ATLC Group Meeting Summary, February 16, 2005

Alternative Transportation for and Livable Communities (ATLC) Group

Meeting Summary

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

1:00 PM – 3:1500 PM

California Department of Transportation, Headquarters

Director’s Conference Board Room 21136

1120 N Street

Sacramento, CA

1.Welcome and Introductions

  • Tom Neumann opened the meeting.
  • Paul Dorn has left the California Bicycle Coalition. Ron Vicari has replaced Bob Ireland for the California Bicycle Advisory Committee.

2.Opening Remarks

  • Brian Smith apologized that Director Kempton would not be present at this meeting.
  • Joan Sollenberger explained to the group that Governor Schwarzeneggar adopted GoCalifornia

in December 2004. Bottom line: transportation is good for the state’s economy.

  • The state’s population is expected to grow in the future and jobs are not near housing. People are forced to make unreasonable commutes from their homes to their jobs. With the expected population growth and our transportation investments, we will still have increasing congestion.
  • We will need tools to better utilize the system: design build, design sequencing, truck bypasses,

High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, etc.

  • CA Transportation Plan is a high-level, vision policy document; GoCalifornia is a consistent logical action plan to do something. GoCalifornia is also an educational piece.
  • Brian Smith noted community design and development is being added to transportation policy.

We will need to look at housing as a supporter of economy. Housing needs to be near work and play and to reduce and/or eliminate travel. We need to look at infill, transit-oriented development, and improve the CEQA process to allow infill housing.

  • Several local transportation tax measures have passed this past election year.
  • Governor Schwarzeneggar is also looking at provisions related to Proposition 42: (firewall, payback for 15 years, bonds against the revenue stream). Private sector funding can be leveraged instead of looking at traditional funding steams. The challenges are: 1) here’s where we want to go, 2) how do we pay for it with public/private funding, 3) which ones will have the biggest payoff?

3.Legislative Update

  • Ted-Link Oberstar mentioned the Department is tracking the following bills:

a)AB 56 (reinstate code section for bike signals);

b)Constitutional amendments ACA4 and ACA9. AC4 would allow the State to suspend Proposition 42 for two more years (FY 04/05 and 05/06), but forbids Proposition 42 suspension beginning FY 07/08. ACA9 would change the legislative vote from 2/3 to 4/5 to suspend the transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Transportation Investment Fund.

Federal reauthorization did not pass. There is an effort to move a reauthorization bill again in Congress.

  • Federal BillAB 2869 is still pending as it requires Federal approval. It would allow certain hybrid vehicles to use high occupancy vehicle lanes with one person.
  • Seven out of 10 local transportation measures passed this past November.
  • Transportation Committee is now the Transportation and Housing Committee.
  • Noted budget bill introduced is SB 52.

ALTC Group Meeting Summary, February 16, 2005

4.Walkable Community Workshops

  • Lisa Cirill reported that these workshops are consistent with GoCalifornia and the Governor’s Obesity Summit. Dr. Jackson, the Department of Health Services Chief, will have a summit on transportation and public health in next couple of months. The California Physical and Injury Control Branch of Department of Health Services will also be hosting two regional workshops.
  • Lisa Cirill presented a powerpoint presentation on Walkable Community Workshops.

5.Special Planning and Research Studies

  • Terry Parker gave a briefing on four land-use and transportation studies: 1) Assessment of Regional Integrated Transportation/Land Use Models, 2) Assessment of Local Travel Demand Models, 3) Develop Trip-Generation Rates for Urban and Infill Land Uses in California, and 4) Potential Infill Housing Capacity in California’s Urban Areas. Discussion followed on ability of the efforts to better predict non-motorized travel and connection to ITE and other related research efforts to better characterize the effects of land use changes.

6.Implementation of CA Blueprint for Bicycle Planning and Walking

  • The new committee is composed of several Department Division District Directors and two Division Chiefs to ensure efforts non-motorized activities are coordinated and prioritized.
  • Performance measures are not readily available offfor the State Highway System, for including bicycle and pedestrian data. Ken McGuire informed the group that activities listed and proposed are based on the Blueprint.
  • The Steering Committee also worked on the on charter, incorporating fitness and health and improving overall mobility. The next task will be to send out the draft charter for review.
  • Action Item: Ken McGuire and Tom Neumann – send N/M Steering Group charter to ATLC members.
  • Action Item: Ken McGuire/Terry Abbott at next meeting unless available sooner – share N/M matrix of activity priorities with ATLC for feed back and ideas.

