Loading...
11/7/2022 - Meeting Minutes SALT LAKE CITY TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD Minutes of the November 7, 2022 Meeting Present from the Transportation Advisory Board were Dave Alderman, Jon Larsen and Suzanne Stensaas. Electronically present from the Transportation Advisory Board were Danny Houpt, Ellen Reddick, Greg Sanchez, Johnnae Nardone, Jon Larsen, Myron Willson, Paul Schulte, and Tyler Schmidt. Absent from the Transportation Advisory Board were Daniel Mendoza, Jenn Diederich, and Jim Espeland. Electronically present were Amy Lyons, Courtney Reeser, Reid Ewing, Dave Iltis, Julianne Sabula, Siobhan Locke, and Brandon Weston. The meeting was held both electronically and in person and was called to order at 4:12 p.m.by Greg Sanchez. Welcome and Introduction of Guests — Greg welcomed everyone. Public Comment — Dave Iltis said South Temple came up well. He lives in the Avenues and at first the neighborhood was upset but that seemed to finally stop because he thinks people got used to it. What they seemed to be mostly upset about is the 15 minutes in the morning when there's a bit of a delay for them to head up to the U of U. It looks like there's essentially no delays any other time of the day whatsoever. He said the speed limits have come down which is a great segue into his next comment which is that SLC remains utterly addicted to speed. He has pointed this out before, there's a broken part of SLC's process which is, when they redo a road,why in the world aren't they redoing the speed limit at the same time. Main street is still 30 mph, and it should be 25. South Temple speeds have dropped considerably which is nice but it's still 30 mph. 80o South wasn't redone recently but the speeds are 35 mph by Smith's on gth and gth. Sunnyside was redone a year or so ago and by the zoo where kids are playing and walking across the street the speed limits are inexplicably and dangerously still 40 mph there. It is shameful that SLC continues this ridiculous addiction to speed. goo West is the same thing, the speed limits are still 35 mph which makes no sense especially since the road was redone. Transportation needs to redo this process so that when a street is redone, the speed limit drops. That's just unsafe and I don't know if it's going to take somebody getting killed on one of these streets for any action to happen. SLC just had this great 25 mph down to 20 mph default but the rest of the SLC streets are just stupidly high and the Committee should take some effort and move forward with that. Dave indicated he is frustrated because the PNUT Board gives people 5 minutes and TAB only gives 2 minutes. Over the last couple of years of attending TAB he's usually been the only one commenting publicly. Essentially most of the things that change with the chat, and all seem personal and pretty much directed at him. He hopes they figure out how to change some stuff to be more accessible to the public. Suzanne Page 1 of 6 TAB 11-07-2022 Minutes said she lives near the zoo area and thinks that Dave's comments about Sunnyside are worth taking seriously as are some of his other comments. The speed limit by the zoo is really something that's come up over and over. She thinks that as a Board, all members of the public who make comments and suggestions should receive a response that indicates the Board is doing something or that the Board has asked that the situation be looked at and that something is being done. The speed limits on over half a dozen roads have been brought up by Dave and perhaps by the next meeting,we can get a report back on if his suggestions are worth pursuing. And if so, what kind of timeline we might have for changes in those speed limits. She likes it when the public makes comments and suggestions because they happen to live in those areas. Myron said when they had the discussion to limit comments to 2 minutes, part of that discussion as he remembers was that they used to have board report outs at the beginning, and they were going long so the effort was to try and push them to the end of the meeting. He doesn't remember discussing limiting public comment but would really like to increase the public comment time. An issue that Dave's comments also made him think of, in terms of speed limits, was the Street Typologies Plan. Part of his hope was based on the Street Typologies document setting speed limits and setting the designs for street reconstructs to be able to be designed based on a speed limit. He was wondering what the status of the that was or if that's indeed going to help move forward with reducing speeds. Dave Alderman said they did discuss limiting the public comment time. He said it's frustrating that they have a discussion in a meeting, and it goes in the minutes and then people say they didn't know anything about it, and it was modeled after the PNUT Board. TAB took the PNUT process of having public comment at the meeting and allowing the staff to go back and write up a response to these comments which go into the minutes for that meeting. He's a little frustrated that they must go over this repeatedly. Suzanne had a comment related to the redesign of 2100 South. She's on the Sugar House Transportation