HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-11-12 Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee Minutes I Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee
2 Minutes of the July 11, 2012 Meeting
3 Upstairs Conference Room Alfred Stiff Office Building.
4
5 Those Present:
6
7 Voting Committee Members:
8 Ralph Zimmer (Gallatin County)
9 Danielle Scharf(City of Bozeman)
10 Frank Manseau (Gallatin County)
11 Sue Brown (Member At-Large)
12 Vance Ruff(Bozeman School District)
13
14 Non-Voting Committee Members:
15 John Van Delinder (City of Bozeman Streets Superintendent)
16
17 Liaison Officers:
18 Brandon Kelly (Gallatin County Sheriffs Office Liaison Officer)
19
20 Guests:
21 Chris Mehl(City Commission)
22
23 Quorum: present
24
25 NEW BUSINESS:
26
27 Ralph called the meeting to order at 12:05 PM.
28
29 1. Public Comment. Ralph offered the opportunity for public comment on items not on the
30 agenda. No public comment.
31
32 2. Consideration of Meeting Agenda. Ralph offered the opportunity to provide input on the
33 agenda and noted that he will take some liberties as we have many items to discuss. No
34 additional comments were made. Ralph noted that item XI (discussion of the upcoming May
35 17th public information meeting on West College) was accidently carried over from the May 9th
36 agenda and is now moot.
37
38 3. Minutes. The minutes of the May 9, 2012 meeting were approved with minor edits made by
39 Ralph Zimmer prior to distribution. The committee did not meet in June 2012.
40
41 4. Liaison Officer Reports. Brandon Kelly, Sheriffs Office liaison, was in attendance, but did
42 not have anything specific to report. John asked him about proposed stop sign enhancements
43 at the intersections of Love/Baxter, Love/Durston, and Cottonwood/Stucky. Brandon said
44 they are currently evaluating enhancement alternatives at these locations, likely including
45 rumble strips and/or flashers.
46
47 5. Street Department Report. John Van Delinder reported that the South 8th reconstruction
48 project is two weeks ahead of schedule. Phase 1 has been paved and they have started on
49 phase 2. They will likely be done ahead of schedule in September instead of October.
50 Irrigation and seeding will be completed in the spring. Debbie Arkell will be retiring in
51 September from her position as Public Services Director. The City has been interviewing
52 candidates to fill her position; John heard they are ready to make an offer, but does not know
53 any other details at this point. John will let us know about any planned retirement parties for
54 Debbie. Chip seal projects will continue this month, as well as an overlay project on Kagy
55 from Bozeman Trail to Highland. This project will include the addition of some extra asphalt
56 to the shoulder for bikes and pedestrians between the trail system and Highland.
57
58 6. Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board (BABAB) Report. We did not have an official
59 BABAB report, but John noted that they will be meeting tonight at City Hall, earlier than their
60 normal meeting time.
61
62 7. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Report. Danielle spoke with Taylor specifically about the
63 ramifications of the recent transportation bill reauthorization, but did not ask for an update on
64 other SRTS activities. Danielle noted that the Bozeman school district was awarded another
65 non-infrastructure grant for SRTS funding, in case that had not already been announced at a
66 previous meeting.
67
68 8. Community Transportation Enhancements Program (CTEP) Report. Danielle noted that
69 Gallatin County has moved forward with submittal of a CTEP application to MDT CTEP in
70 Helena for the Oak Street Trail project, among other smaller projects recently approved by the
71 County Commission.
72
73 9. Transportation Bill Reauthorization. Danielle provided a report on the recently passed
74 transportation bill entitled "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21s' Century (MAP-21)." She
75 reported that the Community Transportation Enhancements Program (CTEP), Safe Routes to
76 Schoo programl, and the Recreational Trails Program will all be combined into a single
77 program called "Transportation Alternatives." Overall funding for these programs has been
78 reduced to 67 percent of the previous total with each State now allowed to transfer up to half
79 of that 67 percent amount to other programs of its choice (thereby potentially resulting in
80 funding at only 33 percent of previous levels). In addition, each state can now transfer out all
81 of those funds in case of "emergency". Keeping this funding for biking and walking will
82 require significant advocacy at the state level.
