Thread by @shayshinecastle

Next up: Transportation Master Plan update. Here's the staff presentation on that: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/6A_Transp…

The vision statement has been updated to have a "people-centric approach," Kathleen Bracke says. "It's about moving people."

New vision statement: "A safe, accessible and sustainable multi-modal transportation system that connects people with each other and where they want to go…” etc.

Bracke: "We're facing a lot of challenges. Locally, we know we need to be doing a better job with essentials: road maintenance, snow removal, etc."

Lots of pictures of bikes and bike shares on this presentation. No e-scooters yet. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Bracke: "We understand how challenging it is to talk about transportation funding. We have a lot of needs, but we understand we're just one part."

Current transportation funding: $38M a year
$22.7M extra funds PER YEAR are needed to meet essential services, per staff presentation.

Switching now to the Safe Streets report (I haven't had time to read this yet). But here are a few things that were pulled out in the memo:
35 pedestrians with serious injuries 2015-2017
3 pedestrian fatalities 2015-2017
49 miles of missing sidewalk in the city

Lots of left-turn related crashes; almost 20% of serious injuries/fatalities came from left-turns at traffic signals, says Bill Cowern, principal traffic engineer.

In addition to improving *actual* safety, Cowern says, city wants to improve *perceived* safety: "We want a community that feels safe" so they use alternative forms of transportation.

Education is needed. Injuries/fatalities won't go away unless there are behavior changes as well, Cowern says.

160 engineering safety improvements in Boulder in the last 2 yrs. 2/3 of those are traffic signals.

Muni was about the Ds.
Transportation/Vision Zero is about the Es: Engineering, Evaluation, Education, Enforcement

Two things are going to be "profound" in improving safety, Cowern says: Taking specific actions at high-crash locations. And innovative intersection design.

They are going to do such a design at 30th/Colorado. (I had somewhere in my notes specifics on that, but can't find it.)

Cowern: We've got to get ppl to stop speeding on arterial roadways. "A lot of crash trends are mitigatable only through behavior changes."

Amy Lewin is presenting on the pedestrian plan. I did not know we had a pedestrian plan or a pedestrian advisory group. "We've been meeting regularly since last summer," Lewin says.

Action Plan: Snow removal, comfortable walk connections to daily destinations (coffee shop, etc.), pedestrian crossings, enhanced alleys, encouragement programs, car-free streets

"We have a very active community, and our community members want to walk and bike more," Lewin says. "We want to make sure they're not dissuaded bc they don't feel safe."

Interesting map on slide 31 of the presentation. It's areas where people *could* walk to daily destinations (grocery store, coffee shops) if the amenities for walking/biking were better.

Also working on something called Neighborhood Green Streets: roadways that have low vehicle speeds and traffic counts, and improve walking/biking design features:

Green pavement markings to guide cyclist paths, curb bulb-outs to shorten crossing distances, wayfinding, and other treatments to encourage lower vehicle speeds

First being implemented around 13th Street neighborhood from Iris to Boulder Creek Path

Neighbors will have “opportunity” to lower speeds through traffic calming mechanisms. If traffic is more than 2,000 vehicles, it will be diverted to higher-classification street.

OK: On to funding. Chris Hagelin, senior transportation planner, is on this one.

"Today we are facing some significant issues. Sales tax is not keeping up with inflation. We are deferring maintenance, sometimes to critical condition."

"Affordable housing issues are creating longer and longer commutes for our employees who have little option other than driving."

Some stats from the memo: Sales tax = 80% of non-federal funding or $26M of $32.8M budget w/o fed funds (Federal funds = $11.8M in 2018)
88% of spending going toward essential services
Concrete and asphalt: costing 5-7% more annually

$10M capital improvement needs in 2012 now cost $14.5M

Hagelin: We'll have to decide how big a bite we're going to take, what we're going to bite, and how we're going to pay for the bite.

If we don't increase funding, "transportation goals will become wishful thinking."

