OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting - April 28, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Tuesday, April 28, 2026
BodyMerced, California
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, April 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:10:15

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Hi.

0:02

I'm gonna call this meeting of the B PAC for April 28th, 2026.

0:08

I now ask for a moment of silence.

0:17

Does anyone want to say the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:26

Why do we stand everyone?

0:30

How do we do this?

0:50

I'm gonna call for roll call.

0:53

Oh, sorry, Vicky roll call.

0:56

Commissioner Gonzalez.

0:59

Here.

1:00

Martinez.

1:03

Here.

1:04

Ewing.

1:05

Here.

1:07

Shoe.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Kaiser Grant?

1:11

Here.

1:11

Chambers?

1:13

Here.

1:13

Maras.

1:14

Here.

1:16

Ex officio Thomas.

1:19

Here.

1:20

Watkins?

1:21

Here.

1:21

Sandoval.

1:23

Here.

1:24

Harmelin.

1:25

Here.

1:26

We have a quorum.

1:29

Wonderful.

1:31

Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during this portion of the meeting and we'll be allotted three minutes.

1:39

State law prohibits the planning commission from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the public comment period.

1:46

Members of the public who wish to speak on a matter that is listed on the agenda will be called upon to speak during discussion of that item.

1:53

Members of the public were able to leave a voicemail or email prior to 1 p.m.

1:58

for this item as well.

2:00

Vicky, do we have any requests to speak?

2:02

We do.

2:24

I'm Joe Brucha.

2:26

I live at 1959 El Portel Drive, directly across from the Black Rascal Creek entrance between Parsons and McKee.

2:38

I've been retired for over 20 years.

2:48

Now I spend my time fixing sprinkler heads and replacing dead plants on the bike path as well as my own house.

3:02

Safely designed bike paths are not safe unless the bikers that ride them ride safely.

3:25

And if they have, maybe they just don't care and don't listen to it.

3:41

On many days, we talk about our little walk before we all go home.

3:48

And one of the things that that we talk about is almost getting hit by a bicycle rider.

3:56

I and many of our neighbors when we walk.

4:18

Oh my god.

4:19

The electric uh uh uh assisted bikes, scooters, and skaters kids that are going to UC Mercedes and they're kind of late for class, they go by our bike path, and boy, do they go fast trying to get their class on time?

4:36

Um what I'm going to recommend is something I did a lot of research on after the neighbors and I uh started start discussing that, and that is teaching our kids something to say simple.

5:02

All they have to do is say on my left, on your left, maybe if they have a horn, give it a toot or a ring of the bell.

5:11

Most of them don't have a bell or a horn on that.

5:17

And we say, well, how do you how do you what's that?

5:20

10 second warning.

5:21

Oh so how do you how do you get communicate with this?

5:26

Well, you've got to get down in the schools and and uh teach a little lesson or two.

5:31

Has anybody gone down?

5:34

Thank you.

5:36

Am I all three minutes already?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety███████████████████████████████31%
Community Engagement████████████████████████24%
Procedural█████████████13%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Planning Commission Operations████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Active Transportation████4%
Public Works██2%
Personnel Matters█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting - April 28, 2026

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) met on April 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included public comments, a presentation on a grant application for the Active Transportation Program (ATP), and extensive discussion on future agenda items and BPAC’s role. The commission approved the consent calendar and set several items for future meetings.

Consent Calendar

  • E.1 26-320: Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Annual Attendance Report. Approved unanimously without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Joe Brucha (resident near Black Rascal Creek entrance) expressed concern about unsafe behavior on bike paths, particularly by e-bike and scooter riders on the way to UC Merced. He recommended education campaigns for children, such as teaching riders to announce “on your left,” and suggested placing a safety newsletter in utility bills.
  • Eli Sachs (public health nurse, resident near Bear Creek) described dangerous road conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, especially the Yosemite Parkway/16th Street overpass near the 99 on-ramp. He highlighted that Measure V requires 20% of funds for active transport but said far less has been spent, citing only $250,000 spent in the last year (with $211,000 for repaving Yosemite). He also noted the Bear Creek bike path at R Street has been sunken since 2023, and he asked which agency is responsible for repairs.

