ARC COMMITTEE MEETING FOLLOW-UP

Transcription

1 ARC COMMITTEE MEETING FOLLOW-UP TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE April 9, 2010 Meeting Notes TCC Members or Alternates Present: ARC Jane Hayse Atlanta Shelley Peart Barrow Darrell Greeson Bartow --- Cherokee --- Clayton --- Cobb Faye DiMassimio Coweta Tavores Edwards DeKalb John Gurbal Douglas Randy Hulsey EPD Jon Morton Fayette Phil Mallon Advisors (Non-voting): GDOT I modal Karen Quarles GHMPO --- Other Attendees Andrew Antweiler, City of Roswell Angela Redding, City of Forest Park Cedric Clark, City of Sandy Springs Chris Chovan, City of Roswell David Cassell, GRTA David Hong, ECCA David Kenemer, NWGRC Henry Green, GDOT Henry Strate, Stantec Kyethea Clark, City of Marietta Forsyth Bill Powell for John Cunard Fulton Antonio Valenzuela GDOT Matthew Fowler GRTA --- Gwinnett --- Henry Michael Harris MARTA Paul Grether Newton Kevin Walter Paulding --- Rockdale Miguel Valentin Spalding Anthony Dukes Walton --- FHWA --- FTA --- Larry Kaiser, Collaborative Infrastructure Marion Waters, Gresham Smith & Partners Mark Lippert, AECOM Michael Orta, PEDS Michelle Wright, City of Douglasville Sally Flocks, PEDS Steve Cote, RS&H Susan Jenkins, GA EPD Tom McQueen, GDOT Wyatt Kendall, SELC GENERAL 1. Welcome and Approval of 3/19/10 TCC Meeting Summary Jane Hayse, ARC, welcomed the committee and called the meeting to order. She asked that any comments on the draft March 19 th meeting summary be given to Susie Dunn.

2 2. Public Comment Period Concern with ASTRoMaP 1 identifying sections of Memorial Drive, Moreland Avenue and Glenwood Avenue as proposed truck routes - Ronald Lull, Atlanta resident representing South Star Community Development Corporation, and Bob Titus, representing NPU W and SAND (South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development) provided comment on the draft ASTRoMaP. They request that ARC reconsider designating sections of Memorial Drive, Moreland Avenue and Glenwood Avenue as a truck route on the ASTRoMaP. Currently, there is an agreement between the City of Atlanta and CSX that truck traffic from the Hulsey Freight Yard is prohibited on Memorial Drive (unless the truck driver is making a local delivery), and traffic is directed to use I-20. This agreement has protected the surrounding communities, and allowed the redevelopment and revitalization of areas adjacent to the Hulsey Yard (including Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown, Grant Park, Ormewood, East Atlanta, Kirkwood and the Old Fourth Ward). Addition of truck traffic will jeopardize future development in this area. There are also concerns with the road width, land use and the potential impact of truck traffic on the residential and light commercial land use in southeast Atlanta. Additionally the over 16 traffic lights along the proposed stretch would negatively impact the movement of the trucks. Use of federal maintenance funds for pedestrian improvements - Sally Flocks, PEDS, noted a recent policy statement by Secretary of Transportation LaHood in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations that specifically calls on agencies to use maintenance funding for pedestrian improvements. On April 20 th, PEDS will host a public discussion on the dangers to pedestrians and transit riders in crossing the road. Flocks added that 44% of all pedestrian crashes in Metro Atlanta occur within 300 feet of a bus stop, and one third of fatal crashes involving pedestrians occur within 100 feet of a bus stop. She emphasized that there is a critical need in the region for advance planning for maintenance projects to ensure that medians and other safety improvements are added as part of the work. Anyone interested in the April 20 th event should contact Flocks. PLANNING 3. Human Services Transportation (HST) Plan A draft resolution adopting the HST Plan was before TCC for action. In order for ARC to quality for JARC and New Freedom funding through the Federal Transit Administration, an HST Plan for the region is required. Kenyata Smiley, ARC, stated that an initial HST Plan was completed in 2007 and has now been updated. The plan provides a framework to improve the mobility of older adults, disabled and low-income residents. The HST Committee and the ARC Aging Division have been involved in reviewing and providing feedback during plan update. The plan focuses on no-cost and low-cost initiatives to collect data and better coordinate existing transit and human services. The draft document has been reviewed by the HST Advisory Committee, and the committee recommends approval. A copy of the draft plan was sent out to 1 Atlanta Strategic Truck Route Master Plan Page 2