In 2018, 22% of transportation budget went to enhancements and 78% to essential services. "If we weren't differing maintenance, that 22% would be gone."

Carlisle cuts in to ask how much traffic has increased. "I assume growth has something to do with this."
Jones reminds her council isn't asking qs yet.

Here are a list of needs, and costs annually
Routine Maintenance $3.6M
Capital Maintenance $7M
Traffic Operations $100,000 (also $9.6M in capital needs)
Local Transit Service $5.7M
Capital Improvement Program $5M
Planning and Programs/Vision Zero/EcoPass $1.3M

Plus one more capital need: Transit HOP Electrification $11.2M
Total: $22.7M annual expenses
$20.8M in capital expenses

A funding working group put forward some funding options.
Tier 1 options got full group consensus:

Transportation Utility/Maintenance Fee: Levied on commercial and residential properties. Added to utility bills. Can be based on how many VMT various land uses produce. Or Loveland bases it on lot frontage to public right-of-way.

Would be done in two parts: Base fee for maintenance, then raising for specific projects
To generate $5M a year:
$80/yr for detached residential unit
$53/yr for multi-family unit
$0.20 sq ft/ for commercial/retail
$0.10 for office
$0.02 for warehouse/light industrial

A Regional/Countywide Transportation Tax also was in Tier 1.
To fund corridor projects and bus rapid transit
Could be property or sales tax, but leaning toward sales tax bc of strong local support for failed statewide transportation measure

Proposition 110 passed 57.27% to 42.73% in BoCo

“It is likely the most viable option to fund the regional corridor projects and transit service the city needs to address issues of in-commuting and traffic congestion," staff wrote in its memo.

Roadway user fees were in Tier 2, which got consensus from the group but with some asterisks. Such as the vehicle registration fee. Group agreed it was a good idea, but there was disagreement on what to levy it on, exactly.

Fees must be directly tied to impact, per state law.

Another Tier 2 idea: Curbside Management Fee.
Charged to vehicles for accessing curbs using right-of-way
Frequently used at airports
Levied on Uber, Lyft, delivery trucks; being tested in San Francisco
Should be phased; revenue potential is “significant” (figures not shared)

Third Tier 2 mechanism is a roadway user fee with congestion pricing. May be a "significant" revenue generator, Hagelin says.

Tier 3 (better at state or federal level to replace gas tax)
Vehicle Miles Traveled Tax/Fee: Pilot already conducted in CO, and 30 states are doing pilots, Hagelin says. "Very likely" to come to state legislature.

Last thing for council consideration: Timeline
Typically, a master plan goes out 20 years. But transportation folks want to accelerate it to 2030 bc of climate goals.

I found scooters! Page 51 of 59! One picture of some Lyme e-scooters.

Bill Rigler from Transportation Advisory Board is here. Gives a shoutout to "the media."

Flattery will get you nowhere with journalists. You know that saying "You get more flies with honey?" You know what also gets flies, and journalists? Shit.

Rigler's third TAB meeting was the one that approved the Folsom right-sizing. "We've grown a lot since then," he says.

Just gave a really great explanation of PR that also explains why journalists HATE PR: It's a Venn diagram of what you want ppl to know and what ppl want to here. Where it overlaps is what your message is.

On Funding: "We are all aware that funding in transportation is a tricky business. Without additional funding, we're simply not going to be able to attain our goals," Rigler says.

References traffic fatalities in 2016. There were 7 that year; the oldest victim was 71, the youngest 4.
"Everything we do here is about minimizing risks," Rigler says.

OK, back to council.

Jones on Safe Streets: "This is amazing progress"

Asks about Broadway and North, which has had 5 severe injuries (I'm not sure over what time).
Cowern: Ppl are making left turns, and they're hitting pedestrians in the crosswalk. It's a single lane, so we can't separate out left turns. We've put in longer pedestrian interval.

"I'm as mystified as you as to why that particular location is that way," Cowern says. Lots of intersections with more traffic and more pedestrians.

