Agenda
1. Preceding online Committee votes taken
2. Hwy 1 Bus-on-Shoulder
3. Rail Trail
3a. Rail trail segments 7, 8, 9 in City of Santa Cruz: what’s next
3b. North Coast Rail Trail Project, Draft EIR, public comments due by Sept. 24
4. Downtown library/garage
5. Climate Emergency resolution: Sierra Club support it?
Minutes
Transportation Committee (“TC”) meeting notes
7:00 - 8:45 pm, Thursday, August 23, 2018
Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St.
7:00 - 8:45 pm, Thursday, August 23, 2018
Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean St.
Attending: TC members present: Jack Nelson, Debbie Bulger, Sally Arnold. TC members absent for causes given: Connie Wilson, Rick Longinotti, Mark Mesiti-Miller, Keresha Durham. Guests: Nina Donna, Joe Jordan
1. Preceding online Committee votes taken
— 6-27-18, letter to Caltrans from Sierra Club, supporting the Active Transportation grant application by the City of SC and County of SC to Caltrans, seeking funding for construction of Segments 8 and 9 of Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail. Final draft letter was approved by vote 8 yes, 0 no, recommending ExCom approve the letter. Followup: ExCom approved then sent the letter with edits, 7-12-18.
2. Hwy 1 Bus-on-Shoulder
— Action was taken at August 16 RTC meeting:
- RTC gave go-ahead for collaboration with SC Metro to integrate a bus-on-shoulder operating concept into planning for future Hwy 1 auxiliary lane project, between Hwy 1 Soquel Ave. interchange and 41st Ave interchange. But, bus-on-shoulder could be developed without building aux lanes.
- Study obtained by SC Metro and Monterey MST finds bus-on-shoulder projects are feasible. Study analyzes various outside shoulder and inside shoulder alternatives for various reaches of Highway 1
- Metro’s study is at http://scmtd.com/images/department/planning/Bus-on-Shoulder.pdf
- RTC gave go-ahead for collaboration with SC Metro to integrate a bus-on-shoulder operating concept into planning for future Hwy 1 auxiliary lane project, between Hwy 1 Soquel Ave. interchange and 41st Ave interchange. But, bus-on-shoulder could be developed without building aux lanes.
- Study obtained by SC Metro and Monterey MST finds bus-on-shoulder projects are feasible. Study analyzes various outside shoulder and inside shoulder alternatives for various reaches of Highway 1
- Metro’s study is at http://scmtd.com/images/department/planning/Bus-on-Shoulder.pdf
3. Rail Trail
3a. Rail trail segments 7, 8, 9 in City of Santa Cruz: what’s next
- Segment 7: Discussion of feasibility of Sierra Club’s proposed alternate route for Segment 7, Phase II per 8-13-18 letter…
- Debbie’s additional idea, bike on both sides of Bay St. rather than one side
- Jack awaiting call back from City’s engineer to answer questions, + no reply yet from Parks re past Parks Comsn agenda item considering a route through La Barranca Park
- Segment 9: In City’s portion from SLR trestle to Yacht Harbor, design process not begin until mid 2019 or later
- per City staff, v. likely feasible, cantilever bike/ped path off existing Yacht Harbor box-structure rail bridge on inland side, no new bridge
- design process should integrate City Arborist’s input at outset, maximize protection of existing trees, + real opportunity to plant in existing ruderal areas
- potential habitat improvements including for native species diversity, invasives removals (Acacia trees, pampas grass, English ivy, etc)
- future connections? Cayuga St. Neighborhood Greenway could be similar to earlier pre-recession neighborhood plan and/or City's adopted 2016 Active Transportation Plan, and, rail trail access/crossing point at end of Mountain View Ave.?
