HomeMy WebLinkAboutOUTBoard minutes 0921171
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Approved 11/15/17
DRAFT MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY OUTBOARD
SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
REGULAR MEETING
MEMBERS PRESENT: Heidi Perry (Chair), At -Large Representative; Alex Castro (Vice- Chair), Bingham Township
Representative; Ed Vaughn, Cedar Grove Township Representative; Brantley Wells, Hillsborough Township
Representative; David Laudicina, Cheeks Township Representative; and Art Menius, At -Large Representative ; Erle
Smith, Chapel Hill Township Representative; Gary Saunders, At -Large Representative;
MEMBERS ABSENT: Jeff Charles, At -Large Representative; Ted Triebel, Little River Township Representativeand
Justin Miller, At- Large; Alyson West, At- Large; Jenn Sykes, At- Large; Donna Musson, Eno Township
Representative;
STAFF PRESENT: Abigaile Pittman, Transportation /Land Use Planner; Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning
Supervisor; Meredith Kern, Administrative Assistant.
OTHERS PRESENT FOR TRANSIT ADVISORY SERVICES: Andy Henry, DCHC MPO.
AGENDA ITEM 1: CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Heidi Perry called the meeting to order.
AGENDA ITEM 2: APPROVAL OF MINUTES
AUGUST 16, 2017
Heidi Perry moved the item to later in the meeting until a quormn was reached.
AGENDA ITEM 3: CONSIDERATION OF ADDITIONS TO AGENDA
Abigaile Pittman stated that she will present some additional items at the end of the meeting.
AGENDA ITEM 4: SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
AGENDA ITEM 4A: DURHAM - CHAPEL HILL - CARRBORO METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (DCHC MPO)
2045 METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN (MTP) ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS
Andy Henry from the DCHC MPO gave a presentation on the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. He started the
presentation by going over the role of the MPO, why the MTP is important. He asked that the Board provide feedback
at the end of the presentation. He noted that the BOCC will hear a similar presentation on October 3, 2017. This
MPO provides transportation planning for Durham County, a portion of Orange County, and the northeast corner of
Chatham County, covering urbanized areas determined by the most recent census. Per federal mandate, MPOs
channel federal funding. MPOs have a policy board composed of public officials from different counties and
jurisdictions. Commissioner Barry Jacobs serves on the MPO Board for Orange County (his alternate is
Commissioner Penny Rich). The MPO also has a Technical Committee made up of local planners who provide 5-
year recommendations to the Board; Tom Altieri from Orange County serves in this capacity and others, and Mr.
Henry works closely with this group. Mr. Henry continued with his presentation by going over a map of the MPO area
(color - coded) and then started to discuss the repertoire of plans under the MPO. The Comprehensive Transportation
Plan (shown by the red circle on the map) was adopted in May by the MPO, its first CTP. Now the focus is on
creating a Metropolitan Transportation Plan, a federal requirement. This plan has to show fiscal constraint, that the
Approved 11/15/17
53 costs must be covered by expected revenues, so there are a more limited number of projects than in the CTP. The
54 hatched area on the map shows where the MTP was used to choose STPP projects. STPP or Strategic
55 Transportation Prioritization Process is a gateway into NCDOT methodology for funding projects in the transportation
56 approval program. Funding plans are stretched out over 10 years, in these cases. The MTP lists highway transit and
57 bicycle and pedestrian projects to address deficiencies through the year 2045. The plan is based on future land use,
58 population, employment and the travel demand model (to be discussed later in the presentation), and a financial
59 plan. Projects must be in the MTP to get federal funding to then move into the TIP. Planners used to use the MTP to
60 reserve right -of -way for future roadways. Mr. Henry reviewed the process of creating the MTP, breaking down
61 various analyses, projections, and the creating of key alternatives for addressing congestion. The MPO will release
62 its draft, referred to as its "preferred option," in October. This draft will go back out for public input, at which time the
63 OUTBoard can also make additional comments. The plan and report will likely be approved by December 2017 or
64 January 2018. Another part of the process is running the alternatives analysis in consideration of land use and
65 transportation networks. The alternatives are put through the Triangle Regional Model to see how well the
66 alternatives meet future demand. The alternatives are not presented singularly; projects will be taken out from the
67 various alternatives for the final plan. Mr. Henry went over the process of creating alternatives in more depth. He said
68 that they take 2 land use scenarios; one is the community plan, based on local comprehensive land use plans, and
69 the other is the "aim high" plan where higher density scenarios are examined in the urbanized areas, like around
70 proposed light rail stations. These plans are combined with a transportation network with lots of highway projects,
71 along with one with fewer highway projects and more transit, and then a network that balances highway and transit.
72 These combinations inform the alternatives. For land use, guide totals for population and employment are put into the
73 land use model and then the model distributes the population - employment around the counties to see where they
74 think it will go. Looking at Orange County, the population is currently about 139,000 people. In 2045 it is estimated to
75 be 194,000, a 40 percent increase. Employment -wise, there are currently about 64,000 jobs in Orange County. In
76 2045, there will be 107,000 jobs, a 68 percent increase. Employment is increasing faster than population in Orange
77 County, a pattern in all the other counties in the MPO as well.
78
79 Erle Smith asked how Mr. Henry figured a 28% disparity between population growth and employment growth? This
80 suggests a pretty high unemployment rate.