Carlisle: If we have that kind of accident rate, I'd think you just go, "Stop" and let the pedestrians have the right-of-way. It's speed, on Broadway. Ppl are thinking about getting somewhere quickly and not paying attention.

Brockett: What's the threshold for a high-crash intersection? How many crashes?
I noticed on bike map, there were intersections with 1 serious injury or fatal crash....

Dave Kemp taking that one: 10-49 was the threshold for serious and fatal crashes.
Brockett is arguing, I think, that every location with a serious injury or fatal crash should be shown.... ? I'm confused.

Weaver: Can we use the data to analyze solutions that get proposed? We are bringing in "tons" of flashing yellow (signals). If we can analyse how those solutions impact the number of crashes... in limited transportation $$, I would like to spend on the most effective things.

Weaver brings up e-scooters! He's been to Denver and "seen how they interact."
C'mon, Sam, live a little. Ride one!

Nagle q: Left turn crashes, is it pedestrians ignoring walk signs, or ppl in cars turning and not seeing pedestrians?
Cowern: "In all those cases, it was a bad decision" on the part of the driver making the turn and hitting something (ped, bike, another car)

"Those wouldn't happen" with protected left turns, Cowern says.

Carlisle: It's discouraging to see "how far we haven't come," Carlisle says, referencing the 21,000 crashes in Boulder between 2015-2017. Wants to see increased enforcement.

"Anyone who has been to the Netherlands knows that bicycles have the right-of-way. Cars just stop for them."

Can confirm.

Morzel wants more crosswalks and speed bumps to curb speeding on arterial roadways.

Fun fact: Speeding was a factor in 6% of all crashes from 2015-2017, and 19% of severe and fatal crashes.

Per Safe Streets Report, which I just started reading.

Several ppl just came in to the meeting, and two of them gave me *looks.* WTF.

Weaver on crosswalks, too. He wants one at 23rd and Pearl, but keeps getting told not enough ppl cross there. Feels like a chicken-and-egg thing, he says.

Cowern says that crosswalk will be built this year. Much rejoicing.

The guidelines for pedestrian crossings is being updated, too, Bracke says.

Cowern: There are unbelievable numbers of ppl who cross in areas that are hostile. If ppl are crossing, we want to put a crosswalk there.

Before the grammar police get me again on this one: The guidelines ARE being updated, too. Bracke used the formal name of the guideline program and the singular "is" that went with it. Got lost in translation.

Young on diverting traffic from neighborhood streets to busier ones: Be careful of where you divert traffic to and how that impacts pedestrians and cyclists there.

Also worried about plan to enhance alleys bc "it implicates parts of town that have alleys" where there might be a lot of walking happening anyway. We need to be equitable in where we make improvements.

Morzel, on (I think) mid-block crossing walks and how well they work. "I think we've been able to change ppl's behavior."
Jones: "At first I didn't think they worked, but ppl have changed."
Cowern: The data shows the same.

Brockett wants to see some streets narrowed at intersections to slow down cars.

Protected bike lane would only be possible on the east side of Broadway in NoBo, from Violet to Lee Hill. Elsewhere on Broadway, the county owns. (This from a staff member whose name I didn't catch.)

Looking at a multi-use path from 36 to Lee Hill on Broadway that is higher than the roadway. And when Fourmile Creek flood work gets done, bikeway can be improved as well.

Brockett pushes for more protection for cyclists during the upcoming project on North Broadway bc the roadway "won't be changed again" for a long time.
Jones echoes the need to "do as much as we can" on a major corridor "front and center" to the community.

Parking protected bike lane would cost an additional $3M, staffer says.
Carlisle: I'm sure the county would pony up for that.
Laughter from council.

Weaver: Let's keep east Boulder in mind. The north-south connections are not great, and a lot of them are scary. "Many, many bikers end up on the sidewalk."

I got the unnamed staffer's name. Gerrit Slater, principal transportation projects engineer.

