Trasportation and the Pedestrian Life of the City
Back to Home Page
Mpls 10 Year Transportation Action Plan Steering Committee -
March 2007Meeting Minutes
PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE (PSC) MEETING
Meeting Minutes
Date: March 15, 2007
Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Location: Room 319, City Hall
Attendees: See attached roster
Agenda
Housekeeping
a. Minutes from last meeting
b. Meetings and presentations
Downtown Action Plan
c. Changes since last meeting
d. Nicollet Mall and proposed fare structure
e. Status of unresolved issues
f. Polling of members – position and unresolved issues
Public Meetings for Downtown Action Plan
Citywide Needs Assessment
g. Needs Assessment
h. Criteria for Priorities
Status of Other Activities/Next Steps
Summary of Items Discussed
Housekeeping
No changes were made to the February 22, 2007 PSC meeting minutes.
Charleen Zimmer reviewed meetings and presentations made since the last PSC meeting, including:
Meeting with the Downtown Council membership
Meeting with the Circulator Task Force
Meeting with HCMC staff
Discussions with property owners and interested individuals
Downtown Action Plan – Changes Since Last Meeting
Zimmer reviewed changes to the Downtown Action Plan since the last PSC meeting. These included:
A section was added at the beginning of the document regarding the Access Minneapolis "vision statement".
The pedestrian section was rewritten to emphasize a broad approach throughout downtown and connections between neighborhoods and the downtown core. This section was moved to the front of the document. Several short-term actions were added.
The bicycle section was moved to the front of the document. Several short-term actions were added.
The 8th Street proposal was changed to two lanes of mixed traffic in each direction with buses operating in mixed traffic (see discussion below).
A short section was added on Travel Demand Management strategies.
A new graphic on the people-carrying capacity of double-width bus lanes was added.
The parking section was rewritten to de-emphasize commuter parking in the periphery of downtown.
A paragraph about criteria for curbside uses was added.
Short-term, low-cost initiatives were added for all modes.
Costs and timeframes were added to the Implementation Plan matrix - please note that funding has not been secured for all items and the timeframe will be dependent on available resources.
Discussion included:
There is no mention of snow removal needs in downtown.
The Cedar Lake Trail pedestrian gap should be shown on the bike and pedestrian gap map.
The last bullet of the vision statement should be modified that transit will be the “motorized mode of choice,” rather than the “mode of choice.”
Improvements to freeway crossings for pedestrians should be added to the pedestrian network map.
Pedestrian wayfinding and bicycle safety evaluation with a two-way Hennepin should be specifically mentioned in the action items.
Plan should address policy for rerouting bus service on Nicollet Mall for special events.
What is the scope of the 13th Street pedestrian plaza proposal? The current concept is for a pedestrian plaza that allows limited vehicular access to the buildings that have sole access or loading facilities off 13th Street. It would essentially be an extension of the existing plaza between the Convention Center and Marquette Avenue to Nicollet Mall. There is also a proposal for a vertical connection to the skyway, but since the Millennium Hotel at 13th Street currently has a skyway connection. The additional skyway connection may come as a second phase.
Downtown Action Plan – Nicollet Mall Service Proposal
Adam Harrington handed out a summary and map and described the latest proposal for the Nicollet Mall shuttle service and Metro Transit’s solution to the Downtown Task Force’s objective of a free fare on Nicollet Mall. Metro Transit is very concerned about fare evasion, fare management, and lost revenue associated with allowing all buses on the Nicollet Mall to operate free. Metro Transit has developed a solution which allows the same volume of buses as was originally proposed for the circulator system to be free. All buses on Nicollet Mall which terminate in downtown will be free on Nicollet Mall; this includes the southbound Route 10 at 10 minute headways and the northbound Route 18 at 7.5 minute headways. The Route 10 will stop in front of the convention center. Both Routes 10 and 18, and all other buses on Nicollet Mall, will stop at the Convention Center stop at 13th Street and Nicollet Mall. In addition, the northbound route 10 bus stop at the Convention Center will be a free bus stop. Metro Transit estimates the cost of lost revenue due to the free fare service to be about $45-50,000 annually, which they plan to absorb. Riders will not have to know that it’s a route 10 or 18 bus; the overhead sign will read “FREE NICOLLET MALL DOWNTOWN ONLY.” Metro Transit will order the first of 150 hybrid bus fleet in the next few months. About 50-60 buses are needed for all buses on Nicollet Mall to be hybrid.
Zimmer reported that at the recent meeting with the Circulator Task Force, the consensus was that the downtown fare zone is not well marketing and people are not aware of the free transfer to/from LRT. Meet Minneapolis was asked to consider whether Metro Transit’s proposal meets the marketing needs associated with the Convention Center and will be reporting back soon.
