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Home My WebLink About08-15-16 Public Comment - J. Sinnott - Transportation Master Plan Climate Partners August 15, 2016 Bozeman City Commission 121 N Rouse Avenue Bozeman, MT 59715 I I Re: 2016 Bozeman Transportation Master Plan Dear Bozeman City Commission: On behalf of the Bozeman Climate Partners (BCP) Working Group, I would like to provide comment on the 2016 Bozeman Transportation Master Plan. The Bozeman Climate Partners were established by the City of Bozeman to help implement the City's Community Climate Action Plan. Our goal is to encourage actions which minimize and reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from all activities of the City and Community of Bozeman. The transportation sector contributes at least 26 percent of Bozeman's GHG emissions. In order to optimize the sustainability of Bozeman's transportation activities, we encourage actions that help reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and encourage the efficiency of those activities, including any strategyto minimize fossil fuel consumption. All areas of planning for the future of Bozeman p p g potentially impact fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, including greenhouse gases. We therefore offer the following ideas which might benefit the community and the atmosphere in the development of an updated Bozeman Transportation Plan. Transportation Planning Goals The design of transportation infrastructure affects safety, development patterns and pollution levels. Transportation and development plans and subsequent rules and policy must be p p q p Y carefully integrated to discourage deteriorating traffic conditions and sprawl. Regional transportation trends must be considered even though neighboring governments have been reticent to plan for the future. We would like to emphasize that high capacity, high speed roadways tend to encourage sprawl and attract additional traffic as well as rendering the roadways more dangerous, while increasing air pollution. The goal should be to move traffic smoothly at moderate speeds while encouraging alternate forms of transportation, such as public transit, electric vehicles, walking and bicycling. The partnership between the City of Bozeman, Montana State University, and Western Transportation Institute to develop a Transportation Demand Management Program with a 1 ,r Climate Partners dedicated FTE is an important step, which demonstrates a commitment to implementing demand response programs that will curb peak traffic and result in continued mode shifts. With this program, we would like to see goals established to limit the rate of growth of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). Traffic Calming Divided roadways, bike lanes, sidewalk extensions, roundabouts, green strips and narrower traffic lanes, for example, are known to calm traffic with minimal impact on travel times. Traffic calming techniques reduce emissions and result in transportation systems that are more pleasant for all. Reduced speed limits should be considered on some arterials. Speed increases fuel consumption. Traffic signals and stops increase fuel consumption. Roundabouts,for example, calm traffic and improve flow, reducing fuel consumption. When vehicles are idle in a queue they emit about 7 times as much carbon monoxide (CO) as vehicles traveling at 10 mph. The emissions from a stopped vehicle are about 4.5 times greater than a vehicle moving at 5 MPH' Additional roadways of four or more lanes should be discouraged. Three lane roadways are efficient, calmer, and allow space for biking and walking. Multiple lane streets present intimidating barriers which discourage biking and walking. Air Quality Pollution should be considered and modeled when roadways and other infrastructure are designed. To date, Bozeman has been blessed with excellent air quality, but this fortune is subject to change if Vehicle Miles Traveled climb inexorably with population growth. The City and MSU should help establish a more robust air quality monitoring program in order to establish a baseline and track changes over time. We should be prepared to measure the air quality impacts, including Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs) and main criteria pollutants of concern (CO and PM10) in order to compare the total potential pollutant emissions of each building alternative, including those from construction activities, lifecycle emissions of construction materials, long-term operational maintenance of the project, and changes in vehicle traffic and idling emissions. Public Transportation Public transit infrastructure should be given equal priority with automobile capacity in long term planning. Future transportation needs and means may be much different and we should be ready for healthy change. The resources are not available to solve all traffic problems by increasing roadway capacity. Traffic congestion will increase despite current improvement i Crown,Barry.Report on Roundabouts.January 2001.http://www.cccnh.org/cintroduction.htm. 2 1 • 7 t h Climate Partners plans, according to the studies supporting the updated Transportation Master Plan. Alternatives to auto trips may improve traffic while reducing pollution. Future Innovation Infrastructure to support electric vehicles should be considered, wherever possible, supplemented by renewable local electric generation. There is mounting evidence that younger citizens do not have the same cultural attachment to cars as their parents;these citizens will be demanding more transportation alternatives to auto ownership, such as carsharing. A major cultural shift is in progress and we should be ready for change by not over investing in endless road construction for capacity increases. MSU's College of Engineering and Western Transportation Institute have recently launched a program to explore "driverless" and "connected" vehicle technology for improved transportation system efficiency. The Bozeman Transportation Master Plan should discuss the golden opportunity for innovation that we have right here at our hometown university. In general and in summary, we strongly encourage the Transportation Master Plan to consider air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in all decisions regarding infrastructure. A greater dialogue regarding local pollution and global impacts will benefit our community. Thank you for your consideration of our suggestions to develop a forward-looking, visionary Transportation Master Plan for Bozeman. Sincerely, F Jay Sinnott Bozeman Climate Partners: Joan Montagne Kathy Powell Susan Bilo Kristen Walser Dan Perata Marcia Rundle 3