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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-04-12 TAC MINUTES• City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Minutes of April 12, 2007 The regular monthly meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chair Anderson at 6:34 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room, City of Englewood Civic Center. Members Present: David Anderson, Chair Andy Berger Mark Craft Daryl Kinton Ray Tomasso, Council Liaison Rick Kahm, Director of Public Works, ex officio Members Absent: Danielle Gregory James Weeks, Alternate Member A quorum was present. Also Present: Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary Sergeant Mark McKay Approval of Minutes Chair Anderson asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of March 8, 2007. There being none, a motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as presented. With Members • Anderson, Craft, and Kinton voting aye, the motion passed. Committee Member Berger abstained. • Public Comment There were no visitors present. Old Business There were no items presented under Old Business. New Business There were no items presented under New Business. Director's Choice • Traffic Engineer Vostry reported that the blue light at Dartmouth and Santa Fe has now been adjusted to assist officers with enforcing red arrow violations. The process included testing and altering the unit, which was then checked by traffic officers. Sergeant McKay added that this equipment is a tremendous asset to officers for enforcement purposes. • Director Kahm advised that the Citizen Survey results have been presented to City Council. Mr. Kahm offered to show the Power Point presentation prepared by the survey vending company at the ETAC meeting in May. There was brief discussion regarding the survey results, supplemental funds to cover expenses of snow removal from recent storms, the condition of Englewood's streets, the process for decreasing 1 Englewood's speed limit to 25 mph, etc. Committee Members agreed they'd like to see the power point presentation at the May meeting. Chairperson's Choice • Chair Anderson requested clarification of a recent article that appeared in the Englewood Herald regarding projected costs to repair and renovate Englewood's street system. Director Kahm stated that the four year road repair program he recommended to City Council will cost in the neighborhood of $5.2 million. Mr. Kahm requested an additional $1,999,000 over and above the $3,210,000 that will have been budgeted in the Public Improvement Fund (PIF) Road and Bridge account over the next four years. Street repairs planned for 2007 are estimated to cost $1,410,000, for which City Council has approved supplemental funding in the amount of $550,000 over and above the $860,000 already funded in the PIF Road and Bridge account. Additionally, a supplemental appropriation of $435,000 was approved to cover snow storm expenses, i.e., contract labor and equipment, overtime, fuel, sanding materials, etc. Mr. Kahm stated that road repairs, in 2007, will include crack filling (174 blocks), microsurfacing (88 blocks), cape seal (28 blocks), and overlay (29 blocks). Mr. Kahm explained the cape seal and microsurfacing applications. Of the streets identified for repair over the four year period, those in the worst condition will be completed first. Mr. Kahm stated he is hopeful that the use tax from the Swedish Hospital expansion, as well as the redevelopment project on the former Denver Seminary site, will be available to help fund the PIF to cover these road repairs. • To bring Committee Member Berger up to date regarding previous discussions that have taken place pertaining to implementing a 25 mph speed limit in Englewood, Chair Anderson inquired if it would be helpful to have some background information to prepare for the upcoming discussion. To Mr. Berger's reply, Mr. Anderson stated he will gather information from past discussions for Mr. Berger's review. • Mr. Anderson inquired about the possibility of Judge Atencio speaking with ETAC members at a future meeting, as he did in 2002. Director Kahm stated he will make arrangements with Judge Atencio. Committee Members' Choice • Council Liaison Tomasso commented that fines and forfeitures, collected by Municipal Court, for speeding and other violations are down this year by $21,000, most likely due to the effects of numerous snow storms over the 12 week period beginning December 20, 2006. Brief discussion ensued regarding trends in decreased speeding. Mr. Tomasso advised that Council Member Barrentine requested information regarding establishing a school zone on Broadway at Chenango to accommodate an expected increase in pedestrian traffic when Flood and Sinclair Middle Schools join to form Englewood Middle School this fall. Mr. Kahm stated that he prepared a memo to City Council responding to this request. A school warning zone was established on Broadway at Chenango a number of years ago by installing two advance school crossing signs with flashing warning lights, one for northbound traffic and one for southbound traffic. These warning lights flash on school days, in the morning before school begins and again in the afternoon when school lets out to forewarn motorists on Broadway of the possibility that school age children could be crossing at this location. 