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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-02-13 TAC MINUTES• • City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Minutes of February 13, 2003 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chairperson Anderson at 7:04 p.m. in the City of Englewood Community Room. Members Present: David Anderson Joe Christie Gary Dounay Betty Goosman Cinda Losee (Alternate Member) Ken Ross, Director of Public Works, ex officio Members Absent: Barbara Hodge A quorum was present. Also Present: Ladd Vestry, Traffic Engineer Wendy Weiman, Traffic Analyst Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary John Collins, Police Lieutenant See attached sign-in sheet Approval of Minutes Chairperson Anderson asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of January 9, 2003. There being none, a motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed. Public Comment James Johnson, a member of the Code Enforcement Advisory Committee, was present to address concerns regarding pedestrian crossing issues at two separate locations in Englewood . Mr. Johnson advised that his co-worker was recently hit by a car while crossing Windermere near the Oxford Light Rail Station at approximately 6 :00 a.m. Mr. Johnson suggested that crosswalks or pedestrian crossing signs be installed, or the speed limit be reduced on that stretch of Windermere. Mr. Ross opined that placing a crosswalk at certain locations can provide a false sense of security that a pedestrian will be protected from oncoming traffic. He stated that the City's policy calls for crosswalks at locations with significant numbers of pedestrians, which is not the case with regard to the Windermere St. and Nassau Ave. location. Committee Member Dounay suggested that placing a roundabout at Nassau Ave. and Windermere St. would slow traffic, and also provide the means for northbound traffic to turn around and pull up in front of the light rail station to drop off passengers adjacent to the station. Mr. Dounay also suggested that perhaps a median island in Windermere St. would be an alternate means to slow traffic and provide a refuge for pedestrians crossing the street. Following brief discussion, Mr. Vestry stated he will have pedestrian crossing signage installed to provide advance warning to motorists, and will conduct a speed study in this area, as well. Secondly, Mr. Johnson asked that crosswalks and signage be installed on Inca St. for pedestrians crossing from the Civic Center Piazza to the Englewood Parkway shopping area, and, additionally, on Galapago St. to the Wal-mart store, or perhaps all-way stops at these locations. Traffic Engineer Vestry • advised that pedestrian signs have been installed on Inca St. at Hampden Ave. and at Floyd Ave. to advise motorists of the presence of pedestrians on that stretch of Inca St., and the speed has been reduced to 20 mph. Additionally, discussion is underway regarding the feasibility of installing flashing lights on the pedestrian crossing signs or on the speed limit signs that are currently posted on this stretch of Inca St. It was noted that, at the time CityCenter was constructed, conduit was installed in the event it was determined that a traffic signal was needed at the entrance to the parking structure south of Civic Center. It was also noted that the CityCenter community is situated on private property, which is owned by the Englewood Environmental Foundation, Inc. (EEFI). Brief discussion ensued regarding the feasibility of installing raised crosswalks, pedestrian crossing signals, and installing raised medians to replace the double yellow lines on Inca St. Director Ross advised he will contact Rick Kahm from EEFI regarding the issues discussed this evening, and perhaps conducting some studies to determine what warrants may exist for installing all-way stops or raised medians. Chairperson Anderson thanked Mr. Johnson for his input. Old Business • Chairperson Anderson asked Lt. Collins to recap the City's plan for reducing residential speeding in Englewood. Lt. Collins stated that, rather than reducing residential speed limits to 25 mph, Safety Services has implemented a program that will include utilizing their 36 patrol units on the residential streets , in addition to the arterial roadways, to monitor and ticket speed and sign violators. Lt. Collins opined that, thus far in the program, the new patrolling practice appears to be effective. Director Ross noted that traffic violation fines in January, 2002 came to $80,000, while in January, 2003 fines are up to $120,000. Lt. Collins stated they are using decoy cars in different parts of the city, which seem to slow motorists. He added that, with the City's new computer system, they will have the capability to access pertinent information pertaining to numbers of specific violations at specific locations. City Council will review the effectiveness of the program after a three month period to determine whether or not it should be continued. To Committee Member Dounay's inquiry, Lt. Collins responded that patrol officers are finding their traffic pursuits are leading to contact with other criminal activity on the side streets. There was brief discussion regarding stopping distances of different types of vehicles. Mr. Dounay relayed some information he obtained from the internet. • Committee Member Dounay reviewed information he presented at the January ETAC meeting pertaining to the crosswalk at Lehigh Ave. and Huron St. adjacent to Maddox Elementary School. Mr. Dounay expressed his concern that vehicles parking too