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3 - Transportation - Draft Minutes - 3/11/2002 TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD FINAL MINUTES MARCH 11, 2002 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT John Tayer, chair, Brant Liebmann, Jerry Wyss, Alison Richards and Jim Rettew STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Tracy Winfree, Chris Andersen, Mike Gardner-Sweeney, Randall Rutsch, Bob Whitson, Stephany Westhusin, Noreen Walsh, and Robin Madel, secretary Pre-meeting dinner with Christine Andersen about the role of the transportation director. 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 1 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 2 Call to Order John Taver, chair, called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM 3 Approval of Minutes Minutes from February 11, 2002 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 at 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. 13`h St., Boulder, spoke about electric-assisted bikes and allowing them on bike paths. She brought her e-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 e-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. He feels that 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 e-bikes on all bike paths. The recommendation was denied unanimously and he discussed the four relevant arguments that were given to deny it. 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 Taver 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 e-bikes where traditional bikes are allowed. Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 2 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 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 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 John Tayer asked about how changes in demographic data will be integrated. Randall Rutsch said that the data is obtained from the census and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) and as data changes the new information will be integrated into the model, ensuring that future changes are accounted for. Citizen Participation and TAB Comment There was none. Citizen Participation was closed TAB Discussion Jerry Wyss said that he thinks the process has been going well and has been moving along quickly. Wyss recommended, when presenting the issue to the city council, that the Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 3 whole issue be summarized in two sentences as a start to the presentation and recommended against jumping into the details right away. John Tayer suggested calling out the demographics from the start so people understand the basis for the calculations in the model. Tayer also recommended outlining how the aesthetics will be integrated into the whole of the plan. Finally, Tayer recommended reminding the public that the city has worked hard to keep the traffic counts down especially through the use of the Eco-pass program. They also discussed being clear in discussions about multi-mode versus alternative-mode because the public needs to understand that 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 2801 Street Community Environmental Assessment Process (CEAP). 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. Whitson discussed the project cost and reminded the TAB that the staff put the project cost estimate through a value engineering process. He compared the cost to the South 28th St. CEAP, which is comparable in length, to provide a reference for the $12M associated with this project. He said the cost is considerably higher than that associated with the southern section because there is considerably more budget dedicated to the purchase of easements and right-of-ways. Also, there is a multi-use path on both sides of the northern section that drives the cost up over that of the southern section. Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 4 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 Jim Rettew asked about locations of and treatments for pedestrian crossings and how far along design of these items are. Whitson said that the staff intends to incorporate elements of a super stop into the final designs at 28 h and Pearl and 28s' and Valmont. Jim Rettew asked about the outreach that has been done with the businesses along the route. Whitson discussed the results of the public process that was held to bring the business owners on board to support the project. He said that those businesses that participated in the public process were pleased with the outcome. Alison Richards asked about the level of design in the CEAP process. She said that it seemed that there was some fairly detailed design already present in the CEAP. Whitson explained the levels of design associated with the CEAP process. Jerry Wyss asked about the budget associated with the CEAP and asked Whitson to compare it to a comparable project. Whitson iterated the comparison to the South 28t` St. CEAP. He said that if the costs associated with the ROW/easement purchases are removed, cost-wise the projects are very comparable. Whitson said the staff will be looking for federal and state funding to help pay for the project. Jerry Wyss asked if adding partial medians would increase the level of service in the corridor. Whitson said that it should help. Wyss asked if adding another proposed lane would increase capacity. Whitson said he didn't think so because the additional lane that is proposed in each direction will accommodate buses, turning vehicles and bikers. Brant Liebmann asked what the city will do if federal and state funds aren't received. Whitson said that no matter what the funding situation is, the project would be completed in a piecemeal manner because of the nature of available funding. 