Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

July 2024 Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation Meeting Minutes 1) Meeting is called to order at 7:02 p.m. 2) Administration a. Roll call a. Arthur Agin (Chair) – Present b. Stuart Whitaker (Vice Chair) – Present a. Erin Kampschroer (Member) – Absent b. Jessica Hegenbart (Member) – Present c. John Bentrup (Member) – Present d. David Beddoe (Member) – Present e. Sarah Myers (Member) – Present f. David Snyder (City Council Liaison) – Present g. Andrea Caumont (Planning Commission Liaison) – Absent h. Jenna Brummond (Planning Liaison) – Present i. Haejin Kim (DPW Liaison) – Present j. Justine Underhill (City Council Member) – Present (Joined ~8:45PM) k. Members of the Public: a. Richard (last name not listed) b. Agenda Adopted c. Review of June Minutes a. June Minutes approved with 6-0 vote. 3) City Council Liaison Report a) Councilman Snyder presented on metro funding as the of the most important transportation related regional issues and noted to expect more discussion later this year. NVTA is slated to approve a six-year plan to approve expenditures on various transportation projects including signal prioritization on Broad Street. Councilman Snyder thanked staff for their work on the Bicycle Master Plan and conducting community meetings on the street. 4) DPW Update a) Haejin Kim gave a presentation on recent updates from various current projects in the City. i) Rapid Response Crew Update (1) The crosswalk, painted curb extensions, and flexi posts on Virginia Ave and Great Falls St are at 80% completion. All measures are in outside of the painted crosswalk across Virginia Ave. (a) Chair Agin noted the railing on Great Falls St still has sightline issues even within the improvements. Haejin Kim also noted the crosswalk could not be placed inside the painted bump-out due to ADA standard requirements. (b) David Beddoe, Stuart Whitaker, and John Bentrup commented that a 90- degree/squared off intersection approach from Virginia Ave would have improved sightlines more. Jessica Hegenbart commented on if there is a long-term plan for the improvements placed by the rapid response team. Haejin Kim responded that if the solutions work well, concrete could replace painted bump outs. (2) The Fulton and Pennsylvania Ave new 3-way stop is at 70% completion. The 3-way stop was requested by Police Chief Fard and data indicted 5 or more reported crashes 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 703-248-5297 TTY711.  in a 12-month period. All measures are installed besides the installation of the double yellow lines and vegetation trimming. (a) David Beddoe inquired about parking restrictions and Haejin Kim noted that parking is restricted to allow vehicles to turn and have a clear intersection. (b) Jessica Hegenbart commented on overgrown vegetation and how far it can impede an intersection and inquired if DPW could put out a reminder to keep vegetation trimmed in the newsletter/social media. Haejin Kim noted it is looked at for sightline issues at least on the transportation side. Sarah Myers commented landscaping on N Oak and N West makes it difficult to see oncoming traffic, and Haejin Kim noted if it is private property it is part of the zoning code. (3) The project at Lincoln and Yucatan St has not started yet, residents had raised concerns on sightlines at this intersection. The team plans to move up the stop bar and restrict a few parking spaces. Chair Agin noted the residents on the corner do not want to lose the parking spaces and it was brought up during the Greening of Lincoln street meetings. Haejin Kim noted that he met with the homeowner and the owner agreed to the loss of parking near the front of their house. ii) Annual Paving (1) FY24 paving includes W Jefferson St, Liberty Ave & Douglass, E Annandale Rd, Rollings St, Gibson & Shirley St, and Wallace St. Haejin Kim noted that all of these streets have been paved besides E Annandale and Wallace St. A message board was put out for E Annandale Rd to expect paving and temporary markings. (2) John Bentrup commented to include paving conditions for each street being paved in the presentation. Haejin Kim noted the majority of streets paved are in poor condition and others were a part of the pipe bursting project (S West, Parker St, Ellison St, and Railroad Ave). iii) W&OD Trail Crossings (1) The concrete work and pavements at Little Falls, Great Falls, and Oak St have been completed and open to traffic. Dominion is working on installing the lighting and is estimated to be completed by August 29th. (2) Chair Agin noted to not label the project as complete yet since there are still other components still being worked on. iv) West and Park Signal Improvements (1) In May 2024, a cyclist was involved in a crash with a vehicle at the intersection of Park Ave and N West St. Since then, staff has been working to improve conditions at the intersection. The current flashing yellow light to turn left onto N West St conflicts with crossing pedestrians and cyclists. Several scenarios were presented on possible solutions for the intersection. Recommendation is to install the protected only eastbound left turn phasing. (2) John Bentrup inquired on the possibility of a bridge at the intersection, Haejin Kim explained there is not a plan yet to install a bridge. CACT commented on enhancing the pedestrian experience and noted poor sightline issues turning right onto N West from Park Ave. 5) NTC Monthly Update a) Staff presented recent progress with NTC cases. VDOT has submitted comments on the 100% plans for Greenway Downs, Jenna Brummond to follow up on any major comments. The light solutions are completed for E Columbia Street, case to be removed from the next report. For Noland Street and N Roosevelt Street, staff are currently working with the  working group to develop heavy solutions. The vote by mail for E Jefferson Street to get sent out this week with a longer response time (1 month) for property owners. b) Staff are conducting a site visit for S West Street to review near-term traffic calming solutions based on recent community meetings. Chair Agin noted he attended the S West Community Meeting for the Bicycle Master Plan Update and noted several places where painted crosswalks can go in. c) CACT members requested to know when neighborhood working group meetings are held to see if a representative can attend. 6) Committee Member Roundtable a) Community/Neighborhood Working Group Meetings i) Chair Agin requested that working group members/requesters should be invited to meetings when their cases are being discussed. Jenna Brummond explained working groups are not formed until after CACT votes on case prioritization. CACT discussed if a change to the public comment would be necessarily to allow for requesters/working groups to talk about their case during the NTC Monthly Update. b) Capital Bikeshare Promotional Opportunity i) Chair Agin noted he spoke with Kerri Oddenino on a promotional code for bikeshare and CACT supports advertising to go out especially to new residents/leasing offices. Councilmember Underhill noted that the codes could be advertised in the newsletter and social media by using one code. c) Other Committee Updates: i) John Bentrup discussed his bike shelters memo on recommendations on areas to be brought to ADA compliance and to improve the shelters. ii) Chair Agin noted CACT should be able to recommend projects to the Rapid Response Crew especially for quick improvements. iii) Stuart Whitaker discussed the placement of bus stops and capital bikeshare station placements/improving bike availability. David Beddoe commented on having an overall Transportation Plan including all other parts not only the Bike Master Plan. iv) John Bentrup mentioned it is his last meeting and thanked CACT members and City Staff on their work. v) Jessica Hegenbart to include the final version of the OSES Memo for the next meeting to put it up for a vote. 7) Agenda Setting a) Discuss the promotion for capital bikeshare at the next meeting. The main focus of next month’s meeting is the final work session for the Bicycle Master Plan Update. 8) CACT voted to extend the meeting at 9:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., passes 6-0. Adjourn (approx. 9:34 p.m.), passes 6-0.