HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Packet July 2016Note: Anyone wishing to speak at any Transportation Commission meeting is encouraged to do so. If you wish to speak, please
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AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER: 6:00 PM, Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street
II. ANNOUNCEMENTS
III. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of Minutes: June 23, 2016
IV. PUBLIC FORUM
V. NEW BUSINESS
A. Commission Training
Legal will discuss Commission operating rules and procedures (30 min.)
B. Downtown Super Sharrows Proposal – Dave Young
VI. OLD BUSINESS
A. Vegetation Maintenance Program
Discuss status of improvements program and public outreach (10 min.)
B. Grandview Shared Road
Update Commission on outcome of Council Meeting (10 min.)
VII. FOLLOW UP ITEMS
A. Downtown Parking and Multi Modal Circulation Study Update-Improvement Projects
Discuss Previous Meeting and Study Status
B. North Main Crosswalk Analysis/Post Road Diet Analysis
Update Commission on Crosswalk Project and Warrant Analysis for Hersey/Wimer intersection
VIII. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
A. Action Summary-Development of a Task List
B. Accident Report
C. Making an Impact Newsletter (July)
IX. COMMISSION OPEN DISCUSSION
X. FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS
A. TSP update process
XI. ADJOURNMENT: 8:00 PM
Next Meeting Date: August 25, 2016
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the
Public Works Office at 488-5587 (TTY phone number 1 800 735 2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City
to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title I).
Transportation Commission
Contact List as of July 2016
Name Title Telephone Mailing Address Email Address Expiration of Term
Dominic Barth Commissioner 617-840-5425 586 ½ C Street dofriesgowiththatshake@yahoo.com 4/30/2018
Danielle Amarotico Commissioner 541-840-3770 265 Alta Avenue Danielle@CommonBlockBrewing.com 4/30/2017
Joe Graf Commissioner 541-488-8429 1160 Fern Street jlgtrans15@gmail.com 4/30/2018
Alan Bender Commissioner 541-488-4967 145 Almond Street Alan.bender@erau.edu 4/30/2017
Corinne Vièville Commissioner 541-488-9300 805 Glendale Avenue corinne@mind.net 4/30/2019
or 541-944-9600
David Young Commissioner 541-488-4188 747 Oak Street dyoung@jeffnet.org 4/30/2018
Sue Newberry Commissioner 775-720-2400 2271 Chitwood Lane sue.j.newberry@gmail.com 4/30/2019
Non-Voting Ex Officio Membership
Mike Faught Director of Public Works 541- 488-5587 20 E. Main Street faughtm@ashland.or.us
Stefani Seffinger Council Liaison 541-708-3665 20 E. Main Street stefani@council.ashland.or.us
Brandon Goldman Planning Department 541- 488-5305 20 E. Main Street goldmanb@ashland.or.us
Steve MacLennan Police Department 541- 552-2433 20 E. Main Street maclenns@ashland.or.us
Scott Hollingsworth Fire Department 541- 552-2932 20 E. Main Street hollings@ashland.or.us
Janelle Wilson SOU Liaison 541-552-8328 1250 Siskiyou Blvd wilsonjan@sou.edu
VACANT Ashland Schools
Dan Dorrell PE ODOT 541- 774-6354 100 Antelope Rd WC 97503 Dan.w.dorrell@odot.state.or.us
Paige Townsend RVTD 541- 608-2411 3200 Crater Lake Av 97504 ptownsend@rvtd.org
VACANT Ashland Parks 20 E. Main Street
Jenna Stanke Jackson County Roads 541- 774-6231 200 Antelope Rd WC 97503 stankeJS@jacksoncounty.org
David Wolske Airport Commission david@davidwolske.com
Staff Support
Scott Fleury Eng. Service Manager 541-488-5347 20 E. Main Street fleurys@ashland.or.us
Karl Johnson Associate Engineer 541-552-2415 20 E. Main Street johnsonk@ashland.or.us
Kyndra Irigoyen Administrative Assistant 541-552-2427 20 E. Main Street irigoyenk@ashland.or.us
Transportation Commission
June 23, 2016
Page 1 of 10
ASHLAND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
MINUTES
June 23, 2016
CALL TO ORDER
Graf called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Commissioners Present: Dominic Barth, Joe Graf, David Young, Corinne Viéville, and Sue Newberry
Commissioners Absent: Alan Bender and Danielle Amarotico
Council Liaison Present: Stef Seffinger
SOU Liaison Absent: Janelle Wilson
Staff Present: Scott Fleury, Kyndra Irigoyen, and Mike Faught
ANNOUNCEMENTS
None.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Approval of May 26, 2016 minutes
The minutes were approved as amended.
ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA
None.
PUBLIC FORUM
None.
NEW BUSINESS
Bicycle Education Training
Rachel Dials, the Recreation Superintendent for Ashland Parks and Recreation, and Egon Dubois, the bicycle safety
instructor gave a presentation. Each year Ashland Parks and Recreation (APR) uses funds generated from the
Ashland Community Bike Swap to fund the Bicycle Safety Education Program within Ashland schools. APR assumed
the role of the program after the BCA discontinued the program in 2012. The estimated program costs are $8,400,
which includes instructor time, teaching, and maintenance of bike fleet. During the 2015-16 school year the bicycle
safety program was taught at Helman Elementary, Walker Elementary and John Muir Elementary to fourth and fifth
grade students, with 10 classes and 284 students total. The bike swap netted about $8,000, which is almost double
from the year before. This is due to there being more bikes donated this year and the volunteers who fixed the bikes
before the bike swap. Dials said this year they are asking for a contribution of $500 from the Transportation
Commission to help offset the costs and for the funds to be distributed before the end of the school year, which is
June 30, 2016.
Faught asked how many hours the volunteers spent putting the bikes together. Dubois said in excess of 200 hours.
Faught said these people spend a lot of time doing the bike education and generating money for the program. Dials
said they receive donated bikes from the public, but also from police departments in the area including Ashland,
Medford, and Central Point.
Barth asked why Bellview Elementary is not part of the program. Dubois said they ceased to participate three years
ago. He said every year he reaches out to them to participate, but the teachers told him their school has had some
difficulties meeting scholastic requirements and they were instructed not to schedule any extracurricular activities
until the performance improves. They have politely declined each year. Barth asked if there is a different way to
pursue Bellview and ask them to reevaluate. Dubois said he is open to any suggestion. He typically discusses this
with the fourth and fifth grade teachers and the principal is supportive to the best of his knowledge, he is not certain
These minutes are pending approval by this Commission
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who made the decision not to participate. Barth said he believes it is administrative, not the parents’ choice.
Newberry asked how many hours they spend on the bike, is it done during the P.E. class, and how long is the
program. Dubois said the program is two weeks long, ten days, and 45 minutes a day, with the exception of the first
two days, which they spend in the classroom for theoretical instruction, but the rest of the time, is on the bicycles.
The first couple of days on the bicycles they spend on the school grounds and then outside of the school grounds.
The children learn the rules of the road, how to signal, how to make eye contact with drivers, when it is safe to enter
an intersection, and what to do in every situation. Dubois said they manage a fleet of approximately 40 bikes and
bring them to the schools.
Viéville asked if the commission could recommend that all the schools participate in this program by going out to the
schools and voicing support of this. Dials said they are always looking for advocates and going into the next fiscal
year they have a certain amount they have budgeted for the program.
Viéville asked if this is something, the commission could write a letter supporting. Faught said the commission could
make a motion for the chair to sign a letter supporting all of the schools participation.
Viéville m/s Newberry that the chair of the Ashland Transportation Commission sign a letter in support of
recommending that all schools participate in the bicycle safety education training program.
All in favor.
Graf said he spoke to Faught about this funding and Faught assured him that the Transportation Commission does
not have a budget therefore it is really Public Works that makes the decision to make up the difference in the funding.
Graf said he always thought they had a budget but Faught said they did not.
Faught clarified that commissions do not have money; they do not have budgets. He said that Public Works has
discretionary money that he can take out of that line item, if we thought it was a legitimate expense. For example, if
the commission wanted to go to a class we would see how much money is available and we would fund it or not fund
it. His recommendation is that the bicycle training program folks should come in every year to the commission to give
an update, but this funding could have been approved at a staff level when it was submitted two weeks ago. There is
not discretionary money for commissions, there is money allotted for types of activities that we can spend to assist
the commission in their duties and work.
