TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Erik Zandvliet, T.E., City Traffic Engineer
Nhung Madrid, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Discussion on Bicycle Master Plan and Prioritization (Community Development Director McIntosh).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council 1) implement Phase 1 - designation of Class III bike routes as depicted in the attached map and project list; 2) provide further direction regarding remaining projects.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Implementing Phase I costs under $10,000 in materials, plus staff resources to install signs. These costs could be absorbed into the current appropriation for non-motorized transportation improvements. Future phases will be priced as those are brought forward according to Council direction.
BACKGROUND:
In 2011, the City Council approved the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan, which is a multi-jurisdictional plan to regionally connect the cities of Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Gardena, Hawthorne, and Torrance via a comprehensive bicycle network. Manhattan Beach’s portion of the plan identified approximately 31 miles of new bicycle facilities ranging from bike routes, bike-friendly streets, bike lanes, to bike paths. Since adoption of the Plan, approximately six (6) miles of bicycle facilities have been implemented within the City.
DISCUSSION:
Following adoption of the Bicycle Master Plan, the City undertook an update to its General Plan Circulation Element, now retitled as the Mobility Plan. Initially, the Bicycle Master Plan and a phased prioritization of the various proposed facilities was incorporated into the Mobility Plan update. However, due to staffing resources reallocated to other projects within the Community Development Department, progress on the Mobility Plan update was suspended, therefore, active implementation of the Master Bike Plan has been slowed in the last several years.
Now the Draft Mobility Plan has been reactivated and is scheduled for adoption by the City Council within this fiscal year. However, phased prioritization of the Bicycle Master Plan is no longer a component of the Mobility Plan update, and has been replaced with a general goal “to form a backbone of connections to serve key activity centers, and provide much needed east-west connectivity through the City”. Following implementation of the backbone, the next step would be to improve connectivity to other activity centers, with a focus on improving family friendly bike facilities, and lastly to fill in the remaining bikeway links. In this way, the Mobility Plan acts as an overarching policy document which will provide guidance to staff to identify facilities to improve mobility for all users and build an active transportation infrastructure.
The City’s Bicycle Master Plan provides recommendations for approximately 31 miles of new bicycle facilities throughout the City. Prior to approval of the City’s Bikeway Plan, the only bicycle facility within the City was the County owned Marvin Braude Bike Path, which runs parallel to The Strand. Since approval of the Plan in 2011, the City has installed a total of six (6) miles of bikeways on the following street segments:
• Rosecrans Avenue from Highland Ave. to Sepulveda Blvd. (Bike Lanes)
• Manhattan Avenue from 1st St. to 8th St. (Bike Lanes)
• Manhattan Avenue from 8th Street to 15th Street (Bike Route and Sharrows)
• Pacific Avenue from 5th St. to Rosecrans Ave. (Bike Route)
• Redondo Avenue from Artesia Blvd. to Marine Ave. (Bike Route)
• Valley Drive from 17th St. to Oak Ave. (Bike Route)
• Ardmore Ave from 15th St. to Oak Ave.(Bike Route)
With the use of prior, current and future year’s non-motorized transportation funding allocations, the following bicycle facilities are currently in design:
• Rosecrans Avenue at Highland Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard Bike Lane Connections (FY 2017)
• Redondo Avenue in Polliwog Park (FY 2018)
• Westbound Marine Avenue between Aviation Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard Bike Lanes (FY 2018)
• Eastbound Marine Avenue between Aviation Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard Bike Lanes (FY 2019-20)
Bikeway Prioritization Method
Using the existing Bicycle Master Plan as a reference, staff has prioritized the recommended bicycle facilities into four categories for the City Council’s consideration. The categories are meant to maximize the amount of bikeways to be added to the network with the least cost and difficulty. The facilities have been categorized into the following four phases:
Phase 1: Low Hanging Fruit (1-12 months)
Low cost and easy to implement
Phase 2: Quick Wins (1-2 Years)
Moderate cost with high value and relatively easy to implement
Phase 3: Big Hitters (2-5 years)
Large cost with high value and requires capital project funds
Phase 4: Long-Term (5+ years)
Large cost that requires additional land resources and requires capital project funds
As shown in Attachment 1, each proposed implementation phase is shown in a different color on the map, with the “black” segments indicating the City’s current bicycle facilities. These recommendations have been categorized to quickly accomplish a basic bike network while identifying longer-term/higher value action items. At this time, if the Council chooses to re-prioritize any segments to a different phase, staff will make the necessary modifications. Conversely, if the Council supports the Phases as proposed, then staff will begin community engagement and outreach, and evaluation, as needed for the various segments.
