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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-04-08 TAC MINUTES• • • City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Minutes of April 8, 2004 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chairperson Christie at 7:05 p.m. in the City of Englewood Community Room. Members Present: David Anderson Joe Christie Gary Dounay Betty Goosman Ray Tomasso, Council Liaison Ken Ross, Director of Public Works, ex officio Members Absent: Regi Maclaren Daryl Kinton, Alternate Member A quorum was present. Also Present: Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer Approval of Minutes Wendy Weiman, Transportation Analyst Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary Eric Lutz, Police Officer Chairperson Christie asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of March 11, 2004 . Committee Member Dou nay, unable to attend the March 11th meeting, inquired about Members receiving the results of speed studies conducted on Delaware St., and was informed that copies have been distributed this evening. Additionally, Mr. Dounay asked Director Ross by what means he arrived at his opinion, as stated in the minutes, that bicyclists do not want to ride where numerous stop signs are posted, but would rather ride on secondary streets with fewer stops. Mr. Ross stated the opinion is based upon observation as well as speaking with commuting bicyclists. Transportation Analyst Weiman stated she has also observed similar biking habits, and added that, personally, she prefers fewer stops. With regard to the vote that was ultimately taken at the March 11th meeting pertaining to the Master Bicycle Plan, Mr. Dounay stated it might be enlightening to indicate in the minutes that, since two of the voting members were absent, the vote was approved by the three members who were present. Mr. Christie asked that the minutes be amended to show that the Master Bicycle Plan was approved by the three members present at the March 11th meeting. Mr. Dounay stated it would not be necessary to denote "who votes how" on future votes, but only the number of members present. Mr. Dounay summarized that it would be helpful, when reading through the minutes, to not have to refer back to the first page to see how many members were present to vote on items of discussion. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as amended. Motion passed with one abstention from Mr. Dounay. [Secretary's Note: Split votes are routinely denoted, by name, in the minutes.] Public Comment There were no visitors in attendance . .. Old Business Director Ross noted that the go-ped and helmet ordinances were passed on second reading and will become effective 30 days after the date of publication, which will be April 18th. Referring to an article in the Englewood Citizen, which stated that "Operators of these vehicles shall be subject to all duties and penalties applicable to drivers ... ", Council Member Tomasso inquired if vehicle insurance is then required by operators of these go-ped type vehicles. Mr. Ross stated he will do some inquiring as to the intent of that statement. New Business There was no New Business. Director's Choice • Director Ross, with regard to staff's PUD comments for the Denver Seminary Redevelopment, copies of which were included in Committee packets, stated he was very encouraged with the developer's willingness to address the suggested changes. The lone exception was installing a roundabout at the University access point, but ultimately, the developer offered to make adjustments to address staff's concerns. He stated the developer was basically appreciative of staff's concerns and suggestions and indicated they will revise their plans, drainage studies, traffic studies, etc. To Chairperson Christie's inquiry, Traffic Engineer Vostry stated he had some concerns with the traffic study, however, the developer will make some modifications to address those concerns. Referring to an article in the April 2, 2004 Rocky Mountain News, Mr. Ross questioned the developer's projection that the development will increase trip generation by only 1 percent from what is currently taking place to and from the Seminary. Mr. Ross has asked the developer to reexamine that projection. Mr. Ross explained that, when plan resubmittals are received and reviewed by Englewood staff, those plans will be referred to Cherry Hills Village, Arapahoe County, COOT, etc. The plans will then go to the Planning Commission, followed by City Council, for approval. Brief discussion ensued regarding a statement in the same Rocky Mountain News article, indicating that a neighborhood group plans to "finance their own traffic study", and related costs. Mr. Ross stated that the developer of this project initially indicated, on the PUD, the minimum requirement of 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit, but will make modifications to show a minimum of two parking spaces per dwelling unit. Brief discussion ensued. Mr. Ross noted that the developer, at Mr. Ross' suggestion, was able to avoid extending into Arapahoe County with their lane widening, and possibly eliminating a situation where the roadway would be built closer to those residents, possibly entitling them to demand the developer to construct a sound wall. Instead, the necessary widening will take place on the Seminary side of the roadway. Additionally, Mr. Ross stated that the developer, also at his suggestion, agreed to provide the widening to allow COOT to provide a dual left turn for southbound University onto eastbound Hampden Ave. Vice-chair Anderson requested that Members receive updated copies of the site plan as they become available. 