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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 01/18/2023 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR January 18, 2023, 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Via Zoom 1 /18/202 3 – 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 6:05 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Indy Hart, Chair Cari Brown, Vice Chair James Burtis Jerry Gavaldon Jess Dyrdahl Ed Peyronnin Stephanie Blochowiak Rob Owens Nathalie Rachline BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: None CITY STAFF PRESENT: Rachel Ruhlen PUBLIC PRESENT: Kimberly (no last name provided) 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – DECEMBER 2022 Vice Chair Brown made a motion, seconded by Gavaldon, to approve the minutes of the December 2022 meeting as written. The motion was adopted unanimously with Owens and Rachline abstaining. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 2 (**Secretary’s Note: Burtis did not vote on this item.) 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Gavaldon noted a liaison to the Planning and Zoning Commission still needs to be appointed. Chair Hart outlined the previous experience of the Planning and Zoning Commission liaison but noted it is not an official role of the Board. Gavaldon stated that while it is not an official role, it has gradually become quite valuable and Council has noticed the relationship and commended it. Chair Hart asked if anyone is interested in attending the Planning and Zoning Commission work sessions. Owens stated he could be interested; however, he may not be able to continue with the Transportation Board. He noted Peyronnin also serves on the BAC. Peyronnin stated he would be happy to take on the Transportation Board role. Dyrdahl stated she would be willing to attend the Planning and Zoning Board work sessi ons as an alternate. Gavaldon clarified the Transportation Board liaison is a part of each Planning and Zoning Board work session agenda. Chair Hart reiterated this is still not a required duty of a Board member, but stated the strong connection is valuable. Gavaldon stated he would also be willing to be the BAC liaison as he does not believe Peyronnin should serve two roles. Chair Hart stated Owens will be the BAC and Planning and Zoning liaison for one more month until elections occur. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. New Member Welcome Chair Hart welcomed James Burtis to the Board. Burtis introduced himself and discussed his interest in transportation from an energy use and environmental standpoint. Other Board members introduced themselves and discussed their interest in transportation. Iverson introduced himself as the FC Moves Manager and BAC staff liaison. b. SPIN E-Bike/Scooter Update – Rachel Ruhlen Rachel Ruhlen, FC Moves, commented on the history of shared micro-mobility in Fort Collins and discussed the first annual report evaluating SPIN’s performance in comparison to how staff and the City wish it were performing. She discussed the usage metrics noting the first year of SPIN showed far more riders, trips, and miles than TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 3 previous micro-mobility programs. She discussed the two surveys that have been completed since SPIN started, one in the fall of 2021, and one in the fall of 2022, information from which did not go into the annual report. She noted there are really very few people who complain about SPIN and stated 95% of the 1,200 survey respondents expressed that they like or love SPIN. She stated about 1/3 of the trips on SPIN are replacing vehicle trips, and using that estimate, having the SPIN service in Fort Collins resulted in avoiding 36 metric tons of carbon emissions. Ruhlen discussed the SPIN adaptive program which provides adaptive micro-mobility devices at no charge. Additionally, SPIN Access provides discounts and ways for individuals to use the devices even without smart phones or credit cards. Ruhlen discussed SPIN use on arterial roadways and noted there is an important component of the low-stress bicycle network that is not available to the scooters because they are geo-fenced off paved trails. She stated the one area in which the City would like to see improvement with SPIN is in parking. She stated 157 requests to relocate a bike or a scooter were received in the first year, and about 65% of those involve requests to relocate properly parked scooters. She stated the number of requests to relocate devices tripled over the summer because the ability for someone to make that request became much easier by providing SPIN’s contact information on the FC Moves website. Ruhlen also noted bikes and scooters are redeployed to balance the system every morning, though not every bike and scooter get touched every day. Ruhlen discussed a study of SPIN parking behavior conducted by FC Moves which addressed and photographed 400 devices seeking to determine whether they were parked in such a way as to cause a problem, whether they were parked in such a way as to cause an issue for someone in a wheelchair, and whether they were upright. She stated the survey asked respondents about their knowledge of appropriate parking. She noted respondents desired better options for parking and clearly designated parking areas. Additionally, they