Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 12/20/2023 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR December 20, 2023, 6:00 p.m. Online Via Zoom or In-Person at 281 North College Avenue 1 2 /20/202 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 Nathalie Rachline Indy Hart Jess Dyrdahl Stephanie Blochowiak Jerry Gavaldon BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: James Burtis CITY STAFF PRESENT: Brad Buckman Tyler Stamey PUBLIC PRESENT: None 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – NOVEMBER 2023 Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Peyronnin, to approve the November 2023 minutes as amended to correct a misspelling. Yeas: Brown, Peyronnin, Rachline, Hart, Dyrdahl, and Blochowiak. Nays: none. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 2 /20/2023 – MINUTES Page 2 THE MOTION CARRIED. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Street Standards and Roundabouts – Brad Buckman, Tyler Stamey, Aaron Iverson Aaron Iverson discussed the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LCUASS) noting they are a set of shared standards between Fort Collins, Loveland, and Larimer County. The set of engineering design standards applies to design and construction of new and reconstructed streets within the growth management areas of those two cities. Brad Buckman, Director of Engineering, discussed the types of revisions that occur with LCUASS: policy revisions which are more significant in nature and technical revisions which are generally minor additions and corrections. He discussed the history of the standards noting they were adopted in 2001. He stated the most recent policy revision occurred in 2021 and he discussed the process by which the two types of revisions are adopted. Chair Brown asked if there was a document or standards in place prior to the adoption of LCUASS. Iverson replied he assumed each entity had its own system and issues likely arose particularly in the growth management areas. Gavaldon commented on a program called Safe Streets that was developed by a previous City Engineer. Buckman discussed the components of LCUASS which include street design, intersections, access requirements, soils, structures, utility locations, traffic control devices, pedestrian and bike facilities, and parking. Dyrdahl asked how these standards intersect with the way the City calculates adequate public facilities for developments. Buckman replied the adequate public facilities requirements are consistent with LCUASS and developments are required to either fund construction or construct improvements necessary to create adequate public facilities. Tyler Stamey, City Traffic Engineer, noted adequate public facilities is codified in City Code which refers back to LCUASS. Vice Chair Peyronnin stated he is interested to hear about the decision point related to the determination of signalizing an intersection versus installing a roundabout. Members discussed the street naming process. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 2 /20/2023 – MINUTES Page 3 Buckman further detailed the components of LCUASS and discussed examples of street cross-sections and bike lane options. He also detailed the components of complete streets and commented on the incorporation of Vision Zero. Stamey discussed the LCUASS roundabout design guide. Gavaldon commented on the first roundabout in Fort Collins at Horsetooth and Ziegler. He stated the roundabout was designed smaller than was adequate. Buckman noted there are plans to expand it. Chair Brown noted many Board members would like to see roundabouts be the default intersection design. Rachline noted actions that actually work toward the Our Climate Future goals need to occur and roundabouts could be part of that. Vice Chair Peyronnin commented on a Virginia study indicating $10 million is saved over a 20-year period in terms of safety when roundabouts are installed. He acknowledged there is a political sensitivity around roundabouts as mistakes have been make in the past and people do not like change; however, roundabouts help with climate and safety goals. He suggested roundabouts should be the default intersection for all developments moving forward. Stamey noted roundabouts are encouraged for new collector to collector intersections in LCUASS and stated once 50,000-60,000 daily intersection entry numbers are met, signals start to perform better than roundabouts as 3 -lane roundabouts are required for that volume. Additionally, he stated roundabouts often do not function well if volumes are highly imbalanced between the two streets. Hart commented on roundabouts slowing down traffic and stated some means of interacting with arterial roadways other than stop lights are important to consider. Stamey noted the Master Street Plan does identify roundabouts at some arterial locations. Buckman noted there is funding for the Overland and Elizabeth roundabout. Rachline commented on the importance of reducing the speed of traffic which will have a positive impact on the climate. Chair Brown asked what weight a recommendation of a roundabout for a collector intersection carries. Stamey replied many developers are proposing roundabouts from the start. Iverson noted roundabouts were not included on the Master Street Plan prior to 2019 and developers must implement that plan as part of developments. Gavaldon commented on the need to have more roundabouts to get the necessary desired effect. He also stated the City needs to work to not cave