M I N U T E S

CITIZENS’ TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD (CTAB)

September 2, 2008

City Administration Building, 30 S. Nevada Avenue

Suite 102 (Old Council Chambers)

1. CALL TO ORDER/ESTABLISH QUORUM: Second Vice-Chairperson Jane Dillon called the meeting to order at 3:06 p.m.


Members present: Alicia Archibald, Amber Bowden, Gene Bray, Jane Dillon, David Munger, Rich O’Connell, Gerrit Slatter (non-voting alternate), Joe Vaccaro and Randy Welsch.

Members absent: Brian Chester, Jim Ramsey and Brian Risley.

Staff present: Ron Mitchell, Public Works Director; Cam McNair, City Engineer; Clyde Pikkaraine, City Engineering/PPRTA; Dave Krauth, Principal Traffic Engineer; Dave Menter, Transit Services Division; Craig Blewitt, Comprehensive Planning Division Manager; Carrie McCausland, Public Communications; Tim Roberts, Senior Transportation Planner; and
Gaye Smith, Transportation Planning Analyst.
Others present: Randy Grauberger, Parsons Brinckerhoff; Wes Kindt, URS Corporation; Mickey Ferrell and Tamela Lang, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT); John O’Donnell, Surface Transportation Advisory Coalition (STAC); and Brian Vitulli, Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG).

2. INTRODUCTIONS: New Board members Rich O’Connell and Gerrit Slatter were introduced. Brian Chester is also new to the Board but was unable to attend the September meeting.

3. CITIZEN COMMENT: None.

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the August 5, 2008 meeting were presented. David Munger asked that two amendments to the Trucking Issues Subcommittee Report section be made:

(1) Fifth sentence, first paragraph should read, “… TISC is recommending that Austin Bluffs from Nevada to Union be considered for placement on the truck route system.” Dave noted that TISC will not make a recommendation until public discussion has been held.

(2) First sentence, second paragraph, should read, “… TISC has tried to employ a system of truck routes spaced approximately every 1 ¾ to 2 miles…” This would be more consistent with TISC’s last report to and guidance from City Council.

Joe Vaccaro moved to approve the minutes as amended. Amber Bowden seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Absent: Chester, Ramsey and Risley.

5. TRUCKING ISSUES SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT: Chairperson Munger reported that the Subcommittee did not meet in August. TISC will meet every other month through the end of the year in order to be involved in public discussion of its preliminary recommendations. Jan Doran has agreed to chair talks with stakeholders along the Austin Bluff Parkway corridor segment from Nevada Avenue to Union Boulevard. Dave has spoken with representatives from eight neighborhoods bordering the area and is trying to get on homeowner association meeting agendas in September as part of the first step in the discussion process. He has also been talking to a number of trucking company chief executive officers. Public meetings will be advertised and CTAB will be advised. He is working with Carrie McCausland in the City Public Communications office toward that end. Dave said that he has also met with several Councilmembers, who feel that TISC seems to be on track.

6. OLD BUSINESS:

A.  Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority Report – Cam McNair said that the Cimarron Street Bridge over Conejos was about a week from final completion. Lights will be installed this week, and landscaping is being completed. Crews will start work on the other portion of Cimarron Street Bridge to the west, making repairs and general appearance improvements. Contract completion date is September 8, and the project is on schedule.
The Austin Bluffs Parkway at Union interchange is within a few weeks of putting traffic on the overpass. A possible media event is planned within the next week or two. Final completion of the interchange is expected around Thanksgiving. The Circle/Constitution intersection project has been delayed because of the relocation of telephone lines; hopefully this will be completed by the end of the year.

B.  US 24 West Environmental Assessment Update – Craig Blewitt noted that the Environmental Assessment process has been ongoing for a couple of years. Roadway changes have been identified and impacts are being assessed. Aesthetics are also being considered. An Open House was held on August 28. Craig said that he would let CTAB know the outcome of the Open House at the next Board meeting. The next steps in the process will be to complete the impacts assessment and mitigate them.

C.  Transit Services Monthly Update – Dave Menter said that Transit ridership has increased significantly. Front Range Express ridership was up over 48% from July 2007, and the 17,080 one-way trips provided in July 2008 represented a new one-month all-time high. The free Downtown Shuttle ridership was also up over 34% from July 2007 and set a new one-month all-time record high.
At the last meeting, Board members had asked Tim McKinney about bus bike racks. In the report provided to CTAB, Mountain Metro Transit (MMT) staff investigated the potential for increasing capacity for bicycles to be transported on MMT buses. The existing racks on each bus have two-positions and are mounted only on the front of each bus. This is based on concerns over safety and driver vision and also nighttime bus headlamp visibility. Due to very limited driver visibility at the side and rear of the bus, racks mounted on the rear or side of buses are not safe. Likewise, bikes may not be brought on board the bus for passenger safety reasons. Quick egress could be impeded during an emergency; a sudden stop could allow an on-board bicycle to shift and injure passengers. Accordingly, no changes are recommended at this time.