Kent Warden commented that Metro Transit has put considerable time into the Nicollet Mall transit proposal, and the Circulator Task Force is appreciative. He doesn’t think that the Circulator Task Force are comfortable with signing off on this proposal yet, but it’s come a long way.
Downtown Action Plan – Outstanding Issues
Zimmer explained that the 8th Street proposal was changed to two lanes of mixed traffic in each direction with buses operating in mixed traffic. With some peak hour express buses continuing to operation on 6th and 7th Streets, it is expected that buses will be able to operate in mixed traffic satisfactorily.
Two-way transit service on 8th Street was initially proposed by the transit consultant as a contra-flow lane and a with-flow lane operating on a one-way 8th Street. Consolidating both directions of transit on a single street creates a more legible system to the transit customer. It also concentrates facilities, so that investments in wider sidewalks, passenger facilities and security operations is more cost-effective. The transit consultant looked at 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Streets for the east-west transit spine. They found that 8th Street had the least property impacts and does not provide a freeway connection. The proposal for two-way traffic on 8th Street was developed because it provides more flexibility for curbside uses and because it is more of a local circulation street.
Four options are still being considered for 8th Street: 2-way transit service operating in mixed traffic on a 2-way 8th Street, 2-way transit service operating with a contraflow lane on a 1-way 8th Street, buses operating on the 6th and 7th Street one-way pairs, and buses operating on the 8th and 9th one-way pairs.
Harrington stated that Metro Transit would prefer to operate on one-way 7th and 8th Streets as they do today, rather than having a contraflow lane on 8th Street.
Jon Wertjes explained that he expects traffic to divert from 8th Street for several reasons: traffic always reaches equilibrium; we are not proposing to change the capacity.
Downtown Action Plan – Polling of Members
Jon Wertjes, Minneapolis Public Works
He is supportive of the plan and thanks the committee for their work.
Kent Warden, Building Owners and Managers Association
He commends the overall process. It has been thorough and thoughtful.
He is not supportive of the 8th Street changes. The advantages presented are not compelling enough.
He understands the need for double-width bus lanes on 2nd and Marquette, but feels the case has not been made to property owners of the safety of parking ramp access and egress across the bus lanes and bike lane.
He will yield to the Circulator Task Force on the Nicollet Mall service improvements.
Bob Greenberg, Downtown Sub-Area Business Representative
He echoes Kent Warden’s comments on the Nicollet Mall and 8th Street proposals.
He is concerned about the smooth flow of traffic downtown, particularly with left turning movements to and from parking ramps with the proposed 2nd/Marquette changes.
Mike Abegg, Suburban Transit Operators Representative
He is supportive of the action plan as a whole.
He is strongly supportive of the 2nd/Marquette and Nicollet changes. He doesn’t see a better way to serve the north-south transit movements.
He has no comments on the 8th Street proposals. They don’t affect suburban transit operators.
He is concerned about the interface of the public and private realms on the north-south spine at skyway entrances.
He is concerned about the I-394 to 2nd/Marquette connection and whether there is adequate capacity for buses to make this movement.
He would like to see a resolution of the potential safety issues associated with auto ingress/egress to parking garage ramps across bus lanes on 2nd/Marquette.
Lea Schuster, Southeast Sector Representative
She stated that this is a compromise plan. She would have liked to have seen wider sidewalks and more bike lanes at the expense of auto traffic. The bicycle and pedestrian components need more work. Transit for Livable Communities will work with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees on these issues. She hopes this plan is perceived as a starting point and looks forward to continuing to work on accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians. Minneapolis is changing, and we have to get more people out of their cars.
She supports the 8th Street two-way proposal. The professional transit consultants recommended this strategy, and she trusts their expertise.
She would have rather had the double-width bus lanes in both directions on Marquette, rather than split between 2nd and Marquette.
She looks forward to moving into the public meetings phase of the study.
Steve Kotke, Minneapolis Public Works
He thanks the committee for all of their hard work.
He believes we will end up with a beneficial product.
Richard Anderson, Bicycle Advisory Committee Representative
He supports all of the points made by Lea Schuster, including the two-way 8th Street proposal. As a cyclist, he always prefers to ride on two-way streets because traffic is slower on two-way streets.
He believes the plan lacks the vision needed to increase bicycling and walking.
He does not agree with the belief that bicycling is dangerous in downtown. There were 7 bicycle/auto crashes on Marquette last year and none were the bicyclist’s fault.
Overall, the plan is headed in the right direction, but he feels that bicyclists do not gain much through this plan.
