HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.08.21 TAB Agenda 7 - VZ Innovation Program
CITY OF BOULDER
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD
AGENDA ITEM
MEETING DATE: March 8, 2021
AGENDA TITLE:
Vision Zero Innovation Program
PRESENTER(S):
Erika Vandenbrande, Director of Transportation and Mobility
Bill Cowern, Deputy Director of Transportation and Mobility
Natalie Stiffler, Deputy Director of Transportation and Mobility
Devin Joslin, Principal Traffic Engineer
Amy Lewin, Senior Transportation Planner
Ryan Noles, Senior Transportation Planner
Mark Shisler, Transportation Operations Engineer
Jenny Godwin, Associate Transportation Planner
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The purpose of this memo is to provide an update on the progress of the Vision Zero Innovation
Program and to ask for feedback on the Group I projects installed to date and the approach for Group II,
including enhancing the Neighborhood Speed Management Program (NSMP).
To accelerate progress toward Vision Zero, the city is using a portion of its Vision Zero funding to make
innovative, quick-build improvements to our streets to reduce the number of pedestrian and bicyclist
crashes and increase the comfort of using these modes. Additionally, the Innovation Program will take a
holistic approach to fulfill multiple needs identified through existing city programs, accessibility goals,
as well as community requests.
The initial group of selected treatments (“Group I” projects) were installed beginning in Fall 2020 and
will continue through the first part of 2021. In addition, new treatments are being identified (“Group II”
projects) for installation throughout 2021. Before and after installation, staff will collect data and
community feedback to evaluate their effectiveness. This effort is intended to help understand the
effectiveness of low-cost solutions that can further the city’s Vision Zero goals and expand the toolbox
of traffic calming treatment that can eventually be used elsewhere in the city.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Since the last memo update to TAB in August 2020 the project team has focused on gathering input on
installed treatments from the community via yard signs, which link to an online questionnaire in both
English and Spanish.
So far we have received 32 responses. Key findings include:
• The majority of the feedback has been positive, with users noting an improvement in comfort
level after the treatment was installed
• A desire for more education on-site to explain benefits of treatments
• Making sure all modes are accommodated with delineator installation (e.g., wheelchair and bike
access)
• A desire for additional neighborhood outreach prior to installation
Community recommendations for specific locations and innovation types were reviewed by staff and
were incorporated into the Group I projects and will also be factored into Group II project selection, as
feasible.
Staff will be bringing the information contained in this memo to the February 25 Pedestrian Action
Committee (PAC) meeting and the March 1 Community Cycles Advisory Committee (CCAC) and will
share highlights of the discussion at those meetings at the March 8 TAB meeting.
BACKGROUND:
The Vision Zero Innovation Program was developed to support projects to reduce risk and increase
comfort, particularly for people walking and biking. The projects include three categories of safety
improvements: curb extensions, crossing treatments and traffic calming. These Vision Zero treatments
offer effective, low-cost solutions aimed at avoiding potential pedestrian and bicyclist crashes by
increasing the visibility of all street users, reducing conflicts, and slowing vehicle speeds. The
installation locations will be identified through various studies/programs and community input. Due to
their quick-build nature, proposed improvements do not include significant changes to travel lanes but
may involve minimal removal of parking.
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For implementation, the projects have been divided into two groups. Group I projects were implemented
starting in Fall 2020, and Group II projects will be implemented in 2021.
Group I Projects
Listed below are the Group I projects and their statuses.
# Name Description Status
1 9th St & Cherry Ave
[NSMP] Speed kidney and crosswalk Crosswalk installed, speed kidney
to be installed first half of 2021
2 26th St & Spruce St
[Community Cycles /
community request]
Curb extensions and artistic
crosswalks To be installed first half of 2021
3 King’s Ridge/Wonderland
Creek Path [community
request]
Crosswalk Installed
4 Grove and 17th Street
[Neighborhood GreenStreet
Program]
Curb extensions and artistic
crosswalk Curb extensions installed, art to be
installed first half of 2021
5 Grove and 18th Street
[Neighborhood GreenStreet
Program]
Curb extensions Curb extensions installed, art to be
installed first half of 2021
6 23rd St & Canyon Blvd
[Neighborhood GreenStreet
Program]
Curb extensions To be installed first half of 2021
7 Aurora Ave & 38th St [High
Peaks/BCSIS) [BVSD]
Curb extensions, striping, and
signing
Installed
8 Aurora Ave & 39th St [High
Peaks/BCSIS) [BVSD]
Curb extensions, striping, and
signing
Installed
9 Aurora Ave & Gilpin St
[High Peaks/BCSIS)
[BVSD]
Curb extensions, striping, and
signing; signal timing upgrades
Installed
10 Baseline Rd & Mohawk Dr
[Safe Streets]
Hardened centerlines To be installed first half of 2021
11 Grinnell & Viele Channel
Path [NSMP]
Median island Installed
Note: At Broadway and North Street [Safe Streets] staff explored the potential to install hardened
centerlines, but the treatment was determined infeasible due to small size of intersection, and this
location has been removed from the program.