2 • • • • • Traffic Engineer Vestry advised that he met with Ms. Susan Gabriel to discuss the concerns she expressed at the March ETAC meeting, and to discuss locations for placing the counters for additional speed studies. Ms. Gabriel requested placing one counter mid-block on Delaware St. between Oxford and Nassau Avenues, and one counter mid-bloc k between Mansfield and Lehigh Avenues. Copies of the speed study results were distributed to Members for review along with a map showing the locations of counter placement. Mr. Vestry stated he met with Ms. Gabriel a second time and discussed the results of the speed study with her, and also passed the information along to Police Lt. Collins. Mr. Vestry reviewed the speed study results, explaining that the column showing average daily and average weekday traffic indicates that the majority of traffic is generated from the neighborhood itself rather than cut-through, or commuter, traffic. The Mode column indicates the speed at which most vehicles travel, and the 85 th percentile column indicates that 85% of vehicles are traveling at or below the speed indicated (15% are then traveling at a higher speed). Comparing the map (locations of stop signs) with the speed study results, Mr. Vestry stated that you can see the speeds are very similar irregardless of the number of stop signs along a given roadway . Mr. Vestry stated that Ms. Gabriel seemed satisfied w ith the results of the study, and that she is not in favor of changing or adding stop signs or speed bumps. Mr. Vestry stated that Ms . Gabriel indicated that she will try to get some neighbors together during the summer to participate in the Speed Watch Program. Mr. Ross stated he will prepare a memo to City Council advising them of the results of this investigation. Considerable discussion ensued regarding the perception of speed on residential streets. Mr. Vestry • stated that a recent speed study in the 3800 block of S. Delaware St. showed, between 2-3:00 p.m., 3 northbound vehicles exceeding the speed limit; between 3-4:00 p.m ., 3 speeding vehicles ; between 4-5:00, 2 speeding vehicles; between 5-6:00, 2 speeding vehicles. Mr. Vestry noted that traffic speed tends to remain constant on flat surfaces while downhill speeds increase somewhat. Looking at the speed study results for Acoma, Bannock, Cherokee, Delaware, and Fox Streets, Council Member Tomasso summarized that 17-18% of the population speeds on all streets. Mr. Ross added that traffic engineers usually use the 85 th percentile to determine whether the speed limit is correct for that particular stretch of roadway, that if 85% of the people are driving that speed or less, and there are no problems with accidents, its an indication that the speed limit is correct. Further discussion ensued regarding speed study results for these streets, implementation and effectiveness of the Speed Watch Program, and the possibility that perpetrators of speeding are, in fact, neighbors and residents of the neighborhoods where speeding is taking place. To Chairperson Christie's inquiry, Mr. Vestry stated that, typically, a traffic volume of 2,000-2,500 vehicles per day would cause a local residential street to be classified as a minor collector street. Mr. Ross noted that the Delaware Street residents who attended the March ETAC meeting had requested stop signs to slow the traffic, but the speed study data shows that stop signs on Acoma St. made no difference between the speeds recorded on either Delaware or Acoma. Committee Member Dounay opined that the Court system is not severe enough to modify the behavior • of those drivers driving at high rates of speed, that the Police Department and Court system work hand in hand, and both have to deal with the behavior modification issue. Mr. Vestry opined that it is not the same 15% of drivers that continually disobey the speed laws. Mr. Tomasso opined that drivers, depending on 3 circumstances that vary from day to day, and even hour to hour, may change or adjust their driving from general compliance of speed limits and traffic laws to selective non-compliance. Mr. Vostry stated that along with speed studies between Broadway and Fox St., he also reviewed the accident history for Delaware St. from 2000 to 2003. The accident history for that four year period showed only one accident, mid-block, in 2003 in the 3700 block of S. Delaware St. Mr. Vostry stressed the importance of residents and staff working together on