Committee and based on the two designs the City came up with for that area they favored the one with 3 lanes,bike lanes, and a wider sidewalk. They would like to communicate that to TAB and based on the number of people living in Sugar House now, have a strong desire for it to be a low stress walking and biking destination. They want it to be attractive to be outside with benches,landscaping, open space, and they certainly favor that option. She would like that included in the minutes so when Transportation looks at the options on 2100 South, they will take seriously the local input. Johnnae asked if they could do anything else to fortify what Suzanne just said about 2100 South if there is a consensus among the Board that seems to support the vision of the neighborhood. She asked what their vehicles for influence are and how they can support that vision for 2100 South. Jon said Transportation has the final authority under the direction of the Mayor. He said Council could weigh in as they're funding the project and set policy and rules. Suzanne said the major thing is that it goes from 4 lanes to 3 which they read is much safer because you have a dedicated left turn lane, and it leaves room for wider pedestrian and bicycle landscaping and transportation alternatives. It doesn't look much different, doesn't take property, the lanes are narrower which helps slow the transit speed. The project manager will be asked to the December meeting to discuss this project and then if TAB reaches a consensus on the option, they can write a letter to the Mayor. Suzanne asked if the McClellan trail could be woven into that discussion of 2100 South. I-15 Environmental Impact Statement Study Update Brandon Weston&Siobhan Locke, Representing the UDOT Project Team Page 2 of 6 TAB 11-07-2022 Minutes Brandon with UDOT Environmental spoke about the I-15 Environmental Impact Statement that's going on between Farmington and Salt Lake City and gave them a quick overview of the process. He shared public input that has been gathered and based on that feedback as well as UDOT's technical analysis, some alternatives to address the identified needs have been formulated. All users have been kept in mind with the alternatives and in addition to improving mobility, they want to improve health by promoting safe options for users to get around, strengthen the economy by updating infrastructure and providing better access to jobs and other opportunities with a strong transportation system. Improved crossings at all interchanges and even new or improved crossings in between interchanges is also being looked at for better community connection. Siobhan said there are a couple of options for them to receive public comments. The comment period officially opens on November loth, there is a virtual meeting on November 14th and two in person Open Houses on the 15th and 16th. The study team is always available for questions and can be reached at 385-220-5797, ii5eis(&utah.gov, ii5eis.udot.utah.gov, or on their Facebook group which is udotii5eis. The Facebook will also contain any updated information and can be shared with other community groups on Facebook. Suzanne asked about the health effects of the freeway being right next to the Legacy bikeway. Brandon said the impacts of anything done by I- 15 in terms of air quality is the next step in the process. He said they will go through and determine all the environmental impacts and the ways they can minimize, avoid, or mitigate those. They are also working with UTA on how to make transit better and enhance existing or future connections. UDOT is hoping to begin this project in 2025 and it will take multiple years. Motion: David Alderman moved to approve the minutes of the October 3, 2022 meeting. Suzanne Stensaas seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Orphan Assets Letter Transportation Advisory Board Courtney explained what orphan assets are and will write a draft letter stating TAB supports additional funding for these items. This letter will be reviewed by the Board at the next meeting. 2023 Priorities and Agenda Setting Discussion/ Meeting Schedule Approval Transportation Advisory Board Members As the Board began reviewing the draft 2023 Priorities and Agenda, several members requested additions to the list. Paul said it's helpful to know where a project is in its process when TAB is receiving an update. Myron asked about the nature of the joint TAB/BAC meetings and asked if there were topics or issues they should be discussing together and how they can make that meeting productive. Johnnae said she's not sure what the point of this collaboration is, and Paul agreed that he's not sure about the real purpose of the joint meetings. Suzanne said she would speak to the contrary. Many of the CIP proposals affect bicycles, pedestrians, and transit and feels it is very appropriate to discuss these together. She has seen in the past that TAB is interested in bicycle issues, and she would personally like to see a stronger BAC with more assertive proposals, suggestions and comments coming to TAB. Johnnae asked if BAC doesn't have the potency, is the division necessary or should they just have a couple more seats on TAB and suggest a dissolution