Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation September 20, 2017 - 7:00 pm- 9:30 pm Draft Meeting Minutes Attendance CACT Members Member Present City Staff Andrea Caumont (Chair) Yes 1. Jeff Sikes Paul Baldino (Vice-Chair) Yes Bill Ackerman No Doug Devereaux Yes Addison Heard Yes Steve Knight Yes Dave Gustafson Yes Liaisons Liaison Present Karen Oliver Yes (City Council) Brent Krasner No (Planning Commission) N/A (Youth Representative) Agenda 1. Public Comment 2. Action Item: Approval of the Minutes for March 2017 and September 2017 CACT meetings 3. Committee Reports 4. Staff Reports 5. Discussion Item: Priority Tracking Sheet 6. Information Item: Bike Share Station Location comments 7. Information Item: N West St/Lincoln Ave Striping Plan Update 8. Information Item: I-66 Commuter Choice Program 9. Discussion Item: Georgetown Sidewalk Expansion 10. Discussion Item: Envision Route 7 Phase III Conceptual Engineering Study 11. Attachments and Correspondence a. CACT Member Comments on Bike share Location Stations b. 2017 Priority Tracking sheet  c. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Safety Study on Reducing Speeding and Crashes d. NVTC Report on the Value of Metrorail and VRE to the Northern Virginia Economy e. Envision Route 7 Phase III-Conceptual Engineering Study Scope of Work (Bus Rapid Transit from Tysons to Alexandria) 1. Public Comment: A resident (Michael Hjerstedt) of the West Broad Apartments had written a report and letter addressed to the CACT about traffic and pedestrian safety at the pedestrian crossing of W Annandale Road behind the Harris-Teeter site in the vicinity of Big Chimney Park. He had identified three safety issues and had developed recommendations as to how to address these problems. The safety problems were identified as visibility at the crosswalk, poor driving behavior on W. Annandale Road and pedestrian safety at the intersection of W Annandale Road and Gundry Drive. Jeff indicated that staff had not had time to respond to Mr. Hjerstedt’s report but would provide a full staff response in the next few weeks. He also mentioned that the design is underway for Big Chimney Park and it may be able to incorporate Annandale Road improvements in the design. He also stated that the intersection of W Annandale Road and Gundry was in the queue for NTC, but was lacking data collection, which should occur in October. In a recent email to the Winter Hill HOA president, Jeff indicated that the CACT may be able to select the Annandale/Gundry as a NTC project early next year. Staff will invite the Big Chimney Park Project Planner to the next CACT meeting to discuss roadway improvements to Annandale Road. (Staff note: Since plans will not be available until after the next CACT meeting, a November presentation is planned) 2. Action Item: Approval of Minutes for the March 2017 and June CACT Meetings: The minutes for the March 2017 CACT Meeting were not approved as a quorum of those members was not present. The Minutes of the July 2017 CACT Meeting were approved. 3. Committee Member Reports: • AndreaI reported that Car Free Day will be celebrated on September 22nd, and that WABA was conducting a class on Bike and Pedestrian safety in the City. She also shared a Washington Post article on dockless bike racks that were coming to DC. • Paul reported that part of City ‘s section of the W&OD trail had been selected for pilot dual trails. He indicated that the dual trail would be installed in the section from Broad Street to Little Falls Street and would consists of an 11 foot wide bike trail and 8 foot wide pedestrian path, separated by a 2 foot median. The project is not fully funded but  funding should be in place in FY2018. The CFC contribution to NOVA Parks for the project is $62,000. Paul also indicated that as part of the Speakers Series, NOVA parks would make a presentation to the Planning Commission on October 2nd. • Doug reported that he has just returned for Paris and commented on the way the French use multimodal transit. • Steve reported that he had not been able to work on the Pace Car Design or brochure but will have these for the October meeting. 4. Staff Reports: • Jeff reported on the public information meeting held in July on the N West St/Lincoln Ave striping plans that were attended by about 35 residents. Some changes were requested especially on West Street and the plans have been revised. We plan to install the striping and crosswalks in October. • N Maple AVE will go to construction on October 10th. Jeff reported that staff will be updating the Planning Commission on October 16th on the status of the NTC program. • Jeff indicated that Stephanie Rogers’ position is being recruited, but no one has been selected as yet. 5. Discussion Item: CACT 2017 Priority Tracking Sheet: Paul will update the CACT Project Priority Tracking Sheet and it will be distributed to Members prior to the next meeting. 6. Information Item: Bike Share Station Location Comments: Three Committee members provided comments on the City Council recommendation for the locations of Bike Share Stations in the City. The comments will be forwarded as submitted to appropriate staff. 7. Information item: N West St/Lincoln Ave Striping Plans Update: Jeff reported that a public meeting was held on July 13th with resident of N West St and Lincoln Ave to show the proposed striping plans for these roadways. Approximately 30-35 residents attended. The plans will provide a visual narrowing of the roadway and new crosswalks at several locations. New curb ramps and refuge islands will be provided where the roadway is extra wide. Curb extensions will also bepainted at key intersections. Due to plan changes and the contractor’s schedule, the projects will not be implemented until early October. 8. Information Item: I-66 Commuter Choice Program: Earlier today was the kickoff event for I-66 Commuter Choice held in Falls Church with the Governor and State Secretary of Transportation in attendance. This is the new program for FY2018 for applying for Multimodal projects associated with I-66 Inside the Beltway. This is the program that last year provided operating funds for Bike share. The city will be applying for funds for projects under this program later this fall. 9. Discussion Item: Georgetown Sidewalk Expansion: Council Member Hardi observed that DDOT had begun a procedure where sidewalks on M Street in Georgetown had been expanded by the use of barricades positioned in the parking lane and wanted to know if the CACT thought this would be appropriate in the City. After some discussion, the concensus of the committee was that there were few places in the city where this would be appropriate and it could be accomplished by street closures. Dave Gustafson will write a memo for the CACT on this issue, 10. Discussion item: Envision Route 7 Phase III Conceptual Engineering Study: Jeff reported on the next Phase of the Envision Route 7 Project. The first two phases of the project evaluated the demand and estimated ridership in the corridor. The alignment of the transit project was determined (Spring Hill metro rail to the Mark center in Alexandria with a connection to EFC Metro rail) Several transit modes were evaluated but Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was selected over Light Rail as being the more cost effective alternative. The Phase III engineering study will evaluate right of way in the corridor for BRT and look a t critical locations to determine impacts on existing structures. The City of Falls Church contribution for Phase III will be $23,000 and the study will take about a year to complete.