HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-18-2025 ATC Agenda Packet
Active Transportation Committee
AGENDA
Thursday, September 18, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
The Active Transportation Committee holds in-person meetings. Zoom participation will not be
supported. Attendees of City Council or Advisory Body meetings are eligible to receive one hour of
complimentary parking; restrictions apply, visit Parking for Public Meetings for more details.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public Comment prior to the meeting (must be received 3 hours in advance of the meeting):
Mail - Delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Address letters to the City Clerk's Office at 990
Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, 93401.
Email - Submit Public Comments via email to advisorybodies@slocity.org. In the body of your
email, please include the date of the meeting and the item number (if applicable). Emails will not
be read aloud during the meeting.
Voicemail - Call (805) 781-7164 and leave a voicemail. Please state and spell your name, the
agenda item number you are calling about, and leave your comment. Verbal comments must be
limited to 3 minutes. Voicemails will not be played during the meeting.
*All correspondence will be archived and distributed to members, however, submissions received
after the deadline may not be processed until the following day.
Public Comment during the meeting:
Meetings are held in-person. To provide public comment during the meeting, you must be
present at the meeting location.
Electronic Visual Aid Presentation. To conform with the City's Network Access and Use Policy,
Chapter 1.3.8 of the Council Policies & Procedures Manual, members of the public who desire
to utilize electronic visual aids to supplement their oral presentation must provide display-ready
material to the City Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Contact the City Clerk's
Office at cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781-7114.
Pages
1.CALL TO ORDER
Chair Garrett Otto will call the Regular Meeting of the Active Transportation
Committee to order.
2.PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the agenda.
Persons wishing to speak should come forward and state their name and
address. Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Items raised at this
time are generally referred to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary,
may be scheduled for a future meeting.
3.CONSENT
Matters appearing on the Consent Calendar are expected to be non-
controversial and will be acted upon at one time. A member of the public may
request the Active Transportation Committee pull an item for discussion. The
public may comment on any and all items on the Consent Agenda within the
three-minute time limit.
3.a CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES - JULY 17, 2025, ACTIVE
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MINUTES
5
Recommendation:
To approve the Active Transportation Committee Minutes of July 17,
2025.
4.BUSINESS ITEMS
4.a CITYWIDE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN 9
Recommendation:
Consider appointing a subcommittee to assess the need for a single
Citywide Safe Routes to School Plan at this time, and if so, to define the
scope to prepare for a possible new work effort to be considered in the
next financial plan for fiscal year 2027-29.
5.COMMENT AND DISCUSSION
5.a COMMITTEE MEMBER UPDATES
Receive a brief update from Active Transportation Committee members.
5.b STAFF UPDATES
Receive a brief update from Active Transportation Manager Adam
Fukushima on the following topics:
Crossing Improvement at South/King Streets1.
Prado Interchange Value Analysis2.
SLOCOG Presenting 2025 SLO Safe Streets Forum on 9/25/253.
SLO Rideshare Leading "Walktober" throughout month of
October
4.
5.c FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Active Transportation Manager Adam Fukushima will provide a forecast
of items coming before the Active Transportation Committee.
6.ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the Active Transportation Committee meeting is
scheduled for November 20, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room at
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
LISTENING ASSISTIVE DEVICES are available -- see the Clerk
The City of San Luis Obispo wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible
to the public. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate
alternative formats to persons with disabilities. Any person with a disability who
requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting
should direct such request to the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 781-7114 at least
48 hours before the meeting, if possible. Telecommunications Device for the
Deaf (805) 781-7410.
Agenda related writings or documents provided to the Active Transportation
Committee are available for public inspection on the City’s website:
https://www.slocity.org/government/mayor-and-city-council/agendas-and-
minutes. Meeting recordings may be found on the City’s website:
https://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=60965
1
Active Transportation Committee Minutes
July 17, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
Active Transportation
Committee Members
Present:
Member Dave Amos, Member Lea Brooks, Member Russell
Mills, Vice Chair Kimmie Nguyen, Chair Garrett Otto
ATC Members Absent: Member Tyler Coari, Member Francine Levin
City Staff Present: Active Transportation Manager Adam Fukushima, Transportation
Manager Luke Schwartz, Recording Secretary Lareina Gamboa
_____________________________________________________________________
1.CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Active Transportation Committee was
called to order on July 17, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City
Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Otto.
