Transportation Services Advisory Council Minutes of May 9, 2014 Meeting TransIT Services

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1 Transportation Services Advisory Council Minutes of May 9, 2014 Meeting TransIT Services Members/Ex-Officio Present: Rick Stup, David Lingg, Marco DeOcampo, Dave Schmidt, Alderman Kelly Russell, Fred Punturiero, Bruce Hojnacki, Nancy Norris, Tim Davis, and Ron Burns. Staff and Guests: Matt Baker, Charles Hunt, Carrie Anderson-Watters, Adrienne Moretz, and Sandy Ruark. Call to Order: Rick Stup called the meeting to order at 8:08 a.m. Introductions: The attendees introduced themselves. Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the January and March meetings were not approved as there was no quorum. Committee Reports: Executive Committee Rick Stup reported that the FCC nominee he had recruited as community agency representative did not meet the administrative requirements to be appointed to TSAC by the BoCC. Rick said he is continuing to work with FCC to find another staff member nominee, hopefully before the July TSAC Meeting. Transportation Issues Nancy Norris reported that work was in progress on the Transportation Development Plan (TDP) prepared by the consultant. She stated that the TDP is the five year plan for future transportation development and public meetings are being held in the near future. Marketing and Membership Development Neil Essmyer was not present. Nancy Norris reported that the Membership Committee is focusing on recruiting new members to replace those whose terms expire in June. Nancy said that Lacee Fogle, Community Agency representative from Way Station, has been unable to attend TSAC Meetings for personal reasons and that Joe Miller, also from Way Station, was approved by the BoCC to serve as her replacement. Nancy said there is one other business vacancy that the Committee is currently working on filling. Elected Officials Report: Alderman Russell reported that the first portion of paving on the Rails and Trails project has begun on East Street. Old Business: Bike to Work Day Party: Tim Davis reported that the Bike to Work Day Registration Party is being held tonight at The Bicycle Escape for those interested in registering for Bike to Work Day. Registration is open from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and registrants will receive an event T-shirt. Tim reported that other sponsors of the event are the Frederick Wine House, Yogi s Castle, Massage Envy, and Madrones who will be holding open houses during the registration party. 1

Call to Order: Rick Stup called the meeting to order at 8:08 a.m. Introductions: The attendees introduced themselves.

2 Bike to Work Day: Tim Davis reported that all preparations are in place for the event. Adrienne Moretz reported there are 200 registrants to date. Tim said that Adrienne has been very helpful in organizing the event and was part of a video with Roger Rinker promoting Bike to Work Day. Nancy Norris said that she would send TSAC the link to the video. Golden Mile Transportation Land Use Connections Project: Tim Davis reported that the project involves pedestrian and bicycle improvements along the Golden Mile. Tim said he was part of a conference call to review the preliminary recommendations from Kittleson & Associate which include: Right sizing of the streets that approach US 40, i.e., Waverly, McCain, and Hillcrest. Tim said that these streets have the potential to accommodate sidewalks, bike lanes, and narrow travel lanes, however, details at the intersections will need to be addressed. To raise the sidewalks at the intersections of the cross streets that meet the streets that approach US 40. Bus access and safety issues will need to be reviewed. Key Parkway would be a perfect street as an alternative bike route to US 40. A parking analysis would need to be conducted in the Willowdale area. The Golden Mile Alliance would like to have a circulator bus on the Golden Mile. Tim said the reason for this is that there is a physician s office on Baughman s Lane that serves a community that is pedestrian and transit dependent and does not have the frequent transit service that is needed. Update on City Parking and Circulator Proposal: Tim Davis reported that in conjunction with their Economic Development staff, a draft parking proposal for downtown has been developed which will address structured parking, parking pricing, hotel and convention center parking demands, and the downtown Circulator. Tim said that parking pricing is based on dynamic pricing which looks at the potential of varied pricing at decks and on the street to encourage people to disburse their parking habits throughout downtown. Tim said currently there is an imbalance in downtown s structured parking; some garages are at % while others are at 50%. Balancing those out with dynamic pricing and/or the Circulator will help to determine whether another parking structure is needed to be built. Tim provided an updated on several downtown pedestrian improvements: At 4 th and Bentz Streets, new crosswalks and ped heads are being installed. At 7 th and Schley Streets, new ADA ramps and crosswalks are being installed as well as removing a concrete island. At 7 th Street and Fairview Avenue, new pedestrian signals are being installed as well as updating the pedestrian ramps. 2

Nancy Norris said that she would send TSAC the link to the video.

