Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES February 20, 2020 In attendance: Members Staff Guests Brett Barrett Ryan Sass, Public Works Bob Creamer Al Furiak Tim Miller, Public Works Ann Morgan Hal Gausman Corey Hert, Public Works Tyler Rourke Lis Vogeli, City Council Richard Smith Michael Schmieder, Transit Jennifer Tanner Skip Algard, Transit Michael Thomas Tim Morgan, Police Kelsey Svaren, Public Works Meeting called to order at 8:03 a.m. Chaired by Tyler Rourke  M/S/P for January Minutes.  Tyler welcomed City Council liaison Liz Vogeli and new members Hal Gausman and Michael Thomas. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  Hal asked that the committee review transportation related policies as deemed appropriate. He also inquired about the process and how often policies are reviewed.  Al asked for a status update regarding the Rucker Streetscape construction. An update is included in the Engineering Report.  Tyler expressed the desire for separate bike and car lanes along Colby Ave and East Casino Road. There is available right of way and parking on both sides that can be surrendered to create bike lanes. He emphasized the high levels of dangerous and frustrating behavior of motor vehicle drivers on both streets. Citizen’s Comments  Bob Creamer noted some noisy steel plates that were laid on Virginia Ave between Everett Ave and Hewitt Ave.  Ann Morgan suggested the City consider implementing memorials to remember pedestrians killed in traffic accidents.  Bob asked about City policies regarding jaywalking and reflective clothing. o Tim Morgan clarified that Everett Police frequently stop pedestrians for jaywalking and participate in pedestrian emphasis patrols throughout the year. He added that the issue is widespread within the community, making it difficult to enforce. Engineering Report  Ryan gave an update on the Rucker Streetscape project. There are currently no full street block closures and the drier weather has enabled the contractor to complete more work. Ryan added that street projects like this do take longer when they are still accessible to vehicles during construction. There have also been minor delays due to unforeseen circumstances below street level. The City currently estimates the project finishing in May.  Ryan added that the annual pavement overlay will go out to bid soon. Due to the passing of I- 976, much of the project funding for 2021 onwards has been eliminated. The City will need to re-evaluate to either scale back the program or find additional funding opportunities.  Ryan added that the seismic retrofit plans for the Maple Heights Bridge on Mukilteo Blvd a nearing completion. The project is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2020. There will be lane closures associated with the work but no full closures are anticipated.  Ryan added that the Edgewater Bridge Replacement project on Mukilteo Blvd is in the planning stage.  The proposal to implement photo enforcement and red-light cameras in Everett was presented to the Public Safety Committee of City Council. The City is currently analyzing the previous proposal from last decade to see what updates are needed. A brief discussion followed. Police Report  Tim Morgan informed the committee that COE Police are preparing for summertime enforcement programs, which includes pedestrian safety and jaywalking.  Tim also informed the committee about State Legislative changes regarding vulnerable road users. More details are included under Agenda Item 3.  Additionally, Tim addressed Bob’s concerns and said that the Police Department is working with the project coordinator on Virginia Avenue to enforce speed limits during construction. Transit Report  Michael noted that March marks one year since Everett Transit implemented major service changes. There will a couple adjustments this March, but no major service changes. o Due to safety concerns at Seaway Transit Center, routes 3, 12, and 70 will be moved from bays 4 and 5 to service bays 8 and 9. o Route 18 will now connect to 33 rd Street via Smith Ave. This will allow Everett Transit to service more stops along Smith Ave.  Skip added that a few minor timetable changes were made based upon on-time performance analysis. He stated that most of these changes are one- or two-minute adjustments to arrival times, with a few trips shifting a maximum of 5 minutes.   Michael took a moment to acknowledge the team working on the Rucker Streetscape. They have been communicative, flexible, and work hard to ensure Everett Transit is able to provide service during construction. Agenda Items: Item 1: – Crosswalks Informational Briefing; Tim Miller, Public Works  Tim Miller began by explaining the different varieties of crosswalks: o Marked crosswalks are painted at an intersection and provide a visual cue to both pedestrians and drivers o Unmarked crosswalks legally exist at any intersection without markings unless prohibited by posted signs  The City commonly marks crosswalks at signalized intersections, designated school crossings, and mid-block crossings. Crosswalks are marked to promote safety and emphasize the expectation of crossings for both pedestrians and vehicle operators in specific locations.  Tim took a few moments to highlight crosswalk laws and different factors that lead to deciding whether a crosswalk gets marked or not.  A brief discussion ensued regarding specific unmarked crosswalks, enforcement, and opportunities to work with City neighborhoods to help create and maintain marked crosswalks. Item 2: – Downtown Parking Informational Briefing – Tim Miller, Public Works  Ryan briefed City Council last week on the results of the year-long downtown parking study. Any changes suggested through the study require Administration and City Council approval to implement.  A Downtown Task Force was comprised to complete the study. They organized outreach efforts with stakeholders, counted on and off-street parking stalls, conducted surveys, and analyzed usage data to evaluate the current situation with parking in downtown Everett.  The task force observed that weekday parking usage increased marginally from 2015 but decreased significantly on Saturdays. Although weekday violation rates are down from 2015, they are still above the target range. In addition, the rate of drivers who move between parking stalls to avoid ticketing remains high and contributes significantly to the overall violation rate.  Based upon the analysis of collected data, the task force proposed several recommendations including: o Re-configure parking enforcement in downtown Everett and assign to a parking manager o Extend parking enforcement to include Saturday patrols  o Implement paid on-street parking and automate the Everpark garage o Increase parking stall time limits to 2 hours upon paid parking o Improve parking and wayfinding signage in the downtown corridor Item 3: – New Bicycle and Pedestrian Laws Informational Briefing – Tim Miller, Public Works  Tim briefly updated the committee regarding the new Washington State laws mentioned earlier in the meeting. They are intended to benefit vulnerable road users, those who are not protected within an enclosed vehicle: o If only one lane of travel exists in either direction, motor vehicles must move into the lane travelling the opposite direction to pass others when safe o If two lanes of travel exist in either direction, drivers must move completely into the second lane when passing o Vehicles must reduce their speed to pass others safely o Drivers must follow at a safe distance when following a vulnerable road user o When passing a vulnerable road user using a bike lane or shoulder, vehicles must leave a 3’ buffer  Tim noted that COE already has similar laws in place, but they now carry an additional state mandated fine. Revenue generated from these fines will be used to increase the number of law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, and support education programs for the public.  Adjourned at 9:55 am Next Scheduled Meeting: March 19, 2020