2.PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
Helen Finger
--End of Public Comment--
3.CONSENT
3.a CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES - MAY 15, 2025, ACTIVE
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MINUTES
Motion By Member Mills
Second By Member Brooks
To approve the Active Transportation Committee Minutes of May 15, 2025,
with the following amendments:
1.Add to Item 5.b: "By consensus, the committee recommended that
the City apply for a Federal Safe Street for All grand for the
Foothill Complete Streets Project with a focus on Safe Routes to
School."
Page 5 of 17
2
2. Add to Item 6.c: "By consensus, the committee recommended
bringing an agenda item to the September meeting to discuss
pursuing a citywide Safe Routes to School Plan."
Ayes (5): Member Amos, Member Brooks, Member Mills, Vice Chair
Nguyen, and Chair Otto
Absent (2): Member Coari, and Member Levin
CARRIED (5 to 0)
4. BUSINESS ITEMS
4.a BOB JONES TRAIL: BROADSTONE PROJECT PRELIMINARY DESIGN
CONCEPTS
Public Comment:
Helen Finger
Peggy Mandeville
Anne Wyatt
Kevin Christian
--End of Public Comment--
Motion By Member Mills
Second By Member Brooks
The committee recommends the Bob Jones Trail be aligned, as close as
practical, to the creek, with a parallel biking facility on the bypass road.
Ayes (5): Member Amos, Member Brooks, Member Mills, Vice Chair
Nguyen, and Chair Otto
Absent (2): Member Coari, and Member Levin
CARRIED (5 to 0)
Motion By Chair Otto
Second By Member Amos
The committee recommends the preferred at-grade configuration
approach, with the north and south bound two-way Shared Use Paths of
the Trail Crossing of LOVR, regardless of a bypass road, with staff
recommendations.
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3
Ayes (5): Member Amos, Member Brooks, Member Mills, Vice Chair
Nguyen, and Chair Otto
Absent (2): Member Coari, and Member Levin
CARRIED (5 to 0)
Motion By Member Mills
Second By Member Brooks
The committee requests an exploration of the east creek alignment
undercrossing of the creek as shown in the connection study in Figure 6-9.
Ayes (5): Member Amos, Member Brooks, Member Mills, Vice Chair
Nguyen, and Chair Otto
Absent (2): Member Coari, and Member Levin
CARRIED (5 to 0)
Motion By Member Amos
Second By Member Mills
The committee is in support of the grade separated crossings of LOVR.
Ayes (5): Member Amos, Member Brooks, Member Mills, Vice Chair
Nguyen, and Chair Otto
Absent (2): Member Coari, and Member Levin
CARRIED (5 to 0)
4.b 2025 HOUSEHOLD TRANSPORTATION SURVEY
Public Comment:
Helen Finger
--End of Public Comment--
5. COMMENT AND DISCUSSION
5.a COMMITTEE MEMBER UPDATES
Active Transportation Committee members provided a brief update.
5.b STAFF UPDATES
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4
Active Transportation Manager Adam Fukushima provided updates on the
following topics:
1. DRAFT Vision Zero Action Plan
2. SLO Classical Academy
3. FY 2025-27 Budget
4. Bike Month Recap
5.c FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Active Transportation Manager Adam Fukushima provided the agenda
forecast.
By consensus, the committee recommended waiting until an evacuation
analysis of the Draft Vision Zero Plan is complete before inviting the Fire
Chief to speak to the committee.
6. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the Active
Transportation Committee is scheduled for September 18, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in
the Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
_________________________
APPROVED BY ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: XX/XX/202X
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City of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission
Active Transportation Committee
AGENDA REPORT ITEM 4A
DATE: September 18, 2025
FROM: Adam Fukushima, Active Transportation Manager
SUBJECT: CITYWIDE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN
Recommendation
Consider appointing a subcommittee to assess the need for a single citywide Safe Routes to
School Plan.
Background
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is an international effort to increase the number of students
bicycling and walking to schools, usually in the K-12 grades. It involves a multipronged approach
to improve transportation infrastructure around schools (usually focused on a one-mile radius
around schools) along with encouragement programs such walk and bike to school days, and
education.
The City of San Luis Obispo has long supported SRTS projects and programs. At the May 15,
2025 meeting, staff presented an update on the City’s SRTS efforts, noting current policy, planning
efforts and progress toward implementing SRTS infrastructure improvements.
The City’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP) Goal 2.5 calls for developing a Safe Routes to School
Improvement Plan for all K–12 schools to reduce safety and mobility barriers. Implementation
depends on the two-year Financial Plan, which sets priorities based on projected revenues,
resources, and other citywide needs.
