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2024-04-03 TC Agenda_combinedAGENDA RICHFIELD TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING BARTHOLOMEW ROOM, CITY HALL Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024, 7:00 PM Attachment 1. Call meeting to order 2. Review & approve agenda 3. Review & approve minutes for March 6th, 2024 meeting #1 4. Pavement Management Program Overview (30 min) 5. Nicollet Avenue Next Steps (30 min) 6. Project Updates a) 65th St Reconstruction b) I-494 Construction c) 71st Street Sidewalk d) 66th and Richfield Parkway Pedestrian Infrastructure e) Highway 62 Noise Wall f) 73rd Street SRTS Trail g) CC Liaison/Other Commissions/Bike Advocates 7. Other Business 8. Upcoming events/meeting(s) a) Wed, May 1st, 7:00pm: Transportation Commission Meeting 9. Adjournment MINUTES RICHFIELD TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING BARTHOLOMEW ROOM, CITY HALL Wednesday, March 6th, 2024, 7:00 PM Commission Members in attendance: Husniyah Bradley (Chair), Jim Mahoney, McKenzie Burke, David Gepner, Jaz Warren, Eli Straub, Alex Valle-Osornio Not in Attendance: Adam Knosalla, Lou Dzierzak Liaisons: Sean Hayford Oleary, Tim Brackett, Jan Matheus City Staff: Joe Powers, Matt Hardegger, Olivia Wycklendt County/Consultant/Met Council Staff: Matt Huggins, Tyler McLeete, Steven Voelker, Dan Edgerton, Michael Mechtenberg, Julie Martinez. 1. Call meeting to order Chair Bradley called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM 2. Review & approve agenda Motion by Commissioner Burke to approve agenda. Second by Commissioner Straub. Motion carried. 3. Review & approve minutes for February 7th, 2024 meeting Motion by Commissioner Gepner to approve previous meeting minutes. Second by Commissioner Burke. Motion carried. 4. Metro Transit Route 4 Better Bus Route Project Program manager Michael Mechtenberg and Community Outreach Coordinator Julie Martinez from Metro Transit gave a presentation on the “Route 4 Better Bus Route Project”. Mechtenberg stated that the goal of the project is to improve the rider experience on local bus routes through bettering the reliability, bus stop accessibility, routes and operator satisfaction. Metro Transit intends to achieve this by consolidating bus stops and removing others to streamline the service and improve the infrastructure that is currently in place at some of the bus stops that will remain. Commissioner Mahoney asked Metro Transit staff how and if they consider topography in how they plan their stops. He elaborated that if a bus stop was removed and the next closest stop was up a hill if that is considered from an accessibility standpoint. Mechtenberg responded stating that the primary concerns and considerations involve adjacent land uses, riders waiting out in inclement weather, general ridership, and key transfer points, and that while topography is important these other points carry more weight in the decision. Councilmember Hayford O’Leary asked if any of the 14 bus stops being improved or the 5 locations that were receiving new shelters were in Richfield, to which Mechtenberg responded no. Hayford O’Leary expressed his concerns from the MINUTES perspective of the residents, stating that consolidating the bus stops and having no improvements provides no benefit to the residents in his ward. Mechtenberg encouraged Hayford O’Leary and Richfield residents to reach out regarding the project and specific stops they use to provide feedback on the project, as they are hoping to hear directly from riders who use the route themselves. Mechtenberg added that while the removal of bus stops in Richfield may deter 5% of current ridership, the entire bus route of riders should see a small benefit in travel time as a result. Commissioner Mahoney commented saying that in the last few decades he has felt that service has decreased with certain service routes being cut, and that while he appreciates what Metro Transit is trying to do for this project, he feels that the bigger problem that should be addressed is the decrease in service. He emphasized his point stating that he does not see the removal of bus stops as a benefit to Richfield residents. Mechtenberg mentioned that ridership and service are both down for bus routes, especially for routes going downtown. He is hopeful that they’ll be able to restore service in other areas in the future, however with Route 4 he was unable to keep all the bus stops along the route in Richfield. Chair Bradley asked Metro Transit if they had heard from individuals along the route about their personal accessibility restraints, and if they are or aren’t able to easily make it to the new bus stops. Additionally, she wondered if buses would stop at each stop a bit longer to accommodate passengers walking further to their stop. Mechtenberg responded saying their current outreach has involved an online survey, as well as engaging their bus operators and users of the bus route. He says that feedback from riders