TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Marisa Lundstedt, Director of Community Development
Erik Zandvliet, T.E., City Traffic Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Presentation and Approval of the South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan (Community Development Director Lundstedt).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan recommendations for future implementation within the City.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Implementation costs for five mini-corral locations are estimated at approximately $30,000 for materials and installation. Funds are available in the Non-Motorized Transportation Fund subject to project prioritization.
BACKGROUND:
The South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan is a planning document that recommends locations for bicycle mini-corrals in the cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach, referred to in this Plan as the ''participating cities'' (Attachment 1) Bicycle mini-corrals are clusters of two to four bicycle racks located on-street, along the curb in commercial areas. Some cities choose to replace an on-street parking stall with a bicycle corral, however due to high vehicle parking demand in the participating cities; this Plan only recommends bicycle mini-corrals in locations that do not require parking removal.
This Plan serves to implement bike parking recommendations from the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan, a seven-city multi-jurisdictional bike plan for the cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Gardena, Lawndale, Torrance, and El Segundo. It furthers the efforts of the Bicycle Master Plan by recommending locations for mini-corrals and providing design guidelines for their installation.
This Plan was funded by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). In April 2012, SCAG adopted the 2012-2035 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS): Towards a Sustainable Future. The RTP/SCS guides regional planning policy through the integration of land use planning and transportation investment decision-making. SCAG's Sustainability Program implements the RTP/SCS by funding projects that further its goals. The South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan received funding from this program as the Plan helps to improve bicycling on a regional scale in Southern California. The South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan was prepared and developed by ALTA Planning + Design for SCAG.
On April 23, 2015, the Parking and Public Improvements Commission heard a presentation from ALTA Planning + Design, summarizing the South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan. The presentation highlighted the key aspects of the South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan, such as a description of bike mini-corrals, development of the plan and details of each priority location. The Commission heard public comments from three residents and one South Bay Bicycle Coalition board member, all in favor of establishing bicycle mini-corrals. The speakers noted that the Plan adds bicycle parking while preserving vehicle spaces, and is also being implemented in other South Bay cities. The Commission recommended that the City Council approve the Plan for future implementation (Attachment 2)
DISCUSSION:
Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach are experiencing increasingly high levels of bicycling year-round. The cities have attractors, such as the Marvin Braude Bikeway along the beach, the Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach Piers, Redondo Beach's King Harbor, and various business districts to which residents and visitors enjoy riding. As additional people choose to bike in the participating cities, there is a need for additional bicycle parking locations. The South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan addresses this need by recommending bicycle mini-corral sites in the three cities. Bicycle mini-corrals provide higher capacity than sidewalk racks because they can accommodate more bicycles in a smaller space by clustering racks in underutilized on-street locations; increasing parking for businesses is especially important in commercial areas.
During the Plan's development, the participating cities invited residents, community groups, stakeholders, and others with an interest in bicycle parking to attend a public input meeting as part of the Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan. The workshop took place on Thursday, September 11, 2014, at the Manhattan Heights Community Center. An online mapping tool was also developed and used by the public to submit suggestions on locations for bicycle mini-corrals. Each City formed a community-based team to visit their top scoring potential bicycle mini-corral sites and conduct further analysis in the field. The team included City Staff, South Bay Bicycle Coalition, Alta Planning + Design, local businesses, and Chambers of Commerce members.
The Plan identifies five priority locations for bicycle mini-corrals in each participating city, as well as several secondary locations for further consideration (Attachment 3). Each of the priority locations is analyzed in detail in the Plan and is deemed feasible for implementation.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Public notices inviting public comment and attendance at the Commission meeting were sent to interested parties, including the South Bay Bicycle Coalition. A noticed public hearing was held at the Parking and Public Improvements Commission meeting on April 23, 2015, to receive public comments.
CONCLUSION:
The Parking and Public Improvements Commission recommends that the South Bay Bicycle Mini-Corral Plan be approved by the City Council for future implementation.