81
82 Andy Henry answered that this figure is based on the growth rate. The County will continue to attract workers from
83 collar counties or surrounding counties.
84
85 Erle Smith said that Orange County was like a salary seat.
86
87 Andy Henry commented that it is evident in the mornings on NC -54 and 15 -501 with traffic being very high that a lot
88 of people are coming in to work at UNC and other places.
89
90 David Laudicina asked if the employment forecast takes into consideration what the Research Triangle is trying to do,
91 which is to add 110,000 new jobs, generating a huge amount of service jobs.
92
93 Andy Henry answered that the population total is from the NC demographer and is broken -out by county (20 year
94 projection). The MPO stretches that total out to 30 years to get its figures. The employment figures were from Woods
95 and Poole, a private company dealing with economic and demographic projections out to 2050.
96
97 David Laudicina said that those population projections could be conservative.
98
99 Andy Henry responded that upon revisiting some of the projection forecasts, sometimes the projections seem either
100 lower or higher, depending on what people expect.
101
102 Alex Castro asked why parts of Chatham County are included even though Chatham County is outside of the MPO.
103
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104 Andy Henry responded that the MPO does include a small portion of Chatham County in its planning area. He added
105 that MPO models the whole Triangle region in two ways: the travel demand model and the land use model, inclusive
106 of 10 counties. The model extends to Siler City in Chatham County.
107
108 David Laudicina commented that Chatham County is planning to develop its whole northeastern quadrant with
109 60,000 new residents.
110
111 Andy Henry agreed that Chatham County's population is growing the fastest, especially around Pittsboro with a new
112 development called Chatham Park, and the existing Briar Chapel community. Chatham County has an agreement
113 with Cary about how far they can come into the County with planning. There are a lot of apartments and senior
114 housing in that area.
115
116 Art Menius commented on the 2013 population just for the portion in Chatham; it is about twice the entire population
117 for Chatham in the 1980 census.
118
119 Andy Henry agreed that Chatham County is forecasted to grow pretty quickly. He continued his presentation. The
120 performance measures in the alternative analysis show different data on measures such as the average minutes of
121 delay per person and mode share in a "no build" scenario. Travel isochrones show how far someone can travel in the
122 afternoon peak within 10 -20 -30 minutes (see contours on the maps in presentation) in centers heavy in commuting
123 traffic around the Triangle (especially in downtown Durham, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, etc.). The idea is to show how
124 easy it is to commute. Travel time is also measured on roadway corridors like 1 -85 to look at travel time in a "no build"
125 scenario and the effects of building alternatives. Mr. Henry pointed out that even with improvements, travel time will
126 not recover. According to the model, if travel time is 20 minutes with the "no build" scenario, it may go down to 16
127 minutes even with costly improvements, but not much lower than that. The congestion map shows volume (V =
128 number of vehicles on the road) divided by capacity (C = how many vehicles road can handle). Map is color -coded
129 per percentage. The level of service at a 1 (100 %) is a level of service "E," on an A -F range where "F" (120 %) is
130 traffic almost standing -still and "A" is free - flowing. Therefore, a level "E" is pretty congested. The main highway
131 corridors are very congested as well as areas within Chapel Hill and around it, especially around Estes Drive.
132
133 Heidi Perry asked if these maps are based off of single occupancy vehicles for each person, so when you think of
134 population growth, even with a "no build" scenario, you are talking about having more single occupancy vehicles.
135
136 Andy Henry said that he was glad Ms. Perry brought -up the "no build" scenario. The presentation is based on no
137 build, no further improvements with the 2045 population and employment on the model. However, it is not all single
138 occupancy vehicles; 10 —15% would not be single occupancy vehicles.
139
140 Heidi Perry asked if the current mode share is built -out too.
141
142 Andy Henry said that this is a difficult question to answer but the model does not take the current mode share. The
143 model has some behavior worked into it; it will change the mode share between single occupancy and multi -
144 occupancy. However, it does not change much; the model is not that sensitive.
145
146 Alex Castro asked who determines the perimeters of the model.
147
148 Andy Henry said that there is a team that works on the model. The Triangle Regional Model has 4 partners: our
149 MPO, the Capital Area MPO, NCDOT, and Go Triangle. The partners provide financial investment and there is a
150 model team at NC State in the Institute for Transportation Research and Education.
151
152 Alex Castro asked for clarification as to if there was a standard model used statewide.
153
154 Andy Henry replied that there is not a standard model.
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156 Alex Castro asked if the model is just used by the region.
157
158 Andy Henry confirmed this. He said that there is a statewide model but it just does the main roads. Regions use the
159 statewide model to help inform the goings -on outside of the model area regarding trends and changes.
