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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-01-21 TPC MinutesDraft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: February 18, 2021 Minutes City Of Edina, Minnesota Transportation Commission WebEx January 21, 2021 I. Call To Order Chair Richman called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. II. Roll Call Answering roll call were Commissioners Ahler, Johnson, Kane, Lafferty, Plumb-Smith, Richman, Atri, Khariwala. Late: Commissioner McCarthy Absent: Commissioners Scherer, Clark Staff present: Transportation Planner Andrew Scipioni III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda Motion was made by Commissioner Ahler and seconded by Commissioner Kane to approve the agenda. Motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Kane to amend the agenda to include a local speed limit discussion under Reports/Recommendations. All voted aye. Motion carried. IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes Motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Lafferty approving the December 17, 2020 meeting minutes. All voted aye. Motion carried. V. Reports/Recommendations Commissioner McCarthy arrived at 6:15. A. Traffic Safety Report of December 17, 2020 The Commission reviewed the Traffic Safety Report of December 17, 2020. Motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Lafferty to approve the Traffic Safety Report of December 17, 2020 with the recommendations that Item B1 (crosswalk request at Valley View Road and Cheyenne Trail) be revisited when school is in session and that Item D4 (concerns about signal timing on W 77th Street) be removed until the issue is resolved. All voted aye. Motion carried. B. 2021 Work Plan Updates • #1 Organized Trash Collection – VANTAGE project team prepared a charter; kick-off meeting is tentatively scheduled for mid-February. Richfield is looking at switching to organized collection. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: February 18, 2021 • #2 Street Funding Task Force – No update. • #3 CloverRide – Commissioners suggested reaching out to Yorktown Continental about resident outreach. The current service contract expires in June. • #4 Traffic Safety Reports – Staff will present the 2020 summary report at the next meeting. • #5 Capital Improvement Projects – Staff will present the 2020 annual report at the next meeting, along with PACS Fund policy updates and equity criteria. • #6 Traffic Impact Studies & TDM – Council reviewed a sketch plan for 4917 Eden Ave, TIS is being prepared. C. Local Speed Limit Discussion The Commission discussed staff’s recommendation for reducing speed limits citywide. Comments from Commissioners included: • Some Commissioners wrote to City Council in support of 20 mph default speed limits. • The City should make sure the change is meaningful, and 20 mph is a safer speed. • Safety data supports a lower speed limit, and it accommodates multi-modal transportation. • Costs have not been presented yet. It seems inappropriate for Commission to provide a recommendation without considering cost. • Would rather see the City construct more sidewalk and bike lanes than install/replace signs. • The catalyst for this evaluation was Council direction, new legislative authority and guiding documents like the Comprehensive Plan and the Living Streets Plan. • What is the difference between 20 mph and 25 mph? Just because Minneapolis is doing something does not mean Edina should as well. • What is the rush to make this change now? How many traffic fatalities does Edina have? Why not wait to see how things go for other cities? • Like the idea of 20 mph, but not for Edina. • Important to account for the pandemic’s impact on public engagement. If people are not able to provide input, they are more likely to see this change as an inconvenience. The City should ask for input when people have the capacity. • Having examples from other cities would be helpful. The report references cities that are not comparable to Edina. • The City can be a leader rather than waiting to see the successes/failures of other cities. The supporting data may not be perfect, but the rationale is consistent with common sense. Cost is a factor, but it is not the Commission’s area of expertise. • Can we break down where people are concerned about speed? If concerns are mostly on roads the City does not control, the changes will not be as effective. France Ave is one of the most unfriendly pedestrian areas in the city. • After the last meeting, the impression was that the Commission was supportive of the 25-mph approach. • Staff is not explicitly asking the Commission for a recommendation, but they can provide one to Council, if desired. • Generally, the uniform approach is less expensive. The relative cost is important to note. • Based on the lack of engagement, maybe this should not be a City priority right now. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: February 18, 2021 • There may be unintended consequences to making this change; the City should take its time. • Speed limits impact people’s perception of safety as well as their actual safety. VI. Chair and Member Comments A. Street Funding Task Force Update Commissioner Scherer was absent; no update was provided. Commissioner Johnson asked if the traffic safety report will be available before next month’s meeting. Staff clarified that it will be included in the agenda packet online. Commissioner Lafferty is enjoying being on the Commission. Commissioner McCarthy enjoyed the discussion tonight and hearing the viewpoints of others. Commissioner Richman noted that annual elections will take place at the next meeting and Commissioners should consider whether they would like to serve as Chair or Vice Chair. Richman will participate in interviews for prospective Commissioners; the ETC has one vacancy. Richman recommends that current Commissioners are asked what skill sets they would like as part of next year’s interview process. VII. Staff Comments • Hennepin County has placed traffic cameras on France Ave between W 54th St and Highway 62 where restriping occurred. After a week, they will review the footage for instances of unsafe traffic behavior. • Bird approached the City about scooters; staff informed them that this is not a priority at this time. • Metro Transit announced a construction delay for SWLRT; it will likely not open in 2023 as previously anticipated. VIII. Schedule of Meeting and Events as of January 15, 2020 For information purposes only, no discussion. IX. Adjournment Motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Plumb-Smith to adjourn the January 21, 2021 meeting at 7:47 p.m. All voted aye. Motion Carried. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: February 18, 2021 TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE J F M A M J J A S O N D # of Mtgs Attendance % Meetings/Work Sessions 1 1 NAME Ahler, Mindy 1 1 100% Johnson, Kirk 1 1 100% Kane, Bocar 1 1 100% Lafferty, Peter 1 1 100% McCarthy, Bruce 1 1 100% Plumb-Smith, Jill 1 1 100% Richman, Lori 1 1 100% Scherer, Matthew 0 0% Atri, Nihar (s) 1 1 100% Clark, Anna (s) 0 0% Khariwala, Anand (s) 1 1 100%