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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-09-11 TAC MINUTES• • City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Minutes of September 11, 2003 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Vice-Chairperson Christie at 6:35 p.m. at Bishop Elementary School. Secretary's Note: Due to the quality of the recording system, this transcription of minutes may be incomplete in some instances. Members Present: Joe Christie Gary Dounay Betty Goosman Ken Ross, Director of Public Works, ex officio Members Absent: David Anderson Cinda Losee A quorum was present. Also Present: Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer Wendy Weiman, Transportation Analyst Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary Erik Lutz, Police Officer, Traffic Unit See attached sign-in sheet Vice-Chairperson Christie advised that he will head tonight's meeting in place of vacationing Chairperson Anderson. Brief introductions of Committee Members and staff were made. Mr. Christie requested that attendees please enter their names on the visitor sign-up sheet, and, additionally, that everyone please speak loudly to ensure their concerns are audible on the recording system. Approval of Minutes Vice-Chairperson Christie asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of August 14, 2003. There being none, a motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed. Public Comment Vice-Chair Christie invited visitors to comment on issues they may have regarding traffic safety or other concerns. Ms. Loree Schauer, 3255 S. Fox St., stated that Traffic Engineer Vostry recently provided her with some petition forms for permit parking, to circulate for signatures regarding the increased parking problems in her neighborhood. The increased parking is coming from RTD riders who park their cars for the day in the neighborhoods and then catch the light rail, greatly restricting parking for residents of the neighborhoods. Additionally, Ms. Schauer stressed her concern that children crossing Eastman Ave. for school are at high risk because the RTD riders park their vehicles so close to the corners that children must enter the roadway in • order to check for approaching cars. Mr. Vostry advised that school zone curbing is painted for no loading and no parking zones, however, neighborhood corners are not painted. Discussion ensued regarding painting the curbs in this neighborhood to mark the no parking distance from the corners. Officer Lutz noted that the majority of parking violations are issued by Code Enforcement rather than by patrol officers. Steve Stryyssar, having recently been issued a parking citation for parking too close to the corner at • Fox St. and Eastman Ave., questioned the distance within which you can park from a stop sign and whether or not officers actually measure a vehicle's distance from the stop sign when issuing tickets, and, if not measured, could this be considered selective enforcement? He also inquired if citizens have the ability to accurately determine the distance they are parking from a corner. Additionally, Mr. Stryyssar questioned state and city laws pertaining to parking distances. Discussion ensued regarding distance perceptions, the extent of curb painting and maintenance of that painting, "no parking here to corner" signs installation, and educating citizens of traffic laws and parking distances, etc. At Ms. Schauer's inquiry, Officer Lutz stated that Englewood Public Schools has, in the past, discussed initiating a school crossing guard program, but because of liability for a volunteer program of this type, the school district abandoned the idea. Mr. Vostry added that, also, there was a lack of parent volunteers for the program. In response to Mr. Stryyssar's concerns, Director Ross proposed holding a meeting with Traffic Engineer Vostry, and staff from both Code Enforcement and Municipal Court to determine whether or not the City should designate a specified number of parking citations for which staff will paint a no parking zone at corners. Officer Lutz discussed enforcement of traffic concerns voiced by residents of the Girard Ave. and Lafayette St. neighborhood at the July ETAC meeting. He reported that three officers of Englewood's Traffic • Unit spent a total of 910 minutes observing motorists at that location from August 21st until September 10th; ten traffic tickets for stop sign violations were issued, along with two parking violations. It was noted that no citations were issued for speeding. Officer Lutz noted that officers scoped this area at varied times of the day, including rush hours. Director Ross advised that he will address letters to members of the neighborhood who attended the July ETAC meeting informing them of the activity conducted by the Traffic Unit, as well as the results of those activities. Ms. Mimi Davis, 3182 S. Bannock St., spoke