160
161 Heidi Perry asked if Mr. Henry has looked at previous projections to see how they played out.
162
163 Andy Henry said that he had not done this but that an intern could help with this sort of research. He continued his
164 presentation and discussed conclusions from the alternatives. He said that Orange County will continue to have brisk
165 employment growth and will attract employers and commuters from the outlying counties. The alternatives show
166 significant improvements in travel in the "no build" scenario, but there is still quite a bit of congestion. Travel time will
167 increase even with roadway improvements beyond the budget. The alternatives applied to the model include
168 improvements to highway and transit projects, more than is allocated in the budget, but congestion would still not
169 come down to today's levels. Mr. Henry discussed the next part in the presentation and said that in regard to transit
170 investments in light rail on a regional level, sometimes it is hard to detect movement in mode share. A closer look to
171 areas around rail and transit lines and rail stations shows that there are significant mode shifts, especially in walking
172 and biking (increase 3 or 4 times). This can get deluded in performance measures for the whole region, but
173 investment in specific areas makes a big difference.
174
175 Alex Castro asked about how "non- motorized" was defined. Light rail and other transit have motors.
176
177 Andy Henry clarified that non - motorized refers to bicycling and walking. The reason he used this language was
178 because the model does not distinguish the two. He will take this wording out in future presentations and just say
179 walking and bicycling and refer to pedestrians. He continued with his presentation and discussed high density and
180 mixed land uses in rail station areas increases non - motorized modes and increases travel time. He said that when
181 the team ran different alternatives with a more intense land use — "aim high" - and the same transportation network,
182 the "aim high" had improvements across the board with less congestion and fewer miles traveled, better mode shift to
183 bicycling and walking.
184
185 Alex Castro asked how multi -modal journeys were considered as an element. Is the last mile and first mile types of
186 approach used? For example, Heidi might bike to the train station, put her bike on the train, when she gets there, she
187 goes back on a bike.
188
189 Andy Henry said that he is not sure but there sometimes performance measures will count each mode and in some
190 ways, only the main travel mode will be counted. He said that Mr. Castro makes a good point that there is a
191 difference in multi - modal. This dynamic works with number of trips as well. If someone drives to a transit station, gets
192 on transit, and gets off and walks, there are 3 modes and 3 trips.
193
194 Heidi Perry asked if driving to the transit station counts as a mode.
195
196 Andy Henry answered that usually transit is just counted but that the drive is counted in other ways as different trips.
197
198 Art Menius asked if Mr. Henry had maps for the 4 alternatives.
199
200 Andy Henry replied that he does and noted a link to a webpage (bottom of the page, end of presentation) for the MTP
201 which shows the interactive maps in the deficiency analysis. There are also maps in the alternatives section.
202
203 Heidi Perry said that she had a question regarding the way transit is counted. If a person drives to a transit station,
204 the presumption is that the person will get on transit, likely the bus. If this travel is only counted for transit, is it not a
205 false statement that this travel frees -up traffic on the road? Are cars being counted as cars?
206
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207 Andy Henry responded that he thought that the car is still being counted. He equated the of the highway link where a
208 trip is calculated by volume over capacity, the car is still counted in the trip in the models used. Mr. Henry showed the
209 Board sample projects in Orange County, the widening of 1 -85 and 1 -40, safety improvements and capacity building to
210 Fordham Blvd., Churton Street in Hillsborough, NC -54W (study being done on corridor), and other such projects.
211 Some of roadways noted here included would include set of collector streets (behind Daniel Boone Village), straight -
212 out Mayo Street, but he thinks that Hillsborough Road and Greensboro Street may see sidewalk improvements,
213 modernize Estes Drive with bicycle lanes and sidewalks slated in the funding plan called the TIP. See color -code on
214 map in the presentation for visual and more details. Mr. Henry discussed intersection improvements and super
215 streets on NC -54 headed east from Chapel Hill. He said that the concept of a super street is a main road that limits
216 left turns into the intersection. A vehicle has to go past the intersection and make a U -turn down the road to turn
217 around, see /drive Fordham Blvd. near Erwin Road as an example of a super street. This design makes it so a road
218 does not have to be widened for turn lanes. Next, Mr. Henry went over slides on bus rapid transit for North -South
219 routes from Eubanks Rd. to Southern Village and to UNC Hospitals (shows some areas with grade separation);
220 Durham - Orange Light Rail Transit going from UNC Hospitals over to NC Central University and Duke University and
221 down NC -54; and the train /Amtrak station in Hillsborough (not listed but was discussed in the presentation).
222
223 Alex Castro asked why there is not consideration of a commuter rail along that rail line.
224
225 David Laudicina said that there are future plans for this.
226
227 Andy Henry answered that yes, the commuter rail is in the CTP, but will not likely be in the MTP because of the
228 amount of funding it needs. Theoretically, it will go down through Raleigh and will stop in west Durham.
229
230 David Laudicina spoke about train limitations due to the single track in that area.
231
232 Andy Henry said that the details are being worked out.
233
234 David Laudicina said that having a train or 2 run in the morning and in the evening to extend it out for commuters
235 would be a good plan.
