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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 03/16/2022 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR March 16, 2022, 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Via Zoom 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 1  FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Nathalie Rachline Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Cari Brown Emily Francis Staff Liaison: Aaron Iverson 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Rachline called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Nathalie Rachline, Chair Cari Brown, Vice Chair York Jerry Gavaldon Stephanie Blochowiak Rob Owens BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Indy Hart CITY STAFF PRESENT: Melina Dempsey Cortney Geary PUBLIC PRESENT: Jordan Williams Charlie Alexander, Fehr & Peers 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Jordan Williams, BAC Chair, stated he was present to listen to the discussion on the Safety Stop legislation and to answer any questions related to the BAC’s position. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – FEBRUARY 2022 Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by York, to approve the minutes of the February 2022 meeting as written. The motion was adopted unanimously. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 2  6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Chair Rachline noted two of the Board members did not renew their terms and Council has asked for new appointments to be put on hold for all Boards and Commissions at this time. Iverson noted Council will be discussing the topic at a work session on April 26th. Chair Rachline noted former Board member Kevin Borchert. received the letter indicating his term was up; however, there was a communication issue in him not understanding he was able to reapply. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Officer Elections Chair Rachline stated she believes the Chair should be a rotating position, therefore, she is not running. Gavaldon expressed interest in either the Chair or Vice Chair position. Iverson stated Hart also expressed interest in the Chair position. Vice Chair Brown stated she would prefer not to be Chair. York noted his eight-year term ends on December 31st. Owens stated he was not interested in serving as an officer. Vice Chair Brown nominated Hart as Chair and herself as Vice Chair. Chair Rachline expressed support for that nomination. Gavaldon nominated himself for the Chair position. York made a motion, seconded by Blowchowiak, to close the nominations. The motion was adopted unanimously. Gavaldon discussed his experience as Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning and Zoning Board as well as board president of his HOA and other organizations. He stated he is familiar with meeting management and Robert’s Rules of Order. York asked Gavaldon how he sees his time being split given he is currently the liaison to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Gavaldon replied he believes he can carry on with both the liaison role and the Chair role; however, he would be willing to give the liaison role to another member. Chair Rachline noted Hart expressed interest in the role and he has been Chair in the past. Gavaldon asked if someone who previously served as Chair or Vice Chair could return to the role. Vice Chair Brown replied there is no rule about that. Vice Chair Brown noted Hart is a very regular bicycle and Transfort rider. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 3  The following members voted in favor of electing Hart as Chair: York, Brown, Blochowiak, Owens, and Rachline. Nays: none. Abstain: Gavaldon. THE MOTION CARRIED. The following members voted in favor of electing Brown as Vice Chair: York, Brown, Blochowiak, Owens, and Rachline. Nays: none. Abstain: Gavaldon. THE MOTION CARRIED. b. North College MAX Study Update (Melina Dempsey, Charlie Alexander) Melina Dempsey stated the North College MAX Plan would expand MAX service from its current north terminus at the Downtown Transit Center north to around Highway 1. She stated the plan should be adopted in August or September, after which interim improvements could begin to be added along and connecting into North College Avenue, pending funding. She stated the actual MAX service expansion would not occur for five to ten years as a 30% design must be completed prior to qualifying for federal funding. Dempsey discussed the importance of integrating land use with transportation and transit in the planning process, which led to an increased budget and scope of work for the process. She stated the alternatives and options phase is ending and an alternatives report and summary will be completed followed by a preferred design. She discussed the results of the public outreach process and shared the questions that were part of the survey. Gavaldon asked about connections to the Tres Colonias neighborhoods and East Lincoln Avenue, which he stated are underserved. He also asked how redundancies will be avoided. Dempsey replied the goal now is to hone in on the most efficient ways to address the desired destinations that were part of the outreach survey. Charlie Alexander, Fehr & Peers, replied resources will be freed up to serve other parts of the city once North College has dedicated MAX service. Gavaldon expressed concern the Tres Colonias neighborhoods have yet to receive a survey on transit and stated the area is underserved. Dempsey replied the project has been led with equity and noted all surveys and presentations have been made available in Spanish. She stated the Tres Colonias neighborhoods may be just outside the project area; however, the survey could be kept open longer. She noted this survey is specifically about the North College plan, not about transit service in general. Gavaldon stated he is uncomfortable with the North College expansion without consideration of other areas. York asked if staff will look at new routes for the current North College routes once the MAX has been addressed. Dempsey replied in the affirmative. Blochowiak stated the North College notification radius was appropriate and she TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 