Graf said the commission supports this program and wants to fund it. He thinks there was some question whether the
commission had recommended funding in perpetuity or for several years. Faught said staff thinks this is a great
program and is in favor of it as well.
Young said to check the minutes, he believes he recommended this last year that we make this a line item and he
believes that Faught had a reason not to do that. Viéville said she remembers that too, that we recommended this on
a permanent basis. Young said that every year he has been on the commission it has been characterized as a
commission budget and there is an allotment that Council used to authorize of $3500 per year. It has never been a
question of whether the commission had a budget so this is news today. Seffinger said she does not know of any
commission that has a budget. She thinks the problem with perpetuity budgets is that the budget committee is the
one that looks at the budget in the biennium and decides how much money there is in the City and how much will be
allotted to the different departments. The departments then have to decide, based on how much money they have
been allotted.
Barth read last year’s minutes:
Graf asked if this was for the current biennium or the next biennium. They are requesting it for the current
biennium and Fleury said he thinks he can make that happen. He added the commission has two budget
lines. One was the $2,000 line item from the bicycle/pedestrian commission and the transportation/traffic
safety commission had a line Transportation Commission June25, 2015 Page 3 of 6 item of $3,000 so
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combined the Transportation commission has $5,000 per year which comes from the Street fund. Graf
asked how much has been spent so far and Scott replied $3,000… (Transportation Commission Minutes,
June 25, 2015)
Faught said there is money in the budget to do these activities. However, this is not the commission’s money. He
said that Councilor Seffinger said it very well because every year when we put our budgets together there is a limit on
how much money we can budget. We can work together on how to fund this long term, but he thinks the authority to
give them money should rest with staff because we are already in support. There are priorities that change and that
changes how much money we have available each year.
Young said this is another question of what power does the commission have. This is a minor thing and for close to
20 years since he has been involved it has been at the discretion of the commission to decide where the money is
spent. Now anytime the commission wants to spend money it has to go through Faught for approval. Faught said
there is an ordinance that covers what the authorities are for the Transportation Commission, which does not include
budget authority. There is also a separate ordinance that drives the administrative part and we were told with clarity
that commissions do not have funds. We cannot assign budgets to commissions. If there is a project the commission
wants to do, the staff will try to find the money to do that.
Seffinger said that all of the commissions try to provide input to the budget committee and Council. What is difficult is
that Council does not have the final decisions on how to spend the money, the budget committee does. The budget
committee is made up of seven citizen members and six council members. We have had a yearly budget up to the
last biennium; the amount of money is going to be different for every budget cycle.
Young said it is not that simple with this commission. This commission has a special rule where they do not advise
the Council, they advise the Public Works Director. Anything they do is filtered through him, unlike other
commissions. Somehow, all the decisions that are made have to go through Faught before they go to Council and
oftentimes they do not. Every single time they have to get approval to spend on money on anything. He said he is not
clear in anyway if it will result in the same benefit for the mission of the commission that is has historically.
Viéville said she remembers that we made this a permanent line item, so they would not have to come back every
year and beg for money. Graf said we did not do it last year. Viéville said she knows that we have discussed it.
Faught said we have had this discussion, but again we cannot obligate future budget committees to any particular
dollar amount.
Dials said from the Ashland Parks and Recreation perspective, they appreciate coming back every year and talking
about the program. This year they doubled the amount of money that was netted for the event. She said she thinks it
is a good opportunity to come and tell the commission about the program. Faught said he is not suggesting they do
not come back, but as for the financial part, staff could have just taken care of it.
Graf asked whether a motion was needed. Faught said at this point we do not need a motion. Graf said we are all in
favor of supporting this program. Faught said staff will allot the $500 for the program.
Young m/s Viéville that we recommend $500 to the bicycle and safety education program this year.
Graf asked if the program costs $8,400 and they have $8,000 in hand, why are you asking for $500. Dials said the
$8,400 was an estimate. Graf asked what happens if they do not receive all the money. Dials said they still intend on
continuing the program.
All in favor.
Vegetation Maintenance
John Peterson, Street Maintenance Supervisor, said that during the winter he has an eight-man crew, which is
limited. It is hard to fit code enforcement in. In 20 years, we have only cited two people. Right now we have a
seasonal worker who will start going door to door this Friday to talk to people who are out of compliance. We are not
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required to notify people when they are out of compliance, it is a city ordinance, and people have been notified by
flyers in their bills that clearly explain what they need to be doing. It is something as residents that we should know is
our responsibility. When we have the manpower to go door to door we do it but usually it is on a complaint driven
basis. The new employee will be here for approximately six months to work on this issue. Faught asked how they
prioritize the work he/she does. Peterson said they will be handled as the calls come in. For example, when we get a
complaint that vegetation is growing over the sidewalk on Tolman Cr. Rd. he will dispatch staff to go out there, not to
do just this one part; he will have them go all the way to Clay St. and Siskiyou, and Ashland St. We will hit everything
in that area and move on to the next complaint. They will not go to collectors and arterials first they will base it upon
priority.
Newberry asked if they see that a house is out of compliance, do they leave a door hanger or do you keep going
back? Peterson said they have a flyer that has a diagram, which has a scale that goes 12 ft. by 12 ft. it shows an
exact diagram of what is required to bring it into compliance. He said they leave a copy of the ordinance and contact
information for anyone who has questions.
Young thanked Peterson for doing what he can with what he has. It is something where we build infrastructure and
we build sidewalks that are 3-4 ft. wide and then people landscape the front of their homes and effectively make that
sidewalk 2 ft. wide. He said this is infrastructure that we tax payers pay for to provide a safe, ADA approved
pedestrian access in wheel chairs. There are mailboxes in the middle of sidewalks, people laying free stuff out in the
middle of the sidewalk, branches sticking out. His suggestion is that we need to start a campaign. This should be a
priority. Many people would choose to walk if it were safer. He feels the sreets that have the most pedestrians
accessing them should be prioritized first and then work your way down from there. The arterials and collectors
strategy would fall into that category. There needs to be some prioritization with limited resources rather than waiting
randomly for something to come up. Certain corridors, Oak St. area, above the boulevard, the routes to school on
Helman St. should be no brainers, done every year, proactively, down to the edge of the sidewalk.
Peterson said that Oak St. was just done less than a month ago. Once they get the notice, we try to go back every 30
days and if they have not done anything, they get a 10-day notice, and if it still hasn’t been done in 10 days, they
send an officer to the residence. Young said there are multiple places where the brush is 8 ft. high and nothing has
been done. He thinks this should be a priority and has brought this to the commission for several months. This
problem is in our charter to deal with. Short of saying, we recommend to council if we have that ability, that we get a
code enforcement person or start an education program where the flyer is put into every single bill, one cycle, with a
follow up with some program. Peterson said he thinks that flyer goes out about every three months and we have
been doing that for at least six years. Peterson said he gets a list as soon as these things come in and as soon as he
can send people out, he does. If there is a vision clearance complaint that is more important that a vegetation issue
on the sidewalk because it could lead to car accidents or someone hitting someone in a crosswalk. He is open to
suggestions for prioritizing this issue.
Faught said if the commission wants to recommend at the next biennium budget to submit a request for additional
staff for code enforcement we will submit that at their request.
Newberry said she has worked on things like this before as a community advocate. One of the best ways for the
public to understand the issue is to go out with someone who is visually impaired or using a wheelchair and get some
news coverage for it. We have a town paper here and if they put something personal on the front-page, get
somebody with a stroller who cannot push it on sidewalk and has to push it out onto the street. She said she has
done this before with teddy bears in the stroller. People do not really understand the problem; many people do not
walk so they are oblivious to the problem. In addition, AmericaWalks sent an email with a new app for pedestrians to
report things that are not working, whether it be a signal not working or it could be something like code enforcement.
She encourages the City to look into something like that because we have very engaged citizens here, if the City is
prepared to receive that information and do something with it. She thinks more people would be compliant if they
understood the personal aspect of it.