3 the TCC distribution list last week for review; no comments were received. The draft plan is also available online at A motion was made and seconded and the draft resolution passed unanimously. It is now scheduled to go before TAQC for approval on April 15 th. 4. Reaffirming the Commitment to a Regional Transit System Vision and Governance Structure Jane Hayse stated that the draft resolution before TCC for action was developed following a suggestion from Chairman Eaves, Fulton County, for a reaffirmation by ARC to the Regional Transit Committee and Concept 3 in view of the ongoing state legislature initiatives and discussions. Paul Grether, MARTA, added that Concept 3 has been adopted by ARC, MARTA, GDOT and GRTA. Currently, there is a need for a governance structure that would allow the plan to be implemented. The RTC support staff 2 are concerned that some county commissioners and other ARC Board members might not see that the RTC can serve as a forum for transit governance and for resolving funding issues. Currently, some local governments have been reluctant to join the RTC, seeing that some issues remain unresolved. Grether highlighted that a regional transit governing body is very important, particularly in the context of the trends at the national level. He suggested that when looking at other areas of the country, regional transit agencies in other metro areas (such as the Chicago RTA) have been successful at securing federal transit funding, and supporting the effort with local discretionary funding. Grether noted that if anyone had questions or concerns, they can contact any of the RTC support staff. Hayse reminded TCC that the RTC became a policy committee of the ARC in January 2010, therefore, after TCC approves the draft resolution it will go to the RTC (rather than TAQC) for action, and from there to the ARC Board. A motion was made and seconded, the draft resolution was unanimously approved. 5. Plan Vision, Goals, Objectives & Performance Measures Regan Hammond, ARC, provided an update on Plan 2040 development. She noted that the draft Plan 2040 framework that includes draft vision, goals, objectives and performance measures has been in use since late January. The three key goals are to ensure that Metro Atlanta serves as a global gateway to the South; to encourage healthy communities; and to expand access to community resources. Hammond added that through discussion with this committee and other groups, the Plan 2040 goals have been translated into five objectives with an associated performance measures framework and indicators of success. She stated that a variety of stakeholder groups have vetted the Plan 2040 framework so far, and that the framework will be brought before the committees and the Board in June for adoption. The framework will be brought back before TCC in late 2 Primary contacts are ARC David Emory; MARTA Paul Grether or John Crocker; GDOT Angela Alexander; GRTA William Mecke. Page 3

4 May for one final review before the vote. The framework would be approved as high-level guidance for plan development. Hammond noted that the April 23 rd TCC work session will be a joint TCC-LUCC meeting, and that this meeting would be an important conversation for additional feedback, so TCC members are strongly encouraged to attend. At this meeting a more detailed Plan 2040 timeline will be available. Hammond added that the Plan 2040 outreach has been ongoing, and that ARC staff has already held several meetings with planning staff of local governments. This phase of meetings must be completed in April so that in May the discussion can move on to project evaluation criteria. Jane Hayse emphasized that public input is also being solicited on goals, objectives and measures. Judy Dovers, ARC, added that a new tool for input has being implemented - an online public meeting at which is available 24/7 from now until May 31 st. At that point, the forum will stay open but shift to the next topic in Plan 2040 development. Meeting attendees were encouraged to spread the word about the online forum. Dovers added that Plan 2040 outreach will involve not only the ARC committees, but also the community at large. Hayse noted that a Plan 2040 Retreat for members of the ARC Board, TAQC, ELUC and Aging Services is scheduled for July 22 nd. At this retreat will be concentrated discussions on Plan 2040, including input received from planning partners and the public. 6. Regional Truck Route Master Plan - Response to TCC Input Hayse noted that the ASTRoMaP (the Atlanta Strategic Truck Route Master Plan) will be before ARC for adoption in June. Michael Kray, ARC, thanked the earlier speakers for their comments on the ASTRoMap. He noted that the plan has been going through numerous iterations based on comments received at the TCC working session in March. New alignments along Marietta Boulevard and the Glenwood/Memorial corridor are currently in question, with some changes proposed based on input from the City of Atlanta. New connectors have been added to the current version (e.g., SR 369 in Cherokee, SR 74 in Fayette County, and the Coweta County Bypass). Kray emphasized that finalizing the truck route network is important as a backbone for policy recommendations. He suggested that once the network is more set, potential conflict areas would need to be identified and mitigation strategies recommended. He noted that one of the proposed mitigation strategies is to identify areas where off-peak deliveries would be encouraged or required. Kray noted that as the maps are regional and hard to see on a local level, more in-depth ASTRoMaP documents with detailed corridor descriptions are available at Page 4