83
84 Taylor Lonsdale's position as Safe Routes to School Coordinator is still eligible for funding,
85 but is no longer required. Taylor told Danielle prior to the meeting that MDT has not had
86 enough time yet to determine how to structure the program going forward. The SRTS funding
87 that is currently allocated will not be affected and MDT will likely accept applications under
88 the same format again in December to spend the remaining funds they still hold under the
89 previous transportation bill. One major question related to the new bill that is yet to be
90 answered is whether or not the program will require a local match. Taylor feels very strongly
91 that advocacy at the state level will be more important than ever now that MDT will have so
92 much discretion in how these funds are spent. He also feels strongly that we should focus on
93 bike/ped facilities that serve both recreational and transportation purposes.
94
95 Ralph recently sent an email to the MDT Butte District Engineer asking about the
96 ramifications of the bill and how MDT will allocate funds in the future, but he has not
97 received a response yet. He also copied Debbie Arkell and Bob Lashaway, who thought it
98 would be an appropriate topic for the upcoming TCC meeting and it is now on the July 25th
99 agenda. Ralph and John recently spoke with a local representative from MDT and he had
100 informally heard internally that MDT intends to fund bike/ped projects at the new 67% level.
101 Ralph asked the group whether or not we want to engage in any lobbying for funding levels or
102 if we should leave it up to TCC. Danielle will also check to see what the newly created
103 Walk/Bike Montana advocacy group is planning. Ralph will attend the TCC meeting and will
104 report back to the committee how they choose to proceed. We will not do anything else until
105 then.
106
107 10. Distracted Driving Signs. As a follow up to discussion during our previous meeting, Chris
108 Mehl reported that the distracted driving signs at various entrance points to the City were
109 provided by MDT. The City did not have any input on the size, font, etc.
110
111 11. Park/Trail Bond Issue. Chris reported that the Commission will be voting Monday night on
112 a park/trail bond to help acquire land and rights-of-way for parks and trails. It will help the
113 City to have more control on where parks and trails are located throughout the City. They
114 currently tend to follow new development. If the bond passes, there will be an advisory board
115 that reviews applications and determines the distribution of funds. The dollar amount has
116 been discussed at $10 to $15 million, but the final amount will be decided on Monday night.
117 The money will be available for matching funds and capital improvements. It can be used for
118 larger repair and replacement projects, but only 5% can be used for operations and
119 maintenance. They intend to use other funds for maintenance. The new Parks Director will
120 be starting at the end of this month and his duties will include a significant focus on this
121 program. Chris is providing this report for informational purposes, but he advises we should
122 not hold a formal vote on this topic since it was not specifically included on our agenda. He
123 anticipates that the bond issue will most likely move ahead on Monday night.
124
125 12. Increased Coal Train Traffic. Ralph made three observations during this topic discussion at
126 the Commission meeting last Monday night and would like to share his input with Chris. 1.)
127 One person commented that it took 45 minutes for an at-grade crossing and Ralph felt very
128 strongly that that is an exaggeration unless trains are traveling under 3 mph or have some sort
129 of breakdown. 2.) There are currently 15 trains per day and one person that lives between
130 Bozeman and Livingston thought it was significantly more. Ralph thought the difference was
131 likely due to the helper engines deadheading back and forth over the pass. 3.) Another person
132 argued that there is a health/safety issue associated with the increased possibility that a doctor
133 on the way to the hospital could be blocked on the other side of the tracks. Ralph would argue
134 that possibility exists even without the increased train traffic. He suggests that the City
135 Commission informally encourage the hospital to develop some sort of plan related to these
136 concerns.
137
138 Chris agreed that the 45 minute time frame is related to some sort of mechanical breakdown
139 or on-track obstruction. While he didn believe helper engines deadheaded across the pass as
140 often as Ralph suggested, he stated the existing track should be able to accommodate up to 40
141 trains per day. The hospital does currently have requirements related to response times, and
142 emergency response employees are not allowed to live in certain locations with longer than
143 acceptable response times. The City will focus on whistles/noise, train speed through town,
144 intersection design parameters, and City emergency response times (police and fire).
145
146 13. Next Meeting. Our next regular meeting date will be August 8, 2012 at noon. Ralph is
147 hoping to discuss the South 19th Avenue turn lanes during that meeting, pending a
148 commitment to attend from Lee Provance and Rob Bukvich. He also hopes to provide an
149 update on the TCC's discussion on the transportation reauthorization bill.
150
151 The meeting was adjourned at 1:15 PM.
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153 Next Meeting: August 8, 2012 at noon as noted above.
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155
156 Minutes by Danielle Scharf
157 Minor edits by Ralph Zimmer