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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Committee Minutes 7.9.2024 Attendees: Al Hartman Paul Esslinger, Council Jim Collins, Transportation Director Evelyn Meuret Jim Stapel Jane Weber, Secretary Excused: Jeff Armstrong, Deb Martin, Sean Lynch Also Present: OPD Representative – Lt. Kraemer, Justin Gierach (Engineering) The meeting was called to order by Al Hartman who then explained protocol for public comment. Public Comment - N/A Roll Call & Approval of Minutes Chairperson Hartman requested roll call, and later Paul Esslinger made a motion to approve the minutes from the June meeting, seconded by Evelyn Meuret. Motion carried after roll-call vote. Old Business – AL Hartman said the Board & Committee handbook that was given out at the last meeting was very useful information and encouraged other members to use it as a resource. New Business Approve GO Transit’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goal – Jim Collins explained that Go Transit is a federally funded agency, therefore one of the requirements is to set a new DBE goal every 3 years. There is also a requirement to submit a detailed vendor report every 6 months to show proof of that goal being met. The new DBE goal of 2% was calculated in April of 2024 and publicly noticed for 45 days requesting feedback; to which there was none. Jim said he is looking for board approval at this time. Chairperson Hartman asked what the rational was for setting that goal; Jim explained there are two options in the FTA Best Practice Manual and this is the one they usually go with. Jim Stapel made a motion to accept the new DBE Goal as presented; seconded by Paul Esslinger. Motion carried after roll-call vote. RRFB at 9th Avenue and Graceland Street –Jim Collins explained he has received several requests for improvements to the crosswalk in this area as there are neighborhoods to the north and businesses to the south. Apparently, vehicles are not yielding to pedestrians and there is a need to make the crosswalk more visible. There is $50k in the 2024 Capital Improvement Budget for Bike & Ped improvements and this project is a very good use of those funds. The estimated cost of equipment is $30k to upgrade the crossing with rectangular rapidly flashing beacons. Jim is looking for committee support. Transportation Committee Meeting Minutes July 9, 2024 2 | Page Evelyn asked if the $30k is specific to this one crossing; Jim said yes due to significant price increases the past couple of years. This would be an entire overhead structure and push button crosswalk units. Paul Esslinger made a motion to approve the recommendation, seconded by Jim Stapel. Motion carried after roll-call vote. Truck Route Study Presentation Brad Domasky (KL Engineering) was asked to give a presentation on the truck routes study recently completed. They analyzed the impacts and benefits of several different options and had several stakeholder workshops to gain input. Other organizations such as the Oshkosh Chamber, BID and businesses that utilize truck deliveries were also contacted for input. The presentation included different options that were then assigned an overall score as comparison. In the 400 block of Main Street, there is higher pedestrian volume with narrower roads so everyone was in agreement that it is a good idea to get large truck traffic out of the busy downtown area. After the different options were presented, Brad opened up the meeting for questions and comments from the committee members. Paul Esslinger asked if parking on both sides of the streets was a consideration in regards to Alternative A5 as it is already difficult to maneuver with both cars in an area that has cars parked on each side; Brad said it was taken into consideration. With all of the ongoing projects, it is suggested to do this in Phases. Phase 1 would be to remove the truck route designation from Main Street through downtown and add Southpark Avenue as a truck route. Phase 2 would potentially add Irving Avenue as a truck route. Jim Collins said Phase 2 would potentially be easier to implement after the truck traffic gets used to the changes presented in Phase 1. Paul Esslinger asked about fines or tickets if the trucks violate the routes; Lt. Kraemer (OPD) said usually the complaint comes from a citizen when a large truck is in their neighborhood. Often times it is just educating the driver as they are not familiar with the area and which route they are expected to follow. Al Hartman asked if it had to be a package deal or if the vote could be on Phase 1 only; Jim said it can be done in phases. The complete study including the Transportation Committee’s recommendation will be presented to Council in August. Paul Esslinger made a motion to approve Phase 1 only of removing the truck route through downtown on Main Street and to table Phase 2 per the recommendation, seconded by Jim Stapel. Motion carried after roll- call vote Staff Statements ❖ Ridership Update – Jim said fixed routes were up again for June but still not at the 2019 levels. GO Connect took a dip in ridership so it will be interesting to see if that program continues after next spring when the pilot program expires. Access-to-jobs continues to be highly utilized which is the program that gets people to and from work. Paratransit ridership has been pretty stable and if that number is down, that may indicate the person is using fixed route instead. 3 | Page ❖ TDP Plan – Jim said the new maps are now complete so the next step is to start some media blitz initiatives. There are also plans to have a free fare day to get people used to the new routes. ❖ Electronic Fare System - Another update Jim mentioned was the shift from paper passes to reloadable cards or APP fares seems to be on schedule. The thought is to start with the students on September 1st and hopefully the general public on October 1st. This new system will have more pass outlet options such as CVS and Family Dollar which will offer convenience to the riders. ❖ Parking Analysis – Per Council request, the department is preparing an extensive parking analysis that will include several peer comparisons which will be presented to the Transportation Committee and Council in August. Future Agenda Requests There were no additional agenda requests. Adjournment Paul Esslinger made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Jim Stapel. Motion carried after roll-call vote Meeting adjourned at 4:59pm.