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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 12/18/2019TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR December 18, 2019, 6:00 p.m. Conference Room A, 281 North College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Indy Hart Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Nathalie Rachline Kristin Stephens Staff Liaison: Paul Sizemore 970.224.6140 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Hart called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Indy Hart, Chair Nathalie Rachline, Vice Chair Eric Shenk Jerry Gavaldon York Ellen Boeke Cari Brown BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Valerie Arnold CITY STAFF PRESENT: Amanda Mansfield Caleb Feaver Aaron Iverson PUBLIC PRESENT: None TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 2 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – NOVEMBER 2019 Chair Hart requested a change to the language regarding his bicycle riding preferences. York made a motion, seconded by Rachline, to approve the November 2019 minutes as amended. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. E-Scooter Update – Amanda Mansfield Amanda Mansfield, FC Moves Transportation Planner, stated the E-scooter program has been in place since October 23rd and staff is generally pleased with ridership numbers and decrease in community concerns. She stated staff is working very closely with Bird to address issues. Mansfield outlined the E-scooter regulations related to riding, parking and dismount zones. She stated the Engineering Department has agreed to task its staff with removing E-scooters from pedestrian walkways and placing them in their proper locations. Additionally, Mansfield noted staff is working closely with Bird on education and outreach, marketing, and 'nest' locations where scooters are deployed on a daily basis. Mansfield stated Parks Department staff are able to write citations and also remove scooters from pedestrian walkways. Police can also write citations, process vandalism complaints, and will field calls from the public. She stated there have been no reports of citations, accidents, violations, or vandalism to this point. Mansfield stated Transfort has also been an involved partner in education and outreach as a primary goal of the E-scooter program is addressing first mile and last mile gaps. Mansfield outlined operational takeaways including the number of scooters deployed, hours of operation, equitability, and ridership distribution between CSU and downtown, which is currently roughly 80% CSU. She discussed the geofencing abilities and difficulties and detailed what occurs when Bird is made aware of an improperly parked scooter. Rachline asked how users are made aware of rules. Mansfield replied the app requires initial interaction and will alert riders if they are parking inappropriately. She TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 3 stated education and outreach efforts will be enhanced for the anticipated increase in spring ridership and noted riders can be eliminated from the program if they continue to break rules. York asked about GPS response times. Mansfield replied the current scooters respond less frequently to GPS; therefore, riders can travel longer on a sidewalk before they are stopped. The new scooters will connect to GPS more frequently. Arthur Ortegon, Bird Senior Manager of Government Partnerships, stated the more frequently GPS is pinged, the more accurate the geofencing will become. Brown asked how many infractions must occur prior to an individual getting kicked out of the program. Ortegon replied a rubric of numbers of violations to punishments has yet to be developed. He stated there is a team of individuals who use discretion to determine the progression of disincentives, which include texts, emails, fines, and program suspension. Brown asked how the City documents concerns if complaints are going directly to Bird. Ortegon replied part of the agreement between Bird and the City is to share that kind of information. Chair Hart noted that without Bird's data, it cannot be guaranteed that complaints have decreased. Ortegon replied there is no question that complaints have decreased. Chair Hart asked in what locations the scooters are located outside the downtown dismount zone and CSU. He stated most tourist destinations are primarily within walking distance hubs in Fort Collins; therefore, the 80/20 ridership split is likely to remain. Mansfield replied scooters are located up and down major transit lines and shopping and business corridors. Ortegon stated data shows a lot of rides start downtown and end prematurely, which is part of the geofencing issue. Gavaldon asked what occurs when a scooter is abandoned in a private HOA area noting items left in HOA greenbelts could potentially be destroyed. Ortegon replied Fort Collins is rare in that not one scooter has been lost. He stated Bird will collect any scooters left on private property whether they are made aware of them through a complaint or via their GPS tracking. He also noted Bird aims to be a good partner and stated destruction of the scooters would be illegal as they are private property. He stated HOA's can be geofenced out as a last resort. Gavaldon asked about the length of the current contract with Bird. Mansfield replied the City has the option to renew or not, or redo the