Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES July 16, 2015 In attendance: Members Staff Tom Norcott Ryan Sass, Public Works Tim Manrow Tim Miller, Public Works J.T. Dray Michael Brick, Public Works Victor Harris George Baxter, Transit Ed Koltonowski Jeffrey Marks, Public Works Paul Roberts, City Council liaison 8:15 a.m. Vice Chair Tom Norcott called the meeting to order.  M/S/P approving June 2015 meeting minutes. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  Victor Harris suggested TAC members please keep in mind other City plans which may have an impact on traffic, such as the Shoreline plan with foot paths or pedestrian plans.  There were also some questions about the Uber transportation issue. It was noted that Uber is encountering lawsuits over employment. Tim Miller reminded the committee that Sgt. Braley had talked about updating the City’s ordinances for the taxi industry, which would have an effect upon Uber. J.T. stated that in his discussion with Councilmen Bader and Roberts regarding the Uber situation, that the issue would be held off until a later time.  Paul Roberts mentioned that the governor had signed a transportation bill.  Victor complimented on how well the 4th of July festivities were managed, in terms of transportation. George Baxter and Michael Brick were honored for the recognition of their efforts. Citizen’s Comments  None. Engineering Report  Ryan Sass gave an update on the Broadway Bridge project, stating that it was going well. The deck forms are in place, and the contractor will be pouring the deck slab next week. The construction interface with the railroad is now reduced since the deck is down and there is less over track work, making things easier. Ryan said that pre-load settlement on approaches is less than anticipated and may make allow for earlier completion than projected, but will be dependent upon monitoring.  Police Report  None. Transit Report  George Baxter announced that Transit had received a $3 million transportation grant for bus stop improvements along North Broadway. He stated that staff would be meeting this week to identify the stops. The range would be from 41st Street north to 7th Street. Transit will meet with engineers to discuss this 2-year project. Completion is estimated to be summer 2017. J.T. expressed a desire that Transit consult with riders for where to place/move certain stops. Ed asked about new bus locations impacting parking conditions. George stated that parking would not be impacted, as stops will use bus-bulbs.  Michael asked if a stop will be included at the WSU building. Right now Transit maintains a stop, but doesn’t service it. George stated Transit would like to build a stop at 10th and Broadway.  J.T. mentioned that some locations, given the frequency of trips, would require less need for seating and shelters as opposed to those sites where people sit longer.  Some discussion ensued regarding paving and parking around the bus stops located near 38th Street, as there had been some impact from these stops in the past.  Ryan mentioned he had attended a CT briefing on the SWIFT2 project. He stated that the route would start in Bothell at Canyon Park, coming into Everett on 132nd St and travel across I-5 and up Airport Road to the terminus serving Boeing at 75th & Seaway.  George informed the committee of last month’s federal audit. Six people from the federal government reviewed Everett Transit’s administrative and operations efforts, covering 17 areas of interest in these groups. The results: Everett Transit had zero deficiencies, which is quite an achievement in that no other transit agency in Region 10 achieved that goal. J.T. asked if the fed’s report will be available. George stated that Transit hasn’t received it yet, but once they do, it can be made public. Agenda Items: Item 1: Draft final: Transportation Element Update of the Comprehensive Plan  Tim Miller distributed printed copies of the draft final Transportation Element Update of the Comprehensive Plan that had previously been emailed to the committee. He stated that it was virtually complete and was asking the Committee to recommend it be forwarded to the Planning Commission for review and to Council for official adoption. He asked for questions or concerns about each section of plan. There was considerable discussion on how wording in the document applies to creating code for development, as this was a “high level” document; finer details of implementation would be handled by the individual departments utilizing the contents of the plan. Two points in the document were revised by the committee. In one case, changing the word “should” to “shall” in the Policy 1.9 to read: “New residential development shall be served by interconnected local public streets with bicycle and pedestrian routes to the extent feasible.” In the other, a phrase such as “Policies and Goals included in this plan should be adopted and incorporated into other plans and codes” would be incorporated into the document.  With the understanding the revisions mentioned above would be incorporated, the committee voted to recommend the Plan to the Planning Commission and Council. TAC member J.T. Dray voted against recommending the Plan because he felt that the transit section was not adequately discussed. Meeting adjourned at 10:00 am The Next Scheduled Meeting is August 20, 2015