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HomeMy WebLinkAbout- MINUTES - 03/21/2024 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR March 21, 2024, 6:00 p.m. Online Via Zoom or In-Person at 281 North College Avenue 3 /21/202 4 – 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 Indy Hart Nathalie Rachline Jerry Gavaldon James Burtis Jess Dyrdahl BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Stephanie Blochowiak CITY STAFF PRESENT: Seth Lorson PUBLIC PRESENT: Marcus (no last name given) 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Marcus (no last name given) stated he was present to hear the presentation. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3 /21/2024 – MINUTES Page 2 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – FEBRUARY 2024 Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Dyrdahl, to approve the February 2024 minutes as written. Yeas: Peyronnin, Brown, Burtis, Dyrdahl, and Gavaldon. Nays: none. Abstain: Hart and Rachline. THE MOTION CARRIED. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Transfort and Poudre School District Collaboration Study – Seth Lorson Seth Lorson, stated the genesis of this study was interest from Council in a closer collaboration with Poudre School District (PSD). He outlined the best practices research, existing conditions review related to how Transfort is currently serving schools, the opportunity areas, and resulting strategy plan. Lorson noted a technical advisory committee consisting of stakeholders from Transfort, Poudre School District, and the Bohemian Foundation, which has provided a grant for all Poudre School District students to ride Transfort at no cost, was consulted. Lorson commented on Transfort’s free fares for all and noted that providing the service is not free; however, the goal is to reduce barriers for people to ride transit, therefore, those type of contributions such as the grant still need to happen. Lorson discussed the study of middle and high school bell schedules , the closest bus routes to the schools, and number of students that are riding Transfort and PSD school buses. He noted it was difficult to obtain data from PSD regarding where students live, and which school bus routes are being utilized. Lorson further detailed the school study’s aspects which included walk times from the closest bus stop to the school, and bus frequencies. Lorson detailed the best practices review which found that coordination opportunities fell under service coordination, paratransit service, transit pass programs , supporting peak transit needs, maintenance, and sharing of drivers and staff. He noted Transfort adjusts its route schedules based on school bell schedules annually and that adjusts the transfer times for the rest of the system. Lorson discussed the possibility of students riding Transfort buses to a PDS bus stop , which would take a great deal of collaboration. Chair Brown expressed concern that coordination may not be feasible given the dramatic drop in attendance at schools since the pandemic. Rachline commented on the fact that high school students will drive to school given the parking lot sizes and fact that there is stigma around buses. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3 /21/2024 – MINUTES Page 3 Vice Chair Peyronnin asked if the expectation would be for students to arrive at bus stops to ride Transfort, not for Transfort to operate as a school bus does. Lorson replied students would be using bus stops and noted the Federal Transit Administration, from which Transfort gets most of its funding, only allows minimal alteration of routes to be able to serve the schools, and the school district mostly gets its regulations from the state; therefore, there are two different regulatory agencies in play. Vice Chair Peyronnin asked if the use of Transfort by elementary aged children is anticipated, and if so, are parents expected to get those children to the bus stops. Lorson replied only middle and high schools were studied . Rachline commented on difficulties provided by the school of choice system for transportation. She also asked staff if they have looked into the RTD collaboration with Denver schools. Lorson replied many cities that have success with these types of collaborations are densely populated communities along corridors with high- frequency transit already running. He noted Transfort’s one-hour headway service provides for very little wiggle room when attempting to align with bell schedules; therefore, increased frequencies would be needed. Vice Chair Peyronnin asked how discipline issues would be handled on Transfort buses and whether those types of issues would be referred to the schools. Lorson replied he has not heard of issues being referred to schools, but noted there are Transfort security officers on buses who will address disruptions for all riders. Hart stated it seems this study is revealing that we need to be making sure that the bus system is aligning with the population spread of the city and is operating at the frequency required to get people in a timely manner from point A to point B in order to accommodate middle and high school students, which will also assist the general population of riders. He also suggested a heat map of population would be good enough for information. Lorson noted Transfort already utilizes that type of data to plan its routes. Vice Chair Peyronnin suggested Transfort could help out with transporting school of choice students. Lorson stated one of the main things that needs to be done for this collaboration to be successful is to meet regularly. He noted there have been challenges communication with and getting a response from Poudre School District. He noted institutional culture plays a role and stated quarterly meetings between Transfort and the PSD transportation group would be beneficial, but perhaps difficult. Rachline suggested students could be involved as stakeholders and champion groups. Lorson replied he reached out to the dean of students to ask if there is a group of students who regularly ride the bus and he was told there was not. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3 /21/2024 – MINUTES Page 4 Lorson noted another opportunity for collaboration is paratransit services as PSD is required to provide paratransit services for its students and efficiencies could be created by those services being combined with Dial-a-Ride. Lorson stated Transfort could do more educational outreach around free fares for students; however, there has been some hesitation about spreading the word about free fares as it is not yet permanent. He also noted there could be an opportunity to utilize PSD buses to support peak transit needs rather than utilizing a contract with Greeley/Evans transit. In terms of maintenance, Lorson noted there is an existing partnership with PSD for them to wash their buses at the Transfort facility. He suggested there may be more opportunities for partnerships in terms of fueling or charging; however, he noted there are regulatory issues as non-FTA vehicles cannot be maintained at a facility funded by the FTA. Additionally, economy of scale could come into play in terms of ordering parts, and training, drug screening, and other administrative items could involve collaboration. Chair Brown asked if there are agreements in place to hold quarterly meetings. Lorson replied in the negative and acknowledged PSD does not have enough staff and has the great responsibility of caring for the community’s children. Lorson stated staff is attempting to determine the final tweaks to the recommendations and will attempt to hold regular meetings with PSD moving forward. Gavaldon asked if charter schools were included. Lorson replied in the affirmative. Iverson noted the City’s Traffic Operations department works on pick-up/drop-off congestion around schools. Gavaldon commented on congestion issues at Ridgeview. Hart commended Lorson’s candor and comfort in engaging with the Board. Chair Brown commended the options suggested for collaboration. Gavaldon noted PSD has a demographer on staff who could provide some information. Chair Brown noted all PSD students must apply to ride the bus each year and there is no longer guaranteed bus service. Burtis asked if staff has reached out to other cities that have had some success with this type of partnership. Lorson replied most of the communities that have had success with these partnerships are either rural or very urban. Rachline asked about next steps. Lorson replied the report will be published and staff will work to create the meetings between the two organizations. He noted Transfort will continue to adjust to bell times. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3 /21/2024 – MINUTES Page 5 Vice Chair Peyronnin asked if there is a possibility of making this a regular report. Lorson replied he was unsure what level of reporting would occur, but stated starting the collaboration is the foundation. Chair Brown commented on the need for education around the safety of transit and suggested a program such as the existing bike field trips could be used. Gavaldon asked about the value added from the consultants used. Lorson replied the consultants provide expertise and capacity. He noted the consultants do not have direct experience with Transfort and Poudre School District, which are unique organizations and are not the same as other cities. Iverson noted the study provided concrete examples of issues and difficulties as well as opportunities and the groundwork for moving forward. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Vice Chair Peyronnin reported he has been able to ride his bike after hip replacement surgery. He also announced a civic conversation around transportation issues taking place next Monday. He thanked Chair Brown for serving on the Board as this will be her last meeting. Hart noted it is also Dyrdahl’s and Rachline’s last meeting. He reported on positive bike trail conditions and commented on witnessing someone go through the red stoplight on the Power Trail Horsetooth crossing. He also noted a benefit of students riding buses would be the lack of rushing parents attempting to get to school and subsequently not paying attention to cyclists, including children. Additionally, Hart stated he has noticed Transfort has tightened up its timing. He stated he would like Transfort to also consider other interagency connections with entities such as the Poudre Express to align timing. He asked if there are updates on the Harmony underpass and bridge project connecting over the railroad tracks south of Harmony. Iverson replied the project is fully funded and he will send an email regarding timing. Gavaldon noted the Harmony project was discussed at the Transportation Projects Fair and he expressed support for the project. He stated a plan needs to be put in place to educate riders to use the overpass. He requested a follow-up on the snow routes issue and commented on sidewalk snow removal discussions at his HOA meeting. He reported on the Planning and Zoning Commission’s review of the Land Use Code updates and stated he believes the changes are positive. Additionally, he commented on snow removal issues on Stuart Street. Dyrdahl commented on a co-worker who utilizes the Greeley/Evans transit and commended its efficiency. She commended a mechanic who has been assisting with her E -bike and reported on visiting CSU’s campus in Mexico. She commended the other members and Iverson for his work as staff liaison. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 3 /21/2024 – MINUTES Page 6 Burtis reported on riding his bike and Transfort and stated it seems the consideration paid to bikers by drivers has improved. Rachline reported on snow and debris in bike lanes. She also stated problems remain with cars stacking onto College from Raising Cane’s and expressed frustration nothing has been done about the issue. She also reported the MAX schedule is confusing and suggested it should only display the buses that currently run. Chair Brown reported on a visit to Salt Lake City and commended the road conditions in Fort Collins. She also commended the placement of signs on Transfort buses indicating drivers should yield. She commented on her eight plus years of service on the Board and thanked City staff for their extreme level of transparency and responsiveness. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson reported Council will be considering the new updates to the Land Use Code on April 2nd, the CCIP and street maintenance tax renewals at the April 23rd work session, and the Council Work Plan on May 24th. b. Staff Liaison Report Iverson thanked the outgoing Board members and presented them with gifts. He noted there will be five new members joining the Board next month. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:42 p.m. by unanimous consent.