Faught said that is a great idea to use media coverage. It is a staffing issue though, we cannot monitor it as heavily
as we would like to and if the commission would like to recommend that we hire another person, we will include that
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in the next biennium request. Peterson said it would take a full time staff person to do all the vegetation maintenance
and it would take a full year to get it done. The vegetation issue is everywhere and it is overwhelming; this person
would be very busy all year long.
Young said this goes beyond one person, there has to be enforcement and citations. Peterson said after the 30-day
and 10-day periods pass we send an officer out. Young said where you prioritize is where you have sidewalks. He
would be glad to sit down with Peterson to strategize on how to prioritize this.
Barth asked if a grant was available to get this, all done at once and then we could possibly have a maintenance
person go around once a year to keep up with it. Is there anything that encourages the City to make a safe and
comfortable place for pedestrians and disabled people? He asked if there is anything broad, that is similar to ‘Tree
City’ or ‘Bike City’ for this issue. Faught said there is not a grant we are aware of that would specifically take care of
vegetation issues. This problem needs to be managed annually and we have to work with our residents and be
interactive. He thinks trying some of these other ideas before jumping to hiring a new staff member is the way to go.
Viéville thinks we need to do both because it would take a year to get a new staff member. Faught said we would not
recommend it until the budget process starts in March, which would not be effective until July.
Young said we should do a test street. We could work with the neighborhood, warn them to get their stuff done ahead
of time, this street would get a buzz cut. This would show what a street looks like up to standard. Barth said this
would encourage pedestrian use. Young said this would bring awareness and would provide a template for the
standards. Peterson said we had some vison clearance issues in Quiet Village, we sent out notices, and about 90-
95% is completed.
Faught said he would like to point out that Peterson does not just get calls about vegetation issues, but also for
potholes, dead deer, and street maintenance, which is his primary focus. He also has to deliver all the work and
preparation for the slurry seal program. His crews have to get all the painting done every year too.
Graf said he is sensing we do not really have a plan.
Young m/s Viéville this commission embark on a campaign to open up existing right-of-way on all sidewalks.
Young asked if this is a priority for this commission or not. Are we going to look like we are supportive, but you are
overworked and do not have enough staff. This will involve some energy to get going and he is willing to be part of
that. Newberry asked what real commitment looks like to Young. Young said that we name a program, establish
goals, make requests, and have a timeline for tasks. Newberry said she would make a commitment to go out this
month and look. She has worked with communities who already have programs like this in place. She said she would
find all the information she can and get it over to Peterson. Peterson said he welcomes that and invites anyone for a
ride along to see a few things.
Faught said maybe staff could work on a program and bring it back to the commission. Newberry said it is very
important because it is an investment we have already made. She said we have to invest in code enforcement, we
would not allow this to happen on paved streets, but we allow it to happen on sidewalks because we are not walking
on them all the time. Viéville asked why they could not start a campaign on their own. Young said he thinks Viéville’s
point is that we have the capability of sitting down in a subcommittee or informally with a few people to discuss what
it might look like, or do it as a full commission at the next meeting. He said his motion is intended for this commission.
Faught said he was talking about the offer we have from Newberry to go out and give us advice about media. He said
he was not trying to develop this program as he was speaking. Newberry has offered to help Peterson with some
ideas, let us formulate a program based on Peterson’s years of experience and make recommendations, and
develop this program together. Graf said we still have a motion on the floor. We have some commissioners who are
passionate about this issue. If we have commissioners work with Peterson to work on this to put something together,
it makes a lot of sense to him. Graf said two or three commissioners could meet with staff to discuss this plan and
would not require a quorum. Barth said this sounds reasonable considering any financial issues could be brought into
discussion at the start by staff, rather than come up with an idea, so at least we know a rough timeframe.
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Seffinger said it sounds like there are two different things being discussed, talking about maintenance of vegetation
that is already there and blocking sidewalks with things. She does not think people think about the impact of that part
of it to somebody who has a visual handicap or in a wheelchair. She thinks it is an excellent idea to do some kind of
awareness program on that part of it. For the vegetation part, it makes sense to have the commission involved with
staff to develop a program, and then you would know the cost of the program. Contacting the Tidings or having
something on the City website about ‘have you thought about what it would be like to be handicapped in any way and
have to walk on the sidewalk’.
Barth asked if we could amend the motion to specify this is a cooperative venture with selected commissioners and
staff. We need to be specific as possible; we do a lot of these vague. Young does not accept the friendly amendment.
No: Barth
Yes: Young, Graf, Newberry, Viéville
Motion passes.
Viéville m/s Young to have a subcommittee of this commission to present something to the next meeting or
in a certain amount of time.
Viéville said we need to get started somehow. Young said he agrees but if we form a subcommittee, we will need city
staff to be present and to take minutes, which creates a much bigger deal. As long as we do not violate public
meeting laws, three of us could meet with Peterson on this issue.
Viéville and Young resend their motion.
Viéville said they will have a working group, not a subcommittee.
Newberry said she would like to do some research and then send it to Young and Viéville and then get together
before they meet with Peterson. Graf asked if the goal would be to report back at the next meeting. Newberry said at
a minimum. Graf said as a reminder, the working group would have to communicate through staff. Faught said
Newberry must email her research to staff, who then can email it out to other commissioners.
OLD BUSINESS
Traffic Growth Management Grant Application
Fleury said we got it all together, presented it to the Council, and the Council approved to submit. He thinks we will
hear back in August or September and then if we do receive the grant, we will be up and running by March.
Grandview Shared Road
Faught said what we did differently is that we had the neighborhood meeting outlining the details of the project before
we brought it to the regular meeting for public forum discussion. About 50 people showed up and the meeting was
very interactive. There was angst about the guardrail being installed un-permitted. The attorney wrote up a very clear
explanation as to why the guardrail has remained in place, which we will include in the next packet. Staff came up
with some design drawings and shared with the group. He asked the group how many would be in support of the
shared road project and the majority said they would support it by raising their hand. Four or five people said they
would not support it, but that had to do more with the guardrail. Graf said he thought it was a very good meeting.
Faught said we have all the questions and we have been meeting to get them answered to have the website for
additional background information. At the Council meeting last night four or five people still said they were not in favor
of the project without some modifications. He thinks we should do this format every time with projects like this before
we have the formal process. We are moving this conversation to July 19th with the City Council. Graf said his
impression was that the people, who were opposed to the project, were the people who were opposed to the
guardrail. Faught said they are scheduling a site visit with Council to go see the guardrail on Grandview.
Young said on some level they approved the shared road status during the TSP process. This should be a deal
breaker, this is a neighborhood collector and this is not what the spirit of the concept of a shared road is. He asked if
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it was already designated as a shared road and if we could un-designate it. Faught said it is already designated as a
shared road in the TSP. He said shared roads are effective up to 1500 average daily trips (ADT). Currently there is
580 ADT on Grandview. The recommendation came from our transportation engineer consultant after looking at it to
see if it would still operate effectively; it was engineered in terms of the recommendation. In 2010, the commission
was petitioned by residents of Grandview to construct a sidewalk. It has been used as a shared road in the past
because people are walking up and down the road. This was a very conscious effort to have this added in the TSP to
be shared road. Young said he thinks it would be useful as a commission to go visit the road.
Barth said he has been on Grandview a few times and the traffic he has encountered has been infrequent, but it has
been vigorous, it has been fast. He is not sure the volume meets what is designated as a collector. Young said he is
not suggesting we call it a collector, but it has a specialness to it. He is watching standards created for shared roads,
which are very different from what we discussed. He thinks it warrants rethinking, in the morning and afternoon there
is a lot of traffic.
Faught said the only way the speed limit can be reduced below 25 MPH is to have a shared road designation or
petition ODOT. As it is now, there is little refuge on the sides, even before the guardrail was there. The shared road
will give us 5 ft. of refuge on either side for all modes of transportation, even with cars on the road. Due to the
topography, it will never be cost effective to be built to City standard, which was the whole concept of shared roads
when we talked about. Where we are challenged with topography this is a great concept and every road that is
selected for shared road status met that criteria. Since you will never have enough width to build the road, this is a
viable option to what is currently happening where people are walking in the road with limited places to get out of the
way. This will be safer for pedestrians and bikes for when cars come through.