236
237 Andy Henry said that this is the beginning of project development in the long range plan. There will be an in -depth
238 analysis beyond the regional area models shown in this presentation.
239
240 Alex Castro said that there is a good case study in New Mexico where a couple of trains run from Albuquerue to the
241 capital, Santa Fe, and it is with just a few trains on which workers to the state capital.
242
243 Gary Saunders said that in Orange County, the rail lines are owned CSX which looked at its profile of freight trains
244 and were pleased that scheduling did not seem as difficult as first thought.
245
246 David Laudicina said that he thought that the rail is owned by North Carolina Railroad.
247
248 Andy Henry said that CSX leases to North Carolina Railroad but CSX has the right.
249
250 David Laudicina said that freight always wins.
251
252 Gary Saunders agreed and said that this is why CSX was looking into the dynamic between freight and passenger
253 trains.
254
255 David Laudicina and Alex Castro gave other examples of commuter trains being figured out alongside freight trains in
256 Philadelphia and in northern Virginia.
257
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258 Andy Henry said that the transit plan in the presentation is based on the Durham County and Orange County transit
259 plans. There is also funding for increased and resources towards bus service hours, park and ride facilities and
260 vehicles. He concluded his presentation by pointing Board members to Attachment 4 which shows projects that have
261 changed since the packet was put together a few weeks ago. For example, Eno Mountain Rd. shows an air quality
262 year of 2060 but it may be included in the 2045 MTP draft plans; Estes Drive and Seawell School Rd. will undergo a
263 modernization; Eubanks Road will be widened from MLK Blvd. to Millhouse Road; collector streets near Daniel
264 Boone Village will be in the 2045 Plan; and Mt. Carmel Church Rd. from 15 -501 to Old Lystra will undergo
265 modernization as well.
266 *Note: Board members are advised to check with Mr. Henry for more details beyond these minutes since these
267 updates to the packet may not be all inclusive.
268
269 Heidi Perry asked about cost per mile for the road widening of 1 -40 and 1 -85. She said that there is no length to the
270 project listed.
271
272 Andy Henry said that he would estimate that it is 20 to 30 million dollars per mile to widen an interstate highway.
273
274 Gary Saunders said that the first widening is 4miles for the managed lanes, Exit 270 and 266 (15 -501 to 86). This
275 was later corrected to Exit 266 to 259, 7 miles.
276
277 Andy Henry said that for 4 miles, and if the widening is priced at $30 million, it would be about $7 -8 million per mile,
278 which is less than he thought it would cost. The subject area has no interchanges.
279
280 Gary Saunders said that there is one bridge on that stretch.
281
282 Andy Henry said that from 15 -501 to NC 86 goes from 4 to 6 lanes.
283
284 Heidi Perry said that she thought the discussion was about managed lanes.
285
286 Andy Henry replied that the managed lane plans will not be in the upcoming plans. The number of interchanges
287 increases the price for widening. The managed lanes area is a more rural area and will not be as costly. Sunrise Rd.
288 and Erwin Rd., one of the areas to be widened, go over 1 -40 and the bridges will have to be improved.
289
290 Heidi Perry asked about how Mr. Henry picks parts of alternatives for each plan.
291
292 Andy Henry answered that the alternatives are not mutually exclusive. Many of the projects are the same, like a
293 project he called "moderate" which used the 2040 MTP and another project called "highway." He added highway
294 projects to the 2040 MTP, e.g. widening 1 -85. The transportation network for each of these alternatives is likely going
295 to be the same.
296
297 Heidi Perry remembered a project that was much heavier on transit.
298
299 Andy Henry replied that the project that was heavier on transit had an extension of light rail to Carrboro and extended
300 the commuter rail from west Durham to Mebane /Burlington. In this project, there was al minute headway for the bus
301 frequency.
302
303 Heidi Perry asked why this would not be in a plan presented for a vote. She that at a recent meeting, the MPO group
304 was given 4 fiscal budgets to look at and there was a conservative, moderate and 2 optimistic budgets. The MPO
305 wanted to focus only on optimistic budgets. Who gets to decide if transit is going to be the priority?
306
307 Andy Henry said that the MPO decides if the major routes will come down headways or if all routes are done on 15
308 minute headways. The question is, is there a budget to do this and is there payback? Transit -heavy alternatives have
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309 a lot of transit service hours in them and mode share tops -out at a certain point, no one else is taking transit, even
310 though bus service is up high.
311
312 Heidi Perry asked if it was the case that the budget could not be used for incentives for people not to drive, or
313 leveraged with a public - private partnership.
314
315 Andy Henry said that some of the budget is used in this way. He said the aforementioned projects are classified as
316 more minor in comparison to widening of highways. There is a budget for long range planning for travel demand
317 management, a program coordinated by Triangle) Council of Governments and contributed to by local MPOs,
318 NCDOT, and GoTriangle helps coordinates with businesses and other partners. Additionally, there is a budget for
319 transit system management inclusive of improvements on intersections; and a budget for intelligent transportation
320 systems for smart traffic signals and such.
