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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 08/16/2023 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR August 16, 2023, 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Via Zoom 8 /16 /202 3 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Cari Brown Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Ed Peyronnin Emily Francis Staff Liaison: Aaron Iverson 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Brown called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Cari Brown, Chair Ed Peyronnin, Vice Chair Jerry Gavaldon Nathalie Rachline James Burtis Indy Hart Stephanie Blochowiak BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Jess Dyrdahl CITY STAFF PRESENT: Brad Buckman Seth Lorson PUBLIC PRESENT: None 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no other changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JULY 2023 Hart made a motion, seconded by Gavaldon, to approve the July 2023 minutes as amended. Yeas: Brown, Gavaldon, Burtis, Peyronnin, and Hart. Nays: none. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 2 Abstain: Rachline and Blochowiak. THE MOTION CARRIED. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Appoint a New Bicycle Advisory Committee Representative Iverson noted Rob Owens left the Board which has left the BAC representative position vacant and Gavaldon filled in last month. Gavaldon offered to take over the position. Vice Chair Peyronnin asked how soon there will be an official change with the BAC given the video members were sent. Iverson replied Council needs to vote at a regular meeting to adopt an ordinance changing the BAC to a Board , which may occur on September 5th. He stated he is working with the City Attorney’s Office to determine how this Board and the new Board will interact with one another. Vice Chair Peyronnin suggested the BAC representative position remain temporary until the changes are made. Hart asked about the video being referenced. Vice Chair Peyronnin replied Iverson sent a link to the Council’s work session related to the BAC. Hart stated the current purview of the Board is to have a BAC liaison; therefore, it seems appropriate to have Gavaldon serve in that role until any changes are necessary. Iverson noted the ordinance will have two readings and the second reading date has yet to be determined. Hart made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Peyronnin, to appoint Gavaldon as the liaison from the Transportation Board to the Bicycle Advisory Committee. Yeas: Brown, Rachline, Blochowiak, Peyronnin, Gavaldon, Burtis and Hart. Nays: none. THE MOTION CARRIED. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Transportation Capital Projects Prioritization Study – Brad Buckman Brad Buckman, Engineering Department Head, stated this presentation will focus on the 10-year Transportation Capital Improvement Program (TCIP) and the Transportation Capital Projects Prioritization Study (TCAPPS), both of which are rooted in and aligned with existing City adopted plans, including Vision Zero, the Active Modes Plan, the Climate Action Plan, City Plan, the Strategic Plan, and the Transit Master Plan. Buckman noted the main goal of designing and constructing transportation capital TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 3 infrastructure is safety and crash reduction; therefore, the TCIP goal will be to align with Vision Zero. He stated the TCAPPS methodology focused on making improvements to the high-injury network infrastructure and he discussed the analysis used for recent projects, beginning with decreasing the F/I, or fatality and injury number, to zero, and reducing property damage only (PDO) crashes. Buckman discussed the alignment of the TCIP with the Active Modes Plan ’s implementation plan and goal of 50% active modes share of all trips by 2032. Marc Virata, Capital Projects Civil Engineer, stated the TCAPPS is the culmination of work that began in 2021 and was designed to assist staff in making informed data- driven decisions on expenditures for transportation capital projects. He stated the primary focus of the Study is to find opportunities to improve traffic safety and congestion on the arterial network while collaborating with parallel efforts such as the Active Mode Plan and Vision Zero Plan, and to provide a foundation to the TCIP. Virata outlined the three phases of the TCAPPS: data collection and initial screening, project selection, and concept development, with the deliverables being a prioritized list of projects, conceptual design and cost estimates for the projects, a study report, and a GIS management tool that will enable better management of the TCIP process moving forward. Virata discussed the public outreach was conducted throughout the Study resulting in many collected comments addressing all areas of concern related to the transportation network and how projects could be formulated to create an infrastructure solution. Virata stated the quantitative criteria used in the process looked at crash reduction, peak hour delay reduction, equity, and growth, which also align with how the Active Modes Plan criteria were developed. He stated the qualitative criteria looked at cost, project readiness, multi-modal benefit, and synergy in community. He