Action Minutes Transportation 03/11/2002
CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING SUMMARY FORM
NAME OF BOARD/COMMISSION: Transportation Advisory Board
• DATE OF MEETING: March 11, 2002
NAME/TELEPHONE OF PERSON PREPARING SUMMARY: Robin Madel, 303-441-4073
NAMES OF MEMBERS, COUNCIL, STAFF AND INVITED GUESTS PRESENT:
BOARD MEMBERS -TAB: John Tayer, chair, Brant Liebmann, Jerry Wyss, Alison Richards and Jim Rettew
STAFF - Tracy Winfree, Chris Andersen, Mike Gardner-Sweeney, Randall Rutsch, Bob Whitson, Stephany
Westhusin, Noreen Walsh and Robin Madel, secretary
WHAT TYPE OF MEETING [REGULAR]
Pre-meeting dinner with Chris Andersen, Deputy City Manager
The discussion focused on the role of the transportation director and a brief description of the position. Tracy
Winfree discussed the perception of the position as well as the reality of what she does in that capacity.
Agenda Item 2 - Formal Thanks to Alison Richards
Richards' term with the TAB is ending and the TAB and staff presented her with a picture collage, a Buffalo
Boogie plaque and a cake. Mayor Will Toor read a resolution formally thanking her for her service.
Agenda Item 1- Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m.
Agenda Item 3 - Approval of Minutes
Minutes from the February 11, 2002 meeting were approved as amended. Alison Richards noted that in the Final
Minutes on page 5, the next meeting of the NTMP public process should be listed as the end of February not the
end of 2002.
Alison Richards motioned to approve the minutes as amended.
Jerry Wyss seconded.
The vote was 5-0, in favor of the motion.
Agenda Item 4 - General Citizen Participation
• Elizabeth Black, 4340 N. 13th St., Boulder, spoke about electric-assisted bikes and allowing them on bike paths.
She brought her a-bike into the meeting and gave a demonstration of how quiet the motor is (her bike bell was
louder). She asked the TAB to vote to allow a-bikes on the bike paths.
Premena, P.O. Box 1038, Boulder, 80306, thanked Alison Richards for her years of service and spoke again
about signage on bike paths. He said that he thought that there was a resolution to put signs on certain paths
outside of a new policy that the staff is establishing. He said that some small signs in key locations would solve
the problems and if we don't do this to cars we shouldn't do it to bikers.
Scott Allman, 1720 Bluff, Boulder, said he attended a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting where
they voted on whether or not to allow a-bikes on all bike paths. He said that the one-year review period was never
addressed and that there was a strong anti-bike sentiment at the meeting. He asked how the TAB could work to
counter the misinformation about biking and the anti-biker sentiment in Boulder.
Dick Brasher, said congratulations and goodbye to Alison Richards. He spoke about her advocacy for bikers and
pedestrians in Boulder and said that her work will be missed.
TAB Comments
John Tayer and Tracy Winfree briefly explained the history of the TAB vote on a-bikes and suggested that Black
make her appeal to the City Council since the TAB supports changing the ordinance to allow a-bikes where
traditional bikes are allowed.
Brant Liebmann asked Premena if he made a list of locations that need signs and Premena said that he e-mailed a
partial list to the staff and TAB. Premena said he doesn't think it is the responsibility of citizens to have to
compile such a list.
Alison Richards said that in her board member exit interview she listed completing the signing of the bike system
as an unfinished project that she would like to see completed. She advocated for smaller signs and sign posts and
agreed with Premena that the signs could be installed even without an approved plan for signage. She thanked
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Premena for his persistence on the issue.
Tracy Winfree said that the issue would be brought back to the TAB for discussion at the next meeting.
General Citizen Participation was closed.
• Agenda Item 5 - Staff presentation and TAB recommendation on the Transportation Master Plan - Phase
1; Plan Assessment and Policy Focus Direction (Randall Rutsch and Tracy Winfree).
