Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-01-12 TAC MINUTESCity of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Minutes of January 12, 2006 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chair Christie at 6:34 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 Members Absent: Rick Kahm, Di rector of Public Works, ex officio A quorum was present. Also Present: Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer Linda Wilks , Recording Secretary Erik Lutz , Police Officer See attached sign -in sheet Approval of Minutes Chair Christie asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of December 8, 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 Vice-chair Anderson asked if the update regarding the Logan St. and Eastman Ave. traffic calming can be moved from Director's Choice to Public Comment on the agenda. There were no objections . Residents Dane Stephenson, 3101 S. Logan St., and Danielle Gregory, 3182 S. Logan St., stated they are present this evening to hear the Logan and Eastman traffic calming update that is listed on the agenda. To Chair Christie 's inqu iry, Ms. Gregory opined that the parking lane lines are great and seem to be effective, but she has not stopped to observe the effectiveness of the flashing beacon lights that were installed at Eastman . Mr. Stephenson noted there appears to be a large number of trucks in the area . Traffic Enginee r Vostry stated that the lane lines were applied by United Rental Company at a cost of about $600, adding that United did not charge the City a mobilization fee, which could save the City up to $2,000. The flashing beacon lights have also been installed and were operational as of mid-December when Xcel Energy installed the power. Mr. Vostry noted that he has recently taken time to observe the traffic on Eastman Ave., and it appears that drivers are aware of, and obeying , the red flashing beacon lights at that intersection . Mr . Vostry commented that he was recently contacted by a motorist who gave positive feedback regarding these traffic calming features . Mr . Vostry stated that he will continue monitoring this area. Brief discussion ensued regarding a street light at Logan St. and Cornell Ave . that is currently not functioning at night. To Mr. Christie's inquiry, Mr. Vostry stated that additional speed studies on Logan can be performed if requested, but noted that these traffic calming features were installed as a result of several accidents that had occurred, not because of excessive speed. Ms. Gregory commented that residents along Logan St. generally feel that speed is an issue. Mr. Vostry advised they will plan to include speed studies for this area in conjunction with studies planned for Dartmouth and Oxford Avenues when school is out for the summer. Mr. Vostry inquired about the stop watches that the City provided to a number of residents on Logan St. who requested to take part in the Speed Watch Program. Mr. Vostry stated that he has not received any feedback from these residents, and believes this may be an indication that, perhaps, speed is not an issue. Mr. Christie stated that ETAC will be revisiting these concerns in the future, and encouraged the residents to continue providing their feedback. Mr. Stephenson said thank you. Brief discussion ensued regarding ETAC's vacant Alternate Member position. Mr. Vostry noted an email from Mr. Stephenson thanking staff and ETAC for installation of the traffic calming features along Logan St. Old Business • Chair Christie expressed his satisfaction with the recently posted ETAC web page, the links that are provided to other pertinent sites, items contained on the recent accomplishments page, etc. Vice-chair Anderson said he will draft, for ETAC's consideration, a paragraph to be added to the recent accomplishments page describing the completed traffic calming efforts on Logan St. Traffic Engineer Vostry stated that GIS Analyst Lancaster is continuing to work to provide other resources and applicable links. • As a follow up to discussion that took place at the December ETAC meeting regarding implementing a city-wide 25 mph speed limit, Traffic Engineer Vostry reiterated that ETAC considered this topic in late 2002 and early 2003, and made a recommendation to City Council to move forward with the reduced speed limit, which, ultimately, was not approved. Mr. Vostry said that he has not recently heard from citizens requesting that a city-wide 25 mph speed limit be pursued. Mr. Vostry believes that the Speed Watch and Speed Pledge Programs, which are run by Officer Peterson, have considerably reduced speed concerns in the residential neighborhoods. Brief