To date, the City’s SRTS planning efforts has focused on creating separate Safe Routes to School
Plans for each school to provide more granularity and focused effort on each school’s unique
circumstances and needs rather than a comprehensive, single SRTS Plan for the city as a whole.
The first product of this effort was the Safe Routes to School Plan for Bishop Peak and Pacheco
Elementary School. For the 2023-25 Financial Plan, the ATC recommended continuing with this
singular approach to SRTS Plans by recommending that the next SRTS effort should focus on SLO
High School. However, the project was not recommended as a top priority and the 2023-25
Financial Plan focused on the top budget priorities.
On November 21, 2024, the ATC recommended a prioritized list of projects for the 2025–27
Financial Plan (Attachment 1). Given a projected decrease in city revenue for the upcoming budget
cycle, the list emphasized completing projects already underway or with grant obligations,
including major complete streets improvements on Higuera, Foothill, and Broad corridors—each
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incorporating significant SRTS elements. Staff presented these priorities at the May 15, 2025
meeting, consistent with ATC’s earlier recommendation, and they were later approved in the
2025–27 Financial Plan adopted by Council in June 2025. However, during the May 15 discussion,
the ATC also expressed interest in expanding SRTS efforts by developing a comprehensive,
citywide SRTS plan. The committee requested that a future agenda item be scheduled for formal
discussion and deliberation on this new initiative.
At this time, staff acknowledges the interest in developing a citywide Safe Routes to School plan
but is now uncertain about the need for a separate effort. Since it was not identified as a priority in
the adopted Financial Plan and two-year work program and given that many elements are already
being advanced through existing plans and projects, it is not yet clear whether a standalone
citywide plan would add value or risk duplicating work efforts already underway.
Discussion
SRTS Components in the current 2025-27 Financial Plan
The 2025-27 Financial Plan continues the commitment to Sustainable Transportation as a Major
City Goal (MCG) with a commitment to make measurable progress on the following projects
which contain components of SRTS:
• Higuera Complete Streets Project, including neighborhood greenways on Exposition,
Corrida, and Woodbridge (nearby Hawthorne Elementary) and incremental improvements
to Madonna Road (cross-town route to Laguna Middle School)
• Higuera & Prado Protected Intersection as part of Prado Bridge Project (primary route to
Hawthorne Elementary for many neighborhoods)
• South & King Crossing Upgrades (nearby Hawthorne Elementary)
• Foothill Complete Streets Project (nearby Bishop Peak and Pacheco Elementary Schools
and Cal Poly). The City has also applied for a Safe Streets and Road For All (SS4A) Grant
to supplement the project and is awaiting a status on the grant application.
• S. Broad Complete Streets Project (nearby Hawthorne Elementary portion of route to Los
Ranchos Elementary within City right-of-way)
• 2026 Neighborhood Resealing, including neighborhoods south of South Street and
Sinsheimer/Johnson areas (nearby Sinsheimer and Hawthorne Elementaries)
• In addition, City staff will bring forward the draft Vision Zero Plan to the City Council
next year for consideration and adoption after completing an analysis of the Plan’s
relationship to emergency response needs
• Intersection Crossing Improvements at Santa Rosa (SR 1) & Highland Drive (Caltrans-led
project with City design coordination – 2026)
SRTS Efforts in Prior Financial Plans
Additionally, the current work program builds on ATP projects completed over the past five years
that included Safe Routes to School elements. In general, these were implemented as components
of larger projects including annual paving projects or complete street projects identified in the
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City’s Active Transportation Plan and through private/public partnerships in conjunction with
private development projects. These include:
Bishop Peak and Pacheco Elementary Schools
• Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon at Foothill & Ferrini (2019)
• Neighborhood Greenways on Patricia, Ferrini, Cerro Romualdo (2022)
• Upgraded curb ramps and crosswalks surrounding both schools (2022)
• North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway including protected bike lanes on Ramona, Broad,
and Chorro (2024)
• Shared Use Path between Foothill and Ramona (2024) and traffic calming on Ramona
Drive between Patricia and Broad St
• Eastbound bike lanes up Highland Drive hill approaching Santa Rosa (2024)
Hawthorne Elementary School
• Neighborhood Greenways on Nipomo, Islay, Hutton, King Streets (2020)
• High Street traffic calming (2020)
• Upgraded curb ramps and cross walks surrounding the school (2020)
• New bi-directional protected bike lane on High St (2020)
• Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon at Broad/Woodbridge (2021)
• Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon at South/King (2023)
C. L Smith Elementary/Laguna Middle School
• Neighborhood Greenways including traffic calming measures on Oceanaire, Galleon, and
Atascadero Rd (2022)
• Upgraded curb ramps and cross walks surrounding the school (2022)
• Protected bike lanes on Oceanaire connecting to Madonna Rd Shared Use Path (2022)
• Shared Use Path on Madonna from Madonna Inn to Oceanaire, protected intersections at
Madonna/Dalidio and LOVR/Froom Ranch Way, shared-use path on Froom Ranch Way,
Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon at Madonna/Laguna Lake (2022)
Sinsheimer Elementary
• Rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB), refuge medians, and road diet on
Sydney/Johnson (2024)
• Upgraded curb ramps and cross walks surrounding the school (2024)
Teach Elementary and Cal Poly
• Grand Avenue Complete Streets Pilot Project (2024)
• Slack Street traffic calming (2021)
Upcoming Opportunities and Overlap between ATP, Vision Zero Action, and Safe Routes to
Schools Plans
While not formally published as “Safe Routes to School” plans (other than the Safe Routes to
School Plans for Bishop Peak and Pacheco Elementary Schools), the City’s 2021 Active
Transportation Plan, and 2025 Draft Vision Zero Action Plan include many of the aspects of a
citywide Safe Routes to School Plan and has significant overlap between what the planning
effort would yield for SRTS and the significant amount of community engagement and planning
that has been completed for the ATP and the forthcoming Vision Zero Plan. These include:
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• Focus on safety and infrastructure supporting vulnerable users (children, seniors, people
walking and bicycling), who are disproportionately impacted in collisions
• Focus on reducing vehicle speeds through engineering, enforcement & public
education/encouragement
• Prioritize low-stress walking and bicycling facilities via traffic-calmed, low-traffic
neighborhood streets and physically-separated facilities along higher volume/speed
roadways
• Identify ped/bike crossing improvements along major corridors, connecting residential
neighborhoods with schools, parks, and other destinations
• Establish target vehicle speeds for various street contexts, including policy target for 15-
20 mph on local streets serving as routes to school
• Prioritizes safety and mobility improvements to remove barriers on select cross-town
routes that have the greatest existing safety concerns and highest potential to support
increased walking and bicycling.
• Policy recommendation to focus pedestrian accessibility (sidewalks, curb ramps) and
lighting upgrades in areas of the city in proximity to schools, parks, senior living
facilities.
Developing these plans required significant community outreach to ensure priorities reflect
community needs and desires and are reviewed by the Active Transportation Committee and
approved by the City Council.
Since a new SRTS effort was not recommended as part of the priority projects for the 2025-27
Financial Plan, it was not budgeted or planned for within existing resources as they were
allocated to other budget priorities conveyed by the community and the ATC. If the City were to
take on another planning effort, staff would need to deviate from existing projects to carry it out,
likely to incur delays to existing ATP commitments already in progress, such as the Foothill and
South Broad Complete Streets planning efforts. Even with an outside consultant on board and
potential volunteer support, there is still significant staff effort involved with administering and
overseeing a large planning effort. In addition to concerns about resources, the ATC should also
consider whether a comprehensive SRTS Plan for the city (rather than a focused plan for each
school) would be duplicative of existing plans, especially given San Luis Obispo’s small size,
keeping in mind that the current ATP already contains over 500 recommended infrastructure
projects.
Opportunities for New Safe Routes to School Planning Efforts
If it is the desire of the ATC to further explore a comprehensive SRTS Plan, staff’s
recommendation is for the ATC to appoint a subcommittee to:
1) Assess if a separate, comprehensive SRTS Plan would have utility without creating a
duplicative effort of existing plans. The work effort would also explore the current ATP
and Draft Vision Zero Action Plan policy and project recommendations near each school
for opportunities to instead add more granularity to already existing plans rather than
create new ones that may be duplicative efforts and risk diverting resources away from
other priority projects.
2) Bring the subcommittee’s results back to the ATC with a recommendation for next steps.
If the ATC reaches consensus to continue exploring the effort, this work could provide
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the foundation for a new initiative to be considered in the 2027–29 Financial Plan. To
move forward, the ATC would need to recommend the project as a high priority during
the Financial Plan process, which begins in Fall 2026.