321
322 Alex Castro said that he noticed the absence in the presentation on the advancement of technology. Automotive
323 technology can be controlled. Major cities have high occupancy wherein use of the road is a privilege. A transponder
324 could lock your vehicle to go at the same speed. His point is that this technology is coming (Austin - Dallas is trying
325 this out). The idea that "what we plan may not be what we build" should be taken into account, like the widening of
326 the road projects matched with the innovations in technology may not be envisioned in the same way that they are
327 today.
328
329 Andy Henry said that the final chapter of the plan will talk about vehicles that communicate with each other,
330 autonomous vehicles, but this is not in the model because they have not been able to observe the behavior of these
331 vehicles. Plans updated every 4 years, so once they know more, the plan will be updated, but these advances still
332 seem too far out. There are many debates regarding how this will play out that Mr. Henry has been hearing, like the
333 idea that urban environments could be more dense with autonomous vehicles on the roads, or perhaps people will
334 live in rural environments and use the commute to do work while their car is driving into more urban environments.
335 Future models will incorporate ITS.
336
337 Alex Castro recommended that the MPO get involved with ITS - American to get into planning and the studying of
338 trends to get an idea of how this is moving and how that will impact our planning.
339
340 David Laudicina wondered if autonomous vehicles would really lead to give less traffic.
341
342 Heidi Perry said that if they were going at same speed they would travel more smoothly.
343
344 David Laudicina thought that connected vehicles would help on interstate and faster roads, though the vehicles could
345 be hacked.
346
347 Andy Henry said people still need to have a vehicle, it still has to come and pick up the passenger /owner, it will still
348 be on the road, maybe it will park farther away from downtown and parking needs will change. We will see overtime.
349 Mr. Henry thanked the Board for its time and attention to his presentation.
350
351 Abigaile advised the Chair to return to the review of the minutes.
352
353 Tom Altieri referred to Andy Henry's note that the BOCC would receive a similar presentation on October 3, 2017.
354 The BOCC will then have the opportunity to put together some comments and will send them to the MPO. Tonight's
355 meeting gives an opportunity for the OUTBoard to get any comments to the BOCC when it hears presentation. There
356 is also a meeting October 2, 2017 among 3 of our elected officials who are representatives on the MPO Board,
357 Commissioners Jacobs, and Rich, and Marcoplos (not officially a representative for the MPO) will also be joined by a
358 representative from the County Manager's Office, Theo Letman from OPT, and a few County planners as well to form
359 a work group. Since there is a lot to absorb with the MTP, this meeting will provide time for getting an early start on
360 looking at the table (the full segments to the table will be added to the materials). The OUTBoard can provide
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361 comments to this work group for moving forward. The Chair of the OUTBoard, Heidi Perry, is unable to attend but
362 Abigaile Pittman will be attending.
363
364 Alex Castro said that Abigaile Pittman had provided to the Board this past June information on an MPO presentation
365 on managed motorways. He compared parts of that presentation to the case of Australia where they are controlling
366 motorways and how that is being developed.
367
368 Heidi Perry requested updates in the spreadsheet.
369
370 Tom Altieri said that any updates would be shared with the group.
371
372 Heidi Perry said that she wants mileage to be added and a column that says what benefit a project is bringing (i.e.
373 adding 2 lanes to an interstate for $30 million, what are you getting for it? If these changes save 5 minutes each day,
374 how does that translate and is it worth it ?).
375
376 Tom Altieri asked Andy Henry if Ms. Perry's requested updates could be broken out in the table. He noted that travel
377 time savings is run on the entire network but asked about the possibility for doing a breakout for individual factors.
378
379 Andy Henry replied that each project could not be broken out like this but that for some of them, a travel time index
380 could be updated with a cost per hour and delays; these calculations are for key corridors, the interstate.
381
382 Heidi Perry said that there could be an asterisk noting how these configurations include many factors. How many
383 minutes could be saved on a commute? She is skeptical that adding a lane could only temporarily reduce congestion
384 or does it make it easier to add to the problem.
385
386 Gary Saunders, Heidi Perry and David Laudicina discussed traffic on Friday nights and how bus drivers find various
387 ways of getting through traffic around the area and save /make -up time during routes.
388
389 Heidi Perry asked if anyone has any comments they want Tom Altieri to take to the BOCC and /or work group.
390
391 Alex Castro said that the BOCC and work group need to be vigilant in terms of technology and communications and
392 autonomous vehicles. Additionally, the modeling on population across generations should be considered; it is his
393 understanding that millennials prefer to live in urban areas and may not buy cars. He said that we need to see what
394 the future will be like, not employ a 1950s mentality to any of the issues at hand.
395
396 David Laudicina added that millennials preferences may change based on life circumstances as they get older.
397
398 Heidi Perry said that she would like to see a presentation on how the models in Mr. Henry's presentation are created.
399
400 Tom Altieri said that there are 2 models; Community Viz places the forecasted population and employment on the
401 ground, which feeds into the Triangle Regional Model. In the past, there have been representatives from the County
402 on the staff group that works with Community Viz but not with the group on the Triangle Regional Model at this time.