5 7. Postponed TIP/RTP Blueprint Update 8. Safety Data County Level Jane Hayse introduced the next topic by emphasized that safety is a big priority at the federal level, and will likely play a part in the Plan 2040 project selection process. Talya Trudell, ARC, presented data from sample County Crash Profiles. (Trudell presented Regional Profiles to TCC in December.) These profiles look at crash severity; pedestrian, bicycle and heavy truck crashes; crash rates and crashes related to congestion, both at the regional and county levels. Trudell provided a brief description of GDOT safety data and of CARE (Crash Analysis Reporting Environment), a software program used as a tool to analyze crash data developed by the University of Alabama s Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS). GDOT transmits crash data updates to CAPS throughout the year. Trudell noted the challenges involved in reporting and maintaining accurate crash data, such as police officers making judgment calls when filling out reports, as well as the judgment calls that a data entry person has to make when interpreting the paper crash report and entering it into the GDOT database. With the human error, the CARE data does not always perfectly match county records. GDOT is in the process of creating electronic crash reporting for the entire state, and by the end of 2010 they are hoping to have 75% of crash reports entered electronically by the officer in the field. The years analyzed were ; data for 2009 was not included as it will not be finalized through CARE until mid Interstates were generally not included in the analysis (apart from truck-specific crash data), in an effort to focus information on roadways where the counties have control and authority over transportation projects. When the project is complete toward the end of May, each of the 18 counties in the region will receive a crash profile for their county. Until then, Trudell will work with counties to complete the profiles with the most accurate crash data available. Hayse encouraged local jurisdictions to provide further feedback. Randy Hulsey, Douglas County, asked if there was any progress at the state level to implement GPS to record crash locations. Trudell responded that GDOT will most likely include GPS in their future efforts. Antonio Valenzuela, Fulton County, noted that additional training is available for police officers in filling out crash reports to ensure more accurate reporting. In response to a question from Tavores Edwards, Coweta County, Trudell stated that where improvements are planned or completed will be highlighted on each profile. Counties are asked to provide this data for projects along the intersections and corridors with crash concerns. Trudell indicated that if a county has questions about specific locations, she can provide an exported file of all crashes for the location so that the local government can do further analysis. Page 5

6 In response to a question from Sally Flocks, PEDS, Trudell confirmed that pedestrian crashes are correlated with population rather than VMT. ANNOUNCEMENTS New M&O Subcommittee - Jane Hayse announced that a new TCC subcommittee is being formed. This Management & Operations Subcommittee will fold the activities of many existing groups and projects into the planning process, such as the Regional Traffic Operations Task Force and signal timing, the Traffic Incident Management Enhancement (TIME) Task Force including the HERO and TRIP programs, the NaviGAtor Users Group, NaviGAtor, ITS, tolling, applicable Urban Area Security Initiative projects, and evacuation planning. The Subcommittee can also serve other purposes such as serving as the Steering Committee for the Regional Strategic Thoroughfare Plan. The Subcommittee s first meeting is in April. Kofi Wakhisi is the contact person for this committee. Transportation Spotlight - Hayse announced that the Transportation Spotlight newsletter is being changed to a blog format, and that TCC members and other current subscribers would receive a request to subscribe to the new format. This is in an effort to keep up with the current trends. Patrick Bradshaw is the contact person for this project. TIP Second Quarter Administrative Modifications Requests are due to Jean Hee Park by May 15 th. TIP Amendment #10 ARC has received several requests from GDOT that will require a TIP amendment. Whether the amendment will require a conformity determination hinges on whether the Governor s Bond Bill passes the Legislature so that the I-75S Managed Lanes project can be included in this amendment. The amendment will come before ARC for action in July. Pilot Project to Provide Info to TCC Prior to Meeting For the past three months, ARC has transmitted electronic copies of available presentations prior to each TCC meeting to those on the TCC distribution list. Based on TCC member comments, ARC recommendation is that this practice be continued. Handouts: TCC Agenda, 4/9/10; TCC Meeting Summary, 3/19/10 Draft Resolutions HST Plan Commitment to a Regional Transit System Vision and Governance Structure Presentations Draft Plan 2040 Plan-Level Goals, Objectives and Measures ASTRoMaP System Update County Crash Profiles ARC TCC Members and Alternates List Plan 2040 Online Public Meeting Flyer Atlanta Area TMA and CID List Page 6