preferred incentives over disincentives. She discussed the parking penalties that went into effect July 1st noting there were 25 warnings issued, four one-day suspensions, and two permanent bans in the first two months. She discussed the importance of educating people how to properly park and noted the current ordinance is extremely restrictive and is being considered for revisions. Ruhlen discussed the new parking box concept which is a painted box on the street with flexible bollards and painted symbols indicating it is the appropriate place to park the devices. Ruhlen noted this is the second year of the SPIN contract and the third year, if renewed, would begin in July. Peyronnin asked how people learn where parking is appropriate. Ruhlen replied there is currently not a great way to let users know where it is acceptable to park, though th ere is a message that pops up with each ride indicating proper behaviors. She stated that information needs to be better distributed and the ordinance will be revised to help with TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 4 that. Owens asked if the contact information for improperly parked devices is on stickers on the devices themselves. Ruhlen replied in the affirmative. Owens asked if SPIN must respond to every report of improperly parked devices, even given the fact that 65% of those are properly parked. Ruhlen replied SPIN will relocate devices regardless, and the contract states it should be done within two hours, though there are occasions where that does not occur. Owens asked if the parking boxes will become the required place to park, or if it will just be an option. Ruhlen replied she does not envision it being a requirement but noted there could be an incentive for users to end rides in parking boxes. Owens asked if street parking has been considered to be okay in some instances, such as adjacent to very narrow sidewalks. Ruhlen replied it is currently illegal to park the devices on the street unless they are within a designated parking box; however, she noted SPIN is not penalizing people for parking in the streets unless it is a problem. Owens asked if the City is still considering allowing street parking. Ruhlen replied that is the ordinance that needs to be revised to add street parking. Burtis questioned how broadly the dedicated parking boxes would be distributed around the city. Ruhlen replied there will likely be seven initially installed this spring, which was primarily determined by how much funding was available to purchase the flexible delineators. She stated the locations were determined by looking at the SPIN parking study, looking at whether the route is plowed, and whether it is a local road. She stated the funds are coming from what SPIN pays the City and she would like them to be widely distributed, however, most problems are seen in Old Town. She stated a couple locations outside Old Town were selected. Burtis asked about demographic data. Ruhlen replied a little less than half the riders are CSU undergraduates and a little less than half are not affiliated with the university. The remainder are affiliated with the university, but are not undergraduates. Burtis asked about the cost of the rides and whether there is any way to shift the pricing structure. Additionally, he noted the spike that is required to make the bikes run is easy to disengage and every time it is disengaged and reengaged, the rider gets charged one dollar. Ruhlen replied there were a number of complaints about that issue in the survey, and if the rider contacts SPIN, the charge will be refunded. She noted one -hour passes are slightly cheaper if one is going on a longer ride. She also noted prices increased from $0.30 to $0.33 per minute on January 1st. Gavaldon asked if the citizen who brought up concerns about SPIN at a Council meeting in October has been given the information he needs. Ruhlen replied she had spoken to that citizen extensively before he spoke at Council and she has a long relationship working with him. Iverson stated his main concern was parking and he has not been in TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 5 touch with staff for a while. Gavaldon asked about the contract and revenue brought into the City per device. Ruhlen replied she would need to look at the contract and would send the numbers to the Board. Gavaldon stated SPIN should pay to install the parking boxes as part of its contract. He asked if the contract has parameters that spell out SPIN’s performance expectations, and if so, is their performance being measured by those or are there items that need to be improved? Ruhlen replied SPIN is meeting their requirements and the annual report calls out items SPIN is required to do and is doing. She stated there is potential in the contract to improve the opportunity for SPIN to do what staff wants them to do, and also to incentivize SPIN to do even better while recognizing SPIN has a bottom line it needs to meet as well. For example, she stated SPIN might have more of a capacity to expand it's adaptive program or parking enforcement if some of the bikes, which are more difficult to maintain and are less popular, are replaced by more scooters. Gavaldon stated it is important the contract with SPIN allows them to be successful in meeting the expectations of the City. He also stated parking issues