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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Minutes April 2010TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION GOAL SETTING Saturday, April 17, 2010 Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way 8:00 am to 11:30 am   Summary Minutes Attendees: Tom Burnham, Eric Heesacker, Steve Hauck, Julia Sommer, Colin Swales (Chair), Brent Thompson, Matt Warshawsky, David Young Absent:      John Gaffey (outgoing Commissioner) Ex Officio Members:  David Chapman Staff Present:  Michael Faught, Jim Olson, Nancy Slocum   1.  Call to Order: 8:30 AM by Colin Swales.   2.  Commission Roles and Responsibilities: Commissioners represent the City as well as the Community. Sometimes a commission meeting is a member of the public’s first contact with city government. Sometimes being on a commission is a commissioner’s first contact with government.   Ashland’s transportation issues are also region-wide issues. Jackson County Traffic Safety Commission and SOPAT (Southern Oregon Partnership for Active Transportation) would benefit from a Transportation Commission liaison. David Chapman volunteered to provide a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) report at the meeting. The MPO Public Advisory Council (PAC) generally meets bimonthly on the 3rd Tuesday at 5:30 pm at the Smullin Center. Julia Sommer and Steve Hauck volunteered to attend the meetings and represent the Commission. Faught and Chapman are driving to Salem once a month to the League of Oregon City meetings. Among other things, they are lobbying to get the speed limit decreased on “shared roads”.   Transportation Issues are closely tied with land use issues. Question as to when the Commission should be involved in Ashland land use issues. The ordinance says Type II (annexations, zone and comp plan changes) and the TSP update process.   A handout on meeting norms was discussed. Commission agreed upon them and will adopt them at their next meeting. They requested that copies of the norms be available to the public at all meetings.   The role of the Chair was discussed. Heesacker asked all Commissioners to help him in his role this year.   Commissioners would like advanced notice on agenda items that require site visits.   Commissioners asked staff to read absent Commissioner’s comments into the record. To get comments into the packet, they must be to staff a week before the meeting on that Monday. Commissioners can ask to postpone an agenda item if it is agreed by staff and the Chair that the item is not time sensitive.   Irregularly scheduled study sessions for the purpose of education was acceptable to the Commission. Video links and/or resource links sent by staff were encouraged. One of staff’s primary goals was to educate the commissioners so they make the most informed decisions. Goal Setting: Brainstormed Goal Category  Complete Safe Routes to School inventory Current Staff Goal  Continue to work w/ODOT on Exit 14 and 19 Current Staff Goal  Transportation-related public call/action taken record Staff assignment  Respond to public’s traffic and transportation-related concerns Staff assignment  Work with Southern Oregon Partnership for Active Transportation (SOPAT) TC Role  Define Commission role in relationship to the City Council and Planning Commission TC Role  Accomplish more at meetings TC Role  Update brochure on how City responds to neighborhood traffic issues 5 E’s  Develop an educational website with resource links 5 E’s  ID realistic traffic safety objectives/projects for the next 2 years Goal  Support RVTD (improve transit service in Ashland) Goal  Lobby for law change re: whose at fault at bicycle accidents & 3’ Rule Goal  Lobby Police Dept to hire a full time traffic officer Goal  Neighborhood speed control program; education on shared roads Goal  Participate and improved local/regional/state partnerships Goal  More Engineering/Education/Encouragement/Enforcement/Evaluation integrated solutions Goal  Cosponsoring of events (eg: Bike to Work, Bike Swap); how much involvement; form a “Sponsorship Subcommittee”? Goal  Determine use of TC budget; do we want to raise separate funds?; provide TC regular budget reports Goal  Make Commission actions available on city website Goal  “Bike Friendly Community” Program - move from Bronze to Platinum Goal  Improve Will Dodge Way for Bicyclists & Pedestrians TSP  Improve cyclists ability to get through the downtown core TSP  Add additional bicycle parking in central business district TSP  Add additional bicycle links (eg: Clay/Tolman, E Main/66, 66/Siskiyou) TSP  Improve alleys for bicycle use TSP  Improve North Main for bike safety TSP   Decrease speed limit on the bike path TSP  Improve alleys for bicycle use TSP  Improve North Main for bike safety TSP  Add shoulder on upper Tolman Creek above Siskiyou Boulevard TSP  Construct sidewalk on south side of Siskiyou from Walker to Tolman Creek TSP  Lower speed limit on Ashland Street (Highway 66) TSP  Define/require shared roads into street design standards TSP  Consider plans for trail easements along existing railroad tracks TSP  Improve Clay Street (Siskiyou to Ashland St) TSP  Update paving standards TSP  Make A Street a “shared road” TSP & 2 Yr  Complete Central Bike Path to Dog Park TSP & 2 yr  Experiment with “Box Stop” 2 year                                            Forced Choice Scoring      Settled on Goal                                                        No. of Points   TSP                                                     agreed upon as highest priority TC Sponsorship                                                          28 TC Budget                                                       very low priority Bike Parking in Central Business District                   31 Increase local and regional participation                    44 5 E’s                                                                            49 Improve Regional Transit Service                              43 Bike Friendly Community                                           46 More Police Enforcement                                           22 Neighborhood Speed Control Program                       30 Lobby for Law Change (3’ Rule) Bicyclist Accidents 21 Identify two year traffic safety projects                       59 Post Commission Actions on Website             16                   Transportation Commission Goals for 2010-2011                         (24 months from April, 2010)   1.  TSP Update                                          agreed upon as highest priority 2.  Identify two year traffic safety projects                        59 3.  5 E’s                                                                             49 4.  Bike Friendly Community Status                                  46 5.  Local/Regional Partnerships                                        44 6.  Regional Transit                                                           43                                                                 4.  Adjourn at 11:45 am.