close to the corner could prevent motorists from seeing children crossing in the crosswalk. Traffic Engineer Vostry stated his investigation indicates that an extension in the no parking zone is warranted, and NO PARKING signs will be posted to indicate the extended • 30 feet no parking to corner zone on Huron St. both north and south of Lehigh Ave., which, he expects, will 2 • • increase the site distance for motorists turning the corner. These signs should be posted within the next few days. Mr. Vostry noted that speed studies indicate the s5 th percentile speed is between 24 and 25 mph on Lehigh Ave. • Chairperson Anderson indicated his desire to discuss the draft Strategic Plan at a time when all members of ETAC are present, and requested that the discussion be tabled until the April ETAC meeting. Committee concurred. New Business • Director Ross presented Committee Members Dounay and Christie with certificates and City logo lapel pins for their reappointment to ETAC. With regard to annual election of officers, Mr. Ross asked Committee Members if they would prefer election of officers be held at the February meeting each year when new members are appointed/reappointed, or at a later time after new members have the opportunity to become acquainted with their fellow members. After brief discussion, Committee Member Christie made a motion, seconded by Committee Member Dounay, to create a Committee policy stipulating that election of officers will take place at the February meeting each year. Chairperson Anderson stated it should be noted that certain circumstances could arise in a given year that may cause the Committee to postpone election of officers for a brief time. Motion passed. Committee proceeded with election of officers. Chairperson Anderson opined that the Director should lead the elections each year to prevent any conflict of interest. Director Ross asked for nominations for Chairperson. Committee Member Christie nominated Committee Member Anderson for Chairperson. The nomination was seconded by Committee Member Goosman. Mr. Anderson accepted the nomination. There were no further nominations. Mr. Anderson was re-elected, through a verbal vote of the Members, to serve as Chairperson. Mr. Ross asked for nominations for Vice-chairperson. Chairperson Anderson nominated Committee Member Christie for Vice-chair. The nomination was seconded by Committee Member Goosman. Mr. Christie accepted and the nomination. There were no further nominations. Mr. Christie was re-elected, through a verbal vote of the Members, to serve as Vice-chair. • Committee Member Dounay inquired about excessive street sanding on a hill near his home, which causes vehicles to skid when the streets are dry . Director Ross advised that the intent of the Street Division is to tailor the amount of sanding to the amount of snow, which can be difficult when preparing hours ahead of rush hour. Other weather conditions must be considered, as well. Additionally, in accordance with an agreement with DRCOG and the Regional Air Quality Council, the sand must be swept up within five days following a snowstorm to mitigate the metropolitan brown cloud. After a snowstorm, arterial and collector roadways are first in line for street sweeping, followed by residential sweeping. Mr. Ross stated he monitored our sanding operation this past snowstorm and felt the amount of sand distributed was appropriate for the amount of snowfall. Mr. Dounay asked if, given the City's current budget constraints, sanding could be withheld until the snow reaches a certain depth, say 3 inches. Mr. Ross explained that snow depth is not the only factor in determining the amount of sanding, i.e., there may be no snow at all, 3 but a thin sheet of ice, if not sanded, could create dire conditions. Mr. Ross stated he will investigate the feasibility of making some changes to the sweeping priority to accommodate possible skidding dangers in hilly areas. There was brief discussion regarding the use of magnesium chloride. Mr. Ross stated that Englewood's process for the use of magnesium chloride involves mixing the solution with the sand as it is disbursed from the trucks onto the roadways. • Chairperson Anderson briefed the Committee on an RTD meeting he recently attended at the Malley Senior Recreation Center wherein RTD officials discussed proposed bus schedule changes that are being considered, to be put into effect in May, 2003. Mr. Anderson opined that the majority of the changes appear to be minor. However, eliminating the portion of the "sky ride" route (or AT line) to DIA that now runs from Mineral Ave. could have a major effect on many people; RTD is proposing to shorten the route because of low ridership. The route would end at the Arapahoe Rd. Park and Ride (at I25) instead of Mineral Ave. Mr. Anderson proposed that the ETAC group, as representatives of the citizens of Englewood, draft a letter to RTD to voice concern regarding the impact this change would have on citizens in the metro area who fly to and from DIA, as well as those who work at DIA. There was brief discussion regarding the decline, over the years, in RTD service. Committee Members agreed that reductions in both the bus schedule and light rail schedule will only add to the decline in ridership, and will also create more traffic on the roadways. Committee Member Dounay suggested including in the letter ETAC's concern with RTD's current levels of service. Mr. Dounay stated he will assist in drafting a letter to the RTD Board of Directors . Mr. Dounay also suggested that the RTD district representative for Englewood, Mr. Jim