Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES September 20, 2018 In attendance: Members Staff Guests Renee Quistorf Corey Hert, Public Works Ryan Weber William Weber Scott Bader, City Council Victor Harris Sabina Popa, Transit Tyler Rourke Brock Howell, Transit Richard Smith Kelsey Svaren, Public Works Meeting called to order at 8:03 a.m. Chaired by Tyler Rourke  M/S/P for August 2018 Minutes. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  Victor informed the committee of an ongoing effort to bring forward an initiative geared toward restricting RV parking near schools and parks.  Victor also emphasized the importance of citizen participation for boards and commissions and urged other TAC members to talk to residents about getting involved.  Victor reported on his attendance at the Everett Station District Alliance meeting from the previous evening in which they discussed the design of the area surrounding Everett Station. Attendees advocated for non-motorized transportation routes that could eventually coordinate with the future Light Rail route in Everett.  Tyler elaborated on his effort to speak with Everett citizens regarding their traffic concerns. The major themes revolved around cut through traffic from commuters, speed, and pedestrian safety. Tyler noted that many people he talked to were partial to the idea of reducing neighborhood speed limits to 20 mph.  There was a brief discussion regarding drivers running stop signs in residential neighborhoods, in addition to providing better signage and markings for pedestrian safety.  Tyler also suggested the idea of introducing tactical urbanism, allowing neighborhoods to implement low-cost, temporary changes intended to improve traffic conditions and congestion. Citizen’s Comments  Ryan Weber asked about the possibility of starting construction on the Everett portion of the Light Rail in conjunction with the work currently taking place in north Seattle. He noted the Light Rail would greatly help with commuter traffic caused by Boeing and the pending commercial airport out of Paine Field. He expressed concern that the current plan for construction will not allow Everett to see benefits of the Light Rail for at least another decade.   Councilmember Bader noted that Light Rail construction is dependent on the revenue stream and taxes collected for the project. He stated that funding restrictions could pose an issue with dual construction, and that it’s more likely that Sound Transit would need to stop building in Northgate in order to move on to Everett. He recommended contacting Councilmember Roberts, who is well versed in the project. Engineering Report  Corey informed the committee that a bid for the North Broadway Transit Improvement Project will be presented to City Council for approval on October 3, with construction anticipated to start in November.  Corey also updated TAC regarding restructuring of residential parking zones that were approved by the committee in 2017: o Implementation of the restructured residential parking zones will begin in November. o There are over 500 signs to install, which could take two to five months. o Time limits of current residential parking zones will not change. o This project coincides with software upgrades for Parking Enforcement. o Public outreach will begin in November. o Current permit holders will receive a letter explaining the new system.  Corey informed the committee that the guardrail repair project should start next month, restoring approximately $100,000 in damages.  Corey stated that the City is preparing to order approximately 1,000 new and updated street name signs for future installation.  There was a short discussion regarding street signage for bicycles within the City of Everett.  Richard asked about opportunities for the North Broadway Transit Improvement Project to use excess funding if the project comes in under budget. Corey and Sabina clarified that excess money could potentially be spent on elements of the project that were previously cut, but could not be added onto the contractor’s list of work. Sabina noted that grant restrictions prohibit use of excess funding on unrelated projects, and that some funding was allocated to the design phase of the project.  There was a brief discussion regarding consultation of the Bicycle Master Plan and how it could be used as a tool to help plan street studies on potentially impacted areas in advance of overlay maintenance and construction projects. Police Report  None. Transit Report  Sabina announced that Everett’s first fully electric bus launched on Monday, September 17. The inaugural ride took place roundtrip from the Wall Street Building to Everett Community College. Transit hopes to have four electric busses in service by the end of the year. These  busses will save approximately 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel per vehicle per year. Costs of maintenance and fuel is projected to decrease as aging vehicles are replaced. Everett Transit plans to have 18 electric busses in the fleet by the end of 2022.  Sabina updated the committee regarding proposed service changes for the 2019 Transit Development Plan. Public outreach was conducted over the course of one month with approximately 150 surveyed respondents and 400 comments. The primary focus group was current riders and the impact proposed changes would have on them. Transit is now looking at suggestions and will potentially implement some that help to eliminate gaps and create easier routes for commuters. The final draft will be presented to the public in October and may be presented to City Council in November. Implementation and service changes would take place in March 2019. Agenda Items: Item 1: – 2019 ET Fare Increase Proposal Informational Briefing – Sabina Popa  Public outreach for the Fare Increase Proposal was conducted in conjunction with the proposed service changes mentioned above. The main purpose of increasing fares is to make sure that funding is available for upcoming projects in addition to providing sustainability for Everett Transit long-term.  The main things that Transit learned from public outreach was: o A majority of those surveyed support a fare increase to $2 or more. o Survey respondents preferred a two-step fare increase, rather than a four-step increase.  Everett Transit will also introduce a low-income ridership option and is in the process of determining qualifications to coordinate with other transit entities.  There was a brief discussion regarding the fare increase proposal for seniors compared to low- income and youth fares.  Richard asked if the fare increase affects Everett Transit’s projected growth for ridership.  Sabina noted that it is difficult to predict how fare increases with affect projected ridership growth, but that an initial drop in ridership is expected.  There was a brief discussion regarding growth of Everett Transit and the long term plans to make sure that the department stays sustainable.  There was a brief discussion regarding proposed routes for Everett Transit, including connections between North Everett and the future YMCA on Colby Avenue and routes near the Ferry Terminal and Boeing.  Adjourned at 9:27 am Next Scheduled Meeting: October 18, 2018