regarding accessibility is seriously considered. Mechtenberg did not have specific examples within Richfield. Commissioner Warren asked if Metro Transit factored in equity in regards to the removal of stops, and if they had a map or census data showing if households near stops did not have other modes of transportation or did not own a car. Mechtenberg stated that they are gathering data for this project through an online survey for transit users to fill out, which is taken into consideration with other engagement for the project. Commissioner Burke asked if providing feedback on the project was only accessible online, through the survey or QR code link. Mechtenberg replied that there are other options available like their customer relations staff via phone calls. Commissioner Gepner pointed out that no implementation date was listed in the presentation for the changes to Route 4. Mechtenberg replied that the survey will be open online until March 19th, with changes to the route likely happening in August of 2024. Chair Bradley asked if the project outreach staff were riding the bus during high- ridership times to catch more people as a part of outreach, which Martinez affirmed. Commissioner Mahoney repeated his concerns of the removal of certain stops in Richfield, noting that the current condition of Penn Avenue is poor from an accessibility standpoint. MINUTES Councilmember Hayford O’Leary asked how much times for the bus route will be adjusted. Mechtenberg answered stating that it depends on the final determination of the deletion of certain stops, and that generally speaking a few minutes per trip is saved. He mentioned that the bus route sees more of an improvement from a reliability standpoint rather than a quick ride per se. Councilmember Hayford O’Leary asked how often Richfield riders are getting off at one stop after another, versus a larger amount all at one stop. Mechtenberg replied saying that by getting rid of the second stop, it allows for their bus operators to drive more naturally. Commissioner Gepner asked if there was an update on the BRT route on Nicollet Ave and when it would be implemented. Mechtenberg stated he was not directly involved in it and that it’s still in the early stages of planning. It’s unlikely that it would happen before 2030. 5. Nicollet Avenue Discussion (48:00) Matt Huggins kicked off the discussion and gave a brief overview of how the open house went, encouraging the commission to comment on and discuss some of the findings of the open house as well as any preferences for where the design is going. Project staff Huggins, Dan Edgerton, and Tyler McLeete presented several plots from the open house, which showed several “dot” exercises, where attendees placed stickers as a vote for the different intersection design options, and sidewalk and bikeway options. Edgerton showed that the one-way cycle track was the most popular option, with the two-way cycle track being the next most popular. While the fewest number of attendees were in favor of the sidewalk and side path option, these attendees were the most concerned about the overall project impacts. Edgerton opened the floor to other staff and commission members present, looking for any additional feedback they heard from residents. As an example, Edgerton mentioned he described to several residents that although it appears that the impacts are great, the roadway is getting smaller and the roadway itself will be further away from many property owners property lines. Civil Engineer Olivia Wycklendt stated that while several attendees were worried about right-of-way impacts, they were more inclined to options that aimed to better bike and pedestrian infrastructure overall. Councilmember Hayford O’Leary mentioned that several bicyclists would lose access to riding on the shoulders with the new design, and that the loss of that infrastructure for bicyclists is something staff should bear in mind when choosing the final layout. Hardegger asked the Commission and Jan Matheus, the Bike Liaison, if they noticed a speed in biking on streets like Portland Ave and 66th Street where they have off-street bike lanes or no shoulders. Hayford O’Leary said that personally he doesn’t see a difference in speed, although there are some pinch points throughout the corridors. Matheus agreed. Edgerton asked the Commission if there was a sidewalk and bikeway option they preferred. The Commission was on the fence picking one option as the online survey for the project was still collecting data. Commissioner Gepner and Warren both stated they did not prefer the sidewalk and side path. MINUTES Edgerton and McLeete then presented the intersection design options. Every intersection proposed 2 options for an intersection treatment. In general attendees were not in favor of right-in, right-out concrete medians which prohibited east-west travel on certain intersections. Attendees did seem to appreciate the medians so long as they’re not closing off east-west traffic. For