of traffic and parking concerns in her neighborhood on Bannock St., Acoma St. and on Eastman Ave. She stated that residents are often denied access to their homes because of cars parked in the neighborhood by students of the Englewood Beauty College, and residents are now having to contend with verbal abuse, trash and destruction . (Ms. Davis produced a large plastic bag of trash she collected in one day from 112 of a block on Eastman Ave.) Ms. Davis described numerous situations that have arisen from her encounters , as well as those of neighbors, with students of the College. She also described the affect that Gothic Theatre patrons have had on their quality of life - trash and drug paraphernalia, traffic and parking. Additionally, Ms. Davis observed that the nearby Table Steaks Restaurant appears to be 287 parking spaces shy, expecting the overflow to filter into the neighborhood. Ms. Davis inquired about similar Acoma St. limited parking being implemented also on Bannock St. Mr. Vostry stated Acoma St. residents approached the City regarding their parking problems, and the City's investigation resulted in installation of restricted parking signs. Committee Member Dounay 2 • • • suggested that perhaps the Community Development Department could recommend a more appropriate location for Beauty College students to park. Ms. Davis inquired about the College subletting parking space from Wells Fargo, similar to the arrangement made by Table Steaks, or perhaps the City could rent the parking lot at Floyd Ave. and Broadway to the College. It was noted that this lot is a public parking facility. Director Ross stated that he would like to contact the Community Development Department and determine whether or not a stipulation regarding parking was made when the Beauty College initially set up business, and if those rules are being violated, then staff can follow up. Mr. Ross said he will also research the benefits of Eco passes as a travel alternative for the Beauty College students, and additionally, will visit with Safety Services to determine whether or not the Gothic is communicating bookings for "high profile" bands. At Mr. Dounay's initiative, Mr. Ross stated he will check on what the City's parking requirements were for the Table Steaks facility. Code Enforcement issues were also discussed. Ms. Davis inquired about obtaining a petition for permit only parking to circulate in her neighborhood. Director Ross commented that residents, as well as individuals parking in the neighborhoods, are impacted by permit only parking, in that only a limited number of parking permits are issued to each residence. In response to Mr. Stryyssar's inquiry, Director Ross advised that RTD is checking into obtaining the rights to use some property owned by the Colorado Department of Transportation (COOT) west of Santa Fe Drive, north of Hampden Ave., for the purpose of providing additional parking for the Englewood Light Rail Station. Englewood is applying for Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act (!STEA) funding to receive federal funds for a portion of the cost of construction of that parking facility, as well as a pedestrian underpass beneath Santa Fe to link CityCenter Englewood with that RTD parking. Traffic Engineer Vestry added that this Federal funding, if approved, may not be available for possibly as many as five years. Director Ross advised citizens in attendance that the majority of the issues raised this evening were outside ETAC's scope of responsibility. Land use, trash, code enforcement, clientele of the Gothic's high profile bands, etc., are not the types of transportation issues for which ETAC is responsible. However, we will do some checking on behalf of the citizens. Old Business Director Ross briefly reviewed the City's current ordinance regarding motorized skateboards and scooters. Categorized as "human powered", these vehicles are allowed on public sidewalks, but not allowed on the streets. Issues pertaining to safety and noise have been expressed by various neighborhood residents, for which City Council has asked ETAC to determine if there is, in fact, a problem with the current ordinance, enforcement, etc. Committee Member Goosman noted a neighborhood youth, perhaps 10 years of age, driving his motorized scooter up and down the street all afternoon, just today, with no regard for the "rules of road", and the fact that she had to lower the windows in her house to close out some of the noise coming from this scooter. Ms. Goosman opined this activity is unsafe. Committee Member Dounay agreed there are two issues with regard to these vehicles: 1) noise, and 2) safety. Considerable discussion ensued. • Mr. Dounay suggested that ETAC meet with City Council to determine the proper direction that should be considered, whether it be making changes to the ordinance to address specific issues, or enforcement of the 3 current