4  commended staff work on public outreach. Dempsey noted a full MAX service will only be supported by greater densities and appropriate land uses and she outlined the survey questions related to desired levels of service on North College: full MAX service, MAX light, and minor service improvements. York asked how many buses would be required for each level of service. Mr. Alexander replied he did not know that answer exactly. Chair Rachline asked if the proposed MAX line would require a bus change at the Downtown Transit Center. Dempsey replied there is a preference for a one seat ride, which would be the ideal situation and part of the preferred recommendation. Chair Rachline suggested the one seat ride should be taken as an assumption rather than a goal. Gavaldon asked about the City’s share of cost for this project. Dempsey replied the project is not yet at the cost level. Once a preferred option is developed, costs can begin to be established. She noted a transit funding study is also currently underway. Gavaldon stated preliminary cost estimates were available at this point in the process for the Mason Street MAX. He asked if repair and maintenance costs will be included in the estimates. Dempsey replied the transit funding study will include all projects that are part of the Transit Master Plan and costs are being estimated as part of that process. Dempsey outlined the top desired land uses for North College. York asked if Dempsey has presented this information to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Dempsey replied the Commission has seen the presentation; however, she was not present. Mr. Alexander noted the Commission will receive a presentation on the land use specific questions in May. Gavaldon suggested the BAC should receive this presentation. Dempsey noted Cortney Geary is part of the planning team and she has shared the survey with the BAC. Dempsey discussed other questions on and responses to the survey related to preferred land uses and density. She outlined the next steps in the process. Chair Rachline suggested the possibility of using one of the existing North College lanes for dedicated transit rather than adding a new lane. Gavaldon noted North College is a truck route and a great deal of work was just done on North College. He stated this process is a waste of money. Vice Chair Brown stated she is glad to see that pedestrian crossings are a priority. Blochowiak concurred and stated improved pedestrian facilities are needed in the area. She stated it will be important to understand what leverage the City has with CDOT. Dempsey noted CDOT has been involved from the beginning of the process. She shared the link to the survey with Board members. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 5  c. Proposed Safety Stop Law, position from BAC – Cortney Geary Cortney Geary stated House Bill 22-1028, commonly referred to as the Safety Stop Bill, is currently under consideration by the state legislature. The bill would allow people on low-speed conveyances to treat stop signs as yield signs and stop lights as stop signs statewide. She noted the City’s Legislative Review Committee took an ‘oppose’ stance to the bill. She discussed the BAC’s meeting regarding the bill and noted Jack Todd with Bicycle Colorado announced an amendment is under development that would establish an age restriction disallowing individuals under the age of 14 to practice safety stop unless a parent or guardian is with them. Geary stated three BAC members were not present at the meeting; however, they all provided written support of the legislation, and at the meeting, nine members expressed support for the legislation with an age restriction amendment. Two members abstained from expressing an opinion as they had not yet had the opportunity to get a formal position on the legislation from CSU. Vice Chair Brown asked if Boards and Commissions can take positions on legislation or if a more appropriate route is to recommend the City take a position. Iverson replied Boards and Commissions provide a recommendation to Council to take a position; however, the BAC took a direct position of support. Vice Chair Brown stated she is uncomfortable taking a direct position and would prefer to make a recommendation. Jordan Williams, BAC Chair noted the intention of the Committee’s statement was to show the BAC’s support to the Transportation Board to allow the Board to make a recommendation to Council. He noted the bill has passe the House and has been sent to the Senate’s Transportation and Energy Committee for review. He stated he was unsure of the practicality, enforcement and equitability of the age restriction amendment; however, after listening to concerns of Safe Routes to School and Safe Kids of Larimer County, he felt the amendment would be a good compromise in gaining a consensus of support among BAC members. York noted the BAC previously did not support safety stop as it did not want inconsistent rules across the state. Regarding the age restriction, York stated there are various age restrictions for random things in the state and he expressed support for the amendment as youth may not be capable of making this type of split-second decision. Gavaldon asked if law enforcement has provided feedback and questioned whether this would lead to other negative issues. He opposed the legislation and questioned how it would be enforced in the event of an accident. Geary replied Police Services did provide some information opposed to the legislation. Owens noted there have been statistics showing this type of legislation actually increases safety. He also expressed concern about the enforcement of the age TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 6  restriction. He suggested young children can be taught to be safe around intersections without necessarily making it illegal. York stated the issue related to the ability of children to make good decisions. Vice Chair Brown stated E-scooters would also be allowed to participate in safety stop, per the legislation. She stated she is conflicted about the legislation; however, she is comfortable with the Safe Routes to School program teaching children to not use safety stop. Chair Rachline stated she does not support the legislation