discussion ensued. ETAC Members agreed they should not take further action on this topic unless a recommendation comes from City Council. Council Liaison Tomasso stated he will discuss this with City Council, and should they request that ETAC revisit pursuing a city-wide 25 mph speed limit, notification will come through the City Manager's office. Mr. Anderson requested that a follow up from Mr. Tomasso be included on the February ETAC agenda. New Business There was no New Business. Director's Choice • Traffic Engineer Vostry, followed up on previous discussion regarding busses from Connex traveling through a Denver neighborhood on Zuni St. Mr. Vostry advised that the traffic signal at Tejon St. and Dartmouth Ave. has now been timed for flashing mode from 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. so that busses can travel Tejon during these hours and not have to wait for the traffic signal. From Tejon, the busses will then 2 travel east on Dartmouth to Santa Fe, and then south on Santa Fe. Mr. Vostry was advised by a representative of Connex that their drivers will begin traveling Tejon instead of Zuni this weekend. Additionally, after observing that busses are also traveling north on Tejon to Evans, which is also a residential neighborhood, Mr. Vostry, in an attempt to ward off any potential problems for that neighborhood, requested that Connex have their drivers use Yale or Bates to Raritan and then north on Raritan to Evans. Connex agreed. Mr. Vostry was also advised by Connex that they are planning to raise the height of the fence surrounding the Connex complex to cut down on noise and fumes in the neighborhoods. Mr. Vostry stated he will monitor the situation. • Mr. Vostry advised that a resident living on Dartmouth Ave. near University Blvd. approached City Council with a request to install sidewalk along the south side of Dartmouth just west of University (the north side lies within the City of Denver). City Council requested that staff work with the resident regarding this issue. Thus far, the resident has circulated a survey to his neighbors, some residents were in favor, some neutral, some opposed. Mr. Vostry stated he was directed by Director Kahm to inquire if ETAC would like to be involved in this project since it does include not only installation of sidewalk, but pedestrian safety as well. As this missing sidewalk was not included for construction in the Sidewalk Missing Links Project, funding for this section is yet to be determined. Mr. Vostry explained that, historically, when the City installed neighborhood and commercial sidewalks, the adjacent property owners were assessed for the cost. Brief discussion ensued regarding maintenance of curb and gutter through the Concrete Utility. (Secretary's note: Of the 12 residences along this stretch of Dartmouth, only 1 does not pay into the Concrete Utility for maintenance of the existing curb and gutter. The Concrete Utility Program does include areas where only curb and gutter exist, as well as areas with sidewalk, curb and gutter.) Discussion ensued regarding the role ETAC might take in culminating this concern, available funding, safety aspects, possible controversy with sidewalk installation, etc. Members asked that they be provided with a right-of-way map and other information prior to the meeting in February, and that staff invite this group of residents to attend the meeting for general discussion regarding residents' concerns and City requirements. Brief discussion ensued regarding pedestrian traffic in that area. • Regarding installation of countdown pedestrian signals on Broadway at Floyd Ave., Girard Ave., and Old Hampden Ave., Traffic Engineer Vostry advised that the equipment has been ordered, and he expects installation to be complete by mid-February. Mr. Vostry noted that sound indicators will also be installed at Broadway and Dartmouth, and at Broadway and Kenyon, which were requested by visually impaired citizens. Sound indicators currently exist at the intersections of Broadway and Bates, Girard, Floyd and Old Hampden. • Mr. Vostry reported that, as requested at the December meeting by residents Mr. and Mrs. DeWitt- Walter, speed studies were conducted last week on Quincy Ave. near the radar speed sign posted at Jason Park, and on Jason St. 500 feet north of Quincy. Mr. Vostry explained that inclement weather in late 2005 delayed placing equipment for the studies. Mr. Vostry said that, for some unknown reason, but one that does occur occasionally, he was not able to recover the data from the counter set for eastbound traffic on Quincy. For westbound traffic, however, the study showed that the s5th percentile