RFP, after the year-long pilot. Gavaldon asked about the age limit for riders. Mansfield replied it is 18. Ortegon noted that is a voluntary age limit and the company cannot stop a parent from TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 4 granting access to children; however, only one account can unlock one scooter. He stated underage riding is one of the issues for which Bird will fine and revoke memberships quickly. Boeke asked about the ability for non-smart phone owners to ride. Ortegon replied there are cash options wherein a rider can pay at a business to get a scooter unlocked. Additionally, there is a low-income program called Bird Access which offers unlimited rides under 30 minutes which is $5 per month. Brown asked about the application process. Ortegon replied individuals who receive any sort of city, state, or federal subsidy qualify. Brown asked if non-profits can purchase passes for individuals. Ortegon replied they are looking into that. Mansfield reported on Bird's data dashboard. Gavaldon asked about insurance requirements. Ortegon replied Bird is not liable for rider behavior; however, they are liable for any type of mechanical malfunctions. Gavaldon asked if there are helmet requirements. Ortegon replied in the negative, per state law; however, they provide free helmets upon request and offer incentives for individuals who use them. York asked if tracking reports will be available outside reporting opportunities at meetings. Ortegon replied that is not public information for privacy reasons. Mansfield replied she could get that information upon request; however, she would need to check with legal counsel regarding whether it could be regularly reported. York asked why there are no stakeholder partners in areas of town other than downtown and CSU. Ortegon replied they are happy to meet with any organization. York discussed an incident wherein he reported an abandoned scooter and the response he received. He asked how Bird goes about picking up scooters. Ortegon replied Bird has about five full-time employees in Fort Collins and about 25 contractors who provide charging services. York asked if the chargers are geographically dispersed. Ortegon replied in the affirmative but noted CSU students cannot use campus electricity. Chair Hart commended the relationship between staff and Bird. Ortegon commented on the three main safety issues: underage riders, first-time riders, and night-time riding, and stated Bird is doing everything it can to increase safety. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 5 b. Power Trail/Harmony Road Crossing – Caleb Feaver Caleb Feaver, Engineering Department Project Manager, discussed the paved trail network in and around Fort Collins noting this area is the only gap in the system between Bellvue and Loveland. He also noted this grade-separated crossing is important for two area schools. Feaver discussed the challenges with construction in the area, including underground utilities and high traffic volumes. He detailed the alternatives analysis process and resulting overpass and underpass options. York noted staff developed the alternatives prior to gathering input from Boards and stated the five alternatives all miss the key component of crossing the railroad track at the same time to promote transportation both north-south and east-west. Feaver replied there are many challenges to crossing railroad tracks and the goal of this project was specifically to cross Harmony Road. Gavaldon stated he discussed a lack of public outreach and discussion with neighbors to the north and south at the Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting last week. Feaver replied there are at-grade options for crossing the railroad tracks at Harmony and stated the railroad is only running two trains a week on those tracks. He reiterated that crossing the tracks was not the priority of the project. Feaver discussed the criteria utilized to evaluate options and discussed the public outreach process for garnering input on the criteria. He stated the next step is to recommend an alternative to City leadership, which at this point is the west cut and cover underpass. He stated property owner meetings and public meetings will occur once an alternative is identified. Feaver outlined the funding sources and timeline noting there is a remaining funding gap. He noted the trail connection will be built regardless of when the funding gap for the grade separation will be closed. Feaver stated traffic would not need to be disrupted in order to construct a tunneling option; however, traffic will need to be disrupted in order to construct the recommended underpass. Additionally, the recommended underpass does not fully avoid underground utilities as would a deeper tunnel. Dan Woodward, Capital Projects Manager, noted there are limitations to tunneling equipment that require more depth and therefore a longer distance to get appropriately angled entrances. York stated the proposal seems fairly inconvenient given the distance that would need to be travelled out of the way and stated if this project were to be done for motor vehicles, the same percentage change in traffic pattern would never occur. Gavaldon asked if trail user numbers are available. Feaver replied he would follow- TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 6 up with that information. Gavaldon stated he would like more