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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 05/18/2022 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR May 18, 2022, 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Via Zoom 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Indy Hart Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Cari Brown Emily Francis Staff Liaison: Aaron Iverson 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Hart called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Indy Hart, Chair Cari Brown, Vice Chair York Jerry Gavaldon Rob Owens Nathalie Rachline BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Stephanie Blochowiak CITY STAFF PRESENT: Seth Lorson PUBLIC PRESENT: Kimberly Baker James Burtis 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION James Burtis commented on low ridership numbers on Transfort and noted many of the routes are infrequent and disconnected. He suggested using the city’s street grid of mile- separated streets to provide more regular service and to make the system easier to navigate and he provided a suggested map. He commented on public transportation being one of the best ways to reduce transportation-associated emissions. Iverson stated he could connect Mr. Burtis with Drew Brooks and staff at Transfort regarding system planning. Gavaldon commended Mr. Burtis’ suggestion and stated he is not in favor of any expansion TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 2 of Transfort until ridership increases and routes are more efficient. Chair Hart stated it is important that riders support Transfort to allow it to provide more efficient service. Mr. Burtis stated his plan attempts to use existing resources as much as possible. He commented on the importance of having consistent, reliable service. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – APRIL 2022 York made a motion, seconded by Owens, to approve the minutes of the April 2022 meeting as amended to change the word health to healthy. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 7. NEW BUSINESS a. North College Bus Rapid Transit Study Update – Seth Lorson Seth Lorson, FC Moves Transportation Planner, provided background information on the proposed expansion of the MAX line to North College Avenue. He outlined the first phase of the project which showed support for the expansion, but concerns about possible gentrification and affordability challenges for existing residents. He also noted public outreach showed additional bike and pedestrian infrastructure is desired in the area and that people are open to denser land uses with more services in the area. Lorson commented on feedback received from the Board in March during a presentation from Melina Dempsey regarding engagement of the Tres Colonias neighborhoods, additional concerns about gentrification and affordability, and project costs. He stated initial estimates for the project in its final stage is $25-30 million and commented on the equity-forward public outreach process. He noted an equity and engagement working group was formed at the beginning of the process to help inform the public outreach. Lorson stated communities south of Vine Drive have received mailers for the most recent round of engagement per suggestions from this Board. Lorson discussed the technical analysis of different routes in the North College area which led to the preferred alternative. He outlined that alternative which would place the north terminus of the rapid line near the intersection of North College and Highway 1. Additionally, the local service on Blue Spruce and Redwood needs to be maintained. He outlined the preferred cross-section which would include Business Access Transit (BAT) bus only lanes, a shared use paths for pedestrians and bikes, a parallel low-stress bike network, two new traffic lights at Bristlecone and Suniga, and new crossings at certain streets. Lorson discussed the importance of the relationship between transit and land use as well as having greater density while maintaining affordability. He noted the long-term TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 3 plan is based on resources and there is the possibility of a phased implementation, which would start with running the MAX line on North College, though not in BAT lanes. He acknowledged there may not be a need for BAT lanes at this time; however, they may be needed in the future with additional development. He stated the first parts of implementation would include a turnaround at the roundabout on Willox with increased frequency and service hours and improvements to biking and walking connectivity. Gavaldon stated he has had conversations with residents in Andersonville and no one has heard about this plan through a mailing as mentioned. Lorson noted the Tres Colonias neighborhoods are more than a mile from the proposed service area, which is why those areas were not initially included. However, they were included in the most recent round of outreach. York commented the medical centers and Walmart were included in earlier discussions, despite being more than a mile away from the proposed service area, as they were listed as desired destinations by people along the North College corridor. Lorson further detailed the public outreach strategies to help engage communities. Gavaldon asked about the consultant costs for the project. Lorson replied the City received a grant for the project which included about $400,000 for consultant services. Rachline stated feedback outlined from the Board was incomplete noting the Board also discussed other key issues such as having the ability for a one seat ride from North College to the South Transit Center. Lorson replied that is being examined as it was also mentioned as a priority during public outreach; however, there will most likely