of the BAC. She said it's all transportation and when there is a division between those things, there are problems. Dave Iltis said the BAC exists in City code, it's there by law and you can not dissolve it. It is a standing sub- Page 3 of 6 TAB 11-07-2022 Minutes committee of TAB. Suzanne said they need a stronger more aggressive BAC that interacts with TAB more. Greg suggested they have this conversation with the BAC in January. Since the Board couldn't move past the January items within their meeting time, Greg postponed further discussion on this topic to the next meeting. Motion: Reid Ewing motioned to adjourn the meeting; Tyler Schmidt seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 5:29 p.m. and the next meeting of the Board was scheduled for December 5, 2022. TAB WebEx Meeting Chat from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:20 PM What is the mission of the TAB?There's nothing listed on your website as to what the mission is. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:22 PM There's info on the powers and duties of TAB,but no mission exists. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:24 PM 2100 S is a street reconstruction. Therefore, it is required by law to add bike lanes to the street. Unless SLC breaks the law again. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:28 PM Note that the Complete Streets Ordinance requires that there be bike lanes on 2100 S. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:52 PM Orphan assets are there because Transportation and Streets and Engineering need to be 1 department, not 3. This leads to continual problems especially for active transportation. from Ellen Reddick to everyone: 4:52 PM Dave the community has voted against bike lanes on 21st three times - please listen to the community this impacts. Both City Council Reps and the majority of residents -is not safe and is a major trans corridor. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:55 PM The solution to Orphan Assets is to combine the 3 departments into a Salt Lake City Transportation Department, not a division. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 4:56 PM It's just one of the many broken systems in SLC. from Paul Schulte (privately): 5:05 PM Think it may be time for a little training how to run a meeting and that we are an advisory board....just a thought from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:16 PM Virginia needs a Whale by Shriner's. There was originally a traffic circle planned. Page 4 of 6 TAB 11-07-2022 Minutes from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:17 PM Or a Coyote, or peloton of cyclists, etc. from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:19 PM The BAC is a standing committee of TAB. So, working together makes sense. from Danny Houpt BAC to everyone: 5:20 PM BAC I believe is a sub-committee of TAB from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:20 PM It exists by ordinance. from Danny Houpt BAC to everyone: 5:20 PM So really there is at least some need for connection, more so than just attendance by BAC co-Chair from Myron to everyone: 5:22 PM I wasn't suggesting eliminating the joint meeting. How do we work together with BAC to solve SLC issues?what specific issues? from Danny Houpt BAC to everyone: 5:22 PM We do write letters of support, similar to TAB from Dave Iltis to everyone: 5:24 PM Since you have a representative from BAC on TAB, give them a spot every meeting to provide updates. from Sabula, Julianne to everyone: 5:24 PM Does anyone have enough history know why TAB does not have other modal committees (ped, car, transit, etc.)? I've only been with the City for ten years, so those discussions may have predated me. from Danny Houpt BAC to everyone: 5:25 PM My mic I guess is not working from Danny Houpt BAC to everyone: 5:27 PM Representing the BAC here, it seems there is a gap in understanding--BAC writes letters of support that I don't believe is reported through TAB. 2) There are a number of members in BAC that I believe do not have wider interest in transportation issues, like UTA updates,yet we have very passionate bike riders. I wouldn't take lightly the idea of disbanding the BAC without much further discussion with us, I don't think it would be taken well. from Sabula, Julianne to everyone: 5:27 PM Jon can speak to TMP and operator questions, I think,but I'm happy to update now or in a future meeting. from Danny Houpt BAC to everyone: 5:28 PM Agree with Dave that if there is need for greater connection, let's have established times for updates at each meeting Page 5 of 6 TAB 11-07-2022 Minutes Public Comments/Response from Staff Request to lower the speed limits on Main Street, 800 south, Sunnyside, and 900 West. We did lower speeds on Main Street as part of the lane reconfiguration. The speed limit was lowered from 35 mph to 30 mph. We plan to lower the speed limits on Boo S, Sunnyside, and goo W in 2023 as part of a comprehensive speed limit update for collectors and arterials throughout the City. This is as a follow up to the new Council-adopted ordinance lowering speed limits on local streets to 20 mph. Approved by Transportation Advisory Board 12-05-22. Page 6 of 6 TAB 11-07-2022 Minutes