403 If there are any additional comments, please send comments to him directly or to Abigaile Pittman.
404
405 Heidi Perry went back to item 2 to approve minutes. She asked if there were any corrections. Hearing none, Ms.
406 Perry asked for a motion to approve the minutes.
407
408 Alex Castro moved to approve the minutes. Seconded by Art Menius.
409
410 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
411
412 AGENDA ITEM 5: REGULAR OUTBOARD AGENDA (ACTION ITEMS)
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413
414 AGENDA ITEM 5A. BICYCLE SAFETY IMPLEMENTATION SUBCOMMITEE REPORT (ART MENIUS, ABIGAILE PITTMAN)
415
416 Abigiale Pittman said that the purpose of this is to receive the report from the Bicycle Safety Implementation
417 Subcommittee and to provide any comments or suggestions from the OUTBoard. Art Menius is the chair of the
418 Subcommittee. Ms. Pittman passed out a copy of her presentation.
419
420 Art Menius noted that in the packet, the meeting notes from August 23, 2017 start on page 34 and continue on page
421 41 with other notes from another meeting (stapling discrepancy). Comments were made to Melissa Blackburn on the
422 logo emphasizing that there be people in the logo, not just vehicles. She had 16 logo suggestions, narrowed down to
423 3 at the September 11, 2017 meeting. Peter Luces from the original Bicycle Safety Taskforce attended the August
424 23rd and September 111h meeting; Bonnie Hauser attended the September 111h meeting.
425
426 Abigaile Pittman asked if others noticed problems with the page numbering.
427
428 Art Menius and Gary Saunders noted page numbering issues in their packet and Mr. Menius moved forward with
429 his summary.
430
431 Art Menius said that he was elected chair of the Subcommittee at the August 23rd meeting. The Subcommittee has
432 $10,000 in funding from the General Fund and $5,000 from the Visitor's Bureau, the latter is for communications.
433 The committee will create a budget at their next meeting on October 41h (moved from October 2nd). Laurie Paolicelli
434 from the Convention and Visitor's Bureau informed the committee of the variety resources at their disposal,
435 including access to media outlets and print sources for advertising space available pro bono and for purchase out of
436 the $5,000 budget. Todd McGee, Director of Community Relations will help with a Facebook page, Twitter account,
437 website, to get the word out about the Subcommittee and its work. Melissa Blackburn, Graphic Designer, will
438 provide guidance on the arts and communications and design the website. The Subcommittee wants to do a video
439 contest among the schools for a safety video to get PSAs out there. The committee narrowed down the logo design
440 options to 3 logos; Melissa will start creating designs. Bonnie Hauser brought up a good point that the committee's
441 initiative is unique because it looks at both bicycle and automotive safety, a collaborative safety project.
442
443 Abigaile Pittman said that Melissa just sent her 8 revised logo designs for the committee to review.
444
445 Art Menius responded that he looked forward to seeing the designs. He also said that Brennan Bouma, the
446 Sustainability Coordinator, talked to the committee about what he could do, along with the new the Transportation
447 Demand Coordinator. Through GoTriangle, they could come -up with logo- branded collateral like rear lights, spoke
448 lights, mobile phone cases, wallets, cooling towels, and stickers to get out the "ride safe" message. As homework,
449 committee members are reviewing videos from the United Kingdom to inform their video contest idea. The
450 committee's idea is to have one video contest open to school children and one video contest open to anyone. Peter
451 Murphy talked to the video clubs and looked into video programming at Orange High and Cedar Ridge. Cedar
452 Ridge has the capacity for this. Allison West passed out 9 examples of artwork used in safety campaigns, and the
453 committee continued to discuss how they can humanize the campaign. Mr. Menius developed a list of menu text
454 and content for the website Melissa will be designing for the committee. Abigaile Pittman was going to reach out to
455 NCDOT.
456
457 Abigaile Pittman reported back about her conversation with Chuck Edwards of NCDOT who said that the County
458 can install bicycle safety signs along NCDOT routes by way of encroachment agreements. The County would be
459 responsible for the cost of design, installation and maintenance. Ms. Pittman is going to ask about who covers the
460 cost of reduction. Prior to installation of the signs, the BOCC requires a resolution of approval and NCDOT has to
461 review and approve the sign design and locations. The design has to comply with MUTCD and NCDOT
462 requirements and signs have to be located independently from highway signs. The proposed signs would undergo
463 a comparable review process as the green and white "welcome signs" along NCDOT routes. Ms. Pittman
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464 wondered if the signs would be state maintained. Commissioner Barry Jacobs worked with NCDOT to erect signs
465 saying "Rural Buffer," and Tom Altieri brought up the idea to create a dual message on those signs.
466
467 Heidi Perry asked about why people should know that they are entering the Rural Buffer.
468
469 Abigaile Pittman replied that people should know that it exists and that it signals lower density development.
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471 Alex Castro talked about existing signs identifying the various routes (Route 1, Route 2, etc.). Are these considered
472 to be highway signs where other signs cannot be co- located?
