Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

August 2024 Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation Meeting Minutes 1) Meeting is called to order at 7:03 p.m. 2) Administration a. Roll call a. Arthur Agin (Chair) – Present b. Stuart Whitaker (Vice Chair) – Present a. Jessica Hegenbart (Member) – Present b. David Beddoe (Member) – Absent c. Sarah Myers (Member) – Present d. David Snyder (City Council Liaison) – Present e. Andrea Caumont (Planning Commission Liaison) – Absent f. Jenna Brummond (Planning Liaison) – Present g. Haejin Kim (DPW Liaison) – Present (Virtual) h. Kerri Oddenino (Principal Planner) – Present i. Members of the Public: a. Tristan Southard, Megan Southard, and Marc Cloutier b. Agenda Adopted c. Review of July Minutes a. July 10, 2024 Minutes were approved 4-0 pending adjustments to the one sentence discussed. 3) City Council Liaison Report a) Councilman Snyder presented that NVTA approved the six-year plan which includes the $1.4 million city project for traffic signal prioritization. NVTC continues to work on BRT proposal and Metro funding is continued to be discussed at Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) board meetings. Council has looked at the Bicycle Master Plan Update and there was a Smart City Traffic Control Box Unveiling last week. 4) Public Comment a) Former CACT member John Bentrup provided CACT with a memo of considerations to improve the annual paving program funding. i) Chair Agin inquired about the paving condition on the road between Virginia Tech and the West Falls Metro garage. Staff looked at the City boundaries and confirmed that the road is not within the City. ii) Vice Chair Whitaker asked for Staff’s view on the memo. Jenna Brummond worked with Zak Bradley and Tara Hoff on the previous paving memo which noted the annual budget would need to be increased to maintain the industry standard of pavement replacement cycle. iii) CACT discussed brick verses stamped concrete in the City as the memo recommended to stop using bricks in crosswalks. The stamped concrete is currently being used to pilot test alternatives to brick. Vice Chair Whitaker volunteered to take the lead on adopting the memo as a CACT recommendation to bring back at the next meeting. 5) DPW Update a) Haejin Kim gave a presentation on recent updates from various current projects in the City. i) Rapid Response Crew Update 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.  (1) The project selection procedure SOP for the rapid response crew will be distributed once it is finalized. Chair Agin requested if CACT can provide feedback on the SOP before it is finalized, Haejin Kim to discuss and see if it can be brought to the group. With Zak Bradley’s departure, Tara Hoff is the interim Co-Director of Engineering/Administration and Herb Holmes is the interim Co-Director of Operations within DPW. (2) Three projects are selected: (a) Lincoln and Yucatan (i) Chair Agin asked about the removal of parking spaces, Haejin Kim noted they are moving toward only restricting the 40-foot parking space. AASHTO requires 280 feet sight distance from the intersection. (b) S Maple Ave (near Cavalier Trail Park) (i) Includes pavement markings for street parking spaces. (c) E Jefferson St (Sign adjustments) (i) Includes lowering signs, trimming overhang for visibility, and installing reflective smaller yellow signs. ii) W&OD Trail Crossings (1) Primary construction at Little Falls, Great Falls, and Oak St have been completed. All-way stop signs to be installed in August at Little Falls, Oak St, and N Spring St. Construction to be completed in Fall 2024. iii) HAWK Signals (1) Currently ongoing, the first HAWK signal near N Oak St intersection has concrete ramps and brick crosswalk. The other two locations near Fairfax St and Buxton Rd have not started work yet. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of November 20224. (2) Vice Chair Whitaker asked about sightlines at the current HAWK signal location at N Oak St due to a crest at the hill, and inquired about CACT involvement on picking locations for future crossings. Haejin Kim noted he can reach out to the project manager. iv) Demo Crosswalk at Broad and Oak (1) The crosswalk at S Oak Street is stamped asphalt and intended to be an alternate option for brick crosswalks. The installation is cheaper, easier, and quicker. Haejin Kim did note that the longevity/durability factor has not been measured yet. Jessica Hegenbart asked if there will be a chance for public feedback, Haejin Kim noted it is being looked at internally. (2) The stamped asphalt would be impervious so there will not be much damage from freezing and thawing and with no negative impacts with salt on roads. The W&OD Trail uses a similar stamp system, but Staff thinks they did not use thermoplastic on the top. b) Jessica Hegenbart commented on the crosswalk ramp design at Oak Street and how it makes a sharp turn which seemed like a tripping hazard. Haejin Kim noted the recently installed ramps are up to code and in compliance with ADA. c) Chair Agin asked if the Rapid Response Crew has a project for Oak and Lincoln since there was a bicyclist involved in a crash at that intersection. Haejin Kim noted he can check the spreadsheet of projects and to see if it is on the list. Additional comments came up on vegetation trimming if the vegetation blocking sightlines can be addressed if it is within private property. 6) Bicycle Master Plan Update Final Work Session  a) Kerri Oddenino presented on the Bicycle Master Plan Update and provided an update and opportunity for CACT to provide feedback regarding the plan. b) Vice Chair Whitaker inquired about a Capital Bikeshare station at Birch and Broad, Kerri Oddenino noted it is a potential location. Chair Agin commented to start work on the other priority routes (E Broad St, Park Ave, & Great Falls St) before all three current routes are completed since E Broad St may need more preliminary work (engineering study). There will be a motion at the next meeting which will be included in the appendix of the plan that gets adopted. Chair Agin requested for Staff to review 10’ traffic lanes instead of 11’ foot lanes. Jessica Hegenbart asked about the status of S West Street, and a working group meeting was held for the street for potential traffic calming solutions. 7) Capital Bikeshare Promotion a) Kerri Oddenino gave an update on the upcoming promotion for Capital Bikeshare. The City periodically does promotions and the upcoming promotion will be $4.00 off a ride which is starting next week until the end of September. It will be included in the Focus, social media, and multi-family buildings in the City. Chair Agin suggested the Falls Church News Press, which Staff can look at. 8) 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 if the stop bars were moved up at the S Oak/Seaton/W Marshall. For Noland Street and N Roosevelt Street, staff are currently working with the working group to develop light/heavy solutions. The neighborhood vote concluded for E Jefferson Street and the vote passed and met the 51% approval threshold to install the speed humps. Staff conducted a Neighborhood Working Group Meeting for S West Street and the group expressed a desire for traffic control devices along with light and heavy solutions. 9) Committee Member Roundtable a) Oak Street Elementary School Memo i) Jess Hegenbart shared recent updates to the OSES memo. ii) CACT voted to adopt the memo 4-0 with the changes mentioned to email to City Council, FCCPS, and Police. iii) The Missing Links Program was mentioned, Jenna Brummond is working with Staff on drafting a memo to forward to CACT and City Council in September. 10) Agenda Setting a) Items on next month’s agenda include CACT’s recommendation of the Bicycle Master Plan Update to Council and the NTC Prioritization of Fowler Street, Poplar Drive Hill, and Sherrow Avenue. 11) CACT voted to extend the meeting at 9:00 p.m. until 9:10 p.m., passes 4-0. Adjourn (approx. 9:12 p.m.), passes 4-0.