Newberry said gravel has been previously mentioned. Faught said granitic material will be used on the sides.
Newberry asked if the street will be striped. Faught said no, this will not be striped because it gives ownership to the
people driving in that lane and they tend to speed up. We want this to be shared facility so people go slower and
automated reader speed signs. He said he had a bicyclist call and say he could not go 15 MPH down this road.
Faught said it was a chance to educate the bicyclist that he could receive a ticket for speeding. Faught said a shared
road is a better option for everyone.
Viéville asked if the street will be striped. Faught said no, just the stripes on the edge of the road, the fog stripe.
Newberry said the effect of this is that it makes the road look narrower than it really is. Faught said this slows people
down.
Viéville asked if the potholes will be maintained on the sides. Faught said it will be maintained but we not anticipating
a lot of problems with the granitic material because it packs down so tight.
FOLLOW UP ITEMS
Downtown Parking and Multi Modal Circulation Study Update-Improvement Projects
Faught said the committee has endorsed the parking portion of the plan some time ago, which was outlined by Rick
Williams. At the last meeting, the committee voted to hold off on the multi-modal piece and decided to get an urban
designer consultant. Some of the multi-modal ideas we have reduces the three lane to two lane and creates some
additional right of way. What they want to do next is to have an urban design consultant come in and start talking
about what it might look like before they complete the multi-modal portion. They did not want to hold off on the
parking portion, so they voted to move the parking portion to Council, but not until there is public input on it. In early
October, we will probably have some public input on this and tweak it if it needs to be tweaked. When we receive all
the feedback, the committee will then send the parking portion to Council for approval, separate from the multi-modal
piece.
Faught said he spoke with urban designer, John Fregonese who actually used to work for the City of Ashland as the
Planning Director. He has the same level of expertise and interaction with folks as Rick Williams. He is well respected
in the industry. Faught said he offered the committee to take the summer off from meetings, because they were
feeling strained, but the committee did not want to do that, they want to get this moving.
Transportation Commission
June 23, 2016
Page 8 of 10
Graf said the parking is a strategy; it is not really a plan yet. It has not created or destroyed any parking places. So it
is a plan how we would go about analyzing the parking situation and solving the problem in a step-wise fashion, with
a lot of input and another committee. Faught said it recommends hiring staff, at least one, half-time staff that works
on this downtown parking strategies all the time. It clearly shows in the strategy, if the parking is used at 85% or
above, you need to take action, and the actions are listed. Based on the research that was done we currently are
over 85%.
Barth said he was interested in a comment that John Fields had made, he wondered what would happen if you did do
a test of the bike lane through downtown. He fully appreciates the multi-modal broad ideas going on and he thinks it
is really important and asked what Faught’s response was to this idea. Faught said this will be an agenda item at the
next meeting because it has come up a couple of times. He said he believes he has been clear about this throughout
the process that a pilot project does not work in the downtown. The reason it does not work is, N. Main was simple,
we could do pilot out there because there were not major impacts, we were not going to rebuild anything. The
difference with the downtown, for this to work, is you have to create the truck parking and get the trucks out of the
way, to do the bike lane, you are still losing a lane. The truck issue has to be solved in order for this to work. The
other piece is that by cutting the lane off, where it comes out by City Hall, it no longer has the ability to drive straight
through, so all this traffic will be put onto Oak St. This means there needs to be a traffic signal at Oak St. and a traffic
signal at Lithia, we would also need to remove the traffic signal at Helman. So it is not just a matter of painting a bike
lane, it is not that simple. He said at the next meeting he will be walking through step by step as to why a pilot cannot
be done.
Seffinger said Council has received many concerns about reducing parking spaces, concerns about the fact that
there are many offsite lots that cannot be used. The Elks said their lot could not be used, for example. There are
employees that feel an analysis was not done of the fact that our city is very different from other cities, in that a lot of
the employees work during evening hours, so having a parking lot that is far away from the downtown is a concern
for some of the employees. They have also received a number of complaints about raising the parking fee.
Young said these concerns have also come to the Downtown Committee. He said it has been made clear that there
is no intent to reduce the number of parking spaces downtown for this to work. Seffinger said another concern they
have been hearing is from neighborhoods. For example, Alison St has said they feel that they do not want their
streets to be used for additional parking that may be needed.
Graf said he is not sure the committee has had an explicit vote to do urban planning, but that is what everyone has
been wanting to do and looking at. The majority of the committee is thinking about the bigger picture, not just the two
lane to three lane, which we in transportation tend to look at more. It will be interesting to see what happens when
they have someone to come in and look at the big picture. It goes from a bike lane to a $6 million project and he
keeps saying he does want it to look like a $6 million bike lane, because it is much more than that when the redesign
is done. If the redesign is done right, many of the issues are taken away, because it does not matter if you have great
parking if you cannot walk to it because it is too dangerous and too hard to get there. You have to figure out how
people are going to get to the various places and at the same time, you do not want employees parking eight hours a
day in front of a business. Also, OSF patrons and others who need to park for more than two hours and have to find a
place. There is a lot of juggling that has to go on to make this work and in the end a lot of people are not going to like
it.
Young said with anything it all depends on what assumptions you make when forming your opinion. He said he will
just state that this whole thing that Faught says the committee decided to go with an urban designer was a strategy
between Pam Marsh and the Chamber. He said she sent an email to Faught directly and copied the Director of the
Chamber, and himself suggesting that we tear off the parking part because it is done and send it off to Council and
look at the multi-modal thing separately. People got way off on this. He said Faught brought in a consultant who
showed pictures of the disruption of the downtown and they were all thinking that the City and in front of their
business would be rubble. The recommendation was to spin off the parking and deal with the multi-modal, but the
urban redesign thing separately with this committee. He felt that was being somewhat disrespectful to the process,
that this is what we differed for years in the TSP. He said that Marsh sent the email and he responded, then
immediately there was this brouhaha, when all he was saying that he disagrees in splitting the parking off from the
Transportation Commission
June 23, 2016
Page 9 of 10
rest of the thing. He said we are here to do a transportation element for the downtown; he has been reminding the
committee the whole time that we have a marker that we had the downtown portion. And that Marsh for years made
the vote that we kick the can down the road to this committee. She was chair of the planning commission at the time
and now she is making a motion that we kick the can down the road with the multi-modal, again because now we
want to convene a new process of urban design. Then all of a sudden, there was some interactions, where he and
Faught talked about it. Shortly after that, he was informed that there is a committee of Marsh, Sandra Slattery, and
someone else who is very well placed but not in city government, who have been working on this idea for an urban
landscape professional to do this and start this process over. Their meetings are not bound to public meeting laws. At
the last public Downtown Committee meeting, the motion came up, first in the public comment. A person got up and
said we really need a professional urban designer; she was a landscape designer, and one of the parties involved in
this behind scenes stuff. She made that comment at the public forum and then Marie Donovan, the president of the
Chamber board, made a motion to separate the parking part of this from the downtown plan. There was no descend
from anyone, but me, and now we have this new thing. Now it is an assumption we are going to an urban designer.
This is a strategy that people have been working on and it is not spontaneous. He feels there are things going on
behind the scenes. The rest of the 19,000 citizens are not involved in these back door processes that may result in
big tax payer dollars, including Grandview, where an initial mistake is made, and now the tax payers are baring this
bill for something they had no input on. You also have the East Nevada Street Bridge, you have all this stuff, and this
is another one. It has been completely orchestrated by Faught and the chamber.
Seffinger said, as a Council member, she does not know what Young is talking about. Young said he knows she
does not know because it does not involve Council, it involves the Chamber.
