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Home My WebLink AboutItem A: Updates on Transportation System Plan and Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Updates on Transportation System Plan and Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Meeting Date: October 27, 2010 Agenda Item Number: A Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5343 ISSUE STATEMENT This work session will provide a status report on the City’s efforts to update its Transportation System Plan, including the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. No action is required at this meeting. BACKGROUND Transportation System Plan (TSP). Concurrent with Envision Eugene, which is planning for Eugene’s next 20 years’ growth, the City is creating a Transportation System Plan that will contain local transportation policies and project lists to meet our growth and transportation demands. As required by state and federal laws, regional transportation plans will also be updated. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has agreed to fund development of Eugene’s Transportation System Plan as well as an updated Regional Transportation System Plan. The projects are funded directly from ODOT to its contractor, CH2M Hill – i.e., the City of Eugene is not receiving any funds directly from ODOT for the Transportation System Plan. The scope of work for the Eugene Transportation System Plan covers the first phase of work - from initiation through identifying a viable, preferred land use and transportation alternative. Phase One of the project will provide an evaluation of existing conditions, review of current policies, and coordination with Envision Eugene’s land use analysis. Up to four transportation system alternatives will be evaluated. There will be opportunities for the City Council to review progress and provide direction at key points. Phase One is projected to last no longer than the end of year 2011. Phase Two, which is not yet funded, will identify the transportation projects, implementation strategies, and cost estimates to accommodate the preferred scenario. Like TransPlan, the local Transportation System Plan must address automotive mobility and safety, pedestrian and bicycle needs, public transit, freight movement, passenger and freight rail, and air transportation as the city grows over the next 20 years. These transportation systems will be integrated with the new land use plan being developed by Envision Eugene. Emerging issues, such as greenhouse gases and impacts of climate change, availability and prices of fuels, higher densities along some transit corridors, and acceptability of higher levels of congestion will also be considered during the transportation planning in Phase One. Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M101027\S101027A.doc TSP Coordination with Other Projects. There are a myriad of local and regional planning activities that affect or will be affected by the Eugene Transportation System Plan, including:  Envision Eugene  Eugene Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan  Lane Transit District (LTD) Long-Range Transit Plan  Regional Transportation Options Plan  Springfield Transportation System Plan  Eugene Climate and Energy Action Plan  Beltline Highway Facility Plan  EmX planning  Eugene Airport Master Plan  Regional Transportation System Plan  Regional Transportation Plan  West 11th Avenue Transportation Corridor Study The Transportation System Plan will be enriched by utilizing the public involvement and input from these other activities. In fact, some of these other plans will provide policy direction and implementation strategies that can be integrated directly into the Transportation System Plan. Examples include goals and policies that will emerge from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, LTD’s long-range transit plan, the Regional Transportation Option Plan, and the recently adopted Airport Master Plan. Recommendations from other recent proposals, such as the West Eugene Collaborative and the Climate and Energy Action Plan, can be reviewed through the transportation plan. And, importantly, Eugene’s transportation planning will benefit from the extensive community outreach and growth scenario that will result from the Envision Eugene process. In terms of public involvement, ODOT’s funding for the Transportation System Plan allows for a department advisory committee, stakeholder interviews, several public open houses or workshops, and a project website (www.EugeneTSP.com) that will host public surveys and an interactive map. To help explain transportation planning to the general public and alleviate confusion among these many projects, an integrated regional internet presence will be provided through the Regional Transportation System Plan update. When complete, the websites for the federal and state- required regional transportation plans, Eugene and Springfield’s local Transportation System Plans, LTD’s long-range transit plan, and the Regional Transportation Options Plan will be integrated so that visitors can enter through any one of the sites and easily navigate between them. The websites will be maintained by the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) after the local transportation planning is completed. Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. Closely tied to and immediately preceding initiation of the TSP update, Eugene’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan will provide policy and project recommendations related to walking and bicycling needs now and into the foreseeable future. The update of Eugene’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan began in June of 2010, and is on track to be completed in the summer of 2011. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan is funded through a Federal (SAFETEA-LU) grant provided by Oregon’s Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) program. Approximately 80 percent of awarded funding is allocated to the project consultant team and 20 percent towards Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M101027\S101027A.doc City staff, materials and resources costs. The consultant team is led by CH2M Hill with additional deliverables provided by Alta Planning and Design and the Angelo Planning Group. To date, the project team has utilized a variety of tools to collect community feedback, including an interactive web-based mapping tool, an online survey and comment form, neighborhood toolkits, and a collection of other input gathered over the past several years. Over 600 individual map inputs, 180 online surveys, 200 online comments, 65 pages of neighborhood input, and over 100 pages of previously submitted comments were included. This record of community feedback is combined with quantitative information including an inventory of relevant planning documents, demographic data, and a detailed review of Eugene’s bikeway, sidewalk and shared-use path network to develop the draft existing conditions report. Approximately 80 participants attended the first project open house on October 14 to review and provide feedback on this report and the direction of the project as a whole. Over the next several months, the project team will work closely with the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to develop a set of project and policy recommendations to address deficiencies and gaps identified in the existing conditions report. In order to effectively address identified needs, the project team is concurrently developing a set of recommended design practices and standards to meet the needs of non-motorized transportation system users. Each recommendation will be consistent with the overall goal of the updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan: “To increase the share of trips Eugene residents make by walking and bicycling for transportation and recreation by making walking and bicycling safe, convenient, and comfortable.” Additional opportunities for public input include an online comment form on the project website at www.eugenepedbikeplan.org, the public comment period at each upcoming PAC meeting, and an additional project open house tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2011. Completion of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan update is expected in summer of 2011, with additional briefings to the Eugene City Council and Eugene Planning Commission to occur as needed. RELATED CITY POLICIES The Transportation System Plan is being updated as directed by the City Council in 2008 to provide an integrated land use/transportation plan with the development of Envision Eugene. Existing transportation policies can be updated through this process. COUNCIL OPTIONS No action is requested of the council at this time. Councilors may provide input on the Transportation System Plan and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION Not applicable, as no action is requested at this time. Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M101027\S101027A.doc SUGGESTED MOTION Not applicable, as no action is requested. ATTACHMENTS A.Transportation System Plan Project Timeline B.Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Project Timeline FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld, Transportation Planning Manager Telephone: 541-682-5343 Staff E-Mail: rob.inerfeld@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M101027\S101027A.doc Ò±ª»³¾»® Ñ½¬±¾»® Í»°¬»³¾»® ß«¹«¬ Ö«´§ Ö«²» Ó¿§ ß°®·´ Ó¿®½¸ Ú»¾®«¿®§ Ö¿²«¿®§ Ü»½»³¾»® Ò±ª»³¾»® Ñ½¬±¾»® Í»°¬»³¾»® ß«¹«¬ Ö«´§ Ö«²»