as it does not address the root cause of the problem. She stated the root cause of the problem is that infrastructure is not as bicycle or pedestrian friendly as it should be to improve safety. She stated the change will ultimately create more issues and will not lead to improved infrastructure. Mr. Williams agreed the legislation will not help to improve infrastructure; however, one of its benefits is that it improves the bicycling culture and safety without having to increase costs up front. Chair Rachline disagreed this legislation will necessarily improve bicycle culture but may encourage cyclists make other maneuvers that are illegal. Mr. Williams suggested the issue can be addressed with both funding and culture, advocacy, and policy. He noted this issue is still about right-of-way. Chair Rachline stated people currently ignore right-of-way. York suggested allowing safety stop will encourage cycling because it will decrease travel times. Owens stated the City is not ignoring infrastructure improvements noting the Active Modes Plan is ongoing. He stated this legislation would not act in lieu of any infrastructure improvements Fort Collins is attempting to make. Vice Chair Brown suggested the BAC’s recommendation should be passed on to Council regardless of what position is taken by the Board. Chair Rachline asked members to vote on whether they approve of sending the BAC’s recommendation to Council. Gavaldon stated he appreciated the Committee’s efforts; however, fundamentally, he could not support the legislation nor the BAC recommendation. Board members Owens, York, Brown, Blochowiak, and Rachline expressed support for providing the BAC recommendation to Council as written with a note of explanation. Chair Rachline asked members to weigh in on overall support or opposition to the legislation. Board members Owens, York, Blochowiak and Brown expressed support and Board members Gavaldon and Rachline opposed. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 7  Vice Chair Brown suggested Gavaldon and Rachline discuss their reasons for opposition. York asked if this meeting’s minutes could be provided to Council prior to it taking a vote on the topic. Iverson noted the item will go to the Legislative Review Committee, which is a sub-committee of Council, in the next week. He stated it is typical to craft a short letter summarizing the meeting for Council. Chair Rachline noted members could provide additional comments to Iverson prior to the summary letter being crafted. She asked members to vote on whether they are in favor of this approach. All members replied in the affirmative. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Owens discussed a recent experience riding Transfort that involved a three-hour trip for a five-minute errand. He commented on how debilitating an hour-long time between buses can be for individuals who rely on transit. He stated he contacted Transfort regarding service operations and noted they are offering incentives for new drivers. Vice Chair Brown stated another Raising Cane’s location may be opening in town and commented on the low likelihood it will eliminate issues with traffic stacking at the current location. Gavaldon stated the Chief of Police advisory committee discussed the traffic stacking issue at Raising Cane’s and Starbucks on College and there will be an upcoming presentation on Police traffic enforcement. He reported on the recent Planning and Zoning Commission meeting regarding the Castle Ridge group home, the Active Modes Plan, and the East Mulberry Corridor Plan. He noted estimates show 47 FTE police officers will be needed for the East Mulberry area upon annexation. York discussed a recent experience riding Transfort and commented on the long wait times between buses. He commented on snow being removed from bus stops into bike lanes. He also commented on bike lanes on the south sides of east-west roads being particularly dangerous because snow is plowed into the shaded areas and ice prevents safe walking and biking. Chair Rachline also commented on snow, ice, and other debris being present in bike lanes. She discussed the City Manager candidates and opposed the fact no questions were asked about transit, multi-modal transportation, or plans for making Fort Collins more bicycle and multi-modal friendly, nor did any of the candidates make voluntary comments about the topic. York and Gavaldon concurred. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Owens stated the last BAC meeting was on the Safety Stop legislation. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3/16/2022 – MINUTES Page 8  b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson stated there is an ongoing discussion within the City about snow removal issues and he will present the Board’s comments to appropriate staff members. He stated he will also let the City Clerk’s Office know about the communication issue mentioned by former Board member Krause. He reviewed Council’s 6-month calendar and highlighted discussions on Our Climate Future, the Mulberry annexation, Boards and Commissions, traffic compliance, the County’s regional transportation efforts, and Land Use Code updates. Gavaldon asked what is forthcoming regarding the Boards and Commissions discussion. Iverson replied there has been some talk of potential restructuring, but detailed information has not yet been provided to staff. c. Staff Liaison Report Iverson discussed the upcoming 2023-24 budgeting process and provided an outline of key events. He noted the first round of offer development ends April 22nd and stated there will be a number of opportunities for the Board to provide input between now and June. York asked if there were any unfunded offers from the last budget that may need to be reviewed by the Board. Iverson replied there were a number of unfunded offers and staff will be including those among new offers when the Board discusses the budget. Vice Chair Brown noted there was an unfunded offer related to purchasing easements for making remaining bus stops accessible and stated she would like to see the funding for that item included in this budget. Iverson discussed various FC Moves budget offers. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:11 p.m. by unanimous consent.