OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Alameda Transportation Commission Meeting - July 22, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, July 22, 2026
BodyAlameda, California
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, July 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:01:21

Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

Is the chair's volume on?

0:10

Vice Jeremy on the screen.

0:13

I can hear you all very well.

0:15

Can you hear me?

0:17

Yes.

0:18

All right, wonderful.

0:19

Wonderful.

0:20

Thank you.

0:23

Are we ready to go?

0:29

I yes.

0:30

Got a thumbs up.

0:32

All right, okay.

0:35

Thank you all.

0:36

Good evening, everyone.

0:37

And apologies that I am remote and I love to be there in person, but uh thank you for uh accommodating me to chair the meeting in in remotely.

0:50

And uh we are starting uh this is uh Transportation Commission meeting uh Wednesday, July 22nd, 6 31 p.m.

0:59

We are starting the meeting and uh turning over to uh Lisa for um roll calls Good evening, Commissioner Derek Abrams.

1:10

Here.

1:10

Commissioner Gloyne.

1:12

Present.

1:12

Commissioner Kim.

1:14

Present.

1:14

Vice Chair Sutham Thira.

1:17

Present remotely.

1:18

And yes, uh joining remotely from a publicly noticed location.

1:22

Um we need to ask you if you have anyone over 18 in the room with you.

1:26

No.

1:27

Thank you.

1:28

And um just a reminder to keep your screen turned on during the meeting.

1:32

And then Commissioner White uh Chair Whitesy is absent today.

1:37

Commissioner Johnson.

1:38

Present.

1:39

And Commissioner Knopdigal.

1:41

Here.

1:41

Thank you.

1:45

All right.

1:45

Um to any is there any agenda changes from the commissioners?

1:55

No.

1:57

All right.

1:58

And uh that takes us to staff communication.

2:02

Item three good evening, Vice Chair Sutham Thira and Commissioners.

2:08

I'm Lisa Foster, Transportation Planning Manager for the City.

2:12

I'll start with updates on City Council actions on items that the Transportation Commission has reviewed or considered.

2:19

Um just yesterday, the transportation, excuse me, the city council approved amendments to create a citation for parking in any type of bike lane.

2:28

And they also approved agreements for another two years of the water shuttle.

2:33

Um our upcoming meetings are September 23rd and November 18th.

2:38

Some potential transportation commission agenda topics include the mid-year transportation report as a action item so you all have time to discuss it.

2:49

Um water shuttle pilot evaluation, um, and possibly Alameda TMA annual report in the next couple of meetings or so and maybe a speed hub update.

3:02

Um upcoming events on July 30th, we have the traffic safety open house at Mastic Senior Center.

3:11

We'll have staff from police, public works, transportation planning on hand to share information about traffic safety and what we're doing in this city, hear people's concerns, and um and newly having um information about safety for e-bikes and e-scooters and e-moto's.

3:33

The very next day on July 31st, midday, we'll have an Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle two-year anniversary celebration.

3:41

There will be some suites and a short program, short and sweet uh event, so to speak.

3:47

And then on August 7th and September 4th, we have Transportation 101 and Clipper Cards for Seniors events at Mastic Senior Center.

3:56

So for updates, we you all have a status report of on transportation on your consent agenda, so you have updates on all kinds of things.

4:04

So I'll be brief right now, but I just wanted to let you make sure you're aware that Central Avenue Safety Improvements Project is nearing completion.

4:15

The roundabout at Main Street, Pacific Ave, and Central Ave is slated to open in the coming weeks.

4:20

Um and the entire project remains on schedule to become completed later this summer.

4:26

West Midway between Pan Am and Orion.

4:29

Opened past tense.

4:32

Yes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety████████████████████████████████████████40%
Public Transit██████████████████18%
Public Comment█████████9%
Public Engagement████████8%
Active Transportation██████6%
Procedural█████5%
Traffic Safety█████5%
Public Works██2%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Alameda Transportation Commission Meeting - July 22, 2026