Faught said, given what was said here tonight, he will invite Marsh to come talk to the commission about what really
transpired from her perspective. He said that Young said the same thing at the Downtown Meeting. Marsh got up
because she needed to clarify that comment Young made at the meeting. Faught said he is paraphrasing the email
that was sent, it said that Marsh was providing you with feedback from somebody sitting in the stands who is
watching. Marsh clarified that she only offered this as someone who was sitting in the audience and making a
recommendation. He said that Marsh has been sitting in the audience for some time, even though she is a member
of the commission, she has been watching and interacting. When she first started, she was providing a lot of
feedback. She was very clear at the meeting that she had just offered some suggestions. Faught said he would like
Marsh to come to the commission to clarify because Young has made some clear accusations. The other thing
Young thinks he heard at the meeting was that Marie Donovan also said something, but Faught said he does not
know what Young is referring to because Donovan did not get a copy of the email. The email was copied to Young,
himself, and Sandra Slattery, suggesting an idea. He thinks it is interesting how Young thinks there are secret
meetings and motions. He said since Young has made these accusations he would like give Marsh the opportunity to
clear it up, as she already did at the last meeting. Faught said she is not here to defend herself, but give her the
opportunity to clarify.
Vieville said she is confused, if it is just a parking strategy how can it be broken off. Faught said it would be best to
bring the document and walk through the whole thing and the strategies. The strategies are lined out so that if one
does not work, you move to the next one. Some of the strategies include paid parking stalls. They are all outlined to
try one thing first. We need to have an ongoing committee that focuses on parking all the time. One of the strategies
measures where we are every year. We have good data, but we need to gather it each year, everything is data
driven. He thinks that Rick Williams did some stellar work.
Graf said the report was always going to be two parts. One part was parking and one part was multi-modal at least
that is the way it evolved. The committee wanted to peel off the parking part, which had already been approved by
the committee and move that forward to Council, and then continue working on the other piece.
Newberry asked to put her favorite wording in there about public involvement. Faught said he thinks this urban
planner will really understand the dynamics in Ashland.
Barth said he is not understanding what is meant by ‘spinning off parking’ does that include truck spaces and loading
zones. Faught said no, parking is separate from what we need to do from three lane to two lane. Those parking spots
Transportation Commission
June 23, 2016
Page 10 of 10
have to be found in addition to the additional parking needs we have within the community. We are displacing, which
means we have to find those 18 parking spots.
Faught said he would bring the scope to the committee for the urban planner.
Newberry said in her opinion urban design is multi-modal transportation (landscaping, considering storefronts,
identifying different neighborhoods through features that might be on the streets). She said she sees urban planning
being the big picture, not separating out things. Young said he thinks we all share that on this commission, but that is
not the assumption by many people in the public.
Hillview Speed and Volume Analysis
Moved to next meeting.
Nevada Bridge Connection Project
Faught asked to set up a separate neighborhood meeting before we come back to the commission. Barth said he is
still amazed at the amount of money missing from this project, so is it premature to be doing the public meetings.
Faught said it is not the funding that is the question. He said if we get community support, Al Densmore will find us
the money. Graf said is there any reason to have a meeting before some of the questions are answered; how much
is it going to cost to do all the things the citizens want to do. Faught said he want to talk to the neighborhood about
the options asked for. We are trying to get estimates for a pedestrian/emergency access bridge.
Newberry said she thinks a public meeting is a good idea, people need to be heard. Faught said the neighborhood
residents would be notified. The meeting will probably be in September.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
Action Summary
Exit 14 Bicycle Signal Memo-ODOT
Accident Report
Making and Impact Newsletter (June)
COMMISSION OPEN DISCUSSION
FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS
TSP update process
Bicycle Education Funding-Parks Department
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting was adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kyndra Irigoyen
Public Works Administrative Assistant
AASSHHLLAANNDD TTRRAANNSSPPOORRTTAATTIIOONN CCOOMMMMIISSSSIIOONN MMIINNUUTTEESS May 28, 2015 CALL TO ORDER: Chair David Young called the meeting to order at 6:03p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street. Commissioners Present: David Young, Joe Graf, Corinne Viéville, Danielle Amarotico, Dominic Barth Commissioners Absent: Alan Bender Staff Present: Mike Faught, Scott Fleury, Tami De Mille-Campos, Whitney Dennis, and Officer Steve MacLennan Council Liaison Present: Michael Morris ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair David Young welcomed new commissioner, Dominic Barth. All Commissioners introduced themselves around the table. Barth explained his background as recently from New York where he studied Historic Preservation, Urban Design and Architecture. CONSENT AGENDA Approval of Minutes – April 23, 2015 The minutes were discussed and approved as amended. PUBLIC FORUM Huelz Gutcheon, 2253 Hwy 99, addressed the Commission discussing the future of solar energy and electric transportation. Gutcheon stressed that the solution to climate change is technological. Gutcheon gave examples of current technology including electric buses. Gutcheon explained that the future of transportation is going to be quick. Lee Nowman, 320 ½ Bridge Street, addressed the Commission as a volunteer representing the Southern Oregon University (SOU) Bike Program. Nowman explained that he helped set-up and implement the SOU Bike Program as part of his capstone project while he was in attendance there. Nowman described the success of his program including receiving $33,000 from student funds to assist with purchasing bikes and the installation of two bike fix-it stations; 35 bikes are available for rent. Nowman added that his group is generating biker culture on campus and is interested in continued dialogue with the Transportation Commission. NEW BUSINESS A. CIP & Biennium Budget Update Fleury presented an overview of the budget process describing the Public Works and Transportation Commission budgets and what to expect in the next biennium. Fleury discussed the budget timeline explaining that the original Budget Presentation took place on May 14th with the final budget to be adopted on June 16th by City Council. Discussion continued about the process noting that the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) budget was previously reviewed and approved by Council. The approved CIP included some of the Transportation Commission recommendations of priority Public Works projects. Fleury explained that the Transportation Commission budget would have the same allotment as previous years with $3,000 for traffic safety and $2000 for the bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Fleury stated
Transportation Commission May 28, 2015 Page 1 of 5
that Rachel Dials and Egon Dubois will be on the schedule for next month to discuss the bicycle education program and supplemental funding. Fleury highlighted the following Capital Improvement Projects: 1. Oak Street / Railroad Pedestrian Crossing – The railroad will be doing their portion of safety improvements through the summer. City staff and the Railroad Project Manager are coordinating efforts based on the rail order which outlines responsibility of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Rail, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad (CORP), and the City of Ashland. The City’s portion consists of a sidewalk connection between Ashland Lumber Company and the Plexus Building to create a pedestrian connection. Once the railroad and crossing arm improvements are complete, the pedestrian improvements will follow. 2. Walker Avenue Sidewalk / Safe Route to School Project – The project went out to bid with Knife River being awarded the contract. Sidewalk connection to be fully completed before the beginning of the new school year. 3. Hersey Avenue Sidewalk Connection – OBEC Engineering has been awarded the engineering portion of the project. Staff expects construction of the sidewalk infill project to start within the next two years. 4. Nevada Street Bridge – Looking to seek additional grant funding to supplement original grant and begin engineering, carry over project from last year. 5. Washington Street Connection – A roadway connection between Tolman Creek Rd. and Washington St. over Hamilton Creek. Fleury briefly outlined the Transportation System Plan (TSP) priority study at Tolman Creek / Siskiyou Blvd/ Hwy 99 Intersection. The Northbound Speed Reduction Treatment Study will be performed by Kim Parducci of Southern Oregon Transportation Engineering to check for signal warrants and analyze the ability of speed reduction treatments as outlined in the TSP. Fleury stated that if the budget is approved, there will be thirty eight (38) million dollars in infrastructure improvements over the next two years. B. Street User Fee Study Update and Roadway Testing Fleury informed the Commission that Hansford Economic Consulting (HEC) is continuing the Street User Fee Study. HEC is evaluating the current street user fee methodology and will be recommending changes. In addition, HEC will use street system evaluation report to determine the appropriate user fee in order to meet pavement maintenance strategy goals. It was explained that the current street user fee will be updated based on trip generation which determines who generates the most trips and the most impact to the network. Fleury stated previous assessments include deflection and core testing on the collector and arterial roadways to determine the level of improvement needed to maintain the roadway. Core pavement services were outlined as a priority this budget cycle. Four temporary employees and a new paver were requested during the budget process in order to increase preventative maintenance core services. Fleury stated that additional funds for slurry sealing were also requested to meet the maintenance strategy. The Street User Fee Study is to be finalized by October and presented to City Council.