noted safety and multi-modal benefit had the highest weights in order to align with Vision Zero and the Active Modes Plan. Virata presented the list of 15 projects that came out of the TCAPPS process covering road diets, intersection improvements, and new construction , and he showed examples of each. He stated the projects have been taken to a 10% conceptual design to ensure they meet City goals addressing safety concerns for all modes of travel. He noted the TCAPPS methodology forms a framework for how staff can prioritize the TCIP for projects moving forward utilizing the GIS management tool. Virata stated the consultant on the TCAPPS project utilized publicly available data sets to identify potential environmental resources within expected project boundaries of individual projects in order to evaluate each project for impacts to sensitive environmental features, including water impacts, potential wildlife habitat, raptor nest boundaries, FEMA floodplain, and both historic and non-historic protected areas. He TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 4 also noted staff will be aiming to pursue sustainability ratings for the projects. Buckman provided a list of the twelve current transportation capital projects for this year and next, noting the total cost for all is about $70 million, with grant funding accounting for about $30 million of that amount. He also commented on the importance of leveraging regional partnerships with CDOT, the County, the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, CSU, and business improvement districts. Gavaldon commented on Dave Dixon’s intersection studies and asked if any of his data has been shared with the project team or if any of the intersections he has researched are part of the City’s project list. Iverson replied that data was included as part of the public input process and went directly into the Active Modes Plan and is included in the ongoing work. Gavaldon asked about the Power Trail crossing at Harmony and why the more expensive options seem to be up for consideration. Buckman replied that project will be an underpass and the cost came out to be about $10 million due to the sheer magnitude of the underpass. Gavaldon stated that cost is too expensive particularly given budget shortfalls and the upcoming sales tax increase request, and stated there were other options previously that were less costly. Blochowiak stated the USDOT is releasing more funds for the north I-25 corridor project and stated that could provide a good opportunity to have discussions with CDOT regarding the Mulberry interchange. Additionally, she stated the City now has unprecedented leverage with the new 1041 permit regulations, including control over engineering specifications and enforcement of construction level detail documents. She asked if the City has had discussions with CDOT around that interchange. Buckman replied CDOT is aiming to put out a request for proposal for the 30% design for the interchange, which will start to look at the conceptual level design and environmental mitigation, and provide a better cost estimate. Iverson noted the City has had the opportunity to guide work on other I-25 interchanges. Vice Chair Peyronnin commented on opportunities to use roundabouts to provide traffic calming and asked how roundabouts could be prioritized in new intersections and placed at existing intersections. Buckman replied roundabouts are shown at various locations on the Master Street Plan and their placement is dependent on traffic volumes. He also stated the goal is to design them with bike and pedestrian priority. Iverson noted roundabouts eliminate some of the most serious accidents that can occur and the City is looking at their use more than it has in the past. Burtis asked why the Shields and Prospect plans do not extend to Bennett or Lake to improve pedestrian and bike movement. Buckman noted these are 10% concepts and that is the type of feedback that will be desired as projects are advanced toward TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 5 30% design. Burtis commented on dangerous left turn intersections along Shields and asked if it would be possible to limit some of those movements. Buckman replied those types of things will be examined moving into design. Hart commended the City’s exploration of roundabouts and stated that while a less expensive Power Trail at Harmony crossing would be nice, it is important for the project to occur quickly before costs increase further. He commented on the need to improve transit rather than add lanes to roadways. Hart discussed the recently redone Stover Street and the use of protected bikes lanes as parking. He stated additional bike lane painting or signage is needed. Chair Brown commended the slide showing pre- and post-improvement accident data and stated additional signage at the intersection of Suniga and Redwood indicating cross traffic does not stop could be beneficial. b. Master Street Plan Proposed Amendments – Seth Lorson Seth Lorson, Transit Planner, stated there are typically Master Street Plan amendments made every year or two and they include items from a subarea or corridor plan, clean-up items, and developer-proposed amendments. He stated the Master Street Plan defines the city’s major street network of arterial and collector