Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Rafael presentation of draft bike-and-ped plan prompts committee demand for earlier disability outreach, request for comment-extension
Summary
Public Works unveiled a draft citywide bicycle and pedestrian plan and set a June 15 comment deadline; commission members pressed staff for earlier, targeted outreach to disability stakeholders, voted to ask for an extension and requested a formal ADA outreach checklist for future projects.
Public Works presented the draft citywide bicycle and pedestrian plan update and said the document is available for review on the project website, with public comments accepted through June 15. Kelly, a traffic engineering technician and the project manager, described the update as a 5—to—0-year mid-range plan that revises the 2018 list of projects, adds pedestrian-focused gap-closure projects and adjusts timelines and grant priorities.
Commissioners pressed Kelly on engagement with disability-access organizations. "We did not speak to any specific disability access services," Kelly said, adding the project team prioritized outreach in equitable-priority neighborhoods such as the Canal and Terra Linda and that project staff could perform targeted outreach for individual projects. Multiple commissioners said the June 15 deadline left insufficient time to solicit meaningful input from disability-serving groups.
Following the discussion, the commission voted to make two formal requests of Public Works: (1) to consider extending the public-comment period for the draft plan so the commission and local disability organizations can review and circulate the document, and (2) to develop an internal checklist to ensure the disability community and ADA stakeholders are included in outreach before projects are finalized. The motion to request an extension was moved and seconded and approved; the subsequent motion asking Public Works to create an ADA engagement checklist was also approved by the commission.
Greg Minor, the committee's staff liaison, said staff would follow up with Public Works on whether the comment deadline could be extended and would pass commissioners' concerns to the project team. Kelly said she would look into an extension and would coordinate with the communications team about broader outreach steps and presenting the draft to the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee on June 10.
What happens next: Public Works will check project scheduling and report back to the commission about whether the June 15 deadline can be extended; the commission also expects to receive confirmation that an outreach checklist will be developed and shared. The project team will present the draft plan at the BPAC meeting on June 10, and staff will accept written comments via the project web page.