need to be addressed by all parties. He suggested a representative from SPIN be a part of future presentations. He asked about the contract renewal. Ruhlen replied it is a one-year contract renewable up to five years. Gavaldon stated he would like to have a SPIN representative present in April to ensure the contract can be successful. Chair Hart stated he does not care if SPIN is successful as a company, but cares if the City is meeting the needs of its residents. He stated he does not want to hear from SPIN directly, but would rather hear from staff members who are balancing the needs of residents, Council, and the contract. He expressed concern some of this data is coming from SPIN which has an interest in telling people what they want to hear. He also expressed concern about the City survey that only went to SPIN users. He suggested the City should send out a survey to the general public rather than just users. Additionally, he stated reporting parking issues directly to SPIN causes a loss in the transparency of how many issues are being reported. He suggested it would be more valuable, though possibly less efficient, to report issues through FC Moves. Chair Hart commended staff’s work on the parking solutions and suggested a survey question related to whether people would use SPIN more if they were allowed on trails. He reiterated he would also prefer to get feedback from the general public on SPIN. Ruhlen noted it is only scooters that are banned from trails; bikes can use them, but are speed governed to 15 miles per hour. Gavaldon stated he is not opposed to allowing scooters on the trails if it helps for safety in terms of getting them off arterials. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 6 Owens stated he too would like to see the scooters have trail access in order to improve safety. Vice Chair Brown asked if arterials were defined in the survey. Ruhlen replied in the affirmative. c. Transportation Board End of Year Report – Aaron Iverson Chair Hart requested input on the draft end of year report provided by Iverson. Vice Chair Brown suggested an inclusion that the Board expressed concerns and encouraged action over drive-through lines that are extending onto College Avenue. Iverson stated he would add that to the report. Gavaldon suggested adding wording related to the his and York’s work as the Planning and Zoning Commission liaisons, including specific work items. Chair Hart stated he would like to see that work summarized rather than listed specifically as it is not part of the purview of the Board. Gavaldon disagreed and stated the Board has been recognized by Council for engaging in this relationship. Vice Chair Brown concurred with Chair Hart that the work should be mentioned, but not in a specific manner as it is an unofficial role. Gavaldon stated he could accept a summary, but did not want to lose sight of the networking done by the Board. Vice Chair Brown made a motion, seconded by Dyrdahl, to empower Iverson to make the suggested changes and submit the Transportation Board End of Year Report to the City Clerk’s Office as finalized. The motion was adopted unanimously. d. Chair/Vice Chair Nominations Chair Hart and Iverson clarified this item has typically been for nominations with elections next month, though that is not a requirement. Chair Hart outlined the work done by the Chair and Vice Chair Brown outlined the work done by the Vice Chair. Chair Hart nominated Vice Chair Brown for Chair. Vice Chair Brown accepted the nomination. Vice Chair Brown nominated Peyronnin for Vice Chair. Peyronnin accepted the nomination. Rachline nominated Owens for either position. Owens declin ed the nomination. Rachline supported the nominations made by Chair Hart and Vice Chair Brown and supported rotating the positions. Vice Chair Brown and Rachline suggested voting at this meeting. Chair Hart stated he would like people to have time to process the nominations prior to a vote. Iverson stated that had been discussed; however, it is the Board’s prerogative to vote at this meeting. Chair Hart suggested moving forward with Board Member reports and requested TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 7 members send direct messages in the chat if there are issues they would like to discuss prior to a decision about a vote. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Gavaldon noted there is currently a survey out about whether to permanently waive Transfort fees. He encouraged members to complete the survey and requested Drew Brooks attend a future meeting and give the Board the opportunity to provide a recommendation to Council. He also requested Clay Frickey provide a presentation to the Board regarding North College Avenue. Additionally, he expressed concern bike lanes have yet to be cleared of snow and requested Dave Dixon make a presentation about Bike Fort Collins’ intersection list. Peyronnin reported on his work with CSU regarding the new Colorado safety stop law. He stated three committee efforts are ongoing: education , enforcement, and data collection, and results of those efforts will be distributed to the BAC and Campus BAC. Vice Chair Brown reported on attending the National Western Stock Show and shuttle use there. Blochowiak reported the 1041 regulations are still being discussed and commented on preparing 1041 permit applications for