streets. Lorson discussed the two amendments related to the North College MAX plan, one of which would remove the North Mason collector roadway north of Bristlecone and one of which would remove the Red Cedar roadway north of Bristlecone. Lorson outlined clean-up amendments to East Laurel, Red Willow Drive, East Vine Drive, Hickory Street, Brightwater Drive, Boardwalk Drive, the I-25 frontage road, North Lemay Avenue, Remington Street, International and Greenfields, and Timberline and Carpenter. Hart opposed the removal of the roundabout at International and Greenfields stating it will ultimately need to be revisited when there is enough traffic to warrant one. He also stated a roundabout could have been installed at Carpenter and Timberline years ago. Gavaldon stated Boardwalk was designed to work as a cutoff between Harmony and College and is functioning in that capacity. He stated changing it to a collector will create another set of problems. Lorson replied the intent of changing it is to slow traffic down. Gavaldon stated changing its classification will make the speeding problem worse. Gavaldon concurred with Hart’s comments regarding removing the roundabout at International and Greenfields and stated he does not trust developers’ traffic impact TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 6 studies. Additionally, he commented on the Ziegler and Horsetooth roundabout which was built too small and will likely need to be rebuilt. He also concurred with Hart’s comments regarding the Carpenter and Timberline intersection. Vice Chair Peyronnin asked what traffic control device will be used at International and Greenfields. Lorson replied it will be a stop sign. Vice Chair Peyronnin also stated there is no harm in leaving the roundabout at that intersection as it would be more difficult to put it back in in the future. He supported the Carpenter and Timberline roundabout. Lorson concurred roundabouts a good tool for the community and stated he would return with more details on the removal of the International and Greenfields roundabout. Lorson discussed the developer-initiated amendment in the Montava development. Gavaldon questioned the simple projections in the traffic impact study and stated he would like to see the Timberline and Country Club intersection be a roundabout. Lorson replied a Dutch roundabout with separated bike facilities is being proposed at that intersection. Forest Hancock, Montava development team, concurred with the sentiment to build more roundabouts and roadways that are focused on pedestrians and cyclists. He stated the development has planned for a 4-lane roundabout at Country Club and Timberline. Additionally, there are two kidney bean intersections on Timberline between Mountain Vista and the future Country Club roundabout which will aid in creating a slower moving road and encourag ing bicycle and pedestrian interactions. He discussed the exercise during which the kidney bean intersection was tested with Poudre Fire Authority and Bike Fort Collins. Chair Brown noted she lives in a neighborhood near the Montava development and stated the City has not found a conflict in the past; however, she asked fellow Boardmembers if they object to her fully participating in any vote on this issue. No members offered an objection. Chair Brown asked if Giddings Road will eventually extend to Vine Drive. Mr. Hancock replied the intent is that Giddings will eventually extend south then curve and connect into Suniga, though that is unrelated to Montava. Iverson confirmed the information. Chair Brown expressed concern regarding the flow of traffic up to Maple Hill and Brightwater Landing on Timberline. Hart stated if the Board were to support changing Timberline from an arterial to a collector, it would be done with the intent of trying to slow the traffic into a residential area. Mr. Hancock stated his forecast would be that anyone trying to get into Maple Hill would hit the roundabout at Mountain Vista and turn left, continue down Mountain Vista, then take Turnberry north. He stated the proposal is for Timberline to be a 25 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 7 mile an hour roadway, the kidney beans have raised pedestrian and bicycle crosswalks which will require motorists to slow, and there is an additional pedestrian crosswalk between the two kidney beans that will have a light beacon. Mr. Hancock noted the Montava town center is located at Mountain Vista and Timberline in order to anchor the entire area, not just the Montava development. Additionally, he noted that the Dutch roundabout at Country Club and Timberline cannot be opened to the public until some milestones are reached with the town center. Lorson requested the Board recommend approval of these amendments to Council. He noted the staff-initiated amendments could be considered separately from the Montava developer-initiated amendments. Gavaldon expressed concern about the Montava amendments. He stated there is a plan for a Timberline and Vine overpass and questioned whether it will increase the traffic volume going to the north. He asked if the traffic impact study has factored that into its projections. Mr. Hancock replied he just learned about the overpass plans about a week and a half ago; therefore, it is not included in their TIS, which