3b. North Coast Rail Trail Project, Draft EIR, public comments due by Sept. 24
- RTC’s info page is at https://sccrtc.org/projects/multi-modal/monterey-bay-sanctuary-scenic-trail/north-coast-rail-trail/
- Public information event was Wed. Aug. 22, PD Community Rm
- agreed, important for TC input to be included in any Sierra Club comments letters on transportation-related projects or issues, ongoing
- discussed, possible informal cross-committee meeting (TC, ConsCom) for those interested, to dig into lengthy DEIR
- Jack will reach out to Erica (ConsCom Chair), how to collaborate 2 committees on review and develop comments?
- Nina is interested to engage on this; Jack also + can assemble comments
3c. Trail With Transit events
- June 28, Watsonville event had 50 people attending
- Sally is willing to work on "something" next
- Segment 7: Discussion of feasibility of Sierra Club’s proposed alternate route for Segment 7, Phase II per 8-13-18 letter…
- Debbie’s additional idea, bike on both sides of Bay St. rather than one side
- Jack awaiting call back from City’s engineer to answer questions, + no reply yet from Parks re past Parks Comsn agenda item considering a route through La Barranca Park
- Segment 9: In City’s portion from SLR trestle to Yacht Harbor, design process not begin until mid 2019 or later
- per City staff, v. likely feasible, cantilever bike/ped path off existing Yacht Harbor box-structure rail bridge on inland side, no new bridge
- design process should integrate City Arborist’s input at outset, maximize protection of existing trees, + real opportunity to plant in existing ruderal areas
- potential habitat improvements including for native species diversity, invasives removals (Acacia trees, pampas grass, English ivy, etc)
- future connections? Cayuga St. Neighborhood Greenway could be similar to earlier pre-recession neighborhood plan and/or City's adopted 2016 Active Transportation Plan, and, rail trail access/crossing point at end of Mountain View Ave.?
3b. North Coast Rail Trail Project, Draft EIR, public comments due by Sept. 24
- RTC’s info page is at https://sccrtc.org/projects/multi-modal/monterey-bay-sanctuary-scenic-trail/north-coast-rail-trail/
- Public information event was Wed. Aug. 22, PD Community Rm
- agreed, important for TC input to be included in any Sierra Club comments letters on transportation-related projects or issues, ongoing
- discussed, possible informal cross-committee meeting (TC, ConsCom) for those interested, to dig into lengthy DEIR
- Jack will reach out to Erica (ConsCom Chair), how to collaborate 2 committees on review and develop comments?
- Nina is interested to engage on this; Jack also + can assemble comments
3c. Trail With Transit events
- June 28, Watsonville event had 50 people attending
- Sally is willing to work on "something" next
4. Downtown library/garage
- Will not be on City Council Aug 28 agenda; could be on agenda in September
- May be news forthcoming about Nelson/Nygaard’s parking study stalled
- ExCom 8-8-2018, approved new updated letter to City Council, opposing library/garage combo project
- Campaign for Sustainable Transportation is developing a more extensive campaign focused on this issue, including:
“Garage Alternatives Party,” Sat. Sept. 22, 3-5 pm, Walnut Commons, 190 Walnut, music by Rus Brutsche, guest speaker Melanie Curry, Calif. editor of Streetsblog.org
- Will not be on City Council Aug 28 agenda; could be on agenda in September
- May be news forthcoming about Nelson/Nygaard’s parking study stalled
- ExCom 8-8-2018, approved new updated letter to City Council, opposing library/garage combo project
- Campaign for Sustainable Transportation is developing a more extensive campaign focused on this issue, including:
“Garage Alternatives Party,” Sat. Sept. 22, 3-5 pm, Walnut Commons, 190 Walnut, music by Rus Brutsche, guest speaker Melanie Curry, Calif. editor of Streetsblog.org
5. Climate Emergency resolution: Sierra Club support it?
https://scruzclimate.org/climate-emergency/
- Debbie’s suggestion: add a resolution item about carbon sequestration in large trees, require compensate tree removal proportionately
- Only a briefest discussion, was past time to end meeting