Transportation Commission May 28, 2015 Page 2 of 5
Young spoke of the benefits of doing preventative maintenance as opposed to full reconstruction road repairs. The costs of both methods were outlined with preventative maintenance costing $285,000 compared to 1.4 million for full road reconstruction, per mile. Young questioned the condition of Hersey Street. Faught explained that Hersey Street is a good example of the level of deterioration that can occur during the last five years of a road lifecycle. Barth questioned if the maintenance plan was currently in place. Faught explained that the first step would be to identify the street user fee charges in relation to the costs of improvement. Graf questioned if the Transportation Commission would review the findings of this study before it is presented to Council in October. Faught explained, the Transportation Commission will have the opportunity to review if the plan is finished prior to the October Council date, if not, then a review would be provided after. Graf stated it is important for Council to understand how the Street User Fee is calculated. C. Election of Officers Faught briefly outlined that a commission Chair can hold their position for three consecutive years explaining that Young had just finished his third year in the position. Viéville motioned to nominate Joe Graf as Chair of the Transportation Commission; Amarotico seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Young opened up the discussion for the Co-Chair position asking for any volunteers. Viéville motioned to nominate Dave Young as Co-Chair; Amarotico seconded. The motion passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS FOLLOW UP ITEMS A. Geneva Park Site Distance Fleury outlined the previous discussion regarding the site distance issue for the Geneva Park driveway on B St. The Transportation Commission was interested in relative street widths and crash data on similar roadways in Ashland. The Commission also asked for an assessement of street widening and taking full advantage of the current right of way. Fleury is checking in with the Planning Department to see if there is any potential development of the lot across the street from Geneva Park. Fleury will collect additional data and bring back to the Commission for review at the next meeting. B. United Way Bike Rack Fleury updated the Commissioners explaining that Connie Wilkerson, of United Way, was unsuccessful at obtaining grant funding for the bike lockers she previously presented to the Transportation Commission. She was, however, successful at receiving funding for the Zagster bike racks. Amarotico asked for a history of how the discussion came about. Fleury explained that United Way was seeking to find more bike lock-up locations to assist individuals who travel with public transportation and are unable to bring their bikes with them on the bus. Amarotico questioned what the City standard is for bike rack installation. Fleury explained that there is a standard for location of installation and specifications, however there is flexibility. Morris questioned who sets the standard. Faught explained that the City Council sets the standards. Young was concerned that the current design would not be identified as a bike rack and reminded the Transportation Commission that
Transportation Commission May 28, 2015 Page 3 of 5
the program is well-intentioned but there have been no commitments to this program. Graf wondered if this should also go to the Downtown Parking Management and Circulation Ad Hoc Advisory Committee. Young agreed that it would fall into the downtown area. Viéville questioned if the proposed placement of the bike racks on Water Street were a little far from the bus stop area. Barth wondered if there is anything that specifically encourages commuters to park their bikes, explaining that some larger cities have a program similar to a valet system, and wonders if this program included anything more than bike racks. Fleury explained that it is a grant funded option for additional bike parking and different options for bike rack locations and can be explored and reviewed as part of the Downtown Parking and Multi-Modal Circulation Plan. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. Action Summary No Updates B. Traffic Crash Summary Officer MacLennan was present and provided an update of crash summaries highlighting the more involved accidents. C. Oregon Impact May Newsletter No Updates COMMISSION OPEN DISCUSSION Fleury highlighted future agenda topics: Shared Road Status, specifically regarding Grandview and a loading zone request in front of Liquid Assets. Graf questioned the loading zone request. Faught gave a brief history and spoke about meeting with local business owners regarding the loading zone. It was further explained that during the meeting, the owners had requested a loading zone be designated in front of Liquid Assets Faught discussed the history of using that area for a loading zone, though it is not currently designated as one. Faught is having Parducci look at the potential loading zone and make a recommendation. Young acknowledged that the City is in a position where businesses and trucking companies are coming together to make decisions. Viéville asked for an update on the Walker Street crossing and wondered if a countdown timer is planned to be installed with the APS buttons. Fleury explained that he is still waiting on ODOT for an update and confirmed that a countdown timer is planned for the crossing. Vieville also questioned if there was a conversation with ODOT about installation of APS buttons at the Valley View crossing. Fleury explained that he was going to reach out to ODOT again for a response. Young spoke about a local activist who addressed the intersection of Iowa Street and Walker Street on social media described an instance of children running across the street on the sidewalk shared path on the north side of Iowa and the site line dangers of the area. Young explained there were many comments regarding this incident. Young had also commented on the social forum encouraging individuals use the City process. An email was sent to Fleury describing this incident. Fleury forwarded information to Parducci for analysis of potential intersection improvements. Morris referenced a prior question he was asked regarding the installation of street lights by the City on Crowson Rd. Fleury stated that Crowson Rd. is under County jurisdiction and knows of no plans for street light installation. Viéville asked for clarification on the length of time before and changes recommended by the Downtown Parking Management and Circulation Ad Hoc Advisory Committee would be constructed, questioning if it was to be three years. Faught explained that the earliest would be three years dependent on the outcome of the grant application
Transportation Commission May 28, 2015 Page 4 of 5
process. Young wondered if we are not successful on the grant application what would happen. Faught explained that the Department would need to seek alternate funding for the projects. FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS Viéville spoke about Public Service Announcements for completed projects. Young would like to have an agenda item to discuss the education outreach options. Amarotico asked about advertising in the City Source. The process for advertising in the City Source was explained by Fleury. Discussion to see more frequent contribution to the City Source publication continued. Young explained that a future agenda item could allow for discussion of material. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 7:40 pm Respectfully submitted, Whitney Dennis, Administrative Assistant
Transportation Commission May 28, 2015 Page 5 of 5
G:\pub-wrks\eng\dept-admin\TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION\2016 Staff Memos\7-28-2016\Commission Operating Policies Training.doc
Memo
Date:
July 21, 2016
From: Scott A. Fleury
To: Transportation Commission
RE: Commission Operating Procedures-Training
BACKGROUND:
David Lohman, the City’s attorney, will attend the meeting and provide a training overview of
Commissions operating procedures.
Ashland Municipal Code sections 2.10 (Uniform Policies and Operating Procedures for Advisory
Commissions and Boards) and 2.13 (Transportation Commission) are attached for reference.
CONCLUSION:
No action is required by Commission at this time.
G:\pub-wrks\eng\dept-admin\TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION\2016 Staff Memos\7-28-2016\N. Main Crosswalk-Road Diet.doc
Memo
Date:
July 21, 2016
From: Scott A. Fleury
To: Transportation Commission
RE: N. Main Crosswalks and Hersey Wimer Signal analysis
BACKGROUND:
Kim Parducci of Southern Oregon Transportation Engineering (SOTE) is performing a warrant
analysis for the possible installation of a signal for the Hersey/Wimer intersection. The warrant
analysis is detailed in the Manual of Uniform Control Traffic Devices (MUTCD). This potential
signal installation would allow for 4-way control along with crosswalks for controlled pedestrian
crossings (signal warrant requirements enclosed). Once the full warrant analysis is complete staff
will bring back the report for discussion with the Commission.
This is in continuation of the previous discussions regarding installation of crosswalks at Nursery
St. and Van Ness. Mike Faught has requested the warrant analysis be performed in order to
develop the best possible outcome for a safe pedestrian crossing on N. Main St.
In addition, Parducci is performing a quarterly Road Diet update analysis. The updated analysis
includes new speeds, volumes, gap analysis along with pedestrian and bicycle counts. Public
Works staff has been assisting in the data collection. When the data is compiled and the SOTE
report is generated staff will forward to the Commission for review. Staff tentatively believes the
data will be compiled in report form by December
CONCLUSION:
No action is required by the Commission, this is informational only.
MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH SUMMARY
MONTH: JUNE, 2016 NO. OF ACCIDENTS: 15
DATE TIME DAY LOCATION NO.
VEH
PED
INV.
BIKE
INV.INJ.DUII CITED PROP
DAM.