detailed information on what utilities are present that are keeping the underpass from being closer. York suggested other options such as raising Harmony Road over the railroad track should be considered. Feaver replied that is outside the scope of this project and stated there are other challenges with placing the grade-separation right next to the railroad tracks given the railroad right-of-way of 50 feet per side and the Platte River Power Authority transmission line foundations. Feaver stated he would like the Board's input on the proposed alternatives and an opinion as to when it would like staff to return. Rachline questioned what has actually occurred since last year's update. Feaver replied costs have now been identified and the hope is for full funding in five years. Gavaldon noted the Bicycle Advisory Committee supported the proposed option, but stated the Committee was under the impression the project would occur sooner. Feaver stated design has not been progressed as there is not full funding. Rachline stated input from Boards does not solve the funding problem. Woodward stated staff is confident in this alternative and would like to move forward in furthering its design in order to develop more accurate costs. Chair Hart requested Boardmembers provide yes/no opinions on the proposed alternative. Gavaldon and York replied no, Rachline stated she did not wish to vote, and Brown, Hart, Shenk, and Boeke replied yes. York asked why the trail is planned to be kept next to the railroad track if the grade- separation is further west. Boardmembers discussed the costs versus benefits of routing roadways and trails around private property. Gavaldon noted the Bicycle Advisory Committee had concerns similar to those expressed today. Feaver discussed the other alternatives and showed renderings. Gavaldon asked when this will be going before Council. Feaver replied that has yet to be determined. Woodward suggested staff return to the Board once the design is at about 30%, which would likely be in early summer. c. Master Street Plan Amendment Discussion – Aaron Iverson Iverson discussed the Master Street Plan stating it identifies street alignments, both existing and future, and classifications. He stated updates are focused on classification cleanup, locating future roundabouts, and making changes related to Montava, which is a separate process involving its PUD. Iverson went on to detail the reclassification updates. York asked how the TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 7 reclassifications play into the low-stress bike network. Iverson replied some of the reclassifications will allow additional flexibility for bike infrastructure configurations. Brown asked if other cities utilize the same classification system. Iverson replied in the affirmative. Iverson discussed the criteria used to map out potential roundabout locations. Brown asked about the cost comparison of roundabouts to traditional stoplights. Iverson replied it depends on the location noting roundabouts typically take up more land and are more expensive to build; however, their long-term operational cost is cheaper. He also noted roundabouts are safer. Gavaldon discussed the roundabout at Horsetooth and Ziegler stating it was not designed for the traffic volumes. Iverson replied that intersection is being examined. York suggested that intersection should be on the Master Street Plan as an area to be upgraded. Iverson replied he would have staff provide an update to the Board. York asked about the identified Trilby Road grade-separated crossing. Iverson replied that while it does exist, it would need to be rebuilt if the road were to be widened. Iverson stated he would be returning next month with this topic as an action item. York suggested considering Transfort when making decisions about roundabouts given they could assist in route turnarounds. He also suggested marking changes that would support the low-stress bike network. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Rachline discussed safety issues with recent snowstorms and resulting ice. She requested an item to meet the new PDT director once she is settled into her new position. Brown stated she would like to know more about the requirements for snow removal at bus stops and would like information on the City's enforcement related to sidewalks that are not cleared of snow. York noted plows occasionally plow drains shut. He reported on the recent Planning and Zoning Board meeting and Super Issue meeting. He requested information regarding new stoplight bulbs. Chair Hart reported on the Greeley Poudre Express bus and stated this is Eric Shenk's last meeting prior to his term expiration. Shenk reported on his first Board meeting eight years ago. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 12/18/2019 – MINUTES Page 8 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Gavaldon reported the BAC heard presentations on and discussed the Power Trail/Harmony crossing, the Mountain Avenue reshaping project, and the E-bike program preliminary summary. b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson reported on dates for the upcoming mobility and transportation worksession, Montava hearings, and E-bike pilot program report. He discussed the proposed agenda for the January meeting. c. Staff Liaison Report 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. by unanimous consent.