Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES November 17, 2016 In attendance: Members Staff Guests Edward Koltonowski Tim Miller, Public Works Dongho Chang, City of Seattle T.J. Fournier George Baxter, Transit J.T. Dray Jeffrey Marks, Public Works William Weber Dave Davis, Public Works Shaw Smith Ken Dorn, Police Robert Strickland John Zeka, Police Victor Harris Ryan Sass, Public Works Paul Kaftanski, Administration 8:05 a.m. Shawn Smith called the meeting to order.  M/S/P for October minutes. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  Victor commented that he had read numerous documents related to regional planning. Though he felt the planners had done a good job, he felt there had not been any notice of the possibility of population growth due to drought/water resource issues from middle America, where people might re-locate to our region due to this aspect of climate change.  Ryan Sass presented appreciation plaques to Shawn Smith and Ed Koltonowski for their time of service with the TAC. He also announced that with their departure, two new openings are available. If anyone knew of people who would like to apply, please pass names to Tim Miller or Ryan Sass. Citizen’s Comments  Bob Strickland thanked Tim Miller for his response to concerns of traffic coming in off Mukilteo Blvd moving into 41st. Some drivers had been turning onto Friday Avenue and Tim addressed the issue with some traffic corrective measures. It looks like the solution is working. Engineering Report  Ryan reported that the design for Streetscape Phase II on Hoyt was complete. Construction would start next year. He stated the next bicycle master plan work item would be to connect the bike network from Pacific & Hoyt to Interurban Trail at 41st.  Ryan reported that early design efforts for the North Broadway Transit Improvement Project are underway.  Victor asked about funding for California Street to Highway 2. Ryan stated that funding was in place for design only, but work had not yet begun as funds are not yet available.  Some additional discussion took place about funding for implementing project on the bicycle plan. Ryan explained that the implementation of bike projects was done in phases, based on  receipt of grant funding, and when possible combined with road projects. Some discussion took place about bike signals such as was constructed at the intersection of Broadway & California as part of the Broadway Bridge replacement project.  Victor commented that there seemed to be some optimism with transportation on the federal level. Whether or not this benefits bicycle planning has yet to be seen.  Some additional discussion occurred regarding the ST3 ballot measure. Ryan stated that the City fought hard to get a favorable alignment through Everett. Some planning has already been done as to what the station area may look like. Police Report  Sgt. Zeka stated that an Uber ordinance is going forward to committee.  Ed Koltonowski expressed frustration with some pedestrians wearing dark clothing at night, making them more at-risk for traffic accidents. Police commented there is nothing they can do about this. Transit Report  George stated nothing major to report, and preferred to move on to the Agenda Items. Agenda Items: Item 1: Election of 2017 TAC Chair  T.J. Fournier was nominated for Chair -- M/S/P. Victor Harris for Vice-Chair – M/S/P. Item 2: Seattle Ped/Bike Innovative Project Examples – Dongho Chang, City of Seattle Traffic Engineer  This informational briefing was a presentation overview of how the City of Seattle has approached various transportation related issues. Some topics highlighted were: o City of Seattle’s value system in relation to transit o A background of the City’s transportation structure o A brief explanation of Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan regarding travel options, the movement of goods, and use of right-of-ways. o Traffic volumes are trending down, as transit ridership is rising. There’s been a 40% increase in transit ridership in the last 10 years. o Growth strategy and projections… With light rail projected to serve the urban areas where most of the growth is occurring. o A 10-year “Move Seattle” $930M levy was approved that provides funding for Safety projects, Congestion relief projects and Maintenance and Preservation projects. o The Transit Master Plan was approved in 2012, which guides service and capital investments. They will add 7 new RapidRide BRT lines with the goal of providing 10 minute headways during peak periods and 12 minute headways during non-peak daytime hours. o Examples of neighborhood traffic calming efforts were given, such as traffic circles, speed cushions and raised crosswalks.  o Examples of roadway diets and rechannelization projects were given, including intersection bulbs, separated bikeways and reducing intersection slip lanes. o The overall challenge was to  Be creative and innovative  Make safety the number one priority  Emphasize moving people and goods (not just vehicles)  Right-size streets to meet the community’s “Level of Comfort” needs  A .pdf version of Dongho’s presentation is available at: o P:\Engineering Shared Files\Traffic Engineering\TAC\City of Everett SDOT Presentation November 17 2016 ; or o by request to Tim Miller Meeting adjourned at 9:50. Next Scheduled Meeting: January 19, 2017 at 8:00AM