HIT/
RUN
CITY
VEH.CAUSE - DRIVER ERROR
1 12:05 Wed Walker St at Peachey Rd 1 Y N Y N N N N N
Tow truck driver was lying on the ground
working on a vehicle with his feet sticking out
when DV1 pulled forward to make a right turn
around the tow vehicle. DV1 ran over foot of
the person. Ped refused medical attention.
Information exchanged.
1 14:33 Wed Ashland St @ Tolman Creek
Rd 2 N N N N N N N N
V1 was stopped at red light, V2 was stopped
behind v1. The light changed to green and
Dv2 began to move ahead but Dv1 did not.
V2 rearended V1. Report only.
2 08:18 Thur Helman St @ Randy St 1 Y N Y N Y N N N
ped in crosswalk; DV1 struck ped while
walking bike across road in crosswalk. Driver
cited for failure to stop and remain stopped.
Ped sustained minor injuries
6 12:16 Mon N Main St near Bush St 3 N N P N Y Y N N
Dv1 stopped because traffic had stopped in
front. Dv2 rearended v1, then Dv3 rearended
v2. Possible injury. Dv2 and Dv3 cited for
following too close.
7 UNK Tues Fremont St near Normal Av 2 N N N N N N N N
Operator of v1 reported that a school bus hit
V2 while it was parked. Video onboard bus
was reviewed and did not show an accident.
Case inactive. Damage under $1500.
7 11:07 Tues Iowa St at Palm Av 2 N N N N Y Y N N
Dv1 was travelling in lane. Dv2 pulled out
from a stop sign on a cross street and paused
to await v1 to pass. Dv1 sideswiped v2. Dv1
cited for driving uninsured.
14 09:29 Tues A St near 5th St 2 N N N N N Y N N
V1 was parked. Dv2 pulled over to the right in
order to let an oncoming vehicle pass. V2
sideswiped v1. Information exchanged. No
citation. Damage.
14 17:03 Tues Ashland St near I-5 2 N N N N N Y N N
Dv1 stopped for a red light. V2 crashed into
the rear. Report only. Dv2 was agitated and
left scene; license came back suspended.
MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH SUMMARY
MONTH: JUNE, 2016 NO. OF ACCIDENTS: 15
DATE TIME DAY LOCATION NO.
VEH
PED
INV.
BIKE
INV.INJ.DUII CITED PROP
DAM.
HIT/
RUN
CITY
VEH.CAUSE - DRIVER ERROR
15 13:39 Wed E Main St within Oak St 2 Y N N N N Y N N
ped in crosswalk; Dv2 thought that all cross
traffic had stopped to wait for a ped in the
crosswalk, but Dv1 in lane 2 neglected to stop
and ran into v2. Dv1 in violation of passing a
stopped veh at a crosswalk; Dv2 in violation
for ftotcd. Report only.
15 14:44 Wed Water St @ N Main St 2 Y N N N N N N N
Dv1 backed up to allow ped to cross in
crosswalk, v1 backed into V2. Minor damage,
no citation, info exchanged.
17 09:40 Fri Ashland St near I-5 4 N N Y N Y Y N N
Drivers of vehicles 1, 2 and 3 were lined up at
a red light. Dv4 on approach looked away
momentarily, and crashed into the back of V3
causing a 4-vehicle accident. One driver
transported to ACH. DV4 cited for careless
driving.
20 10:50 Mon Ashland St @ Oak Knoll Dr 2 N N N N N N N N
Dv1 was turning left from a stop, Dv2 was
pulling straight through the intersection after
stopping. Vehicles collided mid-intersection.
Minor damage, no injury, no citation.
25 23:25 Sat Siskiyou Blvd @ Ashland St 1 N Y Y N N N N N
Bicyclist was riding in the crosswalk against a
don't walk signal, struck by a truck traveling
through the intersection. Bicyclist injured. No
citation.
27 17:25 Mon E Main St within Oak St 2 N N N N Y Y N N
Dv2 was travelling through intersection with
right of way, Dv1 pulled out from a stop and
crashed into the side of v2. Dv2 cited for
unlawful turn.
30 14:11 Thur Siskiyou Blvd near Garfield
St 2 Y N P N Y Y N N
ped in crosswalk; Dv1 stopped for ped to
cross in crosswalk and was rearended by v2.
Dv2 cited for following too close.
A Drive Through Time
Did you know that the first patented safety belt
was created in 1885? Or that the three-way
traffic light was introduced in 1930?
Neither did we!
NHTSA has pioneered decades
of important and lifesaving
work from promoting the use
of seat belts, child safety
seats and air bags, to fuel
efficiency. Visit the new, interactive
timeline and take A Drive
Through Time. Learn about
some of the great accomplishments
and safety advancements in
automotive history from 1878 to today.
Find out when Drunk Driving laws were first
introduced; when airbags were invented, and
what led to motorcycle helmets first being
created. View historic photos and learn about the
first American bicycle manufacturer.
Interested in a specific year? Just select the
corresponding year to read all about the
automotive milestones that took place
during that time.
Summer Driving Tips
Another interactive
feature on the site
focuses on Summer
Driving Tips.
Prevention and planning
take time up front, but
will spare you from dealing
with the consequences of a
breakdown — or a crash —
down the road.
Driving across state lines? Check out
IIHS’ new interactive U.S. map of safety belt and
child restraint laws. Be sure to refer to current
safety recommendations too.
Driving an RV? Read up on RV Travel Safety
Tips on page 3.
traveled to the right-hand shoulder. After
overcorrecting to the left, her vehicle swerved
into on-coming traffic and she was killed. Two
people in the other car were seriously injured.
This tragedy has made a huge impact on family
and friends in the Pendleton, Hermiston and
Tri-City communities. Alexxyss’ uncle, Chief
Edmiston, Chief of Police in Hermiston,
was the one responsible to deliver the death
notification to her mother.
Alexxyss died February 19th, at just 19 years
old. She would have turned 20 this past May.
Alexxyss’ family wanted to get her message out
as soon as possible, “even if it just saves one life”.
M aking I mpactan
July 2016 - Volume 3, Issue 10
Making an Impact..........................................OregonImpact.org........................................................ 1
Alexxyss’ Story
ODOT and Oregon State
Police released a new
Distracted Driving PSA,
titled Alexxyss’ Story.
Alexxyss Therwhanger had
just driven back into a cell
service area. She began
receiving notifications
and started answering
them. While texting and
Facebooking, one of her last
reposts was “Leave two words
that remind you of me”.
While Alexxyss was distracted her vehicle
Alexxyss Therwhanger
Cannabis DUII Warning
Cannabis-infused edibles,
extracts, and topical products are
now legal in Oregon for anyone
age 21 and older. The effect of
cannabis on perception and
coordination are responsible for
serious impairments in driving
ability.
The potency
of THC has
increased
substantially over the years and
liquid THC, a highly potent
distillation of cannabis, can
contain up to 90% THC.
Liquid THC is odorless and
is commonly sold in cannabis
edibles. Even for an experienced
cannabis user, the potency of an
edible can be surprisingly strong.
And marijuana edibles can take
up to two hours or more to take
effect.
Drivers can be arrested for DUII
whether it is alcohol, cannabis,
inhalants, prescription drugs,
over-the-counter medications, or
other legal drugs.
Make it none for the road – Help
prevent a tragedy and make a
plan for a safe ride home before
you partake.
Making an Impact..........................................OregonImpact.org........................................................ 2
Janelle Lawrence
Executive Director
Contact Us
Funded through
a grant from
ODOT Transportation
Safety Division
Subscribe Donate
Motorcyclist Deaths Surge 10%
Preliminary data indicates that
more than 5,000 people were
killed on motorcycles in 2015.
This represents an estimated 10%
increase compared with 2014 –
more than 450 additional deaths.
This grim news comes as warm
weather prompts thousands of
bikers to hit the road.
GHSA projects the final
motorcyclist fatality total for 2015
will be 5,010 – only the third year in
U.S. history and the first time since
2008 in which the fatality number
topped 5,000.
Compared with 2014, motorcyclist
fatalities increased in 31 states,
decreased in 16 states. The
remaining states stayed the same.
The change likely to produce the
largest reduction in motorcyclist
fatalities would be restoration
of helmet use laws covering all
motorcyclists in the 31 states that
lack such measures.