into developers’ desires to not utilize roundabouts. Buckman and Stamey noted there is a requirement for roundabouts at collector to TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 2 /20/2023 – MINUTES Page 4 collector intersections. Hart stated there would likely have been fewer injuries and property damage resulting from a recent accident if Timberline and Harmony were a roundabout; therefore, it is important to consider arterial to arterial roundabouts to help keep traffic moving. Chair Brown asked if LCUASS speaks to roundabouts at arterial intersections. Stamey replied in the negative. Rachline asked if there are specific dates or plans for roundabout installation. Buckman noted the Elizabeth and Overland roundabout will be done in 2025 and discussions are underway with CDOT for the Timberline and Highway 392 roundabout which would also likely occur in 2025. Vice Chair Peyronnin commented on a development going in along Ziegler between Horsetooth and Harmony and stated now would be the time to consider roundabouts for that development on Ziegler. He asked how that process would work. Stamey replied that project has been through a number of appeals and he could look into considering a roundabout. Vice Chair Peyronnin commented on the importance of roundabouts for safety. Buckman noted the safety crash report contains a section comparing roundabout safety which indicated three out of the four examined intersections performed better as roundabouts than signals. Vice Chair Peyronnin stated stop light intersections should have to be justified rather than roundabout intersections. Iverson discussed next steps including aligning all standards and codes if there is misalignment, including LCUASS. Vice Chair Peyronnin asked what can help staff push developers for roundabouts until the LCUASS standards are updated. Chair Brown asked how wide the loopholes are that would address the collector to collector roundabout requirement. Buckman replied different options need to be weighed when staff examines traffic studies, though the default is to ask for a compelling reason why collector to collector intersections should not be roundabouts. He stated there is more of an analysis for arterials, but four of those are moving forward. Chair Brown asked who ultimately decides what type of intersection is installed in a collector to collector situation. Buckman replied developers would need to provide valid justification as to why a roundabout would not work, which could be physical constraints. Iverson discussed the required traffic impact studies for developments. He noted any requested modification requires quite a bit of justification. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 2 /20/2023 – MINUTES Page 5 Gavaldon suggested the modification of standards process could be improved and tightened which would help provide better outcomes for the community. Chair Brown asked if it is accurate to state that all intersection options are considered equally when an arterial is involved. Buckman replied in the affirmative. Stamey stated providing feedback during the LCUASS update process will be helpful to provide more concrete language related to roundabout requirements. Hart stated having clean and easy standards for developers is valuable. Additionally, he noted speaking of the dangers of traditional intersections moves people to action faster than does discussing the benefits of a roundabout. He also suggested it is valuable to discuss how roundabouts would support the urgency that needs to be taken by the City in order to address Council’s stated climate emergency. Blochowiak noted these decisions are data -informed and roundabouts are not going to be the right solution for every intersection. Dyrdahl asked about the previous audits that have occurred to the LCUASS standards since their adoption in 2001. Iverson replied LCUASS was revised in 2021 and this newer set of revisions is under a larger umbrella including the Active Modes Plan, Vision Zero, and the Climate Action Plan, with which LCUASS needs to align. Chair Brown asked when these items start to go before Council. Iverson replied Boards and Commissions will start to be involved when staff gets to making recommendations and that will be followed by work sessions with Council then action items. Blochowiak asked if there is a project manager for this effort. Iverson replied it is now in FC Moves and Seth Lorson is taking the lead on the audit piece; however, it will be a multi-departmental effort. Chair Brown recommended future Board members request Seth Lorson and others return with regular information. Gavaldon suggested it may be important for the Board to provide a recommendation now and speak its desire to be part of these discussions moving forward. Hart made a motion, seconded by Gavaldon, that the Transportation Board send a letter to City Council indicating the Board has been discussing roundabouts, is supportive of their use, and endorses City staff’s audit of LCUASS and the way roundabouts are being approached. Additionally, the Board encourages the use of language related to the benefits of roundabouts to climate, personal safety, and support of overall multi-modal goals. Rachline stated a motion should request action items and stated she does not believe this type of motion is going to accomplish any action. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 2 /20/2023 – MINUTES Page 6 The vote on the motion was as follows: Yeas: Brown, Peyronnin, Dyrdahl, Blochowiak, Gavaldon and Hart. Nays: Rachline. THE MOTION CARRIED. Iverson stated he would start a draft letter. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Vice Chair Peyronnin reported on attending round-table discussions with other residents and one issue that came up at both recent meetings was housing cost. He stated he has been pushing the notion that public transportation is a key component to affordable housing that is being overlooked. Hart commented on the way public transportation is treated and noted people who need to use it will do so no matter what; the difficultly lies in getting people to ride public transportation who have other options and the only way to make that happen is to increase frequency and make it more convenient, thereby changing the stereotype of the typical rider. Vice Chair Peyronnin noted the political impetus to make investments in the public transportation system must also be present, therefore the link to affordable housing is important. Dyrdahl noted housing density is important for public transportation and suggested the Board may want to put forth a recommendation related to the Land Use Code. Members had a discussion about the recent repeal of the Code and Iverson noted revisions will come back before Council though the timeline is unclear. Iverson commented on the tax measure that recently passed which included transit funding. Gavaldon commented on all Transfort job openings being part-time. Dyrdahl reported on attending the recent Planning and Zoning Commission work session during which the Bloom development, Strauss Lake development, and the Council appeal process were discussed. She discussed the downtown parking study with the Commission and members’ suggestions were to try to make incremental changes without the use of consultants. Dyrdahl reported she is going to Tanzania on Sunday and asked Vice Chair Peyronnin if he could attend the January 12th Commission meeting. Vice Chair Peyronnin replied in the affirmative. Blochowiak stated this will be her last meeting as she is taking on more professional responsibilities in the new year. Members thanked her for her service. Gavaldon reported on commuting to Denver for real estate work and he commented on his positive experience using the toll road. He discussed 10-minute bus service in Denver and TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 2 /20/2023 – MINUTES Page 7 stated Fort Collins’ MAX lines would greatly benefit from the same service. Rachline commented on the opportunity provided by the Land Use Code repeal to make inroads in terms of what is expected from developers in terms of access to public transportation and affordable housing. She also commented on CSU workforce housing being developed quite a way from CSU and questioned how those residents will get to CSU without public transit. Rachline reported on dangerous crosswalk conditions resulting from the recent snow. She also discussed a grant received by FC Moves for $970,000 and asked what is being funded with those dollars other than what was mentioned in the FC Moves newsletter. Iverson replied he would sent the Board further details. Rachline stated she is not reapplying to the Board and suggested there may be an easier way to communicate with Board members regarding whether they are eligible to reapply. Hart noted all but one person on the Board got to this in-person meeting using a single- occupancy vehicle and, as it is now after dark, the times for public transport are not available to be able to reasonably get back to the southeast part of town in a timely manner. Additionally, biking on the Poudre Trail could be dangerous due to a lack of lighting. Hart reported on a discussion with Anabelle and Drew via email and he is hopeful for future improvements in the area of reliability for some of the Transfort routes. He noted his commute via bus remains about an hour and a half; however, he has seen some improvements. He reported on attending a meeting during which someone brought up slides of visual impairment and color blindness and it was noted that the Transfort app does not have good coloration as all the route colors look the same for a color-blind individual. He stated he contacted Anabelle and the Transfort team is talking about making some changes. Hart reported on the relaxing experience of bike riding on trails versus streets. Additionally, he commented on buses having a feeling based on how they are presented to riders; therefore, the cleaner and more decorated the buses are, the more pleasant they feel. He suggested there is more that could be done to bring warmth to Transfort buses which will psychologically impact riders to feel more comfortable. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Gavaldon reported he was ill during the last BAC meeting. Iverson noted it was the last meeting of the Committee and was more of a celebration of its work. b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson reported Council will be considering the Land Use Code in the upcoming months. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 2 /20/2023 – MINUTES Page 8 c. Staff Liaison Report None. Vice Chair Peyronnin commented on enjoying the in-person meeting with the option of attending remotely. Other members concurred. Members discussed whether new officers will need to be chosen given the extended terms. Iverson stated he would asked Davina Lau if there is any guidance on that. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m. by unanimous consent.