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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-04-14 TAC MINUTES• City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Minutes of April 14, 2005 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chair Christie at 7:04 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room at the City of Englewood Civic Center. Members Present: David Anderson Joe Christie Betty Goosman Regi Maclaren Ray Tomasso , Council Liaison Rick Kahm , Director of Public Works, ex officio Members Absent: Daryl Kinton A quorum was present. Also Present: Approval of Minutes Bob Fearns, MulleI Engineering Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer ~ Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary Officer Erik Lutz Chair Chr istie asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of March 10, 2005. There being none , a motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as presented. With all Members • present voting aye, the motion passed. Public Comment There were no visitors in attendance. Old Business With regard to the Oxford Avenue T raffic Calming Open House that took place following last month 's ETAC meeting, Committee Members discussed questions and comments that were received from residents in attendance, and agreed that t he presentation of the plan went well, and that residents, generally, were satisfied with the information they received during staff's presentation. It was noted that residents, in general , seemed to favor the traffic calming plan. Director Kahm reiterated that flyers promoting the open house were mailed to 500 residences along Oxford Avenue between Broadway and Lipan St. and 112 block north and south of that stretch of Oxford. It was also pointed out that notification of the open house was posted in two locations on the City 's web page as well as in the Englewood Herald. Mr. Kahm , in response to residents ' concerns regarding truck traffic noise on Oxford Ave., suggested that action be taken to reduce the negative impact of large trucks traveling from Kalamath St. to Broadway on Oxford Ave ., perhaps by restricting access to that stretch of roadway during nighttime hours, say 7:00 p.m. to 6 :00 a.m. The restriction would include trucks with an empty weight of 7000 lbs. Council Member • Tomasso commented that a similar time restriction exists for garbage trucks. Discussion ensued regarding enforcement, trucks ' wear and tear on Englewood streets, etc. Mr. Kahm advised that Parks and Recreation Director Black expressed the need to retain left turn access to the Englewood Recreation Center from Oxford Ave. Originally, ETAC proposed eliminating the left turn access from eastbound Oxford. Vice-chair Anderson inquired about a notation in the March 10th minutes that staff would contact the trucking businesses in Sheridan that routinely use Oxford Ave. Mr. Kahm stated that Traffic Engineer Vostry has contacted these companies and asked that they notify their drivers that Oxford Ave. is a residential roadway, and that both Belleview Ave. and Hwy. 285 are available for east/west transporting of materials,. Mr. Vostry added that staff will also notify the trucking businesses should Committee Members elect to proceed with time restricted travel for truckers on Oxford Ave. Mr. Anderson noted that he would like to look at all points of view when dealing with situations such as this. Mr. Kahm recommended that Committee Members address City Council once more at a Study Session to apprise them of the outcome of the open house, and that, in response to citizens' comments, ETAC is proposing time restricted access for trucks on Oxford Ave. Chair Christie made a motion, seconded by Vice- -· _chair Anderson, that Committee meet with 'Gity Council tq advise of the outcome of the public meeting and, additionally, to recommend that truck traffic be limited on Oxford Ave. between Kalamath St. and Broadway from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. as part of the Oxford Avenue Traffic Calming Pilot Program. Discussion ensued regarding appropriate hours for truck traffic restrictions. Mr. Kahm stated that a change can always be made at a later date, if necessary, simply by changing the time posted on the signs. Mr. Vostry estimated that four signs would be posted to notify the public of the truck restrictions. Mr. Bob Fearns, from Muller Engineering, was present to discuss an update to the traffic calming plan, and, using updated drawings, showed proposed changes resulting from comments that were received from citizens attending the open house on March 10th. Mr. Fearns noted that primary changes were a result of truck traffic concerns voiced by citizens. Discussion ensued regarding alleviating the heavy truck traffic on Oxford Ave., and appropriate locations for placement of signs depicting NO TRUCKS OVER 7000 LBS EMPTY WT as well as other truck route "warning signs". Truck route "warning signs" will be placed on Broadway, as well as on Kalamath St., northbound and southbound, near Oxford Ave . to advise truckers of the approaching restricted roadway. The cost of these signs is approximately $150 per sign. The signs will be made in-house. To Chair Christie's inquiry, Mr. Kahm noted that restricted access pertains to "pass through" truck traffic, however, any truck can access his destination on any street, i.e., moving vans, etc. Mr. Kahm stated that staff will prepare flyers to distribute to Sheridan trucking companies for all their drivers. Upon a call for the vote, all Members present voted aye. The motion passed unanimously. • • Mr. Kahm indicated that staff will schedule a Study Session meeting with ETAC and City Council on May 25 th to provide Council with an update of the Oxford Avenue Traffic Calming Plan. To Mr. Anderson 's inquiry, Mr. Kahm stated he would like placement of the restricted truck traffic signage to take place along with implementation of other devices included in the traffic calming package. Mr. Vostry explained that this traffic calming program includes lane striping changes, repositioning of the traffic signal heads at the mid- block crossing between Inca and Jason, upgrading the signal with LED lenses, installing countdown • pedestrian signals, installing the radar speed signs, etc. Mr . Vostry noted that the City and the School Safety 2 Committee worked together to prioritize locations for installation of the countdown pedestrian signals, and these devices have already been installed at several school crossing locations. • Following further discussion, restrictions, Committee Members