7. NEW BUSINESS:

A.  Rail Relocation for Colorado Communities Project – Dave Menter introduced the Colorado Department of Transportation team, noting that this project is of interest, as it relates to transit interests. The project would entail the construction of a freight rail bypass on the far eastern Colorado plains. Tamela Lang explained the history of the project. The Rocky Mountain Rail Authority, a multi-jurisdictional government body created to explore passenger rail, was awarded a contract to conduct a High-Speed Rail Feasibility Study. The one-year study will assess the technical, financial and economic feasibility of implementing high-speed intercity rail service within Colorado and into neighboring states. Randy Grauberger provided study details, and noted that direct benefits include reduced auto, truck and emergency vehicle delays at grade crossings, improved air quality and reduced noise and vibration in built-up areas, statewide economic development, jobs creation and urban redevelopment opportunities, reduction of the routing of hazardous materials and future passenger rail facilitation. The present alignment shown is for study purposes only. The required right of way is mostly 150 feet, and railroads would have to negotiate rights of way with landowners.
David Munger asked Board members if there was a consensus of CTAB in support of this project. By voice proclamation, CTAB supported continuation of the Rail Relocation for Colorado Communities Project.

B. Proby Parkway Phase 1 Update – Robin Kidder commented that the purpose of this project is to build an expressway from I-25 to the airport. At a total of $53.1 million, this is the largest project on the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority Group A list. Clyde Pikkaraine reviewed the project schedule and current status of the project since the last update given to CTAB in November 2007. A Proby Parkway Community Committee has been formed to get feedback from the neighborhoods. Meetings were held in April, May, July and August, with good input from residents, and changes have been made as a result. Clyde noted that Proby Parkway is a gateway to Colorado Springs for visitors just arriving from the airport and should be treated as such. Drennan Road will become a residential street, so traffic calming plans have been put in place that include speed tables and roundabouts. Noise mitigation efforts and the landscape plan were presented. Clyde was asked if asphalt rubber has been considered for this project, and he said that other noise mitigation efforts have been designed for the project. However, concrete is becoming less expensive than asphalt, so costs of different roadway treatments will be looked at.

C. 2008 – 2013 Transportation Improvement Program Applications – Craig Blewitt said that City staff has submitted applications to the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) for the Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) and Transportation Enhancement (TE) federal aid funding programs. On August 13, 2008, the PPACG Board of Directors made an initial recommendation on which of the submitted projects to fund, for the purpose of public review and comment. The projects selected total more than available funds, so staff is working with the County on ways to scale back some of the projects and scopes. An open house is scheduled for September 9, and the public is invited to comment on the projects. This will be presented to City Council at its second meeting in September, and the PPACG Board will make its final selection of projects to be funded at its October 8, 2008 meeting.

Craig commented that another proposal that will come before the PPACG Board is for a travel survey to be conducted for the entire Front Range. Some of the survey data is over 40 years old, and the information needs to be improved. The proposal is for the creation of a “supermodel” for the Front Range, then break the information out regionally. The cost will be approximately $800,000, but will provide better information. There is some risk that Federal funds could be rescinded, which could mean that other projects would have to be cut back.

8. STAFF AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS: Dave Munger said that at a recent PPRTA Board meeting, a woman in a wheelchair said that she could not get to the airport via bus, and that taxicabs also were unable to take her. Councilmember Heimlicher had commented that perhaps licensing of cab companies should be reviewed. Dave wanted to know if this was an item that CTAB should discuss at a future meeting, as he felt that the right thing for the City to do is not disadvantage its citizens. Joe Vaccaro noted that Mountain Metro Mobility would not be able to help because its constraints were to provide service within ¾ mile from an established bus stop. Craig Blewitt asked how the PPRTA Board responded, and Dave Munger said that he did not remember specifics. Cam McNair said he recalled some discussion regarding Amblicab, and that there seemed to be a solution but that information was not made readily available to potential users. He thought that the Board was looking for a response from Sherre Ritenour, and Dave Menter concurred that Transit was looking into this situation. Craig Blewitt said that the purpose of CTAB was to advise Council, and that perhaps at the next CTAB meeting additional information could be made available. Based on that, CTAB could decide if the issue has been addressed and whether action still needs to be taken.

9. NEXT MEETING SCHEDULE: The next CTAB meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at the City Administration Building, 30 S. Nevada Avenue, in Suite 102 (Old Council Chambers). This is the Board’s Annual Meeting and election of new officers.

10. ADJOURNMENT: Second Vice-Chairperson Jane Dillon adjourned the meeting at
5:00 p.m.

Submitted by Gaye Smith

Transportation Planning Analyst

City of Colorado Springs

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