7.Inclusion of Non-Motorized Improvements in Project Development procedures

  • Mark Leja explained the Project Initiation Development Procedures Document Mmanual is a collection of practical guidelines and is continuously updated. CSS will be integrated into the manual and he welcomed input from the group.
  • Ilene Gallo explained these new procedures are being incorporated into SHOPP guidelines and the checklist will represent resources for PID, encourage inclusion of design information, CSS, mainstreet data, FHWA flexibility and design, consideration of transit-oriented development, and pedestrian and bike issues when developing a project initiation document.
  • Joan Sollenberger offered that we could give the group the titles of the documents as they go through the stages and provide a chart that shows the process steps.
  • Action Item: Ilene Gallo and Mark Leja – send Chapter 9 PDPM and checklist now; discuss at next meeting.
  • Action Item: Ilene Gallo and Mark Leja – share graphic of planning & project development process with list of guidance documents and where they are used in process at next meeting.

8.ATLC Action Plan Item Update

A. Flexible Design Update/Main Street Guide

  • Keith Robinson: distributed a new edition at the meeting. Not all comments included, but will conduct a full revision next time. If you need extra copies, let us know.

B. CSS Training

  • Keith Robinson also stated that a pilot CSS training is scheduled for March 1-3 at District 3 (Sacramento Valley). It will then be launched statewide at in each district. The CSS training will be open to external partners as well.
  • Action Item: Keith Robinson via Tom Neumann – make CSS training available to ATLC members and Walkable workshop trainers.

C. Safe Route To Schools

  • Randy Ronning explained they are currently revising the guidelines and will invite review. An application will be soon be available.

ALTC Group Meeting Summary, February 16, 2005

D. Non-motorized Technical Reference

  • Richard Haggstrom mentioned that all tasks are completed from the Pedestrian and Ssafety tTask Fforce, except the best practices document. It will soon be approved for publication.
  • Action Item: Richard Haggstrom – provide N/M Technical reference final report next meeting.

E. Right of Way/Abandoned RR Corridor Evaluation Study

  • Matt Paul explained that a final draft of the study is completed. They are making internal corrections. The information will be posted on Nelson Nygard’s website in a week. The ATLC Group requested a demonstration of the website at the next ATLC meeting.
  • Action Item: Matt Paul and Tom Neumann – send website info to ATLC members so they can comment on RR ROW study Final draft.

9. Transportation Planning Grants

  • Tom Neumann explained that he expects the FY 04/05 CBTP and EJ grants to be awarded in April or May, 2005. The Department expects to award FY 05/06 CBTP and EJ grants after state budget is approved.

10.Closing Remarks

  • The next ATLC meeting will be May 10, 1-3 PM in this rRoom, with presentations on PID and Rail. Tom Neumann closed the meeting.

Attendees:

Terry Abbott, California Department of Transportation (Department), Local Assistance

Tim Bustos, California Bicycle Coalition

Derek Chernow, Odyssey

Laura Cohen, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Judy Corbett, Local Government Commission

Lisa Cirill, Department of Health Services

Ken Gaines, California Bicycle Coalition

Anne Geraghty, Walk Sacramento

Chris Morfas, Odyssey

Ron Vicari, California Bicycle Coalition

Lisa Cirill, Department of Health Services

Brian Smith, CA Department of Transportation, (Department), Deputy, Planning and Modal Programs

Terry Abbott, Department, Division Chief, Local Assistance

Asif Haq, Department, Acting Division Chief, Traffic Operations

Mark Leja, Department, Division, Chief, Design

Gale Ogawa, Department, Division Chief, Mass Transportation

Joan Sollenberger, Department, Division Chief, Transportation Planning

Ted Link-Oberstar, Department, Legislative Affairs

Greg King, Department, Environmental Analysis

Tom Neumann, Department, Planning

Keith Robinson, Department, Design

Randy Ronning, Department, Local Assistance

Ilene Gallo, Department, Planning

Anne Gerarghty, Walk Sacramento

Asif Haq, Department, Traffic Operations

Richard Haggstrom, Department, Local Assistance

Greg King, Department, Environmental Analysis

Pam Korte, Department, Planning

Mark Leja, Department, Design

Ken McGuire, Department, Local Assistance

Chris Morfas, Odyssey

Stuart Mori, Department, Planning

Tom Neumann, Department, Planning

Ted Link-Oberstar, Department, Legislative Affairs

Gale Ogawa, Department, Mass Transportation

Terry Parker, Department, Planning

Joyce Parks, Department, Mass Transportation

Matt Paul, Department, Rail

Chris Ratekin, Department, Planning

Larry Rillera, Department, Legislative Affairs

David Priebe, Department, Local Assistance

Chris Ratekin, Department, Planning

Keith Robinson, Department, Design

Randy Ronning, Department, Local Assistance

Stuart Mori, Department, Planning

Brian Smith, Department, Modal

Joan Sollenberger, Department, Planning

Ron Vicari, California Bicycle Coalition

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