laws of the ordinance. Mr. Ross stated that this issue will be discussed with City Council at the upcoming Monday night Study Session, at which time he will advise Council that ETAC, at this point, is not comfortable with making a recommendation regarding the current law, but that ETAC would be interested in • meeting with them at a future Study Session for discussion. Members concurred. Several Members indicated they may attend Monday night's Study Session. New Business There was no New Business. Director's Choice Director Ross referred to information contained in the ETAC packets regarding the City of Golden's 2001 speed study results pertaining to their "Keep Kids Alive Drive 25" program. Mr. Ross noted the increase in speeds in some instances, and expressed the disappointment of Golden's director of public works in this program. Discussion ensued regarding details of the study. Director Ross referred to the copy of Section 8, the transportation section of Community Development's Long Range Plan, contained in the ETAC packet. Brief discussion ensued. Committee Member Dounay inquired if it was an oversight that the business community isn 't mentioned in Section 8. Mr. Ross stated he will check the Plan to see if there is another section that may have addressed the business community. Mr. Dounay expressed concerns about some of the goals in Section 8 that seem to promote moving as much traffic through Englewood as possible, which isn't necessarily consistent with the small town atmosphere . Mr. Ross commented it's a Catch 22, some folks who attended the transportation meetings, which were held during the planning stages of the Transportation Plan, expressed interest in efficiently moving vehicles through town, while others expressed interest in installing all-way stops at every intersection to deter traffic from Englewood. Mr. Dounay commented that there are places where its okay to have traffic and other places where you don't want a lot of traffic moving through. Committee Member Goosman called attention to Object 3-5 of Section 8, "Maintain an appropriate parking supply for mixed-use districts." Chairperson's Choice Vice-Chair Christie had no issues to bring before the Committee. Committee Members' Choice Committee Member Dounay expressed concern about some people driving in the middle of the street and at higher speeds on wider roadways such as Huron St., Quincy Ave. or Delaware St., and inquired about placing center line striping in these areas. Mr. Vestry stated that double yellow lines may be installed to promote safety, depending on the number of vehicles on the road, typically 4,000 vehicles per day or higher. It was noted that center line striping is not installed for the purpose of curtailing speeding. Mr. Dounay noted that the center line striping on Quincy Ave. between Huron St. and Jason St. has been removed. Mr. Vestry explained that, since the volumes on Quincy Ave. fell significantly after that roadway was disconnected from Santa Fe, it no longer meets the 4,000 vehicles per day criteria, and, therefore, center line striping was not reapplied following the most recent street work. Englewood observes the speed and 4 • • • • • volume criteria now provided by MUTCD for these types of road applications. To Mr. Dounay's inquiry, Mr. Vostry advised that white lines cannot be used for center lines. Mr. Ross reminded ETAC of the City's severe financial situation, that it is staff's responsibility to examine closely how money is spent to ensure that waste is not occurring, and unless the traffic volume dictates, it is not cost effective to install striping where warrants do not exist. Mr. Vostry reiterated the City's policy to follow MUTCD criteria, and staff should not go outside those guidelines regarding street markings, signage, etc. Mr. Dounay expressed concern for the speed on Quincy Ave. near Jason Park, and opined that a center line would slow traffic closer to the speed limit. Mr. Ross stated that striping probably would not create the kind of friction that would slow traffic. Brief discussion ensued. Adjournment Mr. Ross thanked everyone for attending. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m. Linda Wilks: ecording Secretary 5 City of Englewood ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE VISITOR SIGN-UP SHEET y·-,·-'""·· ,J'f h NAME Regular Meeting September 11, 2003, 6:30 p.m. BISHOP ELEMENT ARY SCHOOL ·-. ~ 1 1: --~ADDRESS . ·; -,_,,.J_,. ~ - • ~F. '" ~-·~ Sc oTT s~°""'Ot-.,..(1 '-·-i L 31cr..J-s -_ /k_,,_~ s'f. L .. :wrcL ~5'fr1c:.k f ~.,, cL 3195 S. lic:l..'i'YI Cl. s+. .111 ( fV1' · lJff vr.) 3/ F.:; J P,/j yv~h.. (7 ktJlf-f'-J!.~u~ 3;;255" :J. t-;;x /'-/ .!f-IZ '/ £r 1...vt .Y ?1cJ c;-s k 'f s I- ) J /~~ ~~,..,\~A-ft 2.. CJ OU _r-~ ~ C~A-1{1<._S t ,,.J. / 1 " ~ PH ONE .3<> 3 -7 21 · I 3 2. i? .3,,3 ·· 7i'I-J.32 "2 ~03 r=ti~ '(';1 ~ <.. Jv3 7J I g3 I ;J- ['{;r.Z .171-1-Jsi.o 3-r.3 -7 8 9 -I~ ~ • •