The Alameda Transportation Commission met on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 6:31 PM remotely and in person. The meeting covered updates on AC Transit's financial crisis and contingency service plan, endorsed a design concept for a neighborhood greenway crossing at Pacific Avenue and Wilma Chan Way, and discussed restriping Clement Avenue to accommodate a truck route, with significant public concern about safety and neighborhood impacts.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from February 25 and May 20, 2026, with abstentions from commissioners absent for those meetings.
  • Received the mid-year transportation status report for discussion at a future meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • AC Transit Contingency Plan: Mitch Ball supported the ballot measure and suggested eliminating Line 19 to free resources. Suzanne Diers urged AC Transit to improve service frequency and convenience. Leo Esclamado and Kim Kettle raised concerns about Line 19 elimination affecting new housing developments and requested consideration of existing parking removal for bus stops.
  • Pacific Avenue/Wilma Chan Way Crossing: Denise Trapena (Bike Walk Alameda) strongly supported staff's recommended design with a standard traffic signal over a pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB), and requested roadway markings for greenway. Hamid Saran, a resident, asked for speed humps on Wilma Chan to address speeding.
  • Clement Avenue Truck Route: Nearly all speakers opposed the truck route on Clement Avenue, citing safety for children, pedestrians, and cyclists, and urged the city to keep the truck route on Buena Vista and pursue a General Plan amendment. Speakers included residents from Marina Shores, who highlighted the thriving neighborhood, playgrounds, and the cross-Alameda trail.

Discussion Items

  • AC Transit Contingency Service Plan: Staff from AC Transit presented challenges: a projected $200 million deficit over four years, potential 16% service cuts, and up to 300 layoffs if sustainable funding is not secured. The plan preserves the 51A route with 15-minute headways but reduces frequencies on lines 30/31, 96, and changes to Line O and Line W, with a new line connecting Fruitvale BART to South Shore. Commissioners expressed support for SB63 (Connect Bay Area) and emphasized the need to protect transit-dependent populations and the 51A route.
  • Pacific Avenue/Wilma Chan Way Crossing: Staff recommended a design with a median diverter, traffic signal (over PHB), and left-side bikeway. Commissioners supported the recommendation, noting the intersection's dangerous conditions and safety benefits. The endorsement was approved unanimously.
  • Clement Avenue Restriping: The city engineer presented options: eliminate on-street parking (21 spaces) to create 14-foot travel lanes for trucks, relocate the cycle track, or maintain the truck route on Buena Vista via a General Plan amendment. A parking study showed sufficient capacity in the neighborhood. Commissioners discussed the trade-offs: parking loss vs. safety and neighborhood character. Vice Chair Sutham Thira voiced strong support for keeping the truck route on Buena Vista, given the current residential context and investments in the cross-Alameda trail.

Key Outcomes

  • Endorsed the design concept for Pacific Avenue/Wilma Chan Way crossing improvements (unanimous).
  • No formal action on Clement Avenue; staff will consider feedback and conduct further outreach, especially to Buena Vista residents, if a General Plan amendment is pursued.
  • Commissioner Dara Abrams announced the City Council's placement of the Safer Alameda Act infrastructure bond on the November 2026 ballot, which includes funding for street and safety improvements.

Meeting Transcript

Is the chair's volume on? Vice Jeremy on the screen. I can hear you all very well. Can you hear me? Yes. All right, wonderful. Wonderful. Thank you. Are we ready to go? I yes. Got a thumbs up. All right, okay. Thank you all. Good evening, everyone. And apologies that I am remote and I love to be there in person, but uh thank you for uh accommodating me to chair the meeting in in remotely. And uh we are starting uh this is uh Transportation Commission meeting uh Wednesday, July 22nd, 6 31 p.m. We are starting the meeting and uh turning over to uh Lisa for um roll calls Good evening, Commissioner Derek Abrams. Here. Commissioner Gloyne. Present. Commissioner Kim. Present. Vice Chair Sutham Thira. Present remotely. And yes, uh joining remotely from a publicly noticed location. Um we need to ask you if you have anyone over 18 in the room with you. No. Thank you. And um just a reminder to keep your screen turned on during the meeting. And then Commissioner White uh Chair Whitesy is absent today. Commissioner Johnson. Present. And Commissioner Knopdigal. Here. Thank you. All right. Um to any is there any agenda changes from the commissioners? No. All right. And uh that takes us to staff communication. Item three good evening, Vice Chair Sutham Thira and Commissioners. I'm Lisa Foster, Transportation Planning Manager for the City. I'll start with updates on City Council actions on items that the Transportation Commission has reviewed or considered. Um just yesterday, the transportation, excuse me, the city council approved amendments to create a citation for parking in any type of bike lane. And they also approved agreements for another two years of the water shuttle. Um our upcoming meetings are September 23rd and November 18th. Some potential transportation commission agenda topics include the mid-year transportation report as a action item so you all have time to discuss it. Um water shuttle pilot evaluation, um, and possibly Alameda TMA annual report in the next couple of meetings or so and maybe a speed hub update. Um upcoming events on July 30th, we have the traffic safety open house at Mastic Senior Center. We'll have staff from police, public works, transportation planning on hand to share information about traffic safety and what we're doing in this city, hear people's concerns, and um and newly having um information about safety for e-bikes and e-scooters and e-moto's.

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