HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 - Transportation Board - Annual ReportGarry Steen, Chair
Transportation Board
2013 Annual Report
The goal of the Transportation Board is to promote the implementation of a balanced transportation
system that is consistent with the City sustainability goals and provides choice, mobility, access,
congestion mitigation and safety for all people while achieving:
1) Efficient and Effective movement of people and goods throughout the community;
2) A reduction in the rate of Vehicle Miles Traveled growth to equal the rate of population
growth; and
3) Enhanced mobility through emphasis of modal shifts.
The Transportation Board met for 10 of 12 scheduled monthly meetings during 2013. Two
meetings were cancelled due to weather related events in April and September. The following
topics were addressed:
Social Equity: A panel discussion was convened and televised on the Social Importance of
Transportation to explore the burdens of mobility on the disadvantaged members of our
community. An automobile-centric transportation system challenges those with physical
disabilities, limited incomes, seniors no longer capable of driving, and a younger generation and
others that choose not to drive. Inclusiveness for these segments of our population has far
reaching impact on accessibility and economy as well as the quality of life that can be improved.
The panel discussion is available online in the City’s video archive. Social sustainability will
continue to be an important element for the Transportation Board.
MAX and Transfort: Regular updates on progression of the MAX project, along with a tour of
the new bus rapid transit vehicles and Transfort facility, and impact of integration with Transfort
was heard by the Board. The impact on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) of MAX and Transfort is
already evident to the City even though the MAX service begins in May, 2014. Citizen input
already is impatient for implementation of Phase 3 of the Transfort Strategic Plan, calling for
expanded service and routes, and frequency. The challenge to the community and to Council is a
sustainable funding source for transit. A League of Women Voter’s Cross Currents panel,
televised in December also addressed the MAX project.
Transportation Funding: Identifying sustainable adequate revenue sources for all aspects of
transportation is still a crucial issue for City Council. Current funding relies substantially on
sales tax income, with two of those quarter cent taxes expiring in 2015. It is imperative that
current revenue sources become sustainable; with an additional quarter cent dedicated to bring
transit to the level the city residents desire and needs.
Additional Special Events: Beyond those mentioned above, participation with a State
Transportation Legislative Review Panel, and a bicycle and pedestrian trail counts project, and
participation in the 5 Board Review of the City Climate Action Goals.
Additional Key Plans and Projects, adopted, implemented, constructed, or under construction
besides MAX:
• North College Project, Phase 2
• Midtown Corridor Urban Design Plan
• Harmony Road Enhanced Travel Corridor (ETC) Plan
• Three amendments to the Master Street Plan
• Neighborhood Parking Permit Plan
Additional Board Topics:
• North Front Range (NFR) Transit Vision Regional Feasibility Study by the NFR MPO
• Paved Trails Update
• Lincoln Corridor Project
• Regional Transit Element Study & MPO Overview
• CSU 2020 Transportation Plan
• City of Fort Collins Social Sustainability
• Midtown Plan – Economic Health
• Harmony ETC Final Plan
• Presentation & Tour of the city’s Traffic Operations facility
• Lincoln Corridor Plan
• Paved Trails Master Plan
• NFR Transit Element Study Update by the MPO
• Building on Basics sales tax presentation & update
• Residential Parking Permit Program
• Proposed Transfort Route Changes
• Sustainability Services Overview
• Greenhouse Gas Goals & Energy Policy
• North College Project, Phase 3
• Bicycle Advisory Committee’s review of Stop As Yield Law
• Transfort Marketing Exercise
The Transportation Board acknowledges and commends the excellent presentations by Planning,
Development, and Transportation departments including Engineering, FC Moves, Traffic
Operations, Transfort, and Parking Services. Also other City departments: Parks Planning, FC
Utilities, and Sustainability Services, and presentations from Colorado Department of
Transportation, Colorado State University, and the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning
Organization.