473
474 Abigaile Pittman answered yes. Signs can be placed near it but not on a shared pole. Since the entering Rural
475 Buffer signs are not highway signs, they could perhaps share a message where underneath Rural Buffer it would
476 say "Ride Friendly, Drive Friendly" in certain locations.
477
478 Art Menius said he thought this was a great idea. Mr. Menius said that the committee was also looking at additional
479 funding opportunities to augment the $15,000. There are grants available with Carolina Tarwheels, with NCDOT
480 program for children in low income households, and with the Sheriff's Department.
481
482 Abigiale Pittman spoke about the Sherriff's Office about their involvement and they want to get onboard and can
483 help with grants.
484
485 Art Menius said that Ms. Pittman found state farm safety initiatives and Mr. Menius found more information from
486 Kim, the administrator of the program in NC, who suggested to go for the grant next spring (even though they do
487 not fund single county operations). The grant is competitive and takes the form of a contest; participating in it would
488 show competitive standing with national set of bicycle groups. The grant is $25,000. If there was a health - related
489 campaign, BCBS could be a funder. The October 41h subcommittee meeting will cover more potential funder ideas,
490 update the web contest, Heidi Perry will send video links for Melissa, Abigaile Pittman will look into AAA and BCBS
491 funding, and Peter Murphy is following -up with Cedar Ridge on the video contest.
492
493 Abigaile Pittman noted that Todd Jones is coming to the upcoming meeting to talk about marketing.
494
495 Heidi Perry asked if anyone has any questions. Hearing none she moved forward on the agenda.
496
497 AGENDA ITEM 6: INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
498
499 AGENDA ITEM 7: STAFF UPDATES
500
501 7A. STAFF UPDATE ON THE CONCEPT OF A PROJECT OT INCLUDE BICYLE SAFETY IMPOVEMENTS ON OLD NC 86, INCLUDING
502 THE INTERSECTION OF OLD NC 86 AND HOMESTEAD RD /DAIRYLAND RD (ABIAILE PITTMAN)
503
504 Abigaile Pittman guided the Board to page 47. There is a developing project proposal that relates to this. She
505 recalled that the OUTBoard had questions at the April and August Board meetings about the roundabouts at
506 intersection of Old NC 86 and Homestead Rd. /Dairyland Rd. The main question was if a feasibility study could be
507 done about bicycle lanes. The OUTBoad voted on April 191h to add the concept of a Calvander roundabout proposal
508 to the projects in the 2020 -2029 Statewide Transportation Improvements Program. The BOCC approved the
509 proposed project list with that revision on May 2, 2017. Heidi Perry inquired about the feasibility study of bike lanes
510 from Carrboro to Hlilsborough, inclusive of the roundabout project. While this proposal was being reviewed there was
511 a corresponding conversation between NCDOT, the Town of Carrboro, and the MPO for a highway project inclusive
512 of bicycle safety improvements on Old 86 between Homestead Road and Old Fayetteville Road. She noted the map
513 on page 50 showing the boundaries of the proposed project and read the description aloud. There is a chunk of this
514 roadway that will be 3 lanes with bike lane paved shoulders; not full bike lanes, but this was NCDOT's and the MPO's
515 response to bicycle safety in this section.
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516
517 Heidi Perry asked if the proposal had already gone through the funding process.
518
519 Abigaile Pittman answered that no, it has not.
520
521 Heidi Perry said that Tina Moon in Carrboro relayed that initially this was presented to the MPO for STPP funding but
522 NCDOT and the MPO want to control the design part. There are some places along this stretch where you do not
523 want to have an extra bike lanes.
524
525 Abigaile Pittman said that she had a different conversation with Ed Lewis. The concept was to have some bike lanes,
526 have some turn lanes, but the exact location will have to be designed.
527
528 Heidi Perry agreed and said that this does not mean there will be a roundabout but rather that the intersection will be
529 improved.
530
531 Abigaile Pittman said that at least there is traction with this concept.
532
533 7B. STAFF UPDATE ON THE ORANGE COUNTY PROCESS TO SUBMIT PROJECTS TO MPOSIRPOS (ABIGAILE PITTMAN)
534
535 Abigaile Pittman reviewed the abstract. She that Andy Henry's presentation mostly addressed this item but to clarify
536 further - each MPO and RPO work with member jurisdictions like Orange County and they create proposed project
537 lists to submit to NCDOT. The process is in its fourth iteration (started in 2013) which occurs every 2 years and about
538 to move into STPP 5.0; STPP stands for Strategic Transportation Prioritization Process. Orange County belongs to
539 the urban MPO group including Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Burlington, Graham for the urban, and a rural RPO
540 group with the Triangle area. We prepare a draft list as everything changes a bit along the way. Lists are substantially
541 similar to the items on the last iteration. Daniel Boone area and Mayo area are new items on the list for this next
542 iteration. The preliminary project list first comes to the OUTBoard for consideration. The OUTBoard then forwards
543 that list to the BOCC. The BOCC approves the list for further consideration with the MPO and the RPO. Sometimes
544 items on the list do not get scored and do not make it into the CTP list. The timing of project submission is
545 determined by the MPO and RPOs in coordination with NCDOT. See page 53 in the packet for the timeline and list.
