Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

Citizen Advisory Committee on Transportation Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 7:00 pm to 9:25 pm Meeting Minutes Attendance CACT Members City Staff Member Present 1. Heather Scharfetter Paul Baldino (Chair) Yes 2. Paul Stoddard Hal Morgan (Vice-Chair) No 3. Stephanie Taylor Bill Ackerman Yes Andrea Caumont Yes Doug Devereux Yes Addison Heard Yes Steve Knight Yes Liaisons Liaison Present Karen Oliver No (City Council) Russ Wodiska No (Planning Commission) Ian Reusch No (Youth Representative) Agenda 1. Resident Petitions 2. Meeting Minutes Approval a. ACTION approve February 2015 minutes 3. CACT 2015 Priorities a. Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Update i. Approval by Council b. W&OD Trail Projects i. CIP Funding c. Bicycle Master Plan i. Review of project scope ii. Review of draft routes iii. Use of shares lanes/sharrows d. Walk Friendly Community i. Memo to Council 4. Correspondence 1. Resident Petitions There were no resident petitions. 2. Meeting Minutes Approval The group approved the February 2015 Minutes by unanimous vote (5-0-1). Mr. Ackerman abstained. 3. CACT 2015 Priorities Staff and CACT members discussed the following 2015 CACT Action Items: Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Update Mr. Stoddard reported the City Council voted unanimously (7-0) to approve the updated NTC Program on February 23, 2015. Staff will provide CACT members with a hard copy of the new program. Mr. Stoddard described a small number of clarifications that were made to the plan during the approval process: • Page 3 was updated to clarify that City staff can respond to immediate safety concerns without going through the NTC Program. • Page 3 was further updated to clarify that traffic calming can be implemented in coordination with (re)development projects without going through the NTC Program. • Page 4 was updated to include consideration of possible spillover effects during the development of traffic calming solutions. W&OD Trail Projects Mr. Stoddard reported that the Planning Commission voted to include $210,000 in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funding via water sale proceeds for the W&OD Trail. This level of funding would be sufficient for the two plazas that have gone through preliminary design – Veterans Common and the Walter Mess Plaza. Mr. Stoddard followed up by noted that the $210,000 in funding is not included in the City Manager’s recommended budget. The City Manager’s recommendation was based on Council’s intent for use of the water sale proceeds. Bicycle Master Plan Mr. Stoddard presented the draft Bicycle Master Plan to discuss and identify preferred bicycle routes and potential bike-share locations. In developing the draft plan, Staff is responding to multiple policy guides and motivations in developing the draft plan: 1. Mobility for all Modes – which explicitly calls for development of a bicycle master plan 2. CACT 2015 Priorities – which explicitly call for development of a bicycle master plan 3. Virginia Department of Transportation – which is currently work on a regional bicycle plan for Northern Virginia The CACT discussed the latest draft materials for the Bicycle Master Plan. The group discussed the following elements: Facility Types  • The CACT wanted to see how and where bike lanes could be installed, noting that the City was the last jurisdiction in the region to have one. • The CACT wanted to see policy guidance included in the plan describing how bike lanes could be installed in conjunction with other projects. Terminology • The CACT did not want the language in the plan to preclude installation of bike lanes. In particular, the CACT was concerned that the map of future facilities specifically calls for shared facilities. The CACT requested inclusion of more flexible language. W&OD Trail • The CACT asked that a goal of adding a second set of lanes to the W&OD Trail be added as a way to separate bicycle and pedestrian traffic and increase safety. Public Process • The CACT suggested that during plan implementation, the following process be used: (1) staff brainstorms ideas, (2) staff hosts a public meeting to present ideas and received feedback from residents and street users, (3) the plans and the feedback are presented to the CACT, Planning Commission, and City Council, with Council making the final decision. • The CACT noted that decisions about facilities should include all stakeholder groups – including both street residents and expected facility users. Stakeholders • The CACT recommended posting notices as Metro stations and notifying the high school biking group about this planning effort. Walk Friendly Community Chair Baldino presented a draft memo to Council outlining next steps for the City in achieving designation as a Walk Friendly Community. Achieving such recognition is a goal identified in the Mobility for all Modes Plan and developing an action plan was identified as a CACT goal for 2015. Mr. Heard agreed to develop a draft action plan for submission to Council. The CACT voted unanimously (6-0) to submit Chair Baldino’s memo to Council with minor modifications. 7. Correspondence There were no correspondence items.