speed was 32.9 mph, with an average of 28 mph, which is similar to other collector streets in Englewood. Mr. Vestry noted that 3 history since 1998 shows no change in the volume of westbound traffic on Quincy, 1,100 to 1,200 vehicles per day. The study showed that approximately 23 vehicles during the one week study were traveling between 51 and 55 mph, typically during hours in the middle of the night and on weekends. Mr. Vostry stated that the speed studies in this area will be conducted again in the spring when people are making use of Jason Park. Mr. Vostry stated that, for the speed study on Jason St., the counter was placed between the two parking lot entrances to Jason Park. The study showed a volume of less than 400 vehicles per day in each direction, which is an indication that the traffic is primarily local, with perhaps some park users. The study showed that the 85th percentile speed for northbound was 34.5 mph, with a 30 mph average; the 85th percentile speed for southbound was 31.5 mph, 28 mph average. The speed studies along this stretch of Jason showed that the excessive speeding activity takes place primarily during late night (midnight) and early morning (4:00 a.m.) hours, and close to 60% of excessive speeding occurs on weekends between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Mr. Vostry stated that, in the spring, he will place two sets of counters on Jason, one set 500 feet north of Quincy to compare with last week's study, and a second set between Princeton Place and Oxford Ave. to observe the speed in that area, as well. Mr. Vostry noted that history of six years shows there have been no accidents at the intersection of Quincy and Jason; two single car accidents occurred on Jason St. It was noted that Mrs. DeWitt-Walter was recently involved in a minor accident when she pulled her vehicle away from the curb in front of her house. Mr. Vestry advised that, as observed by Mrs. DeWitt-Walter, view of the 25 mph sign on Jason St. was, in fact, obscured by a telephone pole; the sign has since been relocated. Mr. Vestry plans to contact Mrs. DeWitt-Walter once he has the final results of the initial speed studies. Discussion ensued regarding the electronic speed sign that is posted on Quincy Ave. Vice-chair Anderson stated he would like staff to suggest other locations where it could be put to better use. Mr. Christie suggested northbound Logan St. near Eastman Ave. because of resident concerns in that area. Chairperson's Choice Chair Christie had no concerns to bring forward. Committee Members' Choice • Council Liaison Tomasso reviewed information regarding a proposed cul-de-sac and pedestrian crossing design on Lincoln St. for Malley Center patrons. The design was presented to the Malley Center Trust Fund Committee in October, 2005, and additional information will be presented to that committee at a meeting on January 25, 2006. Traffic Engineer Vestry stated that, actually, the proposal includes, not a cul-de-sac, but a bulb-out to narrow the street in front of Malley Center, and a crosswalk with push button flashing lights to allow easier access from the Center to the parking lot. Committee Member Goosman added that, a number of years ago, there was discussion regarding constructing a cul-de-sac to minimize traffic in front of the Malley Center, however that restriction would greatly hinder emergency response to the Malley Center, the Simon Center and the St. Louis Church. Additionally, it was noted that installing a cul-de-sac on Lincoln St. would push traffic to Sherman St. Brief discussion ensued regarding funding for this project. 4 Mr. Tomasso mentioned, and circulated, a flier from RTD looking for citizens to apply to serve on an advisory committee. • Committee Member Goosman asked Mr. Vostry to check with Xcel Energy regarding the street light at Dartmouth and Corona. • Committee Member Craft thanked Mr. Vostry for pursuing installation of the countdown pedestrian signals on Broadway. To Mr. Craft's inquiry, Mr. Vostry advised him to contact Joe Sack at the Malley Center regarding the Malley Trust Fund Committee meeting schedule at which the proposed Lincoln St. pedestrian crossing will be discussed. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:57 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 5 City of Englewood VISITOR SIGN-UP SHEET ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Regular Meeting, 6:30 p.m . January 12 , 2006 Englewood Civic Center City Council Conference Room , 3 rd Floor NAME ADDRESS ~·---!; -~p i /./) j.};;,,, / -.. ~<.A../" )re I _,.........._ ~ . Lo &AJ -3 > ,~v1>({; hrl.~u ~u ~1Rl s:. . L oc..a~ '--J 6 u 1 PHONE i' 1. j 1l·t