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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Committee Minutes 8.13.2024 (APPROVED) Attendees: Al Hartman Paul Esslinger, Council Jim Collins, Transportation Director Evelyn Meuret Sean Lynch Jane Weber, Secretary Jeff Armstrong Excused: Deb Martin, Jim Stapel Also Present: OPD Representative – Lt. Kraemer, James Rabe (Public Works Director) 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 July meeting, seconded by Jeff Armstrong. Motion carried after roll-call vote. Old Business – N/A New Business Request for stop sign (Division & Scott) – Jim Collins said this isn’t the first time he had a request at this t- intersection so he did some research as far as accident history. One was from a 2nd offense OWI driver that went over the curb and hit a house, an issue in May of 2019 with hitting the fire hydrant and in May of 2018 an impaired driver that failed to navigate the intersection and then proceeded to flee from police. Jim said several things are studied to warrant a stop sign including accident history, line of sight issues and actual traffic counts. Chairman Hartman invited the resident from the public to comment at this time. Elizabeth Dillinger 902 Central St. Oshkosh, WI 54901 The letter this resident wrote was also shared with all committee members. She said she resides at the house that has been hit several times and alcohol was indeed a factor in 2 of the 4 incidents that occurred since 2010. She said she recently got dropped from their insurance plan and a stop sign simply will not be sufficient. She is requesting the road to be closed instead. She feels strongly that there is absolutely no need for that street. The last accident was less than 13’ away from the gas main which could have resulted in a Transportation Committee Meeting Minutes August 13, 2024 2 | Page deadly outcome. James Rabe from Public Works was present and commented that the option to turn that intersection into a cul-de-sac would be quite intensive and involve possible property acquisition and demolition of one of the properties. not to mention getting it added as an approved capital expenditure. Jeff Armstrong said unfortunately there isn’t any control over drunk drivers even if a change was made. Evelyn suggested we start with the stop sign to see if it improves since it is such a big expenditure to cul-de-sac the street. That large of a project may be difficult to get approved through Council. Paul Esslinger was curious to get input from a member of OPD; Lt. Kraemer (OPD) said at this type of intersection vehicles should yield, but that isn’t always the case. A possible cheaper option would be concrete bollards or a barrier in the terrace area. Jim Collins said the ultimate goal is to increase awareness and make the intersection safer. Lt. Kraemer also said more enforcement in the area might be possible. Evelyn asked about getting it approved with a flashing red; however, Jim Collins said the first step would be to flag it to incease awareness. Paul Esslinger made a motion to approve the stop sign as request; seconded by Evelyn Meuret. Motion carried after roll-call vote. Parking Study Presentation –Jim Collins explained this study was a result of a request by Council to explore free overnight parking. Currently there is no overnight parking from 2am – 5am throughout the city without a permit or special temporary permission. Evelyn asked if there are ever any exceptions for special events; Lt. Kraemer stated yes, for major events or during EAA the restriction is lifted. Jim said the study also did several peer comparisons and Oshkosh mimics the City of Appleton pretty closely. He included a copy of the detailed study in the packet. There are many types of permits and costs, and each city has varying rules and regulations. He also mentioned that most other peers use a parking APP for payment vs. having to come into City Hall to pay for a permit. The other part of the study included the parking lots. The BID recently requested more spots be changed from permit to a 2-hour maximum to free up parking for downtown shoppers, however some complaints have been logged since the change asking that the time vehicles are allowed to park be increased to accommodate certain businesses. The study included types of permits, costs, seasonal regulations, payment methods and impacts to other departments. Jim Collins stated if a change is desired, input from citizens should be sought before Council takes any formal action. One suggestion was to gain feedback by conducting a POLCO survey which is an online survey system the city uses. The survey could be shared and linked on social media and in other areas. Al Hartman shared written input from Jim Stapel who was unable to attend the meeting in person. Jim Stapel is a business owner downtown so this topic does have a direct impact on him and his storefront. He suggested letting the current policies go as is for another few months to see if the unhappiness continues or if it was merely a few people complaining now that the police started to enforce parking tickets. Jim Collins said more 2-hour parking and offering leased parking was exactly what the BID and their members requested when the change was approved by Council. The challenge is accommodating all the unique businesses, their owners, customers and employees. The current 2-hour parking policies were meant to reduce the number of downtown employees and employers from parking for 4 hours in the morning and then moving their car at lunch and re-parking for another 4 hours taking away parking from customers. Sean Lynch who is a BID member said it really doesn’t impact his shop too much because he shares a lot and hasn’t been experiencing complaints. Paul Esslinger agrees it needs to be observed for a longer period. Chairperson Hartman did not need a motion because it was decided to leave the parking lot program as is since it has only been in place a few months. The committee requested that Director Collins share any additional feedback with them throughout the calendar year to gain a better perspective if changes are still needed to the current policy as people get used to the new changes. 3 | Page As far as the overnight parking, the committee feels additional public feedback is necessary via means of social media, polco polls and any additional measures as needed. Staff Statements ❖ Ridership Update – Jim said ridership is trending up especially with refugees attending classes at FVTC, however EAA Shuttle numbers were down this year. ❖ TDP Plan – Jim said as part of the TDP Plan, fares did increase on 8/1/24. So far, that phase of the roll-out has gone very smooth. ❖ WisGO Electronic Fare System – The installation process of the card readers has been a bit more extensive than anticipated so it may be difficult to keep the September 1st roll-out. The plan is to get the students set up with their new photo ID bus pass and then get cards to the general public shortly after that for early Fall implementation. Future Agenda Requests There were no additional agenda requests. Adjournment Paul Esslinger made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Evelyn Meuret. Motion carried after roll-call vote Meeting adjourned at 4:55pm.