CC Minutes - 09/13/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Acting City Manager Warren Wong introduced Hillary Wylie and Pat Hocken, members of the Lane Transit District (LTD) Board, and Stefano Viggiano, LTD staff. Ms. Hocken provided an update on the bus rapid transit (BRT) planning process. She reviewed the packet material, noting that LTD was about to embark on an environmental assessment of phase 1 of the pilot corridor, which will run from downtown Springfield to downtown Eugene. She thanked the council for its support and expressed appreciation for the City staf?s participation in the project. Mr. Viggiano described the design work to date, including photo simulations of some sites in Springfield, Glenwood, and Eugene. He said the trees in the median along Franklin Boulevard were found to be in good condition, but not of the appropriate type for the site. Mr. Viggiano said a decision would have to be made to either replant or interplant the site with more appropriate trees. He identified the removal of on-street parking as a major impact but said staff has been communicating with effected parties to mitigate the problem. Projections of ridership and travel times were difficult he said, because there are no current models from which to draw. Mr. Viggiano said the benefits of this type of system are greater over time. An immediate benefit is that it will be about 20 percent faster than the current system, increasing to 40 percent by the year 2015. He described the next steps: environmental assessment; additional technical analysis; and researching a neighborhood service (intended as a system with small buses that connect people to the main BRT routes and areas within the neighborhood such as schools). Mr. Viggiano noted the ambitious schedule, with those steps to be completed in the next eight months. He acknowledged the possibility of delays for several reasons, not the least of which would be having to do a full environmental impact statement (EIS) instead of an assessment. Mr. Meisner expressed excitement about the project and emphasized that the neighborhood connections were extremely important. He noted great support from the federal government. He said it was important to remember that this was just a pilot corridor, with more to follow later. Addressing a question from Ms. Nathanson, Ms. Hocken said LTD was counting on the council to support BRT as one of the elements of the adopted TransPlan but if citizens contacting them have other LTD issues to discuss they should be referred to LTD. Ms. Nathanson wondered how the interface at the intersection of Kincaid and 1 lth Avenue would work. Mr Viggiano explained that BRT would require a redesign of some of the infrastructure, adding that the project includes installation of a signal light at the intersection. Ms. Nathanson asked if this was seen as an opportunity to move utilities underground and wondered if there had been any collaboration to seize the opportunity. Mr. Viggiano referred her to Goal 5 for the pilot corridor, which includes aesthetics. He said LTD's goal was to develop a project that enhances both transit and other travel modes and aesthetics in the community. Mr. Kelly supported the project but said his biggest concern was that the BRT's goal of putting into place the right-of-way for future light rail service was jeopardized by putting in a single guideway for the buses. He echoed Mr. Meisner's comment about the neighborhood service being critical. He urged LTD to consider other options for addressing the loss of on-street parking. Mr. Kelly suggested including a bullet about minimizing tree loss in the Goals and Implementation Guidelines, particularly if the document is widely distributed. Mr. Rayor asked to have all the alternatives considered by LTD brought before the council, not just the preferred ones. He also asked for more detail in the spreadsheet; smaller increments of the corridor for more detail, particularly on the impacts; and written responses to the questions raised by the council and staff at this session. Finally, he said, he wanted ensure that bikes, baby strollers, and the like can be easily accommodated on the new buses. Minutes--Eugene City Council September 13, 1999 Page 3 5:30 p.m.