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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-08-20 Minutes1 MINUTES OF CITY OF EDINA, MINNESOTA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION COMMUNITY ROOM August 20, 2015 6:00 P.M. ROLL CALL Answering roll call were members Bass, Boettge, LaForce, Loeffelholz, Nelson, and Olson. ABSENT Iyer, Janovy, Rummel and Spanhake APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Chair Bass requested to add the May 21 minutes to the agenda for discussion. Motion was made by member Olson and seconded by member LaForce to approve the amended meeting agenda. All voted aye. Motion carried. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 16, 2015 Motion was made by member LaForce and seconded by member Boettge to approve the amended minutes of July 16, 2015. All voted aye. Motion carried. REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 21, 2015 Under ‘Chair and Commission Member Comments’ where the Cornelia Drive sidewalk was mentioned, Chair Bass said the reference to the school district lacks context because they worked with the ETC on Safe Routes to School. Motion was made by member Boettge and seconded by member Olson to reconsider the May 21 minutes. All voted aye. Motion carried. The minutes were revised as follow: Member Boettge asked why the Cornelia Drive sidewalk Safe Routes to School grant application was not approved and planner Nolan said the committee felt other projects demonstrated greater safety risks and although the school district offered a letter of support, other applicants demonstrated greater support. Motion was made by member Loeffelholz and seconded by member LaForce to approve the amended minutes of May 21, 2015. All voted aye. Motion carried. COMMUNITY COMMENT – None. REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS Tracy Avenue/Valley View Road/Valley Lane Roundabout Update Planner Nolan said staff is seeking feedback from the ETC. Mr. Toby Muse and Mr. Mike Kotila from SEH presented the update. Mr. Kotila said they are evaluating existing conditions of the intersection, as well as forecasting out 20 years. Based on traffic counts, he said the afternoon is the most critical when the high school gets out and from 5-6 p.m. Other critical factors are speed (38 mph) and seven crashes from 2010-14 which is double the rate for similar intersections. With the addition of the Nine Mile Trail at this intersection, Mr. Kotila said reducing speed is important because pedestrian survivability increases if hit by a vehicle at a lower speed. Mr. Kotila showed two alternate designs. Alternate 1 would perform at service level B with a potential for the northbound traffic to back-up pass 66th Street as they queue to get into the single lane roundabout. Forecasting out 20 years, the service level would drop to D. Alternate 2 considers the back-up and would include room for a future by-pass lane which would be added when needed. Alternate 1A would include flashers at all pedestrian crossings. Discussion 2 Regarding the route that bikers would use at the roundabout, Mr. Kotila said they can stay in the roundabout or get on the slip ramp and use the trail crossings. For bikers coming south on Tracy, adding a curb cut for access to the trail was suggested. Paying careful attention to signage was suggested keeping in mind that some will be ignored. Member Nelson said crossing the trail closer to TH-62 and Tracy has fewer conflicts compared to the current location. Mr. Muse said there were multiple alternatives and once the master plan was approved, Three Rivers immediately began the process of easement acquisition. Member Nelson said he is concerned with all the conflicts and that bikers and pedestrians will not use the crosswalks. Discussion with Edina Police Department Representative Sgt. Dan Conboy said he is the new liaison to boards and commissions. Chair Bass explained that meeting with the Police annually was added to their work plan to discuss how the ETC could use enforcement to meet their goals. She said the ETC’s goal is to support the City’s vision of more multi-modal transportation and as such they’ve created plans or policies such as Living Streets, Active Routes to School and a Sidewalk Map. She said his experience as a school liaison officer will be helpful as the ETC continue to work with the school district on initiatives. Chair Bass asked what do you feel the police have done well within the last year for multi-modal transportation and Sgt. Conboy said in May, their focus was bike safety and the officers enjoyed doing this because they were able to make contact with both bikers and motorists. He said the traffic enforcement team makes a lot of contact and sometimes they educate instead of writing citations. He said the biggest challenge is educating people because they are strong advocates for what they believe and both drivers and bikers behave badly. He said some motorists are unwilling to accept that transportation options are changing. Member LaForce asked if they’ve seen any behavioral change since riding on sidewalk has been allowed and he said no. Chair Bass said the BETF hosted bike rodeos and maybe they could partner with the Police. Member Olson said the Police have participated in past rodeos and Sgt. Conboy added that they do an annual camp for students from a select grade. Member Loeffelholz asked who was responsible for educating drivers and planner Nolan said an education campaign is underway now and word is getting out because he’s been invited to two groups to talk about the campaign. Chair Bass asked how they will keep in touch and planner Nolan said Sgt. Conboy is on the Open Streets and Traffic Safety Committees so he is involved with what they are doing. 