3 Rick Stup asked if the City had received any complaints regarding the Thomas Johnson Drive/Opossumtown intersection during the current construction. Rick stated that the area is not marked well. Tim Davis said the City received comments regarding the markings at the bridges but not at the intersection and he will relay the issue to the City. Dave Schmidt said that he lives in the area and some improvement with regard to timing of the lights has been made recently. Dave asked if there will be a median on Opossumtown Pike approaching the bridge and at the hotel access road. Tim Davis said that he would look into the matter and send TSAC an update. Rick Stup also mentioned that going into town off MD 15 is very awkward -- the area is not marked well to show motorists where to stop and it is impeding traffic. Rick said that he believes there is a yield sign at the exit ramp now but that there should be a stop sign. Tim said that he will also review this issue. New Business: City Walk Friendly Community Application: Tim Davis reported that he felt it would be a good idea for Frederick City to be designated a Walk Friendly Community. He reported that downtown is very walk friendly, however, after completing the application process, the remainder of Frederick City did not receive a high mark. Tim indicated there is a website which indicates how walk friendly an area is by zip code. Tim said he believed Frederick would receive a high rating but it did not. Tim said the Walk Friendly Review Committee recommended: Improving bicycle/pedestrian data capture. Hiring a full time bicycle/pedestrian coordinator which is recommended for cities the size of Frederick. Instituting a Complete Streets Policy which is a priority for the Bike/Pedestrian Advisory Committee this year. Tim said that he plans to apply again next year. Ron Burns reported that the MTA is holding a meeting to introduce proposed 991 schedule changes at Winchester Hall on May 21, 1 st Floor Hearing Room. State Highway Administration (SHA) Update: Matt Baker reported on the following projects: Myersville Park & Ride Expansion: MTA has begun site work for the expansion at the Myersville Park & Ride. Monocacy Park & Ride: The project advertised on April 29. Construction is to begin shortly. Motter Avenue/Opossumtown Pike: Work is on schedule; project expected to be complete by winter. 3

Dave Schmidt said that he lives in the area and some improvement with regard to timing of the lights has been made recently.

4 Matt reported that Dave Coyne, District 7 Engineer, has been selected to replace Greg Welker as Chief Engineer of Operations in Baltimore on July 1. He said there is no word on a replacement for Dave s District 7 position. Matt said that MTA is required to provide an on-road accommodation for bicycles and pedestrians on all new projects, i.e. bicycle lanes or a shared road. Matt said there is a waiver process but it is very difficult to obtain. FCPS Update Fred Punturiero had nothing to report. Ft. Detrick Update Gunnar Pedersen not present; no report. MML Update Councilman Stull not present; no report. TransIT Update: Nancy Norris reported that TransIT s grant application has been approved by the BoCC. She said that following discussions with the Budget Office, the County will provide its portion of funding for TransIT s three electric buses, the infrastructure for the electric buses, and Automated Vehicle Locators (AVL) for the Connector buses. Nancy stated that TransIT also requested funding for the Taxi Voucher Program. Nancy said that TransIT is awaiting approval of its grant application from MTA which should be received by July 1. Nancy reported that TransIT has selected the vendor for the Smartphone mobile ticketing app. She said Procurement is working on the contract and once signed, TransIT will be able to announce the successful bidder, hopefully, by July 1 when the fare increase takes effect. Nancy reported that on July 1 TransIT fares will increase from $1.25 to $1.50, and TransIT plans to institute a $4.00 one day pass on July 1 to help offset the fare increase. Nancy reported that the County is also in the process of starting a shelter advertising program and she should be able to provide an updated report on the program by the next TSAC Meeting. Adrienne Moretz reported that June 19 is Dump the Pump Day and TransIT will be offering free rides to all passengers. Adrienne said there is a tentative event planned on July 1 to launch the Smartphone mobile app. Adrienne said it will be held at the Transit Center with music and Rita s Italian Ice on site. Adrienne reported that TransIT s Summer Freedom Pass is now on sale for $10.00 for youth ages to ride the bus all summer. After July 1, the cost will increase to $ Next Meeting: The next TSAC Meeting will be July 18, 2014 at 8:00 a.m. at TransIT Services, 1040 Rocky Springs Road, Frederick, MD

Matt said there is a waiver process but it is very difficult to obtain. FCPS Update Fred Punturiero had nothing to report. Ft. Detrick Update Gunnar Pedersen not present; no report.

5 Adjourn - The meeting adjourned at 8:45 a.m. Respectfully submitted by: Sandra T. Ruark Administrative Assistant 5

Transportation Services Advisory Council Minutes of January 15, 2016 Meeting TransIT Services

Transportation Services Advisory Council Minutes of January 15, 2016 Meeting TransIT Services Members/Ex-Officio Present: Roger Boothe, Josh Rouch, Neil Essmyer, Gunnar Pederson, Dave Price, Nancy Norris,