Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation January 9, 2019 - 7:30 pm- 10:00 pm Thomas Jefferson ES Media Center (Library) Draft Meeting Minutes Attendance CACT Members Member Present City Staff Andrea Caumont, Chair Yes 1. Jeffery Sikes 2. Tara Puzin Paul Baldino, Vice-Chair Yes Bill Ackerman Yes Doug Devereaux Yes Addison Heard yes Steve Knight Yes Dave Gustafson Yes Liaisons Liaison Present David Snyder No (City Council) Melissa Teates yes (Planning Commission) Sarah Fong Yes Colter Adams Yes (Youth Representative) Agenda 1. Public Comment 2. Action Item: Approval of Minutes November and December 2018 CACT Meetings 3. Committee Member Reports 4. Staff Reports 5. Information Item: CACT 2019 Priority Tracking Sheet 6. Action Item: election of Officers for 2019  7. Discussion Item: Annual CACT Report to City Council. 8. Information Item: Student Reps Project 9. Information Item: Penn State News: Crashes Increase when speed Limits Dip Far Below Engineering Recommendations 10. Attachments and Correspondence: a. CACT memo to Council on 5 Walkability Issues b. Final Recommendations from Joint Meeting between HSAC and CACT to City Council. c. NOVA Parks Press Release on E-bike use on Park Trails. 1. Public Comment: A resident spoke about the unsafe condition at the Lee St/Park Ave intersection and asked that all-way stop signs be installed. 2. Action Item: Approval of Minutes, November and December 2018: Approval of minutes was postponed because there were not enough committee members present from the last meeting to meet quorum. 3. Committee Member Reports: Andrea Caumont reported that she attended a meeting for the new George Mason High School (GMHS), and there is significant concern regarding the proposed parking reduction. The committee discussed possible solutions to address the reduced parking including encouraging residents to use public transportation, installing more bike racks, and working to change the community’s perceptions regarding the need for more parking. 4. Staff Reports: • Jeffery Sikes mentioned that the mid-block crosswalk (recommended by the CACT) at Park Ave, near N. Virginia Ave was approved by DPW. More details about the installation schedule will be provided at the next CACT meeting. • The committee discussed 24/7 Permit Parking for residents on Groove St from West St to Spruce St as part of the Founders Row project. Melisa Teates and Andrea Caumont mentioned that 24/7 Permit Parking for residents only may contribute to citizens not having access to West End Park. 2hr parking except with permit may be a better option to ensure that the general community members can access parking for the park. • Parking near Northside Social was discussed. Bill Ackerman mentioned the added parking on Park Ave and Maple Ave. • All committee members present agreed that there is a need to manage the community’s expectation of parking. Addison Heard enquired as to what it would take to get a media campaign started to address this issue. Andrea Caumont agreed to take the lead and draft the campaign. All members to review and contribute.  • Paul Baldino mentioned that it is time to start thinking about the annual report. 5. Information Item: CACT 2018 Priority Tracking Sheet: • The Status of 2018 CACT Action Items has been updated. Please see attached to see the most recent list. 6. Action Item: Selection of W Annandale Road / Gundry Drive as next Traffic Calming Project: Neighborhood representatives from the Winterhill community were present to advocate for Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) in their community. The following issues were discussed: • Pedestrian Safety o Diane mentioned that there are a number of issues with pedestrian safety in the Winterhill community and would like to advocate for Winterhill to be at the top of the priority list for NTC. o Representatives would like the City to consider signs that can be added to increase pedestrian safety. o It was noted that the pedestrian safety is particularly important due to the presence of elderly residents and children walking in the community. o Nader mentioned that there are a lot of blind spots and no safe crossing due to blind curves and parking. o The representatives inquired if a mid-block crosswalk would be appropriate. • Speed Limits o It was mentioned that many of the streets don’t have speed limit signs and where they do, the signs are quite small. • Stop Signs o Nader mentioned that there is an issue with drivers not adhering to stop sign rules at Gundry and Annandale. He recommended that more traffic calming be added to the area since the route is being used as a cut though. o It was mentioned that the stop sign, even with the addition of flashers, is still not being adhered to by vehicles. • Vehicle Speed o It was noted that the counts collected for Annandale Road may have been taken too close to the stop sign and the speeds collected might be low for this reason. City staff to confirm count location. o It was mentioned that painted rumble strips may be a good way to get driver attention prior to the stop sign. • Parking o Diane asked if parking could be added to Annandale St  o It was noted that parking could be added to Annandale Rd if the centerline was moved. o Jeffery Sikes mentioned that on Annandale Rd and Maple there could be a change to the lane configuration to limit parking. Tara Puzin will look further into this. • Other Items o Jeffrey Sikes briefly commented on other NTC projects at Great Falls & Little Falls and at Maple Ave. o Adison Heard inquired about the status of the NTC projects. Jeffrey Sikes mentioned that there will be light solution (crosswalks etc.) done soon. The CACT members agreed that the next priority for the NTC program will be Winterhill. • Addison Heard agreed to be the liaison from the neighborhood to help coordinate communication flow. Diane will look into putting a group together to keep everyone informed of the Winterhill NTC updates. 7. Discussion Item: CACT response to draft comments from the Human Services Advisory Council (HSAC) on Joint Meeting. • Andrea Caumont mentioned that she would create a small working group to develop HSAC and CACT joint recommendations. • Andrea Caumont and Addison Heard will work to request more funding for the NTC while working towards sorting the best path forward for the HSAC and CACT to work together. • CACT to provide comments to Jeffry Sikes, and Jeffery Sikes to coordinate with Nancy Vincent at HSAC 8. Information Item: Parking Day- Parklet Design • Andrea Caumont and Addison Heard volunteered to help with Parking Day • Andrea Caumont was looking into options to help publicize Parking Day- specifically e- options and outreach to the High School. • CFC created a flyer and an event on Facebook to help publicize Parking Day. • Parking day is scheduled for Friday, September 21st from 9am to 7pm. 9. Information Item: Grant Application Schedule • Bike ped safety program grant application due Nov 1st • NVTC Grants o 3T Bus o W&OD trail to GMHS trail connection  o Bike facilities on Grove o GMHS to metro • WMATA education outreach was mentioned. Ideas included a scavenger hunt at bus shelters and on various forms of transit to encourage young ridership. One idea included providing smart trip cards free of charge. 10. Attachments and Correspondence: 1. “20 is Enough” Residential Speed Limit Reduction in Portland, Oregon. 2. Visualize 2045 Open House Flyer • Tara Puzin to forward information from webinar to Jeffery Sikes who will forward to CACT members.