counties in Colorado. She stated the regulations will be discussed at an upcoming Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and Council will make the final decision. She noted highway projects will trigger the Fort Collins regulations and stated she would like the Board to be able to provide feedback on those projects. Chair Hart noted the Planning and Zoning Commission regular meeting during which 1041 regulations will be discussed is scheduled for January 25th at 6 PM. Owens reported on a pedestrian hit and run on New Year’s Eve at Suniga and Redwood. He noted the area has been identified as not particularly safe for bicyclists or pedestrians and stated the section of Suniga was lowered from low-stress to high-stress on the online network and will also be changed on the next version of the physical map. He suggested low-cost traffic calming measures could be instituted to help slow traffic. He reiterated bike lanes are in bad condition after snow and suggested some type of mapping of which lanes will be plowed could be helpful. Additionally, he discussed some directional paint signs for a park in Chicago. Dyrdahl reported on attending the Leadership Fort Collins meeting during which local governments were discussed. She stated she will miss next month’s meeting. Rachline stated there still has been no improvement on the Raising Cane’s car stacking issue and suggested it seems the City does not care about the issue. She concurred snow in bike lanes is an issue and stated street parking should not be allowed when plowing is occurring as plowing around parked cars exacerbates the issue. She stated she would like a presentation on statistics and strategies related to vehicle miles travelled. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 8 Burtis reported on using public transit on a recent trip to New York and also commented on poorly plowed bike lanes. He discussed work he has done on combining West Elizabeth Transfort routes. Chair Hart discussed his bike commute and stated trail conditions have been very good, particularly in comparison to bike lanes, which are poorly plowed. He stated he will need to take a single-occupancy vehicle to make a bus connection tomorrow as he does not want a two-hour commute. He concurred the Board should receive an update on the Climate Action Plan as it relates to transportation and vehicle miles travelled and he would like to know what is going on within City departments in terms of prioritizing these issues, particularly with respect to transportation. He suggested the Board go ahead with Chair and Vice Chair elections. Gavaldon discussed snow routes that were in place a number of years ago and suggested reinstating that program could help mitigate the bike lane snow issues. He also commented on private snow removal companies shoveling sidewalk snow into streets. Burtis commented on cities in the northeast having alternate sides parking during snow events to allow for proper plowing. Chair Hart suggested having a presentation from Streets regarding plowing, street sweeping, and maintenance. Chair Hart asked if there are any nominations for Chair other than Vice Chair Brown. There were no responses. The vote on electing Brown as Chair was as follows: Yeas: Hart, Peyronnin, Owens, Dyrdahl, Blochowiak, Rachline, Burtis, and Brown. Nays: none. Abstain: Gavaldon. Chair Hart asked if there are any nominations for Vice Chair other than Peyronnin. There were no responses. The vote on electing Peyronnin as Vice Chair was as follows: Yeas: Hart, Peyronnin, Owens, Dyrdahl, Blochowiak, Rachline, Burtis, and Brown. Nays: none. Abstain: Gavaldon. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Peyronnin reported the next BAC meeting is Monday; therefore, the last report was the most recent one. Gavaldon commented on the dual roles Peyronnin would play if he were to be the BAC liaison. Owens commented on his role on the BAC. Chair Hart noted the BAC is a subcommittee of the Transportation Board. He also noted Peyronnin has been approved to hold both positions. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 /18/202 3 – MINUTES Page 9 Iverson commented on the make-up of the BAC and stated nothing in the ordinance indicates one way or the other whether Peyronnin can fill both roles. Gavaldon disagreed and stated him serving both roles would essentially give him two votes. Peyronnin noted the University has two positions on the BAC as well and suggested he could drop off as the CSU representative leaving one and remain as the Transportation Board representative. Chair Hart suggested this could be discussed at next month’s joint meeting with the BAC. Gavaldon stated he is bringing up this issue simply from a process perspective. Peyronnin concurred that is important. b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson noted Council will be considering the following items at regular meetings or work sessions in the next six months: 1041 regulations, the Vision Zero Action Plan, North College MAX, advancing transit initiatives and downtown parking. c. Staff Liaison Report Iverson stated he will be sending out a survey about how the Board would like to conduct meetings moving forward in terms of remote, in-person, or hybrid. He thanked Hart for his service as Chair. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m. by unanimous consent.