Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation/ City Interdisciplinary Transportation Team Meeting Wednesday March 12, 2014, 7:05 pm to 9:55 pm Meeting Minutes Attendance CACT Members Present 1. Paul Baldino 2. Addison Heard 3. Andrea Caumont 4. Hal Morgan 5. Kent Taylor (arrived at 7:20) City Staff Present 1. Paul Stoddard 2. Kirsten Munz (left at 9:30) 3. Captain Richard Campbell (left at 8:55) Council and Planning Commission Liaisons Present 1. Karen Oliver Agenda 1. Resident Petitions 2. Traffic Calming a. Parker/Kent – funding update b. Pennsylvania – funding update c. Ellison – status update d. Whittier Park – status update e. West Cameron – steps 1 through 4 3. Meeting minutes approval – December 2013 4. Meeting minutes approval – January 2014 5. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair 6. CACT report to Council for 2013 and CACT work plan for 2014 7. Other Business Page 1 of 5 1. Resident Petitions None. 2. Traffic Calming Parker/Kent Stoddard provided an update on the Parker/Kent case, and noted the following: • A budget amendment is scheduled for approval by City Council that would makes funds available for implementation of the neighborhood-approved solution for Parker/Kent • Staff is looking for a means to fit the project into the City’s work plan, engineering, construction, and additional public engagement are required to complete the project. Pennsylvania Stoddard provided an update on the Pennsylvania case, and noted the following: • Staff is using general operating dollars to complete the conceptual design. Funding is available through conceptual design, but not for implementation. • City staff will provide multiple options for the CACT’s review. The options are developed by the City’s on-call engineers based on conceptual designs developed by staff. The conceptual designs are based on comments received from the neighborhood, an assessment of the safety concerns on the street, and professional judgment. • Staff expects to make its recommendation for traffic calming measures at the next meeting. • The CACT recommendation would be put to a neighborhood vote. Ellison The CACT directed staff to resubmit a request to the City Manager for direction in how to handle the Ellison case given that the Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Program does not discuss how to involve commercial property owners in the process. Whittier Park Stoddard explained that funding to evaluate another case is not available until the beginning of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, which begins July 1, 2014. A resident petitioner asked about the NTC process and whether it was overly complicated for what the neighborhood was requesting. Stoddard and Munz then discussed the background and history related to this case: • The neighborhood previously requested speed limit signs and stop signs for various spots in the Whittier Park neighborhood • Staff evaluated the requested and determined that signs were not warranted based on existing conditions – such as travel volumes and travel speeds Page 2 of 5  • A “warrant analysis” is an important step because a proliferation is unwarranted signs can lead to a situation in which drivers ignore signs, thereby creating a more hazardous situation • The neighborhood then submitted a traffic calming request as a way of reevaluating the situation Based on the petitioner’s statements that the number of children in the neighborhood was increasing and that the neighborhood was seeking sign changes only, Munz agreed to reevaluate the neighborhood’s sign request. CACT members pointed out that signs alone would not resolve some of the concerns in the traffic calming request, which included cut through traffic. The CACT directed staff to report back to the CACT on the status of the sign request at the April 9 meeting. W Cameron Stoddard provided the following introduction to the conditions in the neighborhood and analysis of the traffic calming request: • Similar to other neighborhoods that have requested traffic calming, the demographics on the street are changing, with more children living in the area than before • There is limited visibility at a bend at the northern end of the street • South of the bend is a long straight away, which is conducive to speeding The petitioner, Jeni Porter, provided additional information: • Speeding auto traffic includes delivery trucks and parents picking up and dropping their kids off at Thomas Jefferson The CACT, staff, and the petitioner then engaged in a conversation about how to set the study area for this case. The following issues were considered: • W Cameron, W Greenway, and W George Mason all have similar street geometry, with a long straight away. Further, they all provide a connection between S Washington and Seaton. If one is considered, they should all be considered. • W Marshall already has speed humps, so it does not need to be considered. • How can the process be streamlined to examine the entire neighborhood, without holding up individual streets based on varying preferences across the three streets The CACT voted unanimously to advance the case through the NTC process. The CACT voted unanimously to set the study are as being the residential portions of W Cameron, W Greenway, W George Mason, and Seaton between W Cameron and W George Mason, with the understanding that the study area would be reevaluated following the first neighborhood meeting. The CACT directed staff to schedule the first neighborhood meeting for the April 9 meeting. Page 3 of 5 Stoddard noted that it will be important at the public meeting to discuss the funding situation for neighborhood traffic calming and the timeline for public engagement and construction. The public engagement process takes at least 8 months, and it could take longer depending on timing of traffic counts with the school calendar. In regards to construction, funding must be appropriated through the budget process, which begins in November of each calendar year, with funding becoming available the following July. 3. Meeting minutes approval – December 2013 The CACT voted to accept the December minutes as presented. 4. Meeting minutes approval – January 2014 The CACT voted to accept the January minutes as presented. 5. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair The CACT voted unanimously to suspend its rules of procedure that limit any one member from serving more than two consecutive terms as Chair. The CACT voted unanimously to reappointed Paul Baldino as Chair. The CACT voted unanimously to appoint Hal Morgan as Vice-Chair. 6. CACT Annual Report to Council for 2013 and CACT Work Plan for 2014 The CACT discussed the Annual Report to Council and the Work Plan for 2014. The CACT decided on the following recommendations for Council and priorities for 2014. Recommendations to Council: • Fund neighborhood traffic calming at a rate of $400,000 per year to cover staffing and implementation • Provide $200,000 in funding for the W&OD Plazas to cover staffing and implementation. Work Plan for 2024: • Complete work on the Mobility for all Modes Plan • Work on an update to the NTC Program • Work on implementation of the W&OD Trail Plazas 7. Other Business None. Page 4 of 5 The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability call 703 248-5041 (TTY 711). Page 5 of 5