intersections where the two options were either a controlled lighting intersection or a roundabout, attendees preferred the roundabout in each instance. Commissioner Mahoney asked project staff how medians impact pedestrian safety. Edgerton responded saying it improves pedestrian safety, as it narrows lanes and encourages vehicles to slow down. Closed medians eliminate the risk of T-bone crashes. Commissioner Mahoney also inquired if the medians impact the “plowability” of the road. City Engineer Joe Powers responded that plows can operate with medians, and that plowing on Nicollet Ave would be done by the County. Commissioner Warren asked for clarification if both the open and closed medians would have pedestrian crosswalks, which Edgerton confirmed. She also inquired if we could have pedestrian medians while maintaining left turn lanes and north-south traffic at other intersections where they were not listed. Edgerton stated it was something project staff could investigate. McLeete mentioned that Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) is doing their transportation analysis, and that queueing from school events that happens on Nicollet Ave is hoping to be addressed as a part of this redesign. He added that in general studies have shown that roundabouts tend to be safer. Liaison Tim Brackett advocated for buses, mentioning that any intersections should be designed to handle vehicles like school buses, which McLeete affirmed that those types of vehicles are being accommodated for. Commissioner Straub asked if there was any consideration in the design for elevating pedestrian crosses. Edgerton responded that yes, there was and those design specifics will be considered more fully further along in the design process. Hardegger asked the Commission for their opinion on raised crossings as an intersection treatment. County staff explained what the raised crossings looked like, and no formal opinion was given by the Commission. Chair Bradley mentioned that the roundabout at 66th St and Nicollet Avenue often gets backed up during school pick-up and drop off at AHA and asked if putting a roundabout at 67th St would be too close and aggravate that traffic congestion more. Mcleete responded that if there is consideration of placing a roundabout at that intersection, detailed modeling would be done to ensure that the design would be functional with increased school traffic. Commissioner Gepner asked if the raised crossing was more to the benefit of pedestrians and bicyclists or a barrier for cars to speed through that intersection, which McLeete confirmed was a bit of both, as the raised crossing is a traffic calming measure for vehicular traffic. Commissioner Warren asked for clarification if the City would investigate retrofitting the raised crossings as a part of this project, to which staff replied they were considering it. MINUTES Councilmember Hayford O’Leary asked the Commission if they felt comfortable getting rid of the options for the design, specifically the sidewalk and side path option. After some discussion, the Commission made a motion. Motion by Commissioner Warren to no longer pursue the sidewalk and side path option. Seconded by Commissioner Burke. Motion passes. 6. Project Updates Transportation Engineer Hardegger provided a few brief project updates. Civil Engineer Olivia Wycklendt provided a brief project update on 65th St, stating some pedestrian RRFB’s were out on the east leg of 65th St and Lyndale, and that City staff is working to remedy that problem. The 494 Project has sent out road closure alerts. The big closure happening in Richfield is on 78th Street from Portland to Chicago Ave, where this frontage road will be closed permanently. Hardegger believes the access ramp to 494 from Penn Ave will likely be closed later this year permanently, starting on March 18th. The 71st St SRTS project was awarded at the last city council meeting, and construction is expected to start sometime in June later this year. The 66th St and Richfield Parkway project successfully received a grant for placing RRFB’s and it is still currently in the design process, with hopes to construct later this year. The highway 62 noise wall is likely to start sometime next year in 2025. 7. Other Business Councilmember Hayford O’Leary mentioned that the City Council is currently considering 3 different options in regards to the City’s comp and class study, and that to accommodate whatever change is decided upon it will impact the City property Levy. Tim Brackett announced he purchased some additional bikes for the school districts bike fleet, with it being available to the public the week of the April 15th. Bike Liaison Jan Matheus mentioned that the adult learn-to-ride would be hosted at 7145 Harriet Ave on May 8th, with a classroom capacity of 12. 8. Upcoming events/meeting(s) The next regularly scheduled Transportation Commission Meeting is on Wednesday, April 3rd. 9. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM.