Loading...
05/03/2021 - Minutes SALT LAKE CITY TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD Minutes of the May 3, 2021 Meeting Electronically present from the Transportation Advisory Board were Benjamin LaRiviere, Courtney Reeser, Daniel Mendoza, Dave Alderman, David Parrott, Ellen Reddick, Greg Sanchez, Jim Espeland, Jon Larsen, Kerry Doane, Marjorie Rasmussen, Myron Willson, Paul Schulte, Reid Ewing, and Suzanne Stensaas. No members were absent from the Transportation Advisory Board. Also present were Amy Lyons, Dave Iltis, Becka Roolf, Ginger Cannon, Lynn Jacobs, Rachel Manko, Russell Weeks, and Tom Millar. The meeting was held electronically and was called to order at 4:02 p.m. by Courtney Reeser. Welcome and Introduction of Guests — Courtney read the anchor statement and welcomed everyone. Public Comment— Dave Iltis said 100 South is being rebuilt from 900 East to 1300 East and does not believe it is following the Complete Streets ordinance. He does not agree with a memo SLC put out last year about why bike lanes aren't being included and feels the memo had huge inaccuracies regarding the cost of removing parking. He said there is room on 100 South for bike lanes in both directions if the gutters are used like in other locations and on part of the roadway, there is a possibility of a road diet if they use the gutters and reduce the travel lanes from 12 feet. The current design is an outdated design and will do nothing to slow speeds and if you look at the survey comments, most people are very concerned about the speeds because it is dangerous to pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. He's not sure what TAB can do but he doesn't think the project should be built as proposed. Suzanne asked when this project is scheduled to begin, and Jon said the contractor has been selected and construction will likely be done this month. She asked if there is anything that can be done to address the comments Dave suggested because that is a steep roadway if you're cycling up to the U of U. Jon said he wants to be respectful of the Board's time and can have a separate in-depth discussion on specific projects at a later time. There is a project website for this with additional details (https://www.slc.gov/mystreet/2019/07/29/ioosouth/). Suzanne suggested Dave follow up with Transportation and he said he has tried but hasn't received any good response. Courtney thanked him for his time and said she will follow up with Jon to see if there is anything that can be done to address some of his concerns. Report Out TAB Members Suzanne noticed today that barricades are being put up all along Foothill and they say the sidewalk is closed. She knew Marge said three signals were going to be redone and it seems to her that they are going to be doing it in stages and if they are, they could do the barricading in segments so as not to concern drivers with the orange cones and Page 1 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes pedestrians with sidewalk closures the entire length for the whole time. She said there is still trash on Foothill and she knows it's probably a Parks Department problem,but it hasn't changed. She's also hoping someone is following up on Google. The trenches and damage and Google thinking they can dig a trench anywhere in any direction still concerns her because she thinks it will help the roads deteriorate faster because of our freeze thaw cycle. Suzanne said there is a proposal from Sugar House for the Parley's Trail gap for the Transportation Investment Fund/Active Transportation Grant and the City Council will accept comments on this request from SLC to UDOT. She wants to make sure there is someone at the City Council meeting because this is sorely needed. She is interested in seeing that it gets funded and wants to make sure there is good representation there as does the Sugar House Transportation Committee. She would also like an update on the trail that goes from Wasatch down to Laird and then hopefully along Foothill instead of a tunnel through the Bonneville Golf Course. Dan Dugan was hopefully going to see if the grant that gave the money for that tunnel could be used on Foothill to widen and flatten the sidewalk to then connect with the bike path along Foothill on the west side of Research Park. She would like to know if that money is there, if it can be used for that and if so,when that project could begin. Tom said he would address her question during his agenda item later. Suzanne asked again about the proposal in front of City Council tomorrow night and Jon said he believed she's referencing a public comment period for the grant they applied for. He said they are asking the state for money to help fund that gap and this is just an opportunity for the public to comment to the City Council about the project. Russell said anyone is welcome to provide comments and they are always glad to hear from people interested in commenting,which can be done on the City Council's webpage. Ellen said she's currently working on Beacon Heights at 2500 East as it has a road that goes right off Foothill and right in front of the school. She's had a meeting with principals and thinks Jon is already working on this but wants to make sure it is addressed. There are no stops and people come down right in front of the school. Jon said he has been looking at some options there,but it is a tough location. Dave Alderman asked about the status of the Livable Streets for Traffic Calming, specifically regarding being part of the Mayor's budget. Jon said he can't speak to the budget which the Mayor will be announcing tomorrow. Transportation does have a consultant working on the plan and more information can be found on the website (https://www.slc.gov/transportation/plans- studies/livable-streets/). He said there will be a survey to get some feedback on the prioritization process and toolboxes. The consultant will probably be wrapping up the study by the end of summer but tentatively,his expectation is that the serious discussion about whether to fund the Traffic Calming Program will be for the next budget year. Jon is hoping there is a chance for some initial seed money this year. David Parrot said school is out for him, so he'll be able to attend regularly until fall. BAC is going to elect a new chair at the next meeting. They tried to do it last month but there were such interesting and vigorous conversations, especially around the Foothill Trails Plan that they didn't have a chance to do it. They have also been talking about the Google Fiber trenches and it is an issue, as he's bumped through some himself. He said ioo South is also a concern of BAC. Kerry wanted to let everyone know that the proposed August Change Day service changes are on UTA's website. UTA also wants to increase the on- demand service they had as a pilot program in Herriman and the Southwest County area. She thinks they are going to be doing more of that but probably not in SLC for this change day. One change in SLC is to route ii so if you have an interest in that route, she recommends you go to the website and submit your comments. There is also a lot of construction coming this summer. There will be construction to the Red Line but not on Page 2 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes 4Oo South. The Airport TRAX Station is scheduled to be finished in 2021 and it is a big construction project. Jim spoke with Jack Crocket about some of the Google Fiber cracks and Jack assured him they would be fixed but that if they aren't repaired by fall, he said to reach out to him again. Jim said fall would probably be too late because then they can't apply the seal as it will be below 4o degrees. He thinks we need to keep on Engineering to make sure they get done. He also said a few of his neighbors have been complaining about the speeding on Navajo Street. It runs between Navajo Circle and Indiana Avenue. There is a 25mph speed limit with a school crossing and there is also the 9-Line Trail crossing. He thinks most people do 35 but some are doing 65-70. He wants to know why they can't get a stop at the intersection of Mead and Navajo if they aren't able to get enforcement. The Glendale Community Council has asked the City for it but the answer they received is that there aren't enough vehicles to justify a three way stop. Ben said he's also heard some complaints about the Google Fiber trenches and supports following up with Engineering to make sure they get addressed. He wanted to express that there are some residents concerned about the default speed limit being changed from 25 to 20. He also asked for an update on whether there would be any Safe Streets closures this year. Jon said the City is partnering with the Downtown Alliance and will be closing four blocks of Main Street every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They won't be doing the closures like they did last year because it was staff intensive, so they made the decision to use staff resources this year for laying the groundwork for more permanent implementations like the Emery Street Byway. Reid asked if there was a default speed limit of 25mph in the Utah State Code. Courtney said there is and is hoping with the Typologies, that they could talk to the City Council and see about getting it reduced in neighborhoods. Reid said he is starting a study like the one done on 400 South to see how many vehicles the light rail took off parallel streets. This time the study is looking at how the S-Line ridership has possibly taken vehicles off 2100 South. Daniel wanted to follow up to see if there had been any discussion on the Google Fiber repaving. He said in his area, they're doing a fairly good job. He was one of the people who brought it up as a concern but around his neighborhood, those gaps have been filled in. Courtney said they have been filling the gaps, but she is concerned about quality. Suzanne is also concerned about quality and that they don't continue trenching until they fix what they have open and hopes Transportation stays on top of things. Jon said it is the Engineering inspectors who are empowered to work with the contractors to ensure it is being done properly. Myron said he is on the HEAL Utah Board but also Sweet Streets and they will be introducing a 20 is Plenty mph campaign. They have been pulling together support from other organizations and should be starting this in the next few weeks. If anyone wants to participate and do advocacy which is separate from TAB, contact Sweet Streets or him. Jon thinks that is a high-level policy discussion which is really one of the best things TAB can do, discussing those types of policies and making recommendations. If the TAB members feel strongly that the city should reconsider changing the default speed limit, he would encourage them to take that up as an agenda item and write a letter stating the Board's opinion. Myron said they have a draft letter with several versions, and he would be happy to help start on that, share it and get feedback. Courtney said she appreciates it and would like to be part of that because it's a topic that's been coming up for years. Reid thinks that the presumptive speed limit of 25 is fine for most streets but it would be nice to have the option of 20. He doesn't think the default should be 20 for streets where there isn't a lot of pedestrian traffic and you have a design speed of 3omph or more. If it's going to be discussed, he feels it should be in the context of having the option of establishing a lower speed limit but not making it citywide. Page 3 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes Courtney said she appreciated the input and agrees that it doesn't necessarily need to be universal but applied to specific spots. Marge said there is a curb and gutter maintenance project at 1300 South and Foothill which is why the barricades are out. The crews will be working there beginning tomorrow and through April loth. Their policy is not to leave traffic control up unless they are actively working in an area or there is a safety issue. She said the Board is always welcome to reach out to her if they any questions. Courtney said District 1 had their Rose Park/6o0 North overpass cleanup last Saturday. 15-20 people came and they accomplished a lot. She said some issues have come up regarding the speed limit on 600 North being enforced but she knows SLCPD has a staffing problem at the moment. They are still trying to make sure the neighbors are safe and Lt. Diederich has been very receptive to hearing from anyone who has enforcement issues or concerns. There was a stakeholder meeting for the 600/70o North Corridor Study where they talked about the comments and concerns that have been brought up. Greg was also at that meeting and while there are still things that need to be worked out, the overall project is going to be good when it is implemented. Another concern was by the Northwest Multi-Purpose center where the intersection on i3oo West needs a stop sign. She is going to check that area out to try and determine what the problem is. Motion: Reid Ewing moved to approve the minutes of the April 5, 2021 meeting as amended by Suzanne. Jim Espeland seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously except for Myron Willson abstaining as he had not attended that meeting. Local Link Transit Study Update Lynn Jacobs, SLC Transportation Lynn went over the Local Link Transit Study and said there was a big response to a survey they had open and while that survey is now closed, he is still open to hearing comments. This study was looking at two potential alignments to connect the end of the current S-Line Terminus to Millcreek and Holladay. It goes down Highland Drive to the intersection with 1300 East at which point the alignment splits. One continued down Highland Drive and the other went down i3oo East with a potential future extension to Holladay's new Village area. Two of the options they looked at were the extension of the streetcar which would use the regular traffic lanes and light rail which would require widening a lane so it would have its own tracks. The other two options were Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which would partially have its own lane or Enhanced Bus service which would use the regular traffic lanes. He showed how many people each mode of travel can move, a ridership estimate, air quality effect, cost, and impact to the existing roadway. A final recommendation will be presented to SLC, SSL, Millcreek, and Holladay once it is ready. Earlier, before Reid lost connection, he was saying that in an analysis of the BRT between Provo and Orem (UVX), they found when modeling these things, it is difficult to distinguish ridership one from another. They found the that UVX did not do as well as the U of U Trax in terms of diverting people from autos to transit. The UVX BRT took a few thousand cars off the road whereas the U of U Trax took roughly io,000 vehicles off 400 South. He has always felt that rail in the public mind is different than bus. Lynn said that was a good point and they worked closely with UTA and agreed how to approach their modeling on this. Lynn went through the survey results and noted that of the 97o responses, it appears most live on the corridor. From the survey it seems like a streetcar on Highland Drive is taking the lead which could possibly mean doing something like an Enhanced Bus on that route until they can transition to a streetcar in Page 4 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes the future. He is hoping to go to City Council in July to seek adoption of the locally preferred alternative. There is already a preferred alternative for the S-Line to go north. Foothill/Sunnyside Improvements Project Lynn Jacobs, SLC Transportation The Foothill/Sunnyside Intersection Improvement Project has been developed working closely with the U of U and UDOT to find a way to eliminate the free right turn going from Sunnyside to Foothill. Lynn showed the overall concept and said it won't likely happen all at once. Currently the Northeast and Northwest corners are in Engineering for design. If the City has enough money, they will build both of those corners and if they don't, they will focus on the Northeast corner. He is hoping this gets built this fall but if not, it'll be early next year. Lynn said the City is also resurfacing and restriping Sunnyside this fall to the east of Foothill. Tom is managing that project. Reid asked if they are looking at an increase in funding for these projects and Lynn said they are tracking those efforts and opportunities and have some candidates for getting more budget. Kerry brought up the nearby bus stops as well as the intersection of Foothill and Wakara and Lynn said that intersection was discussed but there aren't any current plans for change. goo South/9-Line Update Tom Millar, SLC Transportation The City is currently building a few sections of the 9-Line Trail. One section is by the post office just east of Foothill. It's a short section around 600-700 feet long and a new crosswalk will be added at 2300 East as part of that the project. Sunnyside is also being resurfaced to make wider bike lanes and narrower travel lanes. Tom said the other big piece of the 9-Line that is being designed right now and then built is between the 9th and 9th business district and 90o West. The first two blocks which are in the central 9th area have been designed, sent to bid and those bids have come back so construction will begin on those two blocks this year. The design for the remaining i6 blocks is currently under development and the City will be asking for public comment within the next few months. That section will narrow the roadway on 90o South significantly as they add a big park strip on the south side of the street which will have the new trail in it. This section also comes with multiple improvements including crosswalk improvements, signal timing,landscaping, and new road, among others. Tom answered Suzanne's earlier question about the trail by the Bonneville Golf Course which is that there has been no headway or discussion about how to use the funding. Tom said having the discussion with Council Member Dugan as well as bringing it up to TAB is a good way to get this project going. WFRC Project Funding Recap Jon Larsen, SLC Transportation Every year the City applies for funding through WFRC programs. Last year was a good year and all the projects applied for received either full or partial funding. This now goes to the WFRC Council for approval and historically, they make very few changes to the recommendations. Jon explained what each project was and showed the type of funding request by the City, the preliminary funding recommendation by WFRC and when the money would be available. Through STP, an application was made for the 700 North Corridor Transformation (Redwood Road to 2200 West) for $3 million, the preliminary recommendation was for the full amount and would be available in 2027. Through CMAQ, an application was made for an Electrified Truck Parking Facility Page 5 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes (Inland Port) for $2,423,792, the preliminary recommendation was for the full amount and would be available in 2027. A CMAQ application was also made for the East Downtown/200 South Transit Hub for $1,856,489,the preliminary recommendation was for $i million and would be available in 2027. Through TAP, an application was made for the Kensington Neighborhood Byway(60o East to McClelland) for $420,000 and a preliminary recommendation was made for $350,000 and would be available in 2023. Through the Transportation and Land Use Connection, an application was made for the Granary District Area Plan for $iii,000 with the preliminary recommendation being the same as well as an application for the Downtown Building Height Zoning Update in the amount of$102,500 with the preliminary recommendation being the same. TAB WebEx Meeting Chat from Jon Larsen to everyone: 4:07 PM https://www.slc.gov/mystreet/2019/07/29/io0south/ from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:09 PM It's dismaying to see the design on 100 south doesn't incorporate bike lanes. This is a clear violation of Salt Lake City's Complete Streets Ordinance. A road diet with bike lanes and pedestrian improvements would be a better alternative. See our previous editorial here: https://www.cyclingutah.com/advocacy/advocacy-alert-salt-lake-city-looks-set-to- violate-the-complete-streets-ordinance-on-ioo-south-again/ The ordinance isn't a suggestion, and it should be followed, especially if Salt Lake City would like to meet its goals of reducing carbon use, safer streets, and reducing pollution from car travel.A road diet design would be consistent with the ordinance. The current design is not. In looking through the survey results, it's clear that people don't feel safe riding on this street,but that is a result of not having bike lanes on the road.And clear that people would like to. Additionally, the project page says nothing about reducing speed limits. This should be clearly stated from Myron to everyone: 4:io PM I agree with Dave Iltis's concerns re: iooS and think there could be some changes made to improve bikeability and reduce speeds without affecting existing contracts (revised paint locations). I look forward to follow up. from Jon Larsen to everyone: 4:18 PM https://www.slc.gov/transportation/plans-studies/livable-streets/ from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:26 PM That's too bad. The open streets need to be implemented this year too. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:26 PM It's in City Code. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:27 PM B. Twenty Five Miles Per Hour: On all streets and at all places the prima facie speed limit shall be twenty five (25) miles per hour, except as otherwise provided in subsection Page 6 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes A of this section, or in such other streets or places as otherwise posted or marked as directed by the city transportation engineer. (Ord. 88-86 § 68, 1986: Ord. 35-86 § 1, 1986: prior code title 46, art. 7§ 117) from Jim Espeland to everyone: 4:29 PM If the speeds cannot be enforced at 25 mph, what good will lowering the limit do? from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:3o PM There are several studies that show that if you do reduce the speed limit, people do slow down. Road design is primary, but speed limits do matter. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:31 PM https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/city-drivers-slow-down-for-lower-speed-limit-in- boston#.W4VV_MhOUNU.twitter from Ben LaRiviere to everyone: 4:32 PM Thanks Dave! from Lyons,Amy to everyone: 4:32 PM I will verify who is doing that now. from Dave Ihis to everyone: 4:33 PM Portland: It was found that the change likely reduced driving speeds by small but significant amounts. https://trid.trb.org/view/1765012 from Dave Ihis to everyone: 4:36 PM 20 mph is currently an option on all streets,but isn't applied much. from Myron to everyone: 4:43 PM I abstain - didn't attend last month from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:43 PM FYI, On May 5, the Stop as Yield law for cyclists takes effect statewide. This allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs (but not stop lights, there's another law for that): https://www.cyclingutah.com/advocacy/road-advocacy/utah-yield-idaho-stop- bill-signed-into-law-will-take-effect-may-5-2021/ from WR3744 to everyone: 4:55 PM Is the UVX Line still free fare? from Kerry Doane to everyone: 4:57 PM I think yes but the three-year period is nearing its end. I'll confirm. from Tom Millar to everyone: 4:58 PM BYU and UVU will provide free fare to all students, faculty, staff, and their families for 10 years. Don't know the share of riders that would fall under those categories. from WR3744 to everyone: 4:59 PM So, it's similar to the University of Utah's contract with UTA. Is that right? Page 7 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes from Myron to everyone: 5:oo PM U of U does not include families from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:oi PM The S Line should be free. There aren't enough fares collected to make the collection worthwhile. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:05 PM There was funding for the streetcar extension in 2015. This was lost after the streetcar extension was stopped by the previous mayor. from WR3744 to everyone: 5:06 PM The Salt Lake City Council will be focused on adopting a budget until at least mid-June. from Myron to everyone: 5:09 PM welcome change! from Ginger Cannon to everyone: 5:io PM Intersections are deadliest for people who are walking and biking. As the highest volume bike route in the state, this Foothill intersection is critical for increased safety. From Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:13 PM According to UDOT, Emigration is the 4th most popular recreational bike route in the country. from Jacobs, Lynn to everyone: 5:14 PM Thanks everyone. Transit Study website: https://www.locallinkstudy.com/transit-study from Jacobs, Lynn to everyone: 5:14 PM and my contact is lynn.jacobs@slcgov.com from Myron to everyone: 5:17 PM Larger issue for future discussion.When does a neighborhood perceived need for parking outweigh city-wide benefits? (I'm talking the mountains of parking being included at central ninth). from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:17 PM And, parking is superseding a safe street on 100 S too. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:21 PM It would be great to also see if there can be some movement on the Mt. Olivet pathway too. from Tom Millar to everyone: 5:22 PM Thanks, everyone. Central Ninth designs available now, including fun visualizations. Designs for the remaining 16 blocks will be available for everyone's review and comment likely in June. I'll be back in touch when they are! Also check out 900SouthSLC.com or email the project team at 9ooSouth@slcgov.com. Have a good evening, everyone. from Ginger Cannon to everyone: 5:24 PM Page 8 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes Thanks Tom, Jon, and Lynn-it's great to have you as colleagues and partners! Your work makes a huge difference :) from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:28 PM What is being done on Neighborhood Byways to improve signage,bike markings on the pavement, traffic calming and diverters, and speed limits? from Myron to everyone: 5:29 PM great work Jon! from Reid Ewing to everyone: 5:29 PM Please tell us more about the building height study From David Parrott: 5:35PM Thank you Corky! Motion: Suzanne Stensaas motioned to adjourn the meeting; Reid Ewing seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m. and the next meeting of the Board was scheduled for June 7, 2021. Approved by Board o6-o7-21 Page 9 of 9 TAB 05-03-2021 Minutes