Each location will also be assessed and reviewed for potential ADA ramp upgrades by the project team
and CIP engineering staff. A map of the Group I projects is included as Attachment A.
Group II Projects
One of the new ideas with Group II is to install interim traffic calming measures at locations on the
Neighborhood Speed Management Program (NSMP) complex project list. The locations targeted on
the current complex project list for VZIP treatments are those that had applied to the program when the
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speed limit on the street was 25 mph but now have a 20 mph speed limit as a result of the “20 is Plenty”
project. Because of the change in the speed limit on these seven street segments, there is now a greater
difference in the observed 85th percentile speed used to score the projects and the current speed limit.
The new speed limit will change the scores and ranking for these projects, but because of ongoing
demand for the NSMP and new projects being added to the list, these locations still might not receive
treatments for several years due to the limited NSMP budget. The VZIP interim treatments are intended
to help address the change in conditions and are not the final complex projects for each of these
locations which will still be prioritized for an eventual capital project through the NSMP.
It is important that TAB understand that installing these interim speed mitigation devices on these
complex project roadways is a deviation from the procedure used in the NSMP guidelines, and there
may be residents in the community who are frustrated that mitigation is being installed on complex
project streets apart from our standard NSMP prioritization and process approach. Staff is
recommending this approach and is looking for TAB to concur that this is a reasonable deviation given
the interim nature of the improvements.
Similar to the approach taken with the Group I projects, new opportunities submitted by the community
and staff, as well as potential treatments in Neighborhood GreenStreet corridors are also being
considered.
An important lesson learned from the first round of projects is that the feasibility of installing a project
at a particular location is often unclear until a detailed design is attempted. In recognition of this we are
also proposing to support the installation of pedestrian crossing treatments at locations which have
already met Pedestrian Crossing Treatment Installation Guidelines to deliver more pedestrian
improvements than we otherwise would be able to do with our typical limited budget.
Initial Set of Group II Locations to Explore:
1. NSMP Complex Corridor Interim Treatments (Traffic Calming)
• Aurora: 35th - Mohawk
• Darley: Lehigh - Hartford (note that extension of this corridor east of Hartford would require
additional scoping)
• Glenwood: 28th - 30th
• Glenwood: Folsom - 28th
• Mohawk: Aurora - Baseline
• Palo Pkwy: 30th - Ridgeway
• Quince: 15th - 19th
2. New Opportunities
• 9th & Balsam (artistic crossing treatment)
• 9th & Cedar (artistic crossing treatment)
• 19th & Yarmouth (artistic crossing treatment)
• Spine & Chapparal (paint & post median island)
3. Neighborhood GreenStreet Enhancements
• 19th: Boulder Creek - Walnut
• 22nd: Boulder Creek - Shared Street across Arapahoe to Grove
• Mapleton: 13th - 26th
4. Pedestrian Crossing Treatments
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• 9th & Cascade (signed/marked with a streetlight)
• 10th & University (signed/marked with ADA ramps and concrete curb extensions)
• North east of 13th (signed/marked with ADA ramp)
• 15th & Quince (signed/marked with ADA ramps)
• 63rd & Coot Lake (RRFB with ADA ramps and realignment of path)
• Folsom & Hawthorn (signed/marked with ADA ramps and concrete curb extensions)
A map of the initial locations to explore for Group II is included as Attachment B. This constitutes the
first round of locations to explore, and the list of actual treatments will evolve; not all of these will be
chosen for implementation, and other locations may be considered in the coming months as we
determine the feasibility of the initial set of locations.
Timeline
This program is expected to extend through the end of 2021, as shown below.
NEXT STEPS:
Next steps include installing remaining Group I projects (including art elements), as well as determining
the feasibility and potential design of Group II treatments and locations, supported by additional
community engagement.
Staff will return to TAB with an update on preliminary Group II projects in July 2021.
QUESTIONS FOR TAB:
1. Do you have any additional feedback or questions about the Group I projects?
2. Do you have any additional feedback or questions about the Group II approach?
3. Do you concur with the integration of NSMP Complex Corridors into the Vision Zero Innovation
Program, as described above?
Task January February March April May June July August September October November December
Task 1: Project Start-Up and Scoping
Task 2: Community Engagement
Task 3: Project Feasibility/Selection
Task 4: Project Design
Task 5: Implementation Planning
Task 6: Pre-Implementation Data Collection
Task 7: Implementation
Task 8: Post-Implementation Data Collection
Task 9: Evaluation Group I Group II
PAC CCAC, TAB TAB
Group I
Group II
Neighborhood ForumsKey Community Engagement Periods
2021
Group II
Group II
Group II
Group II
Group II
Group I
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Sources: Esri, HERE, Garmin, Intermap, increment P Corp., GEBCO, USGS, FAO,
NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, IGN, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI,
Esri China (Hong Kong), (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User
Community
0 1 20.5 Miles
¯
Attachment A
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0 1 20.5 Miles
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Attachment B
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