Randall Rutsch and Tracy Winfree gave a brief presentation on the TMP. Winfree reminded the TAB of the
issues that were covered in the last meeting, which included: the work done by the study committee, extensive
overview of the current plan assessment, the outreach activities, and the policy focus areas (exploration of
funding, multi-modal corridors, regional travel, travel demand management),and linkage with the jobs-to-
population project.
TAB Questions
TAB questions included that we be sure that integration of demographic data into the model occurs in future
phases.
Citizen Participation and TAB Comment
There was none.
Citizen Participation was closed
TAB Comments
TAB comments included suggestions for presenting the information to the City Council and presenting the
demographic information to the public, integration of public art into the document and the need to point out that
the city is keeping traffic growth down. They also discussed being clear in discussions about multi-mode versus
alternative-mode because those items are not the same thing.
The staff recommendation is to stay the course with the current policy direction plus focus on the following four
areas for policy refinement: regional travel, funding, multi-modal corridors and travel demand management.
Also, it is important to coordinate with the Jobs-to-Population Balance study.
Jerry Wyss motioned to recommend to City Council the staff recommendation regarding the TMP
Phase I Policy Focus.
Jim Rettew seconded.
The vote was 5-0 in favor of the motion.
Agenda Item 6 - Staff presentation and TAB recommendation on the North 28 Street Community
Environmental Assessment Process (CEAP) (Bob Whitson and Stephany Westhusin).
• Bob Whitson gave a brief presentation about the project and reminded the TAB that the 28`h St. North
Transportation Network Plan accompanies the CEAP and has already been approved and adopted by the City
Council. He also reminded the TAB that the sta!Xut the project cost estimate through a value engineering
process and he compared the cost to the South 28 St. CEAP to provide a reference for the $12M associated with
this project. Whitson reminded the TAB that the CEAP is not a final design document. The detailed designs for
such items as locations of pedestrian crossings and treatments are still pending.
TAB Questions
TAB questions covered locations of and treatments for pedestrian crossings, addition of super stops at two points
along 28`h St., the outreach done with the businesses along the route, the level of design present in the CEAP,
what the additional funding will do to traffic capacity and how the project will be funded.
Citizen Participation and TAB Comment
Premena, P.O. Box 1038, Boulder, 80306, said he is uneasy about the design of the extra lane, which is
supposed to allow bikes, buses and right-turning vehicles only. He said he wasn't clear about how the on-street
bike facility would benefit bikers. Otherwise he said that he thought the plan had a lot of good features.
Citizen Participation was closed
TAB Discussion
TAB discussion included the pedestrian crossings, the bike lane, value engineering and the public process model
the staff created.
Jerry Wyss motioned to approve the staff recommendation which Includes the TAB
recommendation that prior to final design, staff conduct a study and develop recommendations
related to design of bike safety and bike facilities in the North 28`h St. area.
Alison Richards seconded the motion.
The vote was 5-0 in favor of the motion.
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Agenda Item 7 - Staff presentation and TAB recommendation on the Goose Creek/Foothills Parkway
Underpass Community Environmental Assessment Process (LEAP) (Noreen Walsh).
Noreen Walsh provided the background for the CEAP. She gave details as they are presented in the LEAP. The
• chosen location will have minimal impact to wetlands. Construction will begin in the fall and should have a
minimal impact to traffic because there will be no lane closures. The construction will be completed between
Phases I and II of the South 28th St. CEAP work and concurrent with the Broadway Reconstruction CEAP work.
TAB Questions
TAB questions covered the existing informal parking lot, the length of the tunnel and light/security issues, cost
estimates for all options evaluated and the alignment of the tunnel.
Citizen Participation and TAB Comment
Kurt Johnson, 777 Dellwood Ave., Boulder, said he thinks it is important to have continuation of the path
under the frontage road because it will be a key corridor and it would be safer and more efficient to continue it.