546 This iteration will get approval and funding in December 2018 - January 2019 by the state Board of Transportation.
547 Ms. Pittman said she wanted to make sure OUTBoard members understood the process and point of reference.
548
549 Heidi Perry said that she thought this explanation was very useful.
550
551 Abigaile Pittman said that the OUTBoard will continue to get updates and continue to be asked to contribute because
552 this process has many moving parts. Because we are still early in the process, the Calvander project could be
553 changed out because scoring had not started yet. Scoring starts on the state level, then regional projects and then
554 divisional items.
555
556 3. CONSIDERATIONS OF ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
557
558 Abigaile Pittman provided an update from Pat Wilson at NCDOT that the design for the fencing project on the Orange
559 Grove Rd. bridge over 1 -40 is complete. Bids are going out in October, construction is supposed to start in November
560 and the project is slated to be completed in December 2017. She said that NCDOT also provided an update that they
561 lowered the speed limit on Orange Grove Rd. from 45 miles per hour to 40 mph. The concept for additional signage,
562 warning lights, and pavement markings for pedestrians on the bridge is still being considered. Discussions around
563 sidewalk agreement between Orange County and Hillsborough are still ongoing. There has been a request for Staff
564 to determine existing right -of -way on Patriot's Point entrance on Orange Grove Rd. down to New Grady Brown Rd.
565 This means that Ms. Pittman will need to find every single plaque and legal descriptions on every single lot cataloged
566 at Register of Deeds.
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Alex Castro asked if there is an easement along the road.
Abigaile Pittman said that each lot has to be researched; sometimes NCDOT does not know where exactly the right -
of -way starts. NCDOT wants to ensure that there is enough right -of -way to have a sidewalk.
Heidi Perry commented that it would be a good thing to have this agreement in place regardless of this particular
spot.
Abigaile Pittman said that NCDOT wants to verify the right -of -way first and they do not want to go County -wide with
this agreement.
Heidi Perry replied that they could use it when necessary.
Andy Henry said that he has some surveys on this area from a project done on the other side of the street.
Abigaile Pittman suspects that 10 —11 feet may allow for enough room. She plans to work with Andy Henry on
further research. Ms. Pittman said that Staff was asked for comments on a future plan for 2020 researching New
Grady Brown Rd. Her comments covered New Grady Brown Rd. being within the Safe Routes to School Plan
approved by the OUTBoard and the BOCC. While sidewalks might not be possible along this road due to lack of
funding, due to the large number of students walking along the road and increased number of vehicles, suggested
safety improvements like adding pavement at the northwest corner of New Grady Brown and Orange Grove Church
Road, a very sharp turn. The buses turning here get tied -up in a muddy rut. When it rains, school children have to go
out in the middle of the street to get on the bus. Further improvements could include widening the shoulder and
pavement on the north side of Grady Brown across from the high school frontage; put a crosswalk between the
schools. These additions would pair well with the bridge safety project. She also suggested that this be advanced
before 2020. All improvements she suggested are directly from an adopted plan. Ms. Pittman was asked to comment
on the researching program on Old 86, going north on Calvander, do widening and improve visibility, rescue
shoulders and such would benefit multimodal transit. Finally, Ms. Pittman informed the Board that the department is
getting a new employee named Niche who is starting on September 251h. There is another position that needs to be
filled; the interview process is underway with the TDM, half Orange County Public Transit and half Asset
Management with Brennan Bouma and Theo Letman. Ms. Pittman is serving on the interview panel which is in its
final interviews. The person in this position will interact with Planning Staff, OCPT and the OUTBoard is tasked with
matching real commuter goals for multimodal transit, involved with advisory boards and the Bicycle Safety
Subcommittee, will attend annual conferences, and the committee work on implementation of the master aging plans,
and will have access to grant funding for giveaways.
Alex Castro asked about the previous item on safe routes to school, does it help if the OUTBoard receive the
presentation and endorse it? Is it helpful to support it in this way? Mr. Castro sees the safe routes to school program
as a continuum to the improvements on the Orange Grove Rd. bridge.
Abigaile Pittman said that if the Board is inclined, she recommended that they also advance the project to 2018.
Alex Castro asked if anyone objected to supporting this program, and hearing no opposition, he made a motion. He
said that the OUTBoard received a briefing on the recommended safe routes to schools initiative regarding the high
school and the Grady Brown School and endorse the recommended improvements therein. The OUTBoard
encourages moving of the timetable for the resurfacing project to 2018.
MOTION by Alex Castro regarding safe routes to school. Seconded by Erle Smith.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
AGENDA ITEM 8: BOARD COMMENTS
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620 Heidi Perry said that she went to the BOCC meeting last night where they were discussing the Mountains to Sea
621 Trail. She said that they opened -up a dialogue about how far behind Orange County's isi n greenway construction,
622 compared to Durham and Wake counties.
623
624 AGENDA ITEM 9: ADJOURNMENT
625
626 OUTBoard meeting was adjourned by consensus.
627
628
Heidi Perry, Chair
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