2016 Neighborhood Reconstruction Projects Planner Nolan said the project area maps and multi-modal surveys were handed out and staff is seeking feedback. He said the draft engineering studies will be available for the September meeting and the final reports in November. Golf Terrace B A sidewalk is planned for Concord Avenue. Chair Bass said based on the survey, she felt like residents wanted sidewalk on each street and she wanted them to know about the petition process. Member LaForce said the streets probably don’t have traffic to warrant sidewalks and planner Nolan confirmed that a sidewalk was eliminated from the map because of the low average daily traffic. Strachauer Park A Planner Nolan said some streets will be narrowed from 30-ft to 27-ft with parking on one side, except Beard Avenue which will be narrowed to 24-ft; Beard Avenue will have sidewalk and parking on one because parking demand is low; the intersection of Curve Avenue and Beard Place will be realigned. Morningside A & White Oaks C Staff expected the open house to be more focused on green environment but residents were more concerned with traffic. A traffic circle is being considered for Curve & Sunnyside but there are driveway impacts; the 85th percentile speed on Sunnyside is 30 mph but because of the volume of traffic, staff is looking at different ways to slow the speed; bump-outs are being considered for Grimes and Curve to delineate parking because of the number of driveways. 3 Member Loeffelholz asked what would happen to the data collected through the multi-modal survey and chair Bass suggested adding it to a future agenda for discussion. 2016 Transportation Commission Work Plan Planner Nolan said the work plan is due by Sept. 29. Suggested work plan topics were: 1. Seek funding for Bike Plan Update 2. Create a Walking Map 3. Top 20 issues in Edina 4. Evaluate Street Smart and Living Streets 5. Review advisory function and what improvements could be made 6. Review Edina To Go app and recommend organization/categories for reporting concerns related to streets/transportation 7. Review special assessment policy for neighborhood street reconstructions and recommend modifications (if that’s what review concludes) 8. Review clear view and vegetation maintenance standards from bike/pedestrian perspective 9. Review and update Transportation Impact Analysis policy (traffic studies associated with redevelopments) Traffic Safety Reports of August 5, 2015 A.1 & A.2 Sgt. Conboy is going to reach out to the school. Chair Bass suggested talking with the PTO to see if they could raise funds. A.3 Interlachen Blvd is not currently scheduled for reconstruction. B.2 Planner Nolan said this request was submitted by member Janovy and was denied a second time. Motion was made by member Nelson and seconded by member Olson to forward the August 5, 2015, TSC report to the City Council. All voted aye. Motion carried. Updates Student Members – None Bike Edina Working Group (not currently meeting) Communications Committee – None CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS – None CHAIR AND COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS Member LaForce said he witnessed a pedestrian get hit at France and Parklawn. He wondered if they had improved this intersection if it would have made a difference. Member Nelson said he attended the “stroll and roll” and saw people in wheelchair on France Avenue. He mentioned the missing segment of sidewalk on France between 65th and the Crosstown because he saw someone biking in the grass and it was evident that others had done the same. Planner Nolan said the hospital has expressed favor of adding this piece so he will follow up with them. STAFF COMMENTS • Planner Nolan gave an update on the 2015 reconstruction projects. 4 • Interlachen Boulevard Sidewalk bids were opened today and staff will recommend approval; dynamic speed signs were added to the project. • A grand opening is being planned for the Promenade for September. • The street lights on France Avenue are set to Edina green but it can be programmed for special events; staff is putting together a policy that would allow the public to make requests. • The plants in the medians on France Avenue are being replaced because approximately 75% of them did not survive the winter (lack of snow). • City Council approved the variance requests for Tracy Avenue and Parklawn Avenue (both 2016 projects). • The request for proposal (RFP) is out for the Grandview area; a meeting is scheduled for tomorrow with the prospective consultants; a volunteer is needed from the ETC to review the RFPs. • The missing gap of sidewalk on Xerxes Avenue (W. 56th to W. 60th) received approximately 25% funding from Hennepin County for construction in 2016 (this is the only gap between Southdale and Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis). • Hennepin County continues to meet with residents on Xerxes Avenue because some are still unhappy with the bump-outs (even after several modifications). • Two new student members will begin next month. • City Council approved changes to boards and commissions’ bylaws – annual meeting will be in February starting in 2016. • A grand opening for France Avenue is scheduled for Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at 70th & France; if available, commissioners are to meet there, followed by the ETC meeting at 6 p.m. at Think Bank, 3655 Hazelton Road. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned. ATTENDANCE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE J F M A M J* J A S O N D SM SM WS # of Mtgs Attendance % Meetings/Work Sessions 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 NAME TERM (Enter Date) (Enter Date) 6/17 Bass, Katherine 2/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89% Boettge, Emily 2/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 100% Iyer, Surya 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89% LaForce, Tom 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89% Loeffelholz, Ralf 3/1/2018 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 86% Janovy, Jennifer 2/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89% Nelson, Paul 2/1/2016 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 100% Olson, Larry 3/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89% Whited, Courtney 2/1/2015 1 1 100% Spanhake, Dawn 2/1/2016 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 89% Rummel, Anna 9/1/2015 1 1 1 3 33% Campbell, Jack 9/1/2015 1 1 1 1 4 44% *cancelled