agreed that 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. is a • • suitable time restriction to post for truck traffic. In addition to truck weight and time restriction sign changes along Oxford Ave., Mr. Fearns recommended replacing the 1 ft. by 3 ft. black and yellow object marker signs on the nose of the choker islands with a more aesthetically pleasing -6 in. by 1 ft. sign, which will also alleviate a possible sight obstruction for drivers. Mr. Fearns distributed handouts showing striping configuration for the project. Mr. Fearns nbted that roadway access, westbound, from the driveway on the south side of Oxford, just west of Bannock St., will not be hindered by the median design that will be installed in that vicinity . To Mr. Anderson 's inquiry, Mr. Fearns stated that, with Council's approval, his next step will be to create a design plan for the contractor. Mr. Kahm advised that the City currently has a concrete contractor that can begin work per our schedule. Proposed signs will be manufactured in the City's sign shop. Mr. Vestry noted that --_the radar speed signs have been delivered;:and Xcel Energy has designed the energy outlet for the project. It is estimated that construction can begin by mid-June. New Business -Election of Officers • The meeting was turned over to Director Kahm to conduct the election of officers. Mr. Kahm asked for nominations for Chairperson. Mr. Anderson nominated Committee Member Christie, seconded by Committee Member Goosman. Mr. Christie accepted the nomination. There being no further nominations, Mr. Christie, through a verbal vote, was elected to serve an additional one year term as Chairperson. Mr. Kahm asked for nominations for Vice-chair . Committee Member Goosman nominated Committee Member Anderson, seconded by Committee Member Maclaren. Mr. Anderson accepted the nomination. There being no further nominations, Mr. Anderson, through a verbal vote, was elected to serve an additional one year term as Vice-chair. Brief discussion ensued regarding the Oxford Avenue Traffic Calming Open House. • With regard to increasing ETAC membership from five to seven, Chair Christie opined that, with the recent low number of board and commission applicants, and the difficulty filling ETAC's alternate member position, at the present time he would prefer retaining the current structure of five members and one alternate member. Mr. Christie suggested that Committee revisit this possibility at a later date, should circumstances call for additional members. Committee Members concurred. Discussion ensued regarding member attendance. Council Member Tomasso suggested mailing notices to attendees of the Open House advising they can obtain applications from the City to fill ETAC openings. Mr. Kahm stated that staff plans to send notices to attendees that trucking restrictions have been added to the pilot program, and that perhaps the notice could also include information regarding applying for board and commission vacancies. Mr. Anderson suggested including meeting attendees from the past year. Mr. Anderson added that notice appeared in the Englewood 3 Citizen that applications are currently being taken for boards and commissions. Staff indicated they will draft a notification to citizens for Mr. Christie's signature. There was no other New Business. Director's Choice • Traffic Engineer Vestry advised that radar speed sign installation for the Dartmouth Ave. traffic calming project should begin as early as tomorrow, adding that the weather has caused some brief delays. Completion is anticipated by the end of April. Other features , i.e., parking lane striping, shared roadway signage, etc., have been installed. Brief discussion ensued regarding perceived speeds vs. actual speeds. Director Kahm noted that add ing lane lines has only slightly reduced speeds on Dartmouth Ave., but residents are satisfied with the outcome. • Director Kahm noted that Xcel Energy has obtained their permit from the City to install the street light on Navajo St. south of Oxford Ave. Staff is hopeful that the installation will be complete in the near future. Mr. Kahm briefly explained Xcel Energy's "undergrounding money" account, wherein 1 % of all utility bill -payments goes into this account, which cari'then be spent by the City to underground major transmission lines in conjunction with major City projects. Requirements stipulate that the work must be completed by Xcel rather than a contractor of your choice. Mr . Kahm commented that, over time, the City has observed that Xcel 's actual costs for undergrounding far exceeds their own estimates. Chairperson's Choice Chair Christie had no concerns to bring before Committee. Committee Members' Choice • Council Member Tomasso commented that the timed walk light on Dartmouth Ave. at Broadway also notifies vehicle traffic of the remaining "green light" time. Traffic Engineer Vestry stated that Englewood's policy is to post the timed walk lights for pedestrians crossing major roadways such as Broadway, so that motorists traveling major roadways do not have the benefit of observing remaining travel time, then speeding up to avoid a red light. To Mr. Tomasso's inquiry, Director Kahm advised that prior to the microsurfacing project this Spring, four to five median noses on the north end of Broadway will be shortened to alleviate the signs being knocked down by motorists cutting their turn too short. Brief discussion ensued. • Vice-chair Anderson, with regard to the heavy snow storm on Monday, observed that southbound traffic lights were obscured by blowing snow that packed against the lenses, and motorists were unable to detect red lights. Mr. Vestry advised that traffic crews made the same observation and were quick to clear the lenses. Brief discussion ensued. • Committee Member Maclaren inquired about the lack of lighting along Hwy. 285 between Downing and Colorado Blvd. Mr . Kahm advised that Hwy . 285 is a state highway, and they, like many other governmental entities, are dealing with financial concerns. Mr. Maclaren advised that he is expecting visitors from India in May, and is uncertain of his availability for the May ETAC meeting, and asked that he be excused if, in fact, he is unable to attend. Mr. Christie 4 • • • asked that he email a note to either him or Secretary Wilks if he is unable to attend. Mr. Christie commented that he will email Committee Member Kinton regarding ETAC's intent to meet • with City Council on April 25th. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:29 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary • • 5