Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES August 21, 2014 In attendance: Members Staff Guests Robert Strickland Tim Miller, Public Works None Edward Koltonowski Jeffrey Marks, Public Works J.T. Dray Ryan Sass, Public Works William Weber Michael Brick, Public Works Shawn Smith Ken Dorn, Everett Police Victor Harris Trevor Townsend, Everett Police Corey Hert, Public Works 8:20 a.m. Victor Harris called the meeting to order.  M/S/P approving the June 2014 meeting minutes. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  Victor talked about news articles related to pedestrian traffic accidents and fatalities.  Victor mentioned the light rail forum meeting with the planning commission and also with Sound Transit. J.T. said he had attended the meetings last month, and that Paul Roberts presided and spoke at both. There were discussions of what services might be like.  There was some concern for blue reflective tape that had been seen in south Everett. Tim Miller and Michael Brick stated that the City doesn’t use blue reflective tape.  A comment was made that there have been some citizen commendations for improved signage at construction sites.  J.T. requested that the committee consider the topic of new taxi cab services which are now coming into the City. Citizen’s Comments  None. Engineering Report  Ryan announced that the 2014 pavement maintenance is underway.  Ryan mentioned that bids for the new Broadway Bridge are scheduled to be opened on August 26th. Currently there are 12 general contracts expressing interest. However, he warned there could be some state imposed contracting restrictions on the project which could create issues in the bidding process, specifically with DBE participation. The DBE requirement requires that 18% of the project work is to be done by disadvantaged business enterprises. 18% is much higher than it has historically been for construction projects of this type.   Some discussion ensued about the Bond Street pedestrian crossing closure. The Port Gardner neighborhood doesn’t like it, but the City can’t do much about it, as it’s the railroad’s decision. The railroad sees longer trains coming, with more train parking in that area and they closed the crossing as a safety measure after seeing people crossing under and between parked rail cars. There has been some talk about pursuing a special improvement district to fund a pedestrian overpass. Ryan mentioned that a key issue would be where to land the bridge on the Port of Everett side. The Terminal Avenue bridge is also only a few blocks away making it harder to justify the significant cost of a new pedestrian overcrossing near Bond Street.  Ryan talked about the light-rail issues. He stated that Sound Transit staff are starting to see the City’s point-of-view about taking the route off of I-5; that density needs to be served by the rail line. Police Report  Sergeant Dorn reported on the pedestrian fatalities with cars. He observed that these types of incidents happen in cycles.  Sergeant Dorn reported that heavy foliage is making it difficult to see signals, which seems dangerous. City Street department staff follow up on vegetation problems.  It was reported that on 9/6-9/7, Comcast Arena will be hosting the Cannabis Cup; it is a national event. But it is also vendor oriented. The police department is looking at having additional resources in the arena, but possibly also outside the arena, like DUI emphasis, as there is the potential for impaired drivers.  Sergeant Dorn reported that there is another marijuana festival to be held at Evergreen and 112th. Though this is outside City limits, the City can be affected by travelers coming to and from the event.  It was reported that some grants have been received to help with work in the school zones. Work at Horizon last year went well. The department will continue to be a presence at school zones. Transit Report  Bob Strickland reported that Transit is still taking input on their plan update, up to August 22nd. Agenda Item: Item 1: Proposed Ordinance Revisions Granting Repark Exemption for Disabled Permit Holders  Michael Brick presented a proposed change to the ordinance which would allow for people with disabled parking permits to re-park. Current ordinance prohibits re-parking in the CBD, which discourages individuals from running errands and creates an environment of decreased mobility. The motion for the revised ordinance was unanimously passed. Item 2: Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity Policy  Corey Hert stated that on June 14th, the City was required to implement a plan assess and manage nighttime sign retroreflectivity. Currently, the requirements only apply to “warning” and certain “regulatory” signs. These signs must have meet minimum retroreflectivity standards. The City hasn’t kept a detailed inventory, but it is estimated to have close to  30,000 signs; however, only a portion needs to be evaluated to ensure it meets retroreflective standards (roughly 6,000). He stated that the protocol will result in: o Visual nighttime inspections during September & October to determine what needs to be replaced. o A database of warning and regulatory signs will be created. It was suggested that a list of signs being obstructed by foliage be noted for future reference. Corey requested that the TAC give their support to Section 8 of the Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity Maintenance Program, detailing the Approved Sign Evaluation Method. The committee motioned support for the proposed methodology. Item 3: Pigeon Creek Beach Trail Bond Street Railroad Crossing Closure  Tim Miller presented information on the directional sign posted at the east side of the closed crossing. Some discussion ensued, as the Bond Street closure had been discussed earlier. Item 4: Conceptual Everett Light Rail Alignment and Station Locations  Tim Miller presented the conceptual Everett light rail alignment and station locations map as developed by Planning and Engineering. It showed an alignment that diverges westward from I-5 at 128th and follows Airport Road to SR 526/Boeing, then eastward to the vicinity of SR 526/Evergreen. Administration has decided that the alignment will not be along Evergreen, and denoting that the alignment was “to be determined” between that location and the vicinity of 41st & Evergreen. The alignment then travelled east & north to pass through Everett Station and from there to a downtown station near Broadway & Hewitt. The alignment then continued north on Broadway to the EvCC area where it could end, or have a future extension further northward. The committee motioned support of the proposed alignment. Item 5: Everett Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element, Part III: Transportation Goals, Objectives and Policies  Ryan thanked the committee for the comments presented. Motion was made to shelve the discussion until a later meeting Meeting adjourned at 9:45 am The Next Scheduled Meeting is Thursday September 18, 2014.