Zavist or other appropriate RTD representative, be invited to an ETAC meeting to discuss Members' concerns. Mr. Anderson made a motion, seconded by Committee Member Dounay, that a letter be drafted, under ETAC Members' signatures, to RTD informing them of ETAC's concern with regard to their proposed changes in services and the effects these changes will have on transportation metro wide. Following brief discussion, the motion was tabled pending review of information received from Mr. Zavist which states a deadline date for submitting comments on the proposed changes. Director's Choice • Director Ross reported that the City did, in fact, issue a permit for the "Geek Street" business sign which has been installed at Broadway and Quincy Ave., however, the color rendition of the sign was not then available. Since the sign is considerably similar to a city street sign, and therefore illegal, the City has notified the business that they must redesign the sign. • Director Ross advised that the handicapped ramps at Broadway and Oxford Ave. have been installed, using the truncated dome brick on the bottom 24 inches of each ramp. On each corner of the intersection, a separate ramp was constructed to face the crosswalk from each leg of that corner . • With regard to the speed study conducted in the 4300 block of South Huron St. near Rotolo Park, Traffic Analyst Weiman noted that the ssth percentile speed was 36.11 mph southbound, and 37.32 mph northbound. Director Ross explained that the hill created by the drainage system for the Southwest Greenbelt, along with the added width of the roadway, provides opportunity for excessive speed in that 4 • • • • area. Committee Member Dounay stated that when the speed trailer was posted at this location, vandals threw rocks through the indicator board. Discussion ensued regarding pedestrians crossing this roadway . Lt. Co llins indicated that he will advise his patrol officers of this speeding problem. • Director Ross advised that Clayton Elementary School has a conflict with the date in May that ETAC was planning to meet in their school. Mr. Ross inquired if Members are willing to meet on Wednesday, May ih, at Clayton Elementary instead of Thursday, May 8 th. Members agreed. • Traffic Engineer Vostry reported that the traffic signals at S.H. 285 and Logan St. have been replaced with LED signal heads at a cost of $11,000. Mr. Vostry noted that the cost of power consumption with the LED signal heads has dropped significantly, from $120 per month to $15 per month. In addition, the extended life expectancy of the LED's, as well as the improved safety issues, contributes to the benefits of this installation. The next planned LED installation will take place at Broadway and Girard Ave. • Traffic Engineer Vostry advised that he has met with Xcel Energy regarding the required power drops needed to install the variable speed message signs. He reiterated that Members originally requested that the two message signs be installed one on Logan St. (either at Bates Ave. or at Stanford Ave.) and one on the Oxford Ave. "hill". However, there is no utility pole available on that stretch of Oxford Ave. to post the message sign, and Mr. Vostry recommended, to avoid the cost of installing a pole on Oxford Ave., that ETAC conside r installing the second sign at another location, either on Dartmouth Ave. near Race St. or on Quincy Ave. near Jason Park. Mr. Ross further explained that the City would like to avoid pole installation costs until the effectiveness of the message signs is determined. Following brief discussion, Members agreed that installing a message sign on Quincy Ave. near Jason Park would be feasible. Mr. Vostry noted that the signs could be installed within a couple of months, depending on Xcel Energy's schedule for installing the power drops. Chairperson's Choice • At Chairperson Anderson's inquiry, Director Ross advised he is not familiar with the schedule for construction of the gas pump island on the Safeway lot at Logan St. and S.H. 285. He stated he will do some checking with the Building Division and provide information at the next ETAC meeting. Committee Members' Choice • Alternate Member Losee described a "subtle" traffic calming device that she has observed at some intersections and crosswalks in the Greenwood Village area that makes motorists aware of the surroundings and their driving habits, and appears to also be emergency vehicle friendly. Director Ross stated these and other similar devices are included in the Appendix of the 2001 Englewood Transportation Plan. Brief discussion ensued. • Ms . Losee suggested that perhaps the ETAC sub-committee could prepare some literature that would make motorists more aware of their driving habits, i.e., flyers addressing the ten top reasons people run red lights! Discussion ensued regarding the effectiveness of educating the public, and changing the culture of the traveling public. Ms. Losee also suggested that perhaps a driver cited for DUI, in addition to driving classes, could also be required to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. 5 • Brief discussion ensued regarding the March ETAC meeting, which will be held at Charles Hay Elementary School, 3195 S. Lafayette St. There will be no pre-meeting study session that evening. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 6 • • • Sz..mes • City of Englewood ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE NAME John~ VISITOR SIGN-UP SHEET Regular Meeting February 13, 2003 Englewood Civic Center, Community Room ADDRESS 3445 S-~,,;"~ 5f-t:i //<'( PHONE 7 Lo ··3b4-5J~3L(