Premena, P.O. Box 1038, Boulder, 80306, said that the Goose Creek path feels like a canyon and he's never felt
comfortable using it at night. He said that safety and the perception of safety are important and should have a fair
amount of consideration.
Noreen Walsh said that the crossing at the frontage road is being evaluated by the staff for a pedestrian crossing
treatment this year. Continuing the tunnel would not be possible at this time because there are a lot of obstacles in
the way. Walsh also said that the staff would look at what types of emergency/security devices could be installed.
Alison Richards said that she spoke with staff about the design and the wall sides would be benched back to try to
minimize the canyon feeling of the path.
Citizen Participation was closed
TAB Comments
TAB comments included interaction with businesses in the area, bringing the final designs back to the TAB in the
form of a Weekly Information Packet, the timing of the project with respect to other projects in north-south
corridors, scheduling of construction projects to minimize impacts to traffic and receiving regular updates on
construction implementation.
Jerry Wyss motioned to recommend approval of the Goose Creek project CEAP making every
effort possible to avoid simultaneous disruptions on both 28th Street and Foothills corridors and
keeping the TAB and public well informed about project implementation.
Alison Richards seconded.
• John Tayer amended the motion requesting that special attention be given to the safety aspects and
better connections to local businesses on 47th St.
The vote was 5-0 in favor of the motion.
Agenda Item 8 -
Matters From Staff:
• The staff briefing on the Yarmouth Avenue CEAP was tabled until the April 2002 meeting to save time.
• Bob Whitson gave a PowerPoint presentation about the city's travel demand management (TDM) program.
Whitson defined TDM and described the TDM subcommittee's goals. He also described a toolkit that the
city is developing to help the employers and citizens of Boulder use TDM strategies.
• Mike Gardner-Sweeney gave a brief presentation on the city's regional investment accounting. The
breakdown provided is primarily staff time and represents 2% of the city's operating budget but the time has
been leveraged into $16M from RTD, DRCOG and CDOT to spend on regional projects. Jim Rettew asked
to have a comparable figure prepared for the amount of staff time (and associated budget) that has been
leveraged into money from those three entities to spend within the city of Boulder limits.
• Tracy Winfree discussed the TAB training policy which has been modeled after the Planning Board's
informal policy and does not have a set budget attached to it but will be evaluated on a per request basis.
• Tracy Winfree pointed out the Weekly Information Packet memo about a-bikes that the TAB received in the
packets. The boards that have seen the a-bike issue have been split on approval. The memo to the City
Council details the issues and the staff solution toward resolving some of those issues.
Matters From the Board:
■ Jerry Wyss asked about funding for the airport master plan. Brant Liebmann said that he didn't think that the
TAB deals with airport issues and Tracy Winfree said she would check into that.
■ Jim Rettew asked about traffic light timing during the utility relocation work that was done on Broadway.
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Jim Rettew asked about bus stop locations.
■ Brant Liebmann requested a future agenda item dealing with the possibility of a city of Boulder contract to
run bus service for RTD.
■ Alison Richards thanked the TAB and the staff for the recognition she received and talked about the on-
going projects that she would like to see get finished. These include the Pearl Parkway off-street bikeway,
the Wellman Canal east-west connection, the review of the bikes on sidewalks ordinance and the bikeways
signage program.
■ The board retreat will take place on April 22, 2002. The agenda will be discussed at the April 2002 meeting
when the new TAB member is at the meeting.
Agenda Item 9 - Discussion of Future Meeting Agenda
• New board member
• TAB retreat
• Review of parking restriction for 72 hours ordinance.
• Bike signage
• Yarmouth Avenue CEAP
Agenda Item 10 - Adjournment
Alison Richards motioned to adjourn the meeting.
Jim Rettew seconded.
The vote was 5-0 in favor of the motion.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
Date, Time, and Location of Next Meeting:
' April 8, 2001, 6:00 p.m., Transportation Advisory Board regular meeting, at the City Council Chambers.
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