John Van Heel, Downtown Sector Residents Representative
He is very happy with the recent revisions to the plan and much happier with the plan than just a month ago.
He supports the improvements to the pedestrian proposals, particularly the greening and sidewalk cleaning strategies.
He supports the inclusion of travel demand management strategies.
He is impressed with the Nicollet Mall transit service proposal. It is a reasonable solution.
He would like to see a more focused discussion of cross-downtown or intra-downtown transit service, such as was completed for the Nicollet Mall. There are a lot of institutions and visitor markets which are outside the core of downtown and could benefit from improved transit service.
John Akre, Northeast Sector Representative
He seconds Lea Schuster’s and Richard Anderson’s comments.
Downtown is not a place that Northeast residents want to go. Walking is dismal because traffic is so fast. Traffic needs to be calmed in downtown.
This is a “vein” plan, it is not a “heart” plan. The plan lacks a heart for downtown.
Pat Scott, Downtown Minneapolis Transportation Management Organization
She does not support the 8th Street two-way proposal. She is very concerned about congestion and curbside uses.
She believes that the 2nd/Marquette proposal is the only way to accommodate the projected bus volumes in downtown, but she remains concerned about parking ramp ingress and egress.
She is also concerned about bicycles on 2nd/Marquette. She has heard cyclists say that they don’t want to bicycle next to buses.
She is encouraged by the Nicollet Mall transit service proposal, but believes there is more work to do, such as the Convention Center stop.
She is very encouraged by the Walking Minneapolis efforts and would like to see coordination with that effort.
Kerri Pearce-Rush, North Sector Representative
She believes that the 2nd/Marquette proposal is a workable one and addresses the needed capacity.
She would have liked to see more innovation in the bicycle and pedestrian issues, but will defer to the comments made by those who bike more on how to improve bicycling.
She supports the 8th Street transit spine proposal. It benefits the neighborhoods she represents. She is sympathetic to the security concerns not just for downtown businesses, but also for the bus riders. 8th Street brings riders into the core of downtown.
Peter Wagenius, Mayor’s Office
This plan reflects compromise, which demonstrates its value.
He hopes to move forward and get the funding to make these improvements as soon as possible. The status quo doesn’t work now, and will work less well in the future.
He is more comfortable with accommodating traffic capacity than accommodating traffic speed. He would like to see street designs which discourage speed.
Steve Mahowald, Metro Transit
He supports Adam Harrington’s earlier comments that Metro Transit prefers to continue service on 7th and 8th Streets one-way, should the 8th Street two-way proposal be abandoned.
He also seconds all of Mike Abegg’s comments.
Connie Kozlak, Metropolitan Council
She defers to Mike Abegg and Steve Mahowald on the bus proposals.
She has been impressed with the committee’s dedication and believes the report is very well-written.
While not a regional concern, she has a personal comment. She believes that a two-way bike lane in the center of Hennepin Avenue with two-way traffic is a very scary proposal as a bicyclist who has often ridden in that corridor.
Mike McLaughlin
He shares the goal that the plan will take downtown into the future. The status quo doesn’t work.
He likes the two-way Hennepin proposal. It complements the entertainment district.
He has concerns about the 8th Street two-way proposal related to congestion, curbside uses and ingress/egress from parking ramps.
He remains concerned about ingress/egress from parking ramps on 2nd/Marquette.
The Nicollet Mall transit service proposal is an intriguing one.
His number one issue is security. The issues are profound, and we have reached a tipping point. If the plan is implemented, and the security issues are not resolved, downtown will lose thousands of employees. He doesn’t believe that we can divorce the transportation plan from a security plan, and he will not support the plan without this issue resolved. He would like to delay public review of the plan. He believes it will lead to awkward conversations between the business community and City Council. He has very real concerns about what this means and how the business community will react.
Public Meetings for Downtown Action Plan
Zimmer explained that the project team will be seeking public input on the Downtown Action Plan in April. Two public meetings are scheduled:
April 11, 11:30am – 1:00pm, Central Library, Doty Room
April 12, 5:00pm – 7:00 pm, St. Olaf Catholic Church (corner of 2nd Avenue and 8th Street)
A press release on the public meetings will be emailed to PSC members and ask that they distribute it to their organization’s members or neighborhood residents.
Zimmer explained that the City will be seeking external funding for some aspects of the downtown proposal, and therefore, it is very important that the plan be approved soon. The project team will continue to work on the four outstanding issues: security concerns, 8th Street, property –specific parking ramp access and curbside use issues, and the Nicollet Mall transit service plan.
Citywide Needs Assessment
These items were not covered and will be discussed at the next meeting.
