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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-12-08 TAC MINUTESCity of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY CO MM ITTEE MEETING Minutes of December 8, 2005 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chair Christie at 6:32 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room at the City of Englewood Civic Center. Members Present: David Anderson Joe Christie Betty Goosman Daryl Kinton Mark Craft Ray Tomasso, Council Liaison Rick Kahm, Director of Public Works, ex officio Members Absent: None A quorum was present. Also Present: Approval of Minutes Ladd Vestry, Traffic Eng ineer Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary Jerry Lancaster, GIS Analyst Commander Jeff Sanchez See attached sign-in sheet Chair Christie asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of November 10, 2005. Committee Member Goosman, referring to page 4, noted that she misspoke, that the trailer was not attached to the tractor parked near Lafayette St. and Girard Ave. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as amended. With all Members present voting aye, the motion passed. Public Comment Ms. Mary Faye DeWitt-Walter introduced herself and her husband, Donald J. Walter, 4290 S. Jason St. Ms. Walter stated that she is the Block Captain for the Neighborhood Watch Program for this area, that she and her husband were present this evening to discuss their concerns with speeding on Quincy Ave. near Jason Park as well as speeding on Jason St. north of Quincy. Traffic Engineer Vestry advised that he will conduct speed studies on both Quincy and Jason when weather permits. Mr. Walter noted it appears that the electronic speed sign on Quincy Ave. encourages many motorists to drive even faster, and, in addition, skateboarders race down the hill, monitoring the ir speed, and not adhering to traffic. Mr. Walter expressed his concern that someone will be badly injured. Ms. Walter also commented that drugs are being sold at Jason Park. It was noted that, because Jason Park is a dog park, there is now a lot of pedestrian traffic in that neighborhood. Ms. Walter suggested that traffic circles be installed to slow down the traffic and prevent pedestrians from being hit by speeding vehicles. Additionally, she noted that view of the advisory 25 mph sign on Jason St. is obscured by a telephone pole. Mr. Vestry stated he will check the visibility of that sign . Brief discussion ensued regarding speed limits, and noise from motorcycles and some vehicles. To Vice-chair Anderson's inquiry, Ms. Walter stated she and other residents in the community want the City to install traffic circles on Jason St. at Princeton Place and possibly Oxford Place to stop the race track between Oxford and Quincy. Chair Christie advised that Traffic Engineer Vostry will conduct speed studies at the requested locations, and the results will be used to determine what action ETAC will need to recommend to resolve any existing traffic problems. Mr. Christie stated that, weather permitting, results of the speed studies should be available at the January ETAC meeting. Ms. Walter opined that because of the time of year, the speed study results would not reflect true traffic numbers. Mr. Christie asked that staff pull the historical speed study results for comparison, and advised that staff will conduct a study as soon as possible, and will continue to follow up with additional speed studies. To Council Liaison Tomasso's inquiry, Ms. Walter stated she will provide license plate numbers for the speeding vehicles with loud exhaust pipes in her neighborhood so that Safety Services can follow up. Mr. and Mrs. Walter thanked ETAC Members for hearing their concerns. Upon departure of Mr. and Mrs. Walter, ETAC discussed conducting speed studies, possible reports of problem skateboarders in that area, etc. Director Kahm stated that consideration will be given to relocating the -Quincy Ave. electronic speed sign since, fec-ently, its effectiveness seems questionable, adding that there are other locations in the City that would get beneficial results. Mr. Kahm stated that staff will look at the traffic and pedestrian situation around Jason Park; Mr. Christie asked that signage also be checked for effectiveness and location. Mr. Vostry said that because of the park in this neighborhood, 25 mph playground advisory signs were posted instead of regular 30 mph speed limit signs. Brief