Discussion Items

  • F.1 Engineering Report - Active Transportation Plan Grant Application Project Scope: Management Analyst Laura Ivancich and City Engineer Daryl Jordan presented the ATP grant application due June 22, 2026. The city is pursuing a medium-sized grant ($3.5M–$10M) for a citywide Safe Routes to School project. Outreach meetings had low attendance (12-15 people each). Commissioners discussed:
    • Project selection: Engineering staff will prioritize projects based on scoring criteria, community input, and school district suggestions. The current list includes multiple school zones and intersections.
    • Hawk systems vs. physical traffic calming: Several commissioners (Shu, Thomas, Watkins) argued for curb extensions, speed tables, elevated crosswalks, and pedestrian islands over Hawk signals, citing higher effectiveness and lower cost. Commissioner Thomas noted Hawk systems often require education/enforcement and may be overkill in residential areas.
    • Multi-use path design: Commissioner Grant urged 10-foot minimum width for multi-use paths to accommodate e-bikes and pedestrians separately. Commissioner Thomas suggested dividing paths with greenways for faster and slower traffic.
    • Measure V funding for match: Commissioner Grant asked if Measure V funds could be reserved for matching this grant. Daryl Jordan said they are considering using Measure V for match in the next fiscal year (2027-28), but noted that funds are sometimes absorbed by street projects.
    • Engagement and outreach: Commissioner Thomas noted he only learned of the outreach meetings from the agenda, and that his son’s school (Farmdale) had no flyers. Laura Ivancich said flyers were sent to schools and posted on social media, but acknowledged timing was tight.
    • Data and safety: Commissioner Shu referenced TIMS data showing accidents near schools (e.g., V & 11th, R & 11th, Childs Avenue) and recommended prioritizing those. Commissioner Chambers requested fatality/injury data for pedestrians and cyclists, including collisions between cyclists and pedestrians.
    • Enforcement: Commissioner Martinez asked about coordination with police for new infrastructure. Jordan noted new signals get enforcement initially, and speed cameras are not grant-eligible.
    • Committee selection: Jordan explained that project selection is done by engineering staff with planning input, not a formal public committee.
    • Future interaction: BPAC members expressed desire for earlier notice of workshops and a clearer role in project development. Jordan said input is needed immediately, as after the application, the scope is fixed.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar approved (unanimous).
  • Future Agenda Items Requested (to be added to upcoming meetings):
    • Presentation from engineering/planning on how bike design standards are included in developer requirements and enforced (Commissioner Grant).
    • Presentation on Measure V funds: a compiled list of bike/pedestrian projects specifically earmarked for Measure V and evidence of saving Measure V funds for match or complete projects (Commissioner Grant).
    • Discussion on bike path safety communications, revisiting previous education campaign (Commissioner Grant).
    • Updated list of prior agenda requests from October 2025 (Commissioner Grant).
    • Goals and priorities for BPAC 2026-2027 (Commissioner Shu).
    • Brown Act training and BPAC role discussion (Commissioner Thomas; staff noted a city council presentation might be available).
    • Multi-use path design standards to separate faster and slower traffic (Commissioner Thomas).
    • Standing agenda item to follow up on previous agenda requests (Commissioner Watkins).
    • Data on pedestrian/cyclist fatalities and injuries in Merced, including collisions between cyclists and pedestrians (Commissioner Chambers, Harmelin).
    • Invitations for regular updates from Merced City School District, MCOE, CHP, Merced Police Department, Planning and Engineering, Downtown Neighborhood Association, and UC Merced (Commissioner Chambers).
    • Discussion on meeting frequency (monthly vs. every other month) (Commissioner Chambers).
    • Changing meeting time to 6:00 PM to increase public attendance (Commissioner Shu).
    • Educational campaign for safer bike path usage (Commissioner Shu, referencing Joe Brucha’s comments).
  • Staff commitment: Senior Planner Leah Brown (new staff) will coordinate with commissioners to add items, noted that previous requests may have been lost due to staff changes. She will also forward planning commission and city council agendas to commissioners.
  • Commissioner Comments: Several commissioners shared activities, including a ride-along with engineering, UC Merced placemaking events, a Jane Jacobs Day walk (May 4), and the Merced Bicycle Coalition meetings. Commissioner Grant noted she may be terming out early due to a partial-term reappointment.
  • Proclamation: City Council will issue a proclamation for Bike Safety Month on May 18 (rescheduled joint study session), and commissioners were invited to attend.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:50 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Hi. I'm gonna call this meeting of the B PAC for April 28th, 2026. I now ask for a moment of silence. Does anyone want to say the Pledge of Allegiance? Why do we stand everyone? How do we do this? I'm gonna call for roll call. Oh, sorry, Vicky roll call. Commissioner Gonzalez. Here. Martinez. Here. Ewing. Here. Shoe. Here. Kaiser Grant? Here. Chambers? Here. Maras. Here. Ex officio Thomas. Here. Watkins? Here. Sandoval. Here. Harmelin. Here. We have a quorum. Wonderful. Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during this portion of the meeting and we'll be allotted three minutes. State law prohibits the planning commission from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the public comment period. Members of the public who wish to speak on a matter that is listed on the agenda will be called upon to speak during discussion of that item. Members of the public were able to leave a voicemail or email prior to 1 p.m. for this item as well. Vicky, do we have any requests to speak? We do. I'm Joe Brucha. I live at 1959 El Portel Drive, directly across from the Black Rascal Creek entrance between Parsons and McKee. I've been retired for over 20 years. Now I spend my time fixing sprinkler heads and replacing dead plants on the bike path as well as my own house. Safely designed bike paths are not safe unless the bikers that ride them ride safely. And if they have, maybe they just don't care and don't listen to it. On many days, we talk about our little walk before we all go home. And one of the things that that we talk about is almost getting hit by a bicycle rider. I and many of our neighbors when we walk. Oh my god. The electric uh uh uh assisted bikes, scooters, and skaters kids that are going to UC Mercedes and they're kind of late for class, they go by our bike path, and boy, do they go fast trying to get their class on time?

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