Phase 1-Low Hanging Fruit
All Phase 1 projects marked in green on the map are categorized as “Low Hanging Fruit”, and will be signed as Class III Bike Routes. Bike Routes are roadways recommended for bicycle use and often connect to other bike facilities. This phase includes a total of 11.2 miles of Bike Routes citywide. Bike Routes are designated with signs only (no on-street striping) within the existing pavement width. The proposed bike routes do not require lane dedications, striping, and will not impact parking.
Based on the current conditions on each segment, Bike Route signs will be placed on existing poles whenever possible, and new poles will only be installed when absolutely necessary. Some of these routes are already being used by bicyclists, such as 8th Street and Redondo Avenue, which are recommended routes for students on “Bike to School Day”. A full list of Phase 1 is provided in Attachment 2.
Phase 2-Quick Wins
Phase 2 projects marked in yellow on the map are categorized as “Quick Wins” and include a Class II Bike Lane on westbound Marine Avenue from Aviation Boulevard to Sepulveda Boulevard and several new or proposed Bike Routes segments upgraded with “Sharrows” as listed in Attachment 2. 6.7 miles of bikeway are proposed in Phase 2.
Sharrows are a shared-lane marking on the street in the center of the travel lane to indicate that a lane should be shared between motor vehicle and bicyclists. Sharrows are also intended to alert drivers of the presence of bicyclist in the roadway and encourage caution. The City implemented its first sharrows in 2014 on Manhattan Avenue from 8th Street to 15th Street.
Prior to the implementation of any Sharrows in Phase 2, the City will conduct community outreach along the street segment. The outreach may include resources such as Open City Hall, Town Hall Meetings, Informational Meetings, social media, City website, and booths as the local Farmers Market or other local events. The outreach will be a great way to spread the word and gain community input and feedback.
Phase 3-Big Hitters
Phase 3 bicycle facilities are marked on the map in orange, and include street segments which are currently highly traveled, provide regional connectivity to our neighboring cities or would construct Class I Bike Paths or Class IV Separated Bike Paths. 8 miles of bikeway are proposed in Phase 3. These segments will require much more time and money to implement because they will require civil design, infrastructure improvements, coordination with neighboring cities, and potentially feasibility studies and outside funding sources. A full list of Phase 3 is provided in Attachment 2.
Phase 4-Long Term
Lastly, Phase 4 bicycle facilities are shown on the map in pink, and will require a great deal of multi-jurisdictional coordination with neighboring cities. Additionally, these corridors have varying characteristics such as a high traffic volume, heavy on-street commercial parking, topographical concerns, and other design factors. Additionally, these facilities will require a great deal of time and money to implement. The bikeway projects may require many years to plan and pursue funds for project completion. A full list of Phase 4 is provided in Attachment 2.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST
Staff contacted members of the South Bay Bicycle Coalition as part of its outreach to assist in prioritizing the Bikeway Plan. Their recommendations are included in the Priority list in Attachment 2. Also, as part of the implementation process of the various bicycle facilities, staff will perform community outreach and engagement, as needed to gain community input and feedback.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City has reviewed the proposed project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the project qualifies for a Class 4 categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land) of the State CEQA Guidelines since the bike facilities will be constructed within the existing roadway and no travel lanes will be added or deleted. Thus, no further environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachments:
1. Manhattan Beach Bikeways Map
2. Proposed Bikeway Priority List