discussion ensued regarding signage types. Committee Member Kinton entered the meeting at 6:56 p.m. Mr. Tomasso asked if ETAC should look at regulatory signage for park locations, similar to those posted at school zones. Mr. Vostry stated that, because there is no "park zone" signage regulated through the Manual on Unified Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the only other alternative available is the regulatory playground signs . Mr. Kahm suggested waiting for the results of the speed studies to determine the appropriate action. Discussion ensued regarding revisiting implementation of a 25 mph speed limit city-wide . ETAC considered this topic in late 2002 and early 2003, and made a recommendation to City Council, which, ultimately, was not approved. Vice-chair Anderson inquired if there has been any renewed interest with citizens or City Council in changing the City's speed limit to 25 mph. Commander Sanchez reiterated that motorists drive at the speed they are most comfcrtable irregardless of the posted speed, and speed studies have shown that the 35th percentile of motorists drive between 35 and 37 mph. Mr. Kahm stated that, for the sake of consistency, and to obtain a manageable speed limit system, a posted speed limit should encompass the City of Englewood as a whole, installing "25 mph except as posted' signage on the collector streets as well as City entryways. Mr. Vostry noted that the speed limit in the City of Denver is 25 mph on all streets; however, signs are not posted unless a citizen makes a request, and, additionally, Mr. Vostry said, the speed limit is not enforced. Mr. Sanchez opined that reducing the speed limit to 25 mph may bring the speed down a little, but drivers, for the most part, will continue to drive at their comfort speed. Mr. 2 Sanchez noted that police personnel numbers probably are not sufficient to consistently enforce a lower speed limit, however, Mr. Sanchez added that lowering the speed limit to 25 mph on residential streets only would probably be manageable. Mr. Kahm stated that once the traffic studies are complete on Jason and Quincy, a determination can be made to address possible relocation of the Quincy electronic speed sign, along with other possible signage changes. Old Business • Director Kahm reported that, at the Monday night City Council meeting, Mark Craft was officially appointed to fill the Regular Member vacancy that was created with the recent resignation of Committee Member Regi Maclaren. Chair Christie noted that Mr. Craft's status should be changed on the web page Member Roster. • GIS Analyst Lancaster distributed color copies depicting the format of ETAC's web page of recent accomplishments. Discussion ensued regarding photo size, etc. Vice-chair Anderson requested that captions be placed under each photograph. Mr. Lancaster advised that he is also working on a page that will list a series of links to other traffic related sites, such as DRCOG, COTRIP, and TREX. Vice-chair Anderson suggested including links to bicycle and pedestrian oriented sites. To Mr. Christie 's inquiry, Mr. Anderson suggested accepting the draft of recent accomplishments edited by staff (copies distributed to Members this evening) for posting on ETAC's web page. Committee agreed. Committee Member Kinton suggested adding a link to the City's Bicycle Plan. Brief discussion ensued. Mr. Kinton also inquired about the status of a pedestr ian bridge over Hampden Avenue that was previously discussed by ETAC. Mr. Kahm advised that a request was made to DRCOG for funding, however the project did not score enough points to be included for upcoming federal funding. Additionally, Sports Authority, whose employees would greatly benefit from installation of the bridge, ultimately fenced in their campus , which eliminated any possible link through their site. Mr. Kinton inquired about the pedestrian tunnel under Santa Fe Drive that was being discussed by RTD as part of a plan to make additional parking available for Light Rail users. Mr. Kahm advised that it appears the tunnel and additional parking west of Santa Fe are no longer an option. Brief discussion ensued. Mr. Kahm stated that the additional parking "owed" the Englewood Light Rail Station is being considered with the Bates Station project. New Business There was no New Business presented for discussion. Director's Choice • With regard to implementation of traffic calming at the Logan St. and Eastman Ave. intersection, Director Kahm reported that the flashing beacon equipment is now in place and staff is expecting power installation by Xcel Energy, probably next week. Additionally, the parking lane lines have been installed on Logan St. between Dartmouth and Floyd Avenues. 