2 • • • Additionally, the traffic signal at this intersection was upgraded in 2005, and new pedestrian countdown modules were installed to assist pedestrians in safely crossing Broadway. In the past seven years, two • auto/pedestrian accidents have occurred at this intersection . Mr. Kahm stated that, through the School Safety Committee, pedestrian safety measures have been established for each school in the Englewood School District, as well as parochial schools; each school presented the Traffic Division with a traffic plan for their school zone, along with other pertinent information from which the best safety plan for their area was established. Mr. Kahm stated that the new middle school is currently conducting a pedestrian and vehicle safety analysis and will provide the information to Traffic Engineer Vostry to use while monitoring the situation when school begins in the fall; from these measures, adjustments will be made, as necessary. Educating students on pedestrian safety was discussed. • Committee Member Craft thanked Sergeant McKay for speaking, recently, to Simon Center residents regarding traffic and pedestrian safety. Mr. Craft inquired about the possibility of creating an all-way pedestrian crossing cycle at Broadway and Floyd and at Broadway and Girard. Traffic Engineer Vostry explained that, by stopping traffic to create a four-way walk cycle, traffic flow on Broadway would no longer be synchronized, and could, ultimately, cause a more serious crossing situation for pedestrians. Mr. Vostry stated that the problem is not the lack of crossing time, but, rather, that motorists making left and right turns onto Broadway do not yield to pedestrians. An all-way crossing is typically implemented to accommodate large numbers of pedestrians. Mr. Kahm recommended that Mr. Vostry meet with residents of Simon Center to discuss safe crossing • practices. Brief discussion ensued. Committee Member Berger inquired about the effectiveness of the countdown crossing modules. Mr. Vostry advised that, in Englewood, the modules are used to assist pedestrians crossing major streets, and are not for the benefit of motorists. It was noted that the modules are particularly beneficial for children around the schools. Mr. Kahm stressed the importance of pushing the walk button to activate the extended time for walking. Following up with discussion from the April ETAC meeting, Mr. Craft advised that he spoke with the manager of the Spicy Pickle regarding the distraction created for motorists caused by his costumed staff on Broadway during weekday lunch hours. As a result, the manager has ended this method of advertising. Sergeant McKay noted that he was not able to find a City ordinance that addresses this kind of advertising. Discussion ensued regarding dump trucks coming from the Englewood Golf Course redevelopment project that are being driven through Englewood on Oxford and on Broadway. Mr. Kahm stated that these truckers are violating their State Permit and asked that he be notified with license plate information so that he can follow up. • Sergeant McKay thanked Mr. Vostry and Mr. Kahm for their assistance in traffic control during the recent funeral procession for Aurora Police Officer Doug Burn on Hampden Ave. through Englewood. • Committee Member Kinton advised, in response to inquiries regarding potential construction of a Bates • Ave. light rail station, that no one has come forward with a proposal. Council Liaison Tomasso stated that this topic has been scheduled for a future Council Study Session. Mr. Kahm added that the two property 3 owners, Winslow and Barton Brothers, are in the process of determining whether or not a light rail station at Bates Ave. would be financially feasible. Mr. Kinton reported that the federal funding for the CityCenter circulator bus will end in the Fall of 2007. Other options are being discussed, including changing the route to a full fare services. Mr. Kinton reported that RTD is investigating the possibility of extending the "O" bus route to include Belleview Ave. between Broadway and Prince St. The proposal recommends 15 minute service for that area and, ultimately, all of Englewood. Additionally, Mr. Kinton is checking on grant funding to implement a pedestrian improvement program on Belleview Ave. that would tie in with this bus route and alleviate the hazard of random crossing by pedestrians. Director Kahm commented that, in the past, Englewood went through a series of programs and received 80/20 matches for Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funding to construct the existing sidewalk on Belleview. Ladd will look and see what's out there, if the federal government leaves any money in the transportation budget. Adjournment Upon adjournment at 7:47 p.m., Members were given a tour of the traffic control room. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 4 • • •