Some talk about speeds on north Broadway. I think they're being lowered...

Young: Would it cost more or less to have parking lots where downtown employees can park and then take an Uber/Lyft to work?
(No answer just yet; they'll work on that.)

On dropoff sites: Brockett says it's a current problem bc it backs up traffic. So it might be good to have designated places and to enforce when ppl don't use them.

Weaver: We're are preempted from doing any local regulations on autonomous vehicles, at the state level. We tried; we lobbied for that one but were denied.

His larger point is that we want to get ahead of transportation technology/evolution, see what's coming, and plan for it.

"If we regulate well, I think we'll see good solutions," Weaver says.

Now the fun discussion: Money.

Weaver asked about the transportation maintenance/utility fee. It goes on utility bills: Loveland has one. Loveland assesses it on the length of a property's frontage to the road. It's used to maintain transportation infrastructure.

It can also be based on the trips generated by different land uses: offices, retail, residential, etc.

Most municipalities base their fees on these trip tables, Cowern says.
Weaver: I actually think for commercial properties, trip generations make the most sense, but on residential, the frontage makes more sense.

Brockett: Could we have a rebate program for ppl under a certain income level?
Cowern: Yes. We would do it nonprofit commercial entities, etc.

Brockett: There are critical areas we are ignoring right now. "Our streets, a lot of them are not in great shape. I think it's really critical that we do something about this and catch up on deferred maintenance. We gotta shore up our basic maintenance."

Second priority (for Brockett) is Vision Zero. Safety is fundamental.

Weaver, looking at funding options: Transportation fee and registration fee both make sense, bc you're charging for the activities that have the impacts.

Jones: Likes the transportation maintenance/utility fee bc vehicle registration fee still has pieces to work out.
Brockett: If it's just tied to MPG, it's regressive. If you tie it to vehicle valuation, that's more equitable.
Jones: To me, it doesn't get at the point.

Nagle starts her comment with "I'm sorry" so this is going to be good.

"It's almost like we're making walking and biking for the elite ppl who have time for it, who are lucky enough to work close to their home. I have no option but to drive. I don't have the time to take a bus, walk a mile up Sugarloaf Road. It feels unequitable. I have to drive."

"We're unfortunately not a town that was built on bikes and pedestrians. We do have to remember that there is a working class community that relies on automobiles. It's a fact."

Not as bad as I thought.
Jones still breaks in, reminding her that the transportation fee is to pay for road maintenance like paving and potholes. And that *everybody* who lives here will have to pay, not just drivers.

"It's already expensive enough to live here," Nagle says. This will just add to that.

Morzel: You bring up a good point. I think we saw that during the Folsom right-sizing. We underestimated how many people do use their cars for work.

Weaver: There are ways to make these fees as progressive as possible, through rebates or putting them on residential units based on their size, number of bedrooms, etc.

Council now discussing a regional or county transportation tax like Prop 110, which failed at the state level, but it passed in Boulder County (by 57%).

Jones: "There's a recognition that there's a need for us to address transportation needs and a willingness to do that."

Jones: "I think it would be interesting to tie transportation and housing together. Affordability and mobility to and from your job, those things are very linked."

Hagelin: Main views of the funding working group were that if Boulder and Boulder alone implemented user fees or congestion pricing only in city limits, we would put Boulder at a significant economic disadvantage. They should be done regionally, only after transit is beefed up.

It would also be charged on the ppl who have "the least amount of mobility choices" bc ppl have to live outside the city when it's so expensive, Hagelin says.

Weaver: It almost doesn't matter if it's doing tolls, or congestion pricing, or charging for vehicle miles traveled. It's going to hurt the ppl who can't afford to live here. "It's got inequity written all over it."

Jones notes that the U.S. 36 toll lane decreased travel times for all lanes, even though only ppl who can afford it use it.

General direction to staff to pursue regional solutions.

I think we're done with transportation. Only ... six... more things to do?

@threadreaderapp, please unroll. Thanks!