3 • Director Kahm reported that, in answer to concerns expressed by residents on the Denver side of Zuni St., management from the RTD maintenance facility located near Yale Ave. and Tejon St., as discussed at the November ETAC meeting, has voluntarily rerouted their busses from Zuni St. to Tejon St. during nighttime hours. Beginning next week, Traffic Engineer Vostry will set the traffic light at Dartmouth and Tejon to flash from 11:30 p.m. to 5:45 a.m., which will allow the busses to proceed after stopping at that intersection without having to sit through a traffic light cycle. From Tejon St., the busses will proceed east on Dartmouth Ave. to Santa Fe . During daytime hours, the busses will continue to travel south on Zuni St. to Hampden Ave. Mr . Kahm stated that Connex is working to install a 16 ft. fence along their site on Zuni St. to protect that neighborhood. Mr. Vostry added that Connex has also asked their drivers not to stop on Zuni St. to adjust mirrors and warm their busses, and to not accelerate during nighttime and early morning hours because of the resulting noise. Mr. Vostry noted that, in compliance with City policy, staff conducted a speed study at Dartmouth and Tejon to justify implementing the flashing signal lights between 11:30 p.m . and 5:45 a.m. Chairperson's Choice Chair Christie had no issues to bring forward. Committee Members' Choice • Council Liaison Tomasso wished everyone a Happy Holiday. • Committee Member Kinton , observing that RTD is considering charging patrons to park in the RTD park and ride lots, suggested that RTD patrons, in an effort to avoid the charge, may look for other areas to park, such as on or near Oxford Ave. Mr. Kinton inquired if staff has considered permit parking as a solution to this possible overflow parking. Director Kahm stated that, currently, parking appears stable along Windermere St. north and south of Oxford Ave. Mr. Kahm noted that the Englewood Environmental Foundation, owner and operator of CityCenter Englewood, has agreements with Walmart and other businesses thattherewill be no paid parking on site; businesses, however, don't seem to object to light rail patrons using their parking lots as long as ample spaces remain available for their customers. Mr. Kinton said that discussion regarding development of the Bates Station includes a parking structure, and that should help take the pressure off overflow parking at CityCenter Englewood. Mr. Kahm noted the success of Englewood's art shuttle, which takes light rail riders to the station at Civic Center from various parking lots in Englewood. Discussion ensued. • Committee Member Craft stated that a number of senior citizens from Simon Center have asked if the crossing time for pedestrians at Broadway and Floyd Ave. can be extended to allow easier crossing. Director Kahm replied that the crossing time is currently set at the maximum, and to increase the time would affect travel time for motorists on Broadway. Mr. Kahm stated, and Traffic Engineer Vostry agreed, that countdown pedestrian signals may be beneficial, particularly for senior citizens, at this location as well as at Broadway and Girard and at Broadway and Old Hampden. Mr. Kahm stated he believes funding is available in the 2005 budget, and staff will look into installing these countdown fixtures. Discussion ensued regarding 4 the poss ibility of scheduling the art shuttle to run on weekends as well as weekdays. To Mr. Craft's inquiry, Mr. Kahm stated that TOD is an acronym for Transit Oriented Development. Adjournment There being no further business , the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 5 City of Englewood VISITOR SIGN-UP SHEET ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITIEE Regular Meeting, 6:30 p.m. December 8 , 2005 Englewood Civic Center City Council Conference Room, 3rd Floor .,."!'".:""'.~ .. , t?< --~ ';,' ';-' !':' :1';~·.;;;; ~~" :q;'J~ v -~ ~ 3;.:5'<:: ~-~ - ~~ .,/ .,;·f\_N~':'.' E., ·Ji;; -~tt'. "'~:. . ·ADDRESS . ~ . PHC!~~~~t·~f-. ' ·'~ ~. ··J >.'i: -l_':i. ~ ~- nlftl, +a :j o J )~ Will ~J9u5 .J4)·.)n q ~t1 Ht:u1)1/) 3 J3 · ?(;;/ o &?-~ o J )(fl~ I/) f u .. S' _J o J o<-t J t ?~11er;;;.,,,~ ]U] ~/-cJf-7.? ( , - ? ,___ 1