assumes that intersection to be an improved signalized intersection. Gavaldon suggested an updated TIS would be appropriate to determine whether the counts are accurate. He noted the Vine and Lemay overpass was factored into projects in the area years before its development. Hart stated he would not back a motion supporting the removal of the International and Greenfield roundabout. He commented on the difficulty in cleanly presenting the Board’s opinions through a motion. Chair Brown recommended splitting the motion into two: staff-initiated and developer- initiated. Chair Brown made a motion, seconded by Hart, to recommend approval the Montava Master Street Plan amendments as proposed. Yeas: Brown, Rachline, Blochowiak, Peyronnin, Burtis and Hart. Nays: Gavaldon. THE MOTION CARRIED. Chair Brown made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Peyronnin, to recommend approval of all staff-initiated amendments except the removal of the International and Greenfields roundabout as the data shows their efficacy at reducing traffic fatalities and accidents. Gavaldon stated he is willing to support the motion; however, he requested a friendly amendment to not recommend approval of the changes to Boardwalk Drive. Lorson stated Boardwalk Drive runs from College Avenue to Harmony Road and people use it as a cut through. He stated cars are frequently speeding on the TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 8 roadway; however, no speed bumps or other types of traffic calming devices can be installed unless the road is downgraded, which is why staff is supportive of the change. Gavaldon withdrew his amendment. Hart expressed concern about the increased traffic volumes on Harmony and College that would result from people not taking Boardwalk and suggested fixing the Boardwalk issue may create another problem. He expressed support for changes that consider the future and are not reactionary. Chair Brown commented on using Boardwalk on her bike and supported downgrading it to a collector to help make the roadway more bicycle friendly. Rachline concurred with Hart’s comments related to making improvements that are forward-thinking and consider things holistically. She stated she would not support the motion as she does not support the approach of grouping all the amendments. She stated she does not believe the opinion of the Board will have much of an influence as the plans have already been made. Burtis concurred with Rachline and Hart; however, he stated this is an opportunity to make a small portion of the roadway system a little more friendly to bikers. He stated there are plenty of arterial roads between College and Harmony and therefore, he does not have an issue with removing Boardwalk from that list. Hart stated he uses Boardwalk frequently on his bicycle, though he noted he is comfortable riding in traffic. He stated there should be a distinction between who should be a trail user and who should be traveling by bike on the roadways, at least in mentality. He suggested fixing the problem of people wanting to avoid Harmony and College to discourage using Boardwalk then revisiting reclassifying it to a collector. He stated some of the amendments seem to show progress, such as the Timberline and Carpenter roundabout, whereas others, such as Boardwalk, seem to be a NIMBY solution. Rachline stated the Board could opt to not vote on the amendments because of the lack of correct information or because the amendments do not attain the goals that have been set. Gavaldon commented on his experience biking on Boardwalk. He asked when this item will be going before Council. Lorson replied the item is not scheduled until November. Gavaldon suggested staff provide additional information and the Board reconsider this item in October. He stated he would like to reconsider the Montava vote to allow for additional information to be provided related to TIS impacts of a Timberline and Vine overpass. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 9 Chair Brown noted Lorson cannot be forced to return in October as the Transportation Board is simply advisory. Iverson noted the Master Street Plan amendments are required to be considered by the Transportation Board prior to Council per the Transportation Master Plan process. Chair Brown stated she would not support reconsidering the Montava vote. Lorson requested more information on what additional data is being requested and noted the Board could consider the other clean-up items other than Boardwalk and the elimination of the roundabout. Gavaldon stated he would like staff to consider the reasons Boardwalk was constructed as it was, provide an analysis of the benefits of downgrading the roadway, and discuss whether the traffic counts would support downgrading it. Additionally, he requested staff provide reasoning for removing the International and Greenfields roundabout. Chair Brown suggested members list the items they are uncomfortable moving forward with in the chat. Chair Brown withdrew her motion. Chair Brown made a motion, seconded by Gavaldon, to recommend adoption of all of the amendments except the removal of the International and Greenfields roundabout and the downgrading of Boardwalk to a collector, and request staff return in September or October with additional information on those two items. Yeas: Brown, Blochowiak, Peyronnin, Gavaldon and Burtis. Nays: Rachline and Hart. THE MOTION CARRIED. Hart stated he hates that he had to oppose a motion that means adding a roundabout. Iverson stated staff will work to determine which meeting works best from a scheduling perspective. Chair Brown suggested members who have concerns about the two withdrawn amendments email them to her, Iverson, and Lorson. Lorson suggested staff could go before Council with the suite of amendments that do not include the two removed items. c. Snow Routes Letter to City Council Hart made a motion, seconded by Burtis, to approve the letter as received in the agenda packet for submission to City Council. Yeas: Brown, Rachline, Blochowiak, Peyronnin, Gavaldon, Burtis and Hart. Nays: none. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 10 THE MOTION CARRIED. 8.BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Chair Brown reported on a visit to New York City in June and on their positive experiences riding the subway. She shared a link to a video about the City’s sales tax initiative which includes a transit funding component. Rachline requested a status update on vehicle miles travelled data and on what is being done to help the City meet its climate goals. She also requested information on the new Transfort Director and a presentation on what is being done with the system to get people where they need to go. Blochowiak commented on the federal funds that will be coming for the north I-25 project. Vice Chair Peyronnin stated there needs to be a shift in the City’s attitude about roundabouts as they should be the default due to their efficiency. Rachline requested a clear update on where the recommendations made by the Netherlands group stood in terms of plans or concrete actions. Gavaldon announced a bike-in movie night on October 31st at the Museo de las Tres Colonias. He reported on biking on the Power Trail and suggested more education is needed for vehicle, pedestrian, and bike behavior. He also reported on a bike accident today and noted the Coloradoan did an article on bike accidents. Burtis commended the City Park and Mulberry upgrades. He noted people are about ten times safer on public transit than driving a car. He discussed research he has done on transit system recovery data for other small to medium sized cities. Hart reported on issues with people parking in Stover bike lanes and on witnessing trail conflicts between users. He suggested installing signs for the crossings on the Power Trail and for Horsetooth and Drake encouraging users to press the buttons to get a crosswalk signal. Additionally, he suggested the installation of ‘wait to pass’ trail signage. He stated there is a different style of bicycle riding that should be occurring on trails versus streets with street riders following the rules of the road and trail riders being leisurely and polite. He suggested some type of signage encouraging riders to consider those differences. 9.OTHER BUSINESS a.Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Gavaldon reported the BAC received information on the change to an Active Modes Advisory Board and a report on the Active Modes Infrastructure Implementation Plan. He also requested another intersection report from Dave Dixon. b.City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson reported Council will be considering the Ad Hoc Committee on Boards and TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8 /16 /2023 – MINUTES Page 11 Commissions recommendations, discussing the community survey results, reviewing the Transportation Capital Projects Prioritization Study and discussing the Land Use Code updates at upcoming meetings and work sessions. c. Staff Liaison Report Iverson reported Council discussed reimagining the BAC at its last work session and provided direction for the BAC to become an Active Modes Advisory Board which would no longer be a subcommittee of the Transportation Board. The makeup of the new Board would be a regular nine-person Board with members selected using the same process as for other Boards and Commissions, with the possible inclusion of some ex officio members from entities that are highly involved in active modes, such as Bike Fort Collins, the DDA, or CSU. He stated he is working with the City Clerk’s Office and City Attorney’s Office on the exact ordinance language for the formation of the new Board and he intends to include information regarding how the new Board will function with the Transportation Board. He stated he would like to see a permanent liaison between the two. Hart asked what direction the Transportation Board would take. Iverson replied one of the Councilmembers asked a similar question and Mayor Pro Tem Francis noted it is okay for Boards to have overlap. Hart concurred with the idea of the Active Modes Advisory Board being able to have a direct line to Council but stated he would still like staff to make presentations to both Boards. Vice Chair Peyronnin reiterated he is unsure what problem is being solved by making the change and expressed concern it is creating more problems by adding staff work and bureaucracy. Iverson noted members could always speak at a Council meeting voicing any concerns. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:41 p.m. by unanimous consent.