Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation April 19, 2018 - 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm TJ Elementary School Media Center Draft Meeting Minutes Attendance CACT Members Member Present City Staff Andrea Caumont (Chair) Yes 1. Paul Stoddard 2. Jeff Sikes Paul Baldino (Vice-Chair) Yes 3. Kate Walker Bill Ackerman Yes Doug Devereaux Yes Addison Heard No Steve Knight No Dave Gustafson No Liaisons Liaison Present David Snyder Yes (City Council) N/A (Planning Commission) N/A (Youth Representative) Agenda- The CACT met jointly with the Environmental Sustainability Council (ESC) for a discussion and staff presentations on the potential for shuttle service and Autonomous Vehicles in the City of Falls Church. At the conclusion of the discussion the CACT met separately on the following items. 1. Committee Member Reports 2. Staff Reports 3. Information Item: CACT 2017 Priority Tracking Sheet 4. Discussion Item: CACT letter of support for the NVTA West Falls Church Grant Application Joint Meeting with the Environmental Sustainability Council (ESC) The first part of the meeting was a joint meeting and discussion with the Environmental Sustainability Council (ESC) on the subject of potential shuttle service in the City and the emerging technology of Autonomous Vehicles (AV). Paul Stoddard made a presentation on the transportation chapter of the Comprehensive Plan , “Mobility for all Modes” adopted in 2014. He presented tables linking the Chapter’s short, medium and long range goals to the policies and projects implemented and planned. In response to a question from Cory regarding shuttles, he stated that a 2013 feasibility study did not find fixed-route shuttles to be feasible. He expected the new I-66 tolls to restore the Metrobus route 3T between the West Falls Church and East Falls Church Metrorail stations. He cited an analysis that indicated direst user payments only cover about 30% of operating costs for transit, and 50% for auto travel. He also indicated that bike share to be the most cost effective way to reduce auto use. David Snyder spoke about the George Bus experience and lessons learned from that venture. George began service in 2002 with four buses serving primarily neighborhood fixed routes in the city. Service was terminated in 2010 because of poor ridership and a souring economic climate. The buses were sold to Arlington. Mr. Snyder cited four lessons from the George experience: (a) Know your goals. In the case of George the service was providing transit service, environmental performance, moving rides through business corridors, supporting social equity and safety (2) Get citizen and City Council support (3) Be careful of technical risk-the City opted for clean diesel technology which brought uncertainty in maintenance costs (4) Be careful with publicity- Images of low ridership in times of economic recession hurt support for the project. 1. Committee Member Reports: • Paul Baldino reported that he attended a meeting about Council priorities and these included fiscal and economic policy, as well as transportation and walkability. Council asked about the City’s plans for “Walk or Bike to School Day”. • Paul Baldino reported on an article published by BikeArlington about recent pedestrian and bicycle enhancements in Arlington. He also suggested a tour to see examples of these enhancements. • The Committee discussed the bike racks at the East Falls Church Metrorail Station, and inquired about why they had not been installed yet. • Andrea reported that the CBC had reached out, and would be happy to have a youth representative at the Committee this year. • Andrea reported that she is now a member of the Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS). She reported that VPIS wants permission to co-market the Play Streets Initiative.  • Paul Stoddard reported that with the Transportation Engineer position still vacant in the Department of Public Works (DPW), there is currently no City staff member running the Play Streets Initiative. • Dave Gustafson asked if there was a list of neighborhood listservs in the City. “Next Door”, the eFocus, school announcements and PTSA newsletters were mentioned as possible listservs to use for Play Streets outreach. • Andrea reported that the Environmental Sustainability Council (ESC) is organizing a trip to see Olli, the autonomous shuttle, at National Harbor. 2. Staff Reports: • Paul Stoddard reported on the West Falls Church project. He reported that the City now has applications in through NVTC Commuter Choice to get the 3T running again, and for traffic calming, intersection improvements and pedestrian improvements adjacent the future West Falls Church development site. • Kerri Oddenino reported that the City also has an application through NVTA for $15.7 Million in multimodal improvements adjacent the West Falls Church future development site. • Paul Stoddard reported about work underway at the S Washington St, Roosevelt St and Roosevelt Blvd, and Oak Street Bridge projects. He also reported that the Railroad Cottages site has been cleared. • The Committee discussed a potential joint meeting with the Human Services Advisory Committee. Committee members inquired about what kind of “accessibility” HSAC wanted to meet about, and the potential for having an expert on “accessibility” to come in and talk. 3. Information Item: CACT 2017 Priority Tracking Sheet: • The Committee discussed PACE car decals. The Committee reported that “cling” decals or magnet decals were preferred over bumper stickers. • Paul Stoddard reported that there is funding available for PACE car decals through the TDM grant. • The farmers market was suggested as a location for handing out PACE car stickers. The idea of having stickers adhered to a pamphlet was also discussed. The Committee suggested running the pamphlet through OCOM if it is going to have the City seal. • The Committee discussed submitting a Walkable City application, and asked whether the City’s walkability survey could be submitted in support of the application. • The Committee expressed interest in supporting the City Cycling event. • The Committee discussed • Election of Officers for 2018: Andrea Caumont was re-elected as Chair- Person and Paul Baldino was re-elected as Vice-Chair for 2018 by a vote of 5-0. 4. Discussion Item: CACT Letter of Support for the NVTA West Falls Church Grant Application: The Committee reviewed the CACT Annual Report for 2017 which will be presented to the City Council on February 26th. In addition to the report attachments will include the Walkability Survey, Memo on Parklets and memo on lower speed limits.