Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES October 15, 2015 In attendance: Members Staff Guests William Weber Ryan Sass, Public Works None J.T. Dray George Baxter, Transit Victor Harris Ken Dorn, Police Tom Norcott Paul Robert, City Council Shawn Smith Jeffrey Marks, Public Works Richard Tarry, Public Works 8:17 a.m. Chairman William Weber called the meeting to order.  Approval of July minutes postponed until edits are recorded, per J.T.’s request.  M/S/P approving August minutes. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  J.T. requested 5 minutes to speak about the Comprehensive Plan Updates as they relate to Transit.  Paul Roberts spoke about the parking overflow of Park and Ride lots. He stated he had received correspondence from constituents regarding lack of parking to meet demand and was wondering if there were any solutions. Ryan suggested making it a future agenda item. Some discussion ensued about various parking challenges throughout the City.  Victor talked about the Planning Commission meeting and the Comprehensive Plan Update. He also spoke about the Everett Station District Alliance and a citizen comment letter, highlighting concerns about parking and how it will be impacted by light rail. He also stressed walking and transit as the top mode for college students, and expressed concern about how parking and transit modes will be addressed as forecast by growth management projections. Citizen’s Comments  J.T. expressed his views on Transit Operations and how it appeared inconsistent with what elected officials portray. He felt that administration officials weren’t interested in transparency and that they were just paying “lip service.” He stated that he has seen other transit agencies recoup what was lost from the Great Recession, but not with E.T. From his observations, it appeared that Everett Transit was “dismantling” the system. He reported that the decrease in sales tax revenue was being addressed by reducing services – tearing things down – instead of working to build things up. He expressed frustration in that ridership was not being able to voice concerns with elected officials. He stated Everett Transit should be user-friendly within the limits of its size, but it was not, in comparison to other transit agencies.  J.T. further expressed frustration in that the Transit element of the Comprehensive Plan was limited in discussion; advice cannot be given if the avenues appear closed.  Victor echoed some of J.T.’s observations regarding an appearance of E.T. being “dismantled.” However, when it came to the Comprehensive Plan, he noted that it can be changed at any  time. George Baxter states that the Comprehensive Plan is not Everett Transit’s plan. George reported that E.T. is doing a long-range plan based on the elements of the Comprehensive Plan, but the Comprehensive Plan is not the full plan for E.T.  Further discussion centered around the appearance of E.T.’s “dismantling,” such as certain calls being routed to Community Transit. George explained how E.T. paratransit is combined with C.T., so customer service is shared for trip planning; otherwise, Everett customer service still handles calls for E.T. It was noted that scheduling services change for transit agencies all the time in all different regions, and that they will undoubtedly change again here when light rail comes into play. George countered the observation of dismantling by highlighting how services were added back in August.  Ryan mentioned a concerned citizen in North Everett may be attending a future meeting. The citizen has issues surrounding traffic in the hospital area.  Paul brought up citizen issues regarding re-routing from construction. He felt it was a self- correcting problem as construction winds down.  There was a brief discussion about a previous traffic challenge from a few years past and its resolution. Engineering Report  Ryan Sass reported that he attended an Active Transportation workshop, sponsored by Puget Sound Regional Council. Walking/biking/transit in urban areas was discussed at the workshop.  Ryan informed the committee that the Broadway Bridge project was going well and is ahead of schedule. He notified the committee that the bridge structure was in place and paving had been completed, with the final wearing course on the schedule horizon. There was still some electrical/signal work to be done. He stated a new finish date would be coming in the next several weeks.  Ryan briefly mentioned the future downtown streetscape project, affecting Hoyt to Pacific. Also, freight mobility and pedestrian improvements from 41st Street to W Marine View Drive. Police Report  Sargent Dorn reported that Police had begun utilizing the North Everett Pedestrian Bicycle Safety grant. This grant was applied for back in 2010. EPD is doing enforcement as part of the grant, utilizing off-duty officers. The operation covers 41st Street, up Broadway to the 700 block.  Victor expressed concern that too many people were stopping their vehicles too far into the crosswalks, especially around Comcast arena. Sargent Dorn acknowledged that it was a juggling act when it came to enforcement and managing resources due to staff shortages. Transit Report  George announced as of September 1st, Everett Station has been a no-smoking facility. He reported that this change has brought considerable improvement, including less transients.  George reported on the “Everett in Motion” 2-year grant for the commuter trip reduction program. The goal of this program is to get people out of their cars and onto transit. Using incentives, it’s geared for smaller employers and regular citizens. George stated that over 200 people have signed up.   George reported that the service changes from last August have improved on-time services on routes, and that there are less people standing/waiting for route 7. He also stated that October ridership is going well, which is typically a challenge due to the college.  George mentioned there will some proposed service changes for next year – especially since the Broadway Bridge will be re-opening. The routing proposals will go out to the public, with routes 4 and 5 being a part of those routes being affected.  Considerable discussion ensued about paratransit eliminating certain services. George explained that due to software changes, the call-ahead options will be changed or eliminated. He expressed his dismay over the loss of these functions, as it is provided by a third-party software vendor who will no longer support the version of software E.T. is using. George stated Transit is looking into other options, in the hope they can somehow retain the services.  Additional paratransit discussion ensued regarding ridership of seniors versus ADA citizens. It appears federal funding may only apply to ADA services, which may present a challenge in the future for total paratransit ridership. Agenda Items: Item 1: Connecting Washington Projects  Richard Tarry handed out a packet that listed various upcoming projects in and around the City of Everett with an estimated timeline reaching out to 2031, along with the impacts such projects would have on the City. Some of these projects included peak shoulder lane use on I-5; SR 526 interchange and corridor improvements; freight mobility corridor starting at 41st Street and moving to W Marine View Drive; and route changes with Swift, as well as a few others. Next Scheduled Meeting: November 19, 2015