Potential Timeline*
Fall 2025-Winter 2026
Subcommittee work with potential for several meetings
Spring 2026
Subcommittee recommendation brought back to ATC for consideration
Fall 2026
If ATC recommends new work on SRTS planning efforts, consider as part of budget
recommendation for 2027-29 Financial Plan.
*Exact dates are dependent on the timeline of the subcommittee work and other work items
before the ATC
Attachments
1—FY 2025-27 Active Transportation Committee Recommended Goals
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Page 14 of 17
Page 1 of 3
DATE: November 27, 2024
TO: Emily Jackson, Director of Finance
FROM: Adam Fukushima, Staff Liaison to the Active Transportation Committee
SUBJECT: FY 2025-27 Active Transportation Committee Recommended Goals
On November 21, 2024 the Active Transportation Committee recommended its FY 2025-27
goals for Council consideration which are represented in the following table. Projects are ranked
in order of importance from most to least desired to fund based on proposed projects identified
in the Active Transportation Plan.
Recommended Goal Why Goal is Important
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN TIER 1
PROJECT DEPLOYMENT
Higuera Complete Streets Project
-Provide necessary matching funds for this
state funded project
-Complete design and construction
Broad Street (South to Orcutt) Quick Build
Project
-Design and construct
Foothill Blvd Quick Build Project
-Complete design and Construction
Pedestrian Crossing at South/King
-Construct project
Roundabout at California/Taft
-Complete design and construct
Railroad Safety Trail Gap at Bullock Lane
and Railroad Crossing Improvements
-Acquire approvals from Union Pacific and
construct
Shared Use Path on Madonna Road
Overpass
-If supported by Council, advance design and
construction
This project improves north-south cross-town
connectivity for active transportation and Safe
Routes to School improvements to Hawthorne
Elementary and Laguna Middle Schools
Improves connectivity and safety along this
wide arterial street
Improves east-west connectivity between Cal
Poly, residences, and activity centers along
Foothill
Improves connectivity to Hawthorne Elementary
School, Meadow Park, and residences
Improves the connection to the Railroad Safety
Trail across California Blvd
Fills a gap in the RRST between the existing
portion north of Orcutt Rd and new segment
south to Tank Farm Rd
Fills a gap on Madonna Rd between the shared
use path and Higuera Street
Active Transportation Committee
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Page 2 of 3
Tank Farm Rd Shared Use Path
-Initiate a City-led capital improvement project
to advance construction as an initial phase of
larger corridor improvements
COMPLETE STREETS ELEMENTS OF
ANNUAL PAVING PROJECTS
Tank Farm Road (Broad to Orcutt)
Sacramento Drive (Industrial to Via Esteban)
Johnson Ave (Bishop to Buchon)
Mill St (Chorro to California)
Broad St (Pacific to Tank Farm)
Industrial Rd (Broad to Railroad Tracks)
Pavement Areas 2 and 3
Misc. Pedestrian Facility Improvements-
Maintain $100,000 in annual funding for misc.
projects such as safe routes to school, signing
& striping projects ideally incorporated into
other construction projects
Misc. Bicycle Facility Improvements-
Maintain $100,000 in annual funding for misc.
projects such as safe routes to school, signing
& striping projects ideally incorporated into
other construction projects.
Ped/Bikeway Maintenance:
Maintain annual funding for shared use path
maintenance
Sidewalk Replacement and Installation:
Maintain annual funding for curb ramp and
sidewalk upgrades
Improves a low stress, east-west connection for
active transportation
Completing these projects as part of other
construction projects results in substantial cost
savings.
Completing these improvements as part of other
construction projects results in substantial cost
savings.
Completing these improvements as part of other
construction projects results in substantial cost
savings.
Performing pavement maintenance on
pedestrian and bicycle paths will increase the
life of these facilities and reduce the risk of
collisions.
Completing these improvements as part of other
construction projects results in substantial cost
savings.
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Page 3 of 3
PROGRAMS
Active Transportation Education:
Continue and increase education regarding
Active Transportation in partnership
with non-profit organizations and agency
partners about safety topics and use of new
facilities.
Ensure the community knows how to use new
active transportation facilities as they are
constructed and address high priority safety
topics.
STAFFING
Active Transportation Manager and
Transportation Planner/Engineers:
Maintain positions.
The City has made a commitment to complete
a Tier 1 network identified in the Active
Transportation Plan. The Active Transportation
Manager and Transportation
Planner/Engineers are critical in sufficiently
implementing the Tier 1 network projects and
preparing grant applications.
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