be a transfer at the Downtown Transit Center between the two lines initially. Rachline supported a phased approach; however, she expressed concern not having that one seat ride initially will mean it will never occur. She stated this approach seems to be a distortion of community feedback. Lorson replied staff is currently considering a long-range strategy and phased approach. He noted this is still in the public outreach phase. Rachline reiterated the public feedback on the issue has shown the desire for that one seat ride. York suggested staff include information regarding necessary trade-offs and the decision process when considering various options. He asked what has changed in the plan based on the public engagement thus far. Lorson replied the entire plan is based on feedback received. York suggested including information in the presentation regarding what aspects of the plan were derived from which specific outreach efforts. Gavaldon asked if this plan has considered the proposed homeless shelter locations and providing service to those locations. Lorson replied there is a route that would serve TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 4 both sites presently being considered for the shelter. Chair Hart asked about the safety of traffic moving across the shared-use path in the future cross-section design. Lorson replied that is a concern and signage and striping will be used to bring attention to both cyclists and motorists. Gavaldon asked about the expenses associated with making changes to North College as it has been less than ten years since it was previously reworked. Lorson replied it has been identified that the basic curb-to-curb can be maintained with narrower medians. He acknowledged it is still a major project and stated there may be some future right-of-way acquisition through redevelopment. Chair Hart asked if staff perceives any changes to the plan based on feedback from CDOT. Lorson replied there is a CDOT representative on the transportation and right- of-way working group for the project and there may need to be changes to the North College access control plan to implement this plan; however, that will be part of the design process. Gavaldon asked about Planning and Zoning Commission comments regarding semi- truck traffic in the area. Lorson replied this area is currently a truck route between I-25 and Highway 287 and he commented on the BAT lane functioning as a right-turn lane and business access for all traffic. Chair Hart expressed support for phased implementation as some action is better than no action. Owens asked if any of the alternatives examined a road diet, and whether that would be possible given the current traffic on North College. Lorson replied that option was not considered as it is not likely it would be approved by CDOT. He speculated the lack of congestion currently seen in the area would not be the case if there was one travel lane in each direction. Owens asked how the at-grade rail crossing has been addressed and how it affects the current routes on North College. Lorson replied it is a concern and the crossings in town have been discussed in the community for years. He stated it is currently a realistic delay that will have to be accepted despite the reliability and frequency goals of bus rapid transit. He stated he does not currently have data on the relative impact on travel time for the current North College routes but he will follow up with that information. Chair Hart noted the current MAX line is also impacted by train crossings, though his experience is that the impact is minimal. Lorson commented on productivity still being possible on Wi-Fi enabled MAX buses, despite delays. Gavaldon thanked Lorson for the presentation and commended him on listening to feedback. He stated he could support this moving forward in a phased approach with TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 5 the caveat that Transfort gets its base business in order and that the phased approach remains flexible. York asked if any consideration has been given to making the intersection of North College and Highway 1 a roundabout. Lorson replied that concept was not considered given the fact the intersection was just reconstructed. Rachline suggested the inclusion of a timeline of various phases of the project for the next presentation. She also noted Transfort has suffered from impacts of the pandemic and providing support for the program is important. She suggested relating this to the ongoing climate crisis is important. Lorson stated staff also recognizes that urgency and noted land use changes lead to the ability to get federal grants for this type of work. York concurred relating this to the Climate Action Plan is important. He asked if staff has considered using the new roundabout at Taft Hill Road and Highway 287 as a turnaround. Lorson replied that was considered; however, it is almost two miles between the end of North College and that roundabout and there is very little development in that stretch. Chair Hart noted feedback from the public shows interest in access locations south and east (of the map shown, in the area of Mulberry and Lemay) rather than north and west (of that same map). He suggested including information in this presentation as to which key outcome areas this plan would address. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Vice Chair Brown commented on the location of the closure notice for the bike lane on the Vine and Lemay overpass not being at the bottom. Iverson replied he would pass that information on to appropriate staff. Owens reported on noticing cars making U-turns in the middle of Laurel just east of College prior to the roundabout on Remington. Rachline reported the traffic stacking onto College from Raising Cane’s continues to worsen. She also mentioned the lack of cleaning of the bike lanes on West Vine near Lincoln Middle School and expressed concern many bike lanes around town are unsafe due to the lack of cleaning. Gavaldon concurred with Rachline’s concerns regarding traffic stacking on College at Raising Cane’s and Starbucks. He reported on the recent Planning and Zoning Commission meeting during which Land Use Code updates, the North College bus rapid transit plan, and meeting management were discussed. He stated the Commission has expressed appreciation for the Transportation Board liaison. Rachline commented on the possibility of closing certain roadways to vehicular traffic on weekends. She also asked if there has been consideration in utilizing old rail tracks for some type of transit. Iverson stated staff values the idea of closing streets to traffic TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 6 and noted the Open Streets events are minor versions of that. He stated he is unsure of the feasibility of bringing back additional trolley service. York agreed the issues with traffic stacking on College are worsening and stated the City should not wait to act until a death occurs. He also concurred the city’s bike lanes need to be more regularly cleaned and encouraged everyone to continue to take precautions regarding COVID. Chair Hart also concurred with the need for additional street sweeping in bike lanes and stated it is time to address the protocol with how the detritus from accidents frequently gets pushed into bike lanes, sidewalks, and medians. York stated he believes the city requires tow trucks to clean up any debris from an accident prior to leaving with vehicles from accidents. Iverson replied he would need to follow up on that. Chair Hart noted other businesses in the area of Raising Cane’s or Starbucks are likely being negatively impacted as customers cannot enter or do not want to deal with the traffic issues in the area. He stated perhaps the City needs to address this from the perspective of treating all businesses equally. Chair Hart commended the fact the Board heard tonight’s item while it is in the process of development. He noted the Board has frequently requested topics come before it earlier in the process and stated it should not be a hostile audience when staff members state not all information is complete. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Owens reported the BAC received a presentation on the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization’s 2050 regional plans. (**Secretary’s Note: Owens’ remote connection was lost at this point in the meeting.) Vice Chair Brown made a motion, seconded by Gavaldon, to send another letter to City Council expressing concern that despite the infrastructure changes at Raising Cane’s, the traffic still seems to be creating a safety issue. Gavaldon requested to add Starbucks and Chick-fil-A to the list of concerns as well. Vice Chair Brown accepted those inclusions, but stated it is important to call out the Board recognizes Raising Cane’s did make infrastructure changes and the other two restaurants have not. (**Secretary’s Note: Owens’ connection returned at this point in the meeting.) Rachline suggested the letter should be more comprehensive than the last letter and should include the points discussed by York and Chair Hart. Vice Chair Brown stated TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 7 she would accept those amendments. Chair Hart stated he would craft the letter if the vote is to approve the motion; however, he does not personally agree sending another letter will be any more effective than having this discussion captured in the meeting minutes. The vote on the motion was as follows: Yeas: Gavaldon, York, Brown and Owens. Nays: Rachline. Abstain: Hart. THE MOTION CARRIED. Vice Chair Brown suggested a follow-up action to have the Board hear a presentation from the appropriate party regarding what ability the City has to address the issue. Gavaldon questioned whether an existing nuisance ordinance could potentially address this issue. Owens continued his BAC report stating the Committee also received a presentation from Dave Dixon from Bike Fort Collins regarding intersections. He stated he would share the presentations with Board members. Additionally, he noted Geary presented information on the dashboard for the Spin program. Gavaldon suggested the Board may want to receive Dave Dixon’s presentation as well. York noted the Bike Fort Collins website includes the information regarding which intersections are the focus of the month and an archive of previous intersection discussions. b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson stated the Council 6-month calendar includes a work session on Larimer County’s regional transportation update, a work session on Land Use Code updates, budget hearings, a work session on Our Climate Future, a work session on certain FC Moves items including the Active Modes Plan, and possible adoption of the Active Modes Plan in December. c. Staff Liaison Report Iverson stated all budget offers are still in the hands of the internal outcome teams for evaluation. He stated the first cut of offers falling above and below the cut line should be available in June. Iverson noted recruitment for Boards and Commissions has been reopened. He discussed the difficulty the Parking Advisory Board is having in retaining members and stated there has been a suggestion by the current Parking Board Chair to fold the Parking Board into the Transportation Board, though there are a number of steps that will need to occur prior to that change moving forward. He stated it is also possible for it to become a subcommittee of this Board. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 5 /1 8 /2022 – MINUTES Page 8 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m. by unanimous consent.