Status of Other Activities/Next Steps
The PSC will be discussing the Phase III Streetcar draft report at the next meeting, and they will receive the report prior to the next meeting.
Schedule Update
The next PSC meeting is scheduled for April 19, 2007, at 4:00 pm. All future meetings will be held on the third Thursday of the month, instead of the second Thursday of the month.
The meeting adjourned at 6:00 P.M.
PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE
RECORD OF ATTENDANCE
Meeting Date/Time: February 22, 2007, 4:00-6:00 pm
Location: Room 319, City Hall
OFFICIAL MEMBER NAME ORGANIZATION PRESENT
X Akre, John Northeast Sub-Area X
X Anderson, Richard Mpls Bicycle Advisory Committee X
X Brown, Tim Mpls Parks
X Davis, Douglas Mpls Senior Citizens Adv Commission
X Dewar, Caren Southwest Sub-Area
X DeWitt, John East Sub-Area
X Eikaas, Gary Minnesota Freight Advisory Comm
X Gerber, Darrell Southwest Sub-Area
X Greenberg, Bob Downtown Sub-Area Business Rep X
X Grube, Jim Hennepin County Alternate
X Harrington, Adam Metro Transit – Service Development X
X Hay, Steven Minneapolis CPED X
X Imdieke Cross, Margot Mpls Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities
X Johnson, William Transit Rider Representative
X Keysser, Janet Transit Rider Representative
X Kjonaas, Rick Mn/DOT – SALT
X Kotke, Steve Minneapolis Public Works X
X Kozlak, Connie Metropolitan Council X
X Larson, Mike Minneapolis CPED
X McLaughlin, Mike Downtown Council X
X Moe, Susan FHWA
X Morlock, Jan University of Minnesota
X O’Keefe, Tom Mn/DOT – Metro
X Pearce Ruch, Kerri Northwest Sub-Area X
X Qvale, Pat Opt-Out Transit Representative
X Scallen, Maureen Meet Minneapolis
X Schuster, Lea Southeast Sub-Area X
X Scott, Pat Mpls TMO X
X Thorstenson, Tom Metro Transit – Eng and Facilities
X VanHeel, John Downtown Sub-Area Resident Rep X
X Walker, Katie Hennepin Community Works
X Walter, Doug Southeast Sub-Area
X Warden, Kent BOMA Minneapolis X
Mailing Byers, Jack Minneapolis CPED
Mailing Caddock, Andrew Close Landscape Architects
Mailing Fey, David Minneapolis CPED
Mailing Martens, Michael
Mailing Olson, Glenn Mpls TMO Alternate
Mailing Schmidt, Stacy Mpls Senior Citizens Adv Comm
Mailing Sheehy, Lee Minneapolis CPED
Mailing Sporlein, Barbara Minneapolis CPED
Mailing Wagenius, Peter Mayor’s Office
Mailing Wernecke, Teresa Minneapolis TMO
Mailing Willlette, Pierre Minneapolis
PMT Abegg, Michael Minnesota Valley Transit X
PMT Rae, Rhonda Minneapolis Public Works X
PMT Wertjes, Jon Minneapolis Public Works X
Alternate/PMT Byers, Bob Hennepin County Transportation
Alternate/PMT Gieseke, Mark Mn/DOT – Metro State Aid
Alternate/PMT Stine, Paul Mn/DOT- SALT
Alternate/PMT Elliott, Beth Minneapolis CPED
Alternate/PMT Griffith, John Hennepin County Transportation
Alternate/PMT Johnson, Tom Hennepin County Transportation
Alternate/PMT Mahowald, Steve Metro Transit – Service Development X
Alternate Opatz, Mike Op-Out Provider Alternate
Project Mgr Zimmer, Charleen Mpls Public Works (Zan Associates) X
Staff Flintoft, Anna Minneapolis Public Works X
Consultant Buss, Jaimie Richardson Richter
Consultant Dock, Fred Meyer Mohaddes X
Consultant Gondringer, Linda Richardson Richter
Consultant Kost, Bob SEH
Consultant Messner, Gina Meyer Mohaddes
Consultant Nelson, Bonnie Nelson Nygaard
Consultant Pidaparthi, Praveena Meyer Mohaddes
Consultant Richter, Trudy Richardson Richter
Consultant Thompsen, Will Meyer Mohaddes
Consultant Tumlin, Jeff Nelson Nygaard
Consultant Walker, Jarrett Nelson Nygaard
Hall, Terry Minneapolis Club X
Durda, Jim IDS X
Burg, Brian United Properties – Midwest Plaza – Mpls BOMA X
Trasportation and the Pedestrian Life of the City
Back to Home Page