the three E's - education, enforcement, and engineering. Mr. Vostry also stressed the effectiveness of the Speed Watch Program, and added that the speed studies can pinpoint the time of day when speeding most often takes place, so participants can then be "on the watch" during those times. Mr. Ross also encouraged participation in the Speed Pledge Program. Speeding on Kenyon Ave. was briefly discussed. Mr. Vostry advised that the results of a speed study on Kenyon Ave. conducted in 1999 showed an 85th percentile speed of 35 mph. Mr. Vostry noted that a speed study is scheduled in the near future for Clarkson St. between Hwy. 285 and Mansfield Ave. Mr. Dounay inquired about 2003 speed study data that would show a statistical difference between speed studies conducted when police officers concentrated their effort to patrol certain neighborhoods and the study results being discussed this evening. Mr. Vostry stated that the small number of speeders, were they to change, will not result in a significant change in the statistics, that a police officer would have to be stationed in every block, basically, to catch the 5 or 6 per hour who are speeding. Mr. Vostry questioned the options that are available for enforcement. Brief discussion ensued. Vice-chair Anderson asked that he be notified when Ms. Gabriel requests training for the Speed Watch Program so that he can observe. • Traffic Engineer Vostry reported that, with the exception of some concrete work still to be accomplished, the traffic signals at Logan and Dartmouth and at Logan and Floyd are installed and operational. • Director Ross updated Committee Members on information regarding TEA-21 funding. The U.S. Senate approved their proposal for $318 billion in federal transportation funding, and the House approved their proposal for $293 billion. President Bush's original request was $260 billion, however, he raised it to $270 billion following the Senate's proposal of $318 billion. The House and the Senate must come to an agreement. As a result of a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which indicates the actual needed funding comes to $375 billion, City Council passed a motion Monday night authorizing the City to prepare a letter to the House and Senate asking them to consider the proposed $318 billion. It is estimated that 47,000 jobs are created for every billion dollars spent on transportation improvements. • In response to Committee Member Dounay's inquiry, there was brief discussion regarding the DRCOG transportation data sheet, included in Committee packets, pertaining to the pie chart's depiction of percentage of drivers alone vs. actual drivers alone. Mr. Dounay opined there are 90%+ drivers alone • • rather than 74% shown on the pie chart. It was summarized that, looking at all vehicle occupants, 74% are • drivers alone while 13% are carpooled, which would indicate that closer to 90% of drivers are, in deed, 4 • •• • driving alone. Mr. Dounay opined that the pie chart, in that respect, is deceptive. Brief discussion ensued regarding traffic on Broadway, and RTD's promotion of public transportation use . Chairperson's Choice Chairperson Christie had no issues to present. Committee Members' Choice Committee Member Dounay listed several items he would like to discuss at the May ETAC meeting. a) The status of the Police Department's traffic ticket database, and their opinion on the success, or failure, of that process. Data would include number of hours and number of tickets. b) Discuss variable speed traffic signals as a possible tool for traffic control. Mr. Dounay indicated he would try to obtain some information on this subject. Traffic Engineer Vostry commented that this means of traffic control tends to divert traffic from the collector streets to residential streets. c) Locations "waiting for an accident to happen", i.e. Kenyon Ave. and Windermere St., drivers make that curve on the wrong side of the road; Inca St. near Civic Center, veh icles driving too fast for this pedestrian populated area; Oxford Ave. and Windermere/Navajo Sts., pedestrians are directed to cross Oxford Ave. on the east side of Windermere St. where, at the southeast corner of the intersection, no sidewalks exist. Mr. Vostry acknowledged the condition. Mr. Dounay suggested adding a crosswalk on the west side of the intersection and adding signs stating "No Right Turn When Pedestrians Are In Crosswalk". Mr. Vostry stated the sign could be installed, but questioned enforcement. Mr. Vostry also opined that parking on Navajo St. south of Oxford should be eliminated for the safety of pedestrians. d) Revisit the possibility of reducing the residential speed limit to 25 mph. Brief discussion ensued. Committee Member Goosman, referring to City Council meeting minutes of March 1, 2004, inquired about the location of Marcy Gulch. Director Ross advised that Marcy Gulch is located south of C470 along the City Ditch between the Chatfield and Mclellan Reservoirs. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:27 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 5