Even in states with helmet use laws,
not all specify that helmets must
comply with USDOT standards. This
additional requirement could also
improve enforceability of helmet laws
and the level of protection offered by
helmets.
Motorcyclists can take actions on
their own to reduce the risk of being
involved in a fatal crash, including the
following:
• Always wear a DOT-compliant
helmet, even when not required
by state law
• Wear bright-colored clothing to
make it easier to be seen by other
drivers
• Never ride impaired by alcohol or
other drugs
• Obey posted speed limits
• When purchasing a new
motorcycle, opt for a model
with antilock brakes, which
have been shown to decrease
fatal motorcycle crashes by
preventing a motorcycle’s wheels
from locking during braking and
assisting with maintaining the
stability of the motorcycle.
Drivers of other motor vehicles
should always be aware and looking
out for motorcyclists around them
and, of course, obey all traffic laws.
Road Safety Travel Risk Map
International SOS Foundation has
launched a new Road Safety overlay
feature to their Travel Risk Map.
The interactive map
has been a widely
used resource for
business travellers in
understanding the
risks posed when
visiting or relocating
to foreign countries in terms of
travel security and medical risk.
With road crashes one of the top
five causes of medical evacuations
managed by International SOS,
factors such as road laws, fleet
and infrastructure conditions and
road user behaviour need to be
understood and managed
before navigating new
and potentially dangerous
road traffic situations.
The new overlay will
serve to educate the
mobile workforce to be more
aware of the vast differences in
road traffic environments from
country to country.
Making an Impact..........................................OregonImpact.org........................................................ 3
RV Travel Safety Tips
RVing is a popular way to travel
in summer. A successful and safe
RV trip requires preparation and
planning, including maintaining a
proper weight limit. The following
tips can help RV drivers ensure a
safe trip.
Learn How to Drive
the RV You Plan to
Use: If vacationing
in an RV for the first
time, practice first. If
you don’t own your
RV, rent one for a
day.
Driving a motor home, or pulling
an RV, has more in common with
driving a big-rig truck. Keeping the
RV between the lines, accelerating,
braking, using only mirrors to see
what’s behind you, watching tires
in motion, and passing vehicles
just top the list of maneuvers that
handle very differently.
Check Your Weight:
The RV Safety Education
Foundation (RVSEF) states that,
“After weighing more than 35,000
RVs during an eighteen-year span,
we can tell you with confidence
that a significant number of RVers
are traveling down the road on
overloaded or under-inflated tires
that could fail at any time, with
potentially catastrophic results.” Proper loading and weighing
measures are crucial to driving
safely in an RV.
Learn additional factors to be
considered when loading and
weighing an RV properly, at the
RVSEF website.
Realize Your Size: Many road
mishaps occur because of an RV’s
additional size and weight. For
instance, operators accidentally
drive under an overpass without
enough clearance
because they forget
about the additional
height. Know your
RV’s height and keep
it handy. Also know
the clearances of the
bridges and tunnels
along your route. A
road atlas for RVers or semi drivers
can help.
Maintenance is Important: Make
a pre-trip checklist and do an
inspection every time you get behind
the wheel.
Check Weather, Road Conditions,
Construction and Closures: Save
time by checking ahead of time.
Occupant Protection: Both drivers
and passengers should be belted
in. Be sure to accommodate all
passengers and, if needed, drive
along with a second vehicle so that
everyone can ride in a safety belt.
Take care to properly secure items.
Unrestrained passengers - as well
as luggage - are hazards that can
become deadly projectiles in a crash.
In Oregon, RV’s are held to the same
Child Occupant Protection laws as in
regular vehicles.
Car seats should never be installed in
side or rear-facing vehicle seating
positions. Car seats are only meant
to be installed in vehicle seating
positions which face toward the
front of the vehicle.
Most Common Causes of RV
Crashes Include:
• Fires that occur from leaking
LP gas (propane)
• Tire blowouts - overloading,
under inflated or old tires
• RV awnings and steps - RV
outside steps not put away
before traveling and not
storing awning properly
during travel and questionable
weather
• Clearance and height driving mistakes - RVs hitting bridges
and gas station overhangs
• Overloading - uneven weight
can cause restricted braking
and steering
• Slide-Out - making sure that
the slide-outs are retracted
before driving away
Pests, bugs, rodent infestations
- when stored, rodents are known
for chewing wires and lines.
~Sources: About.com, Geico.com and RVSafety.com
Topic Date Time Registration
TREC IBPI Workshop: Comprehensive Bikeway Design 2.0 7/25 - 7/29 All day More Info
TREC IBPI Workshop: Comprehensive Bikeway Design 1.0 8/16 - 8/21 All day More Info
Transportation Safety Workshops
TREC Events UP Highway Safety Workshops OSU Kiewit Center
TREC Workshops are
typically held at PSU.
OSU Workshop: Legal Aspects and Liability of Traffic Safety 8/31 All day More Info
Traffic Safety Resource Guide Update
This resource guide helps local
traffic safety coordinators
andorganizations find
assistance to meet their
communities’ traffic
needs. Have a resource to share? Submit
it for consideration to Oregon Impact.
Summer + Teen Drivers:
“100 Deadliest Days”
Over the past 5 years, more than
5,000 people have been killed in
crashes involving teen drivers
during the period from June
through August when teen driving
increases, and crash
deaths historically
climb.
A recent study by the
AAA Foundation
confirms that nearly
60% of teen crashes
involve distractions
behind the wheel.
The research also
finds a disturbing trend showing
that texting and social media use are
on the rise amongst teen drivers.
Based on several years of data from
in-crash dash cams, the study found
consistent trends in the top three
distractions for teens when behind
the wheel in the moments leading
up to a crash:
• Talking or attending to other
passengers in the vehicle
• Talking, texting or operating a
cell phone
• Attending to or looking at
something inside the vehicle
Other research has found that
texting creates a crash risk 23
times worse than driving while not
distracted.
And a recent survey shows that
nearly 50% of teen drivers admitted
Summer Road Construction Maps
Chip seals are used to improve roads
quickly and cost-
effectively. While
this resurfacing
method has
many benefits,
it can create an
unpleasant bike
ride as loose rock
on the roadway
surface can get
thrown around
by traffic.
In an effort to alert bicyclists about this
summer’s chip seal projects, a schedule
has been posted online. These projects,
as well as other highway projects, are
also listed on the 2016 Summer Road
Construction Map.
Making an Impact..........................................OregonImpact.org........................................................ 4
they had read a text message or
email while driving in the past 30
days. A different survey shows that
from 2007 to 2014, the percentage
of young drivers seen visibly
manipulating a hand-held device
quadrupled.
Keeping cell phones out of
the hands of teen drivers is a
top priority. The Association’s
advocacy efforts are helping to
protect teens by working to pass
graduated driver licensing laws
and teen wireless bans in states
across the country.
Parents are encouraged to educate
their teen about the dangers of
distracted driving and monitor
their actions behind the wheel.
Have conversations early and often
about the dangers of distraction.
Make a parent-teen driving
agreement that sets family rules
against distracted driving.
Teach by example and minimize
distractions when driving.
TeenDriving.AAA.com has a
variety of tools to help prepare
parents and teens for the
dangerous summer driving season.
Learn more.
Date Location Address Time
7/14 Ontario Fire 444 SW 4th St 4 pm - 6 pm
7/16 Beaverton Park Pl Ctr 4915 SW Griffith Dr 9 am - 12 pm
7/19 Bend Fire - West Stn 1212 SW Simpson 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
7/20 Redmond Fire 341 NW Dogwood Ave 2 pm - 4 pm
7/23 Vancouver Kohl’s 17001 SE Mill Plain Blvd 9 am - 11:30 am
www.Child Safety Seat Resource Center.org
Car Seat Check-Up Events and Fitting Stations
Oregon Distracted Driving
Stats Infographic
(based on Oregon crash data for ‘10-’14)
This infographic is part 1 of a 3-part
series.
To repost this infographic online, visit
us on Twitter and Facebook!
In Oregon 5 injured
each week
Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
almost peopleare
Distracted
Driver
CRASH
in a
on
average.
involving a
cell phone,