limits the number of students in the bike workshop to 15 Ms. Arellano responded.
Commissioner Gollakota asked about the following:
- Whether Ms. Arellano can share the form that was sent out to schools to gather
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Meeting Minutes - Draft
student travel tallies and who these forms are sent to for response - When the student travel tally forms are sent out to schools - How many responses were received in total across all the schools Ms. Arellano and Ms. Obeso responded.
Commissioner Hafeman asked about the following:
- Whether more detailed information can be provided at future presentations - Who the instructors are at the workshops
Ms. Arellano responded.
Vice Chair Beagle asked about the following:
- How the 2026 New Programs determined
- What constrains the number of programs that can be ran per year - Whether Ms. Arellano is open to suggestions for new program ideas - The intention of the workshops
Ms. Arellano responded.
Public Comment opened at 7:20 p.m.
Sharlene Liu, member of the public, gave a presentation and commented on the following:
- The need for SRTS to serve students that may not live in Sunnyvale but still transit through the City
- The importance of getting the school principals on board with the program - Establishing monthly working group meetings
Kevin Jackson, member of the public, commented on the following:
- SRTS background
Public Comment closed at 7:26 p.m.
Commissioner Mehlman commented on the following:
- Reliance on responses that are not consistent from year to year Commissioner Zhu commented on the following:
- The need for more quantitative data
- Encourages staff to connect with City of Cupertino SRTS staff to gain knowledge in how they collect and present their data
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- Motivating teachers further to gather results via incentives - Other ideas for next year
Commissioner Gollakota commented on the following:
- Incentive ideas
Vice Chair Beagle commented on the following:
- Incentive ideas
- The need for more quantitative data
- Potential future programs
Council Liaison Chang commented on the following:
- Reinventing and Revitalizing Sunnyvale's Safe Routes to School Program
CONSENT CALENDAR
1.A 26-0407 Approve the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of February 19, 2026.
Approve the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of February 19, 2026 as submitted.
Public Comment opened at 7:47 p.m.
No speakers.
Public Comment closed at 7:48 p.m.
Commissioner Mehlman moved and Commissioner Hafeman seconded the motion to approve item 1.A.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Yes Vice Chair Beagle
Commissioner Bonne
Commissioner Gollakota
Commissioner Hafeman
Commissioner Mehlman
Commissioner Zhu
6 -
No 0
Absent Chair Wilson1 -
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PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS
2 26-0408 Recommend to City Council a Sunnyvale Representative to the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Bicycle and
Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)
Recommend to City Council a qualified individual according to the VTA Bylaws for Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee to represent Sunnyvale at the VTA BPAC meetings.
Thinh Le, Transportation Engineer, and Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer/Planner, discussed recommending to City Council a qualified individual according to the VTA Bylaws for Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission to represent Sunnyvale at the VTA BPAC meetings. The current member, Commissioner Mehlman's term, will expire on June 30, 2026. Commissioner Mehlman will remain seated until the City makes a new appointment.
Commissioner Zhu asked about the following:
- Whether Commissoiner Mehlman would like to represent again Commissioner Mehlman responded.
Vice Chair Beagle asked about the following:
- What happens if the representative does not attend the VTA meeting Ms. Tsang responded.
Public Comment opened at 7:55 p.m.
No speakers.
Public Comment closed at 7:56 p.m.
Commissioner Gollakota moved and Commissioner Zhu seconded to recommend to City Council to reappoint Commissioner Mehlman as the Sunnyvale Representative to the VTA BPAC.
The motion carried by the following vote:
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Yes Vice Chair Beagle
Commissioner Bonne
Commissioner Gollakota
Commissioner Hafeman
Commissioner Mehlman
Commissioner Zhu
6 -
No 0
Absent Chair Wilson1 -
3 26-0409
Report and Discussion of Recent Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA) Bicycle and Pedestrian
Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting
Commissioner Mehlman gave the meeting summary report regarding the following topics:
- Committee Staff Report
- County Staff Report
- SB 63 Investment Plan
- VTA focus
- One Bay Area Grant 4 (OBAG 4) 4th cycle distributes FHWA funds in line with Plan Bay Area priorities
- Misc upcoming events
Vice Chair Beagle asked about the following:
- The meaning of 'public transportation expenses'
- Whether the BPAC has anything upcoming relating to the OBAG grant application - Whether the City is hosting a booth for Bike to Work Day Commissioner Mehlman and Ms. Obeso responded.
Commissioner Bonne asked about the following:
- Clarification regarding funding percentages shown on the report - The meaning of 'fixed route'
Commissioner Mehlman, Ms. Obeso and Ms. Tsang responded.
Public Comment opened 8:19 p.m.
No speakers.
Public Comment closed at 8:19 p.m.
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Meeting Minutes - Draft
NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS
-Commissioner Comments
No comments.
-Staff Comments
Ms. Obeso commented on the following:
- Chip Taylor, Director of Public Works, has left the City. Ramana Chinnakotla will be Interim Director of Public Works until the vacancy is filled Mr. Le commented on the following:
- Earth Day Festival, April 11 in front of City Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS
26-0410 BPAC 2026 Annual Work Plan
26-0411 Active Items List March 2026
ADJOURNMENT
Vice Chair Beagle adjourned the meeting at 8:22 p.m.
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