Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES August 15, 2013 In attendance: Members Staff Guests Shawn Smith Ryan Sass, Public Works None Robert Strickland Tim Miller, Public Works J.T. Dray Euneka Richards, Public Works Victor Harris George Baxter, Everett Transit William Weber Ken Dorn, Everett Police Jeffrey Marks, Public Works 8:17 a.m. Shawn Smith called the meeting to order. Shawn was acting chair as Edward Koltonowski was absent.  M/S/P approving June 2013 meeting minutes. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  J.T. requested information about rate increases for taxi cabs be brought up. He had missed the council meeting about this subject and felt it would be useful information to know.  Victor mentioned that he had a discussion with a female bicyclist about the bicycle/automobile interactions happening around 112th. He said it sounded like there was a lot of unfriendly contention between bicyclists and automobile drivers and that some form of education needed to be administered to the public. Ryan stated that there has been a long email thread with Bikes of Snohomish County to understand the design treatment of the roadway, which is a standard treatment, and how it affects riders. He also said there will be additional street markings added for bikers to address the concern of a bike turning left from a straight-thru lane.  Bob Strickland asked if it was legal to chain bikes to tree guards, as he had witnessed many patrons of the Soul Food restaurant on Hewitt doing. Sgt. Dorn said police wouldn’t cite bikes at trees. Additional discussion occurred surrounding the usage of sidewalks by bicyclists and skateboarders who are travelling at excessive speeds, creating a hazard for walking pedestrians. No resolution was reached on how to deal with the issue at this time. Citizen’s Comments  None. Engineering Report  Some discussion ensued around frontage requirements for a development being built on 92nd. Ryan stated that a request had been submitted for a sidewalk extension, and that the City had a limited authority on what is required of developers beyond their property. However following negotiations with the developer they agreed to extend the pedestrian path to the west to serve a nearby school bus stop.   Regarding the Broadway Bridge Ryan commented the “draft final” agreement with BNSF is under review by BNSF. The pending lease of BNSF property near the bridge for a construction yard has been dealt a setback with BNSF stating they want to sell that property, but would offer a larger but less accessible parcel instead. City continuing to negotiate with BNSF in this regard.  Ryan also mentioned that Community Transit has been contacted about the bridge detour routes to ensure the planned detour provides enough space for their operations.  J.T. Dray mentioned he had noticed that Swift buses had a Transit Signal Priority (TSP) system device that regulated time at intersections and wondered if Everett would be getting any. Some discussion ensued about how the TSP system worked, along with the history and complexity of such systems. Bob Strickland asked for an update on the proposed revision to the Service Parking Permit Program and the removal of the flashing red beacon from Rockefeller & California. Tim Miller indicated there was no progress to report at this time. Police Report  None. Transit Report  George reported that everything is in place to implement the annual service changes in August. He stated that the changes are not substantial; Transit is not adding or cutting services, just tweaking to fine-tune the schedule and running times, and also to improve connections with other agencies. He also announced that new printed schedules are available.  George mentioned that Transit is meeting with the vendor to work on the NextBus program where users can use their cell phone to obtain bus arrival information via texting. The vendor has done the programming and is now ready to go into a testing phase. The next step will be how to introduce it to the public. He said there may be some potential for an app down the road, and that this product will hopefully reduce the cost of printing schedules.  George mentioned a shelter was removed at 35th and Rucker, southwest corner near the school, because it was too close to the curb. He stated additional concrete was being poured by PW for a new shelter to be installed.  Tom had asked last meeting about total boardings in comparison to other agencies. George stated that the other agencies haven’t called in yet with their numbers, so he did not have an estimate at this time, but he expected to have it available at the September TAC.  Victor mentioned the reader board at the stop on Pacific near Colby says “Please see schedule” instead of listing the next bus. George stated this is a glitch that needs repair.  Phase II of the new radio system is close to completion. This system is meant to push data and not voice. Its use will not affect the public. The outcome of this new system will allow Transit officials to see where every radio (bus) is located in real-time.  George stated drivers are instructed not to confront patrons over non-payment. Ryan commented on his experience with Fare Ambassadors on the Swift bus. Positive comments were given to the integrated bike racks on Swift buses and how well the off-bus pre-payment kiosk system works.   J.T. commented on the new bus schedule book. He expressed concern that it was released only 10 days prior to the new changes, when it was originally slated for release 3 weeks ahead. George explained that there had been a discussion about its release date, where pros and cons were considered as to what would be the better timing and why.  J.T. also mentioned his meeting with ET Director Tom Hingson. One of the issues he wished to discuss with Mr. Hingson was the release of the comprehensive plan update. J.T. expressed that the website has not shown any updates for the comprehensive plan in over a year. He learned that after 13 months, Transit is not preparing the update, but rather the Planning Department is doing it. J.T. felt the website made it look like ET was putting it together, and that since this was not the case, the message the website is sending is inappropriate and not a good way to interact with the public.  J.T. mentioned routes 4/5 near College Station requires riders to exit when the bus route changes, and the bus pole sign does not mention either route. George countered changes are planned so that route 5 will load/unload at the E Bays in College Station. He also mentioned such changes have to be carefully considered before implementing them.  J.T. also felt the new program should have indicated where all the stops are on the routes. He acknowledged they are listed on the website, but not the booklet. He hopes this is information that can get incorporated into the comprehensive plan, when it comes to planning to new booklets.  J.T. asked if service levels will return to those of the past. George responded that the economic recovery is slow but ET is in the black. Service level growth may be around 2% per year for the next few years. Service levels will be increased incrementally.  J.T. asked when can the public comment on the Transit Plan. George replied the comment period will be extended to August 28th.  Victor felt that a recognizable corporate ID image was needed for Everett Transit, citing that it is easy to distinguish between Community Transit and Sound Transit due to their ID image. There was also some discussion about drivers switching their routes and not appearing consistent. George explained that the drivers do not switch their own routes, but select for a series of routes chosen by Transit officials. He said drivers can select their shift, but not design their routes. Agenda Items: Item 1 Transit Development Plan 2013-2018 Annual Report  George Baxter – This plan is required to be filed with the State, and every transit agency does it. It is to communicate where issues stand, and is designed to be a narrative to respond to the State’s issues. It will be going before the Council on August 21. Bringing before the TAC was to ascertain whether the narrative was clearly understood, and not about chopping or making changes.  George stated that the message of the plan was very conservative in terms of growth. He explained that right now there are 3 outstanding issues: the Federal Government still doesn’t have a nationwide plan, so federal funding is unknown; the State also does not have a transportation plan; and COE labor contract still hasn’t been resolved, so labor costs are currently too unknown to forecast the future. The plan, as written, is the best Transit could come up with, given the circumstances.   William Weber questioned the 4 year lifespan of coaches. George explained these are FTA numbers. In reality ET goes far beyond the FTA lifespans, up to a 12 year life for heavy buses.  Victor moved TAC accept the report for forwarding to the City Council stating he felt it was an accurate description of the current status of the transit system. Motioned was seconded and approved on a 4 to 1 vote. Item 2 GridSmart Camera Testing (Tim Miller)  Tim Miller – This was an information-only presentation on a new type of video detection system, currently in place at the intersection of 32nd Street and Smith Avenue. It is a “fish eye” camera that can see out to the horizon and send traffic flow data to a processor in real- time. Although the field test was not successful due to equipment failure in communicating with the particular traffic signal controllers the City uses, the concept shows promise and may be considered in future when the bugs have been worked out. Meeting adjourned at 9:45am The Next Scheduled Meeting is Thursday September 19.