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 Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 5 TAB Discussion John Tayer recommended emphasizing to the city council the value engineering that was done on the project. He recommended reminding the council that this is a process that is being worked through. Jerry Wyss commended the staff on the excellent outcome of the project and for bringing the businesses into the process at the beginning. Wyss said he thinks that this is a good model for a public process whenever businesses are involved in a project. Wyss also said that he thought the finances were well within the scope of the project. 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 28th St. area. Alison Richards seconded the motion. The vote was 5-0 in favor of the motion. AGENDA ITEM 7 Staff presentation and TAB recommendation on the Goose Creek/Foothills Parkway Underpass Community Environmental Assessment Process (LEAP). Noreen Walsh provided the background for the LEAP. She gave details as they are presented in the CEAP. This underpass will have a significant impact on the connectivity of the Goose Creek Trail. Several locations were evaluated, including using existing box culverts that allow Goose Creek to flow under Foothills Parkway. The existing box culverts will not structurally support construction of a tunnel. 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 lane diversions but 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 John Tayer asked about the existing informal parking lot that exists where the eastern entrance to the underpass will be located. Walsh said that the city has not made any provisions for relocating the parking lot. Walsh said that the businesses there are supposed to provide their own parking and the lot is mainly used as an overflow lot. John Tayer asked about the design of the tunnel He was curious about options for skylights or leaving the area under the median open. Tayer's concern is that snowplows Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 6 will throw snow into an open area and onto bikers and pedestrians. The tunnel is long and installing a skylight or leaving an open area will provide some natural lighting and help with the claustrophobic feeling throughout the tunnel. Walsh said the staff is investigating the options for not only lighting and/or leaving an open space but also for including some public art in the tunnel. This tunnel is more than twice as long as the typical underpass in Boulder. Alison Richards asked about the provisions for safety and security of people using the tunnel. They discussed options for lighting. Jim Rettew asked about the schedule and the impression that having so much of the city under construction gives to the public. Stephany Westhusin spoke about how the contract could be managed to accommodate as little traffic disruption as possible. Jim Rettew asked for cost estimates for all options presented in the memo to give the TAB a fair evaluation of the options that were evaluated. 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. Brant Liebmann asked about Kurt Johnson's comment. Walsh said that extending the tunnel under the frontage road has been evaluated as a long-term option. She said there are a lot of underground obstacles that would preclude that as an option for this stage of the project. Alison Richards mentioned that in her discussions with Debbie Ritter about construction, Ritter indicated that the walls would be benched back to minimize the canyon effect. John Tayer asked about installing an emergency call box to increase security. Walsh said she would look into that option. Citizen Participation was closed TAB Comments Jerry Wyss asked about the interaction staff has had with businesses in the area. Wyss recommended that the staff consider the local businesses as a destination. Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 7 John Tayer asked if the final design would come back to the TAB for review. Walsh said that the final design would be sent to the TAB as a Weekly Information Packet (WIP) item. Jim Rettew asked again about the timing of the project with respect to other projects in north-south corridors. He is concerned that having three major north-south corridors under construction at the same time would give the impression that Boulder is closed for business. This was discussed for quite a while. Stephany Westhusin talked extensively about how to control the scheduling to minimize disruptions. Tracy Winfree said that the staff is developing communications plans and strategies to inform the public about construction. Jerry Wyss recommended stating the motion to include a provision for avoiding simultaneous lane closures on all corridors, to the extent possible. John Tayer asked the staff to provide the TAB with regular updates on construction. Jerry Wyss motioned to recommend approval of the Goose Creek project CEAP making every effort possible to avoid simultaneous disruptions on both 28`" Street and Foothills corridors and keeping the TAB and public well informed about project implementation. Alison Richards seconded. John Taver amended the motion requesting that special attention be given to the safety aspects and better connections to local businesses on 47u` 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. Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 8 • Tracy Winfree pointed out the Weekly Information Packet memo about e-bikes that the TAB received in the packets. The boards that have seen the e-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 and during the utility relocation work that was done on Broadway. 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 staff for the recognition and talked about the on-going projects that she would like to see get finished. • 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. .0 Bike signage • Yarmouth Avenue CEAP Next Meeting April 8, 2002, 6:00 p.m., Transportation Advisory Board regular meeting, at the City Council Chambers. April 22, 2002, 6:00 p.m. (tentative), TAB Retreat, The Cork Restaurant. Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 9 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. Minutes approved on By 0 Transportation Advisory Board Final Minutes March 11, 2002 Page 10