Monday, December 4, 2006                                                     Shoreline Conference Center
6:30 p.m.                                                                                                   Mt. Rainier Room
 

PRESENT:       Deputy Mayor Fimia and Councilmembers Gustafson,                                                   Hansen, McGlashan, Ryu, and Way.

ABSENT:        Mayor Ransom

Upon motion by Councilmember McGlashan, seconded by Councilmember Gustafson and carried 6-0, Mayor Ransom was excused.

Bob Olander, City Manager, reported on the City’s response to the recent snow storms.  He announced that the annual Christmas ship visit would take place Wednesday December 6 at Richmond Beach. Other upcoming events include the second environmental scoping meeting for the Aurora Corridor Phase II Project (December 6), and the first meeting of the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Citizen Advisory Committee (December 6).

Mr. Olander suggested that the Council reverse the order of the agenda, starting with the review of 15th Ave NE Traffic Information.

Councilmember Way moved approval of the agenda as recommended by the City Manager.   Councilmember Hansen seconded the motion, which carried 6-0.

Jesus Sanchez, Public Works Operations Manager, introduced Rich Meredith, Traffic Engineer, who reviewed the impacts of reconfiguring 15th Ave NE from two lanes each direction to one lane each direction, a center turn lane, and bicycle lanes.  The project limits are between NE 175th Street and NE 150th Street.

Mr. Meredith outlined the project objectives, which include: improving pedestrian and vehicle safety in the corridor; maintaining the integrity of arterial and neighborhood street networks; and accommodating the impacts of the three lane conversion in North City business district, north of NE 175th Street.

He discussed the methodology used in conducting the traffic volume, accident, and speed studies.  His report included the following findings and conclusions:

• Lower Traffic Speeds (From 39.3 MPH to 38.5 MPH)
• Lower Traffic Volumes (1,268 vehicle decrease = 7.4%)
• Reduced Number of Collisions (4.7%)
• Reduced Number of Injuries (42.6%)
• Reduction in Traffic Citations
• Compliments by Bicycle Riders (Average volume 35-85 per day, October, 2006)
• Increase in Observed Peak Hour Congestion
• Complaints of Drivers using Center Turn Lane to Pass
• Complaints about Bus Blockage at Transit Stops

On nearby streets:

• Overall, a 0.5% increase in daily traffic in the study area, exclusive of 15th Ave NE
• Reduced number of collisions (15.5%)
• Reduced number of injuries (1.7%)
• Overall, AM Peak Volumes Increased 6.0% on nearby streets
• Overall, PM Peak Volumes Decreased 2.5% on nearby streets
• Generally, volumes on nearby streets are within accepted norms.

Conclusions:

1. Traffic patterns are behaving as expected.
2. The reconfiguration is achieving its objectives.
3. Adverse neighborhood changes can be effectively addressed through the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP) and the Neighborhood Traffic Action Plans (NTAP).

Mr. Meredith concluded his presentation with a discussion of next steps, which include the following recommendations:

• Optimize and Synchronize Traffic Signals
• Reduces Driver Delay
• Improve Vehicle Throughput
• Work should be completed in January, 2007
• Construct 2 or 3 Traffic Islands in Center Turn Lane
• Reduce Passing in Center Turn Lane
• Typical costs range from $6,000 to $12,000
• Continue Implementing Traffic Calming Devices through the NTSP and NTAP
• Review Bus Stop locations for potential widening
• Install Traffic Signals at NE 150th Street and NE 170th Street

Responding to Councilmember Hansen, Mr. Meredith said the City would try to get data from Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) regarding traffic counts. 

Responding to Councilmember Ryu, Mr. Meredith said he would calculate the number of accidents/injuries per 1,000 vehicles.

Mr. Meredith commented that the police have seen reduction in the number of citations issued. 

Councilmember Way felt there shouldn’t be a significant decrease in traffic citations because the average traffic speed has only decreased one mile-per-hour.  She said if we want to reduce traffic speeds and improve safety, perhaps reducing citations is not the way to accomplish it.

Mr. Olander noted that the new configuration provides fewer opportunities for speeding.

Mr. Meredith pointed out that the one mile-per-hour difference is a measure of the 85^th percentile speeds; the number of high-end speeders has gone down.

Responding to Councilmember McGlashan, Mr. Meredith noted that the accident rate is dropping 42% each year.

Deputy Mayor Fimia cautioned against drawing any firm conclusions on the traffic data since it has only been measured for the past few months.  Mr. Olander concurred and affirmed that staff still needs to complete the studies. 

Councilmember Way commented on the injury statistics, noting that there seems to be a sharp increase in 2004.  She concluded that construction might be the cause of some accidents, but there are fewer vehicles traveling the corridor, which causes less disruption.

Mr. Meredith said the City saw greater speed and volume reductions during construction initially, but the number of injuries decreased.  There were also changes in the type of accidents; right-angle collisions decreased, as did left-turn collisions, but rear-end collisions increased. 

Mr. Meredith responded to Councilmember Ryu that he has not heard any comments from emergency responders regarding the configuration of the corridor.

Councilmember Gustafson commented that the three-lane configuration is conducive to the circulation of fire and emergency vehicles because they can use the center turn lane and avoid the obstructions of a four-lane configuration.

Councilmember Ryu noted that staff is requesting installation of center medians in some places along 15^th Avenue NE.  She pointed out that Aurora Avenue used to have two-way left turn lanes but they are no longer available.

Responding to Councilmember Way, Mr. Meredith said he would try to get data on traffic accidents involving cyclists.

Councilmember Way asked if the results of traffic calming devices were considered in this traffic analysis.  Mr. Meredith responded that this data preceded installation of the  traffic calming devices.

Referring to the presentation, Councilmember Way noted that people expressed concerns about traffic volume increases on 10th Avenue NE at NE 170th Street.  Mr. Meredith noted that staff focused a lot of traffic calming attention on 10^th Avenue NE.

Councilmember Way commented that the current volumes are still quite a bit more than they were before construction.

Mr. Meredith explained that there is still a “rebound effect” resulting from North City construction; the number of vehicles has dropped 413 cars per day since February.   He said he can produce charts for the February-October time period showing that the volumes are decreasing in neighborhoods and increasing on 15th Avenue NE.

Councilmember Way expressed concern that people have changed their driving habits to use east-west routes and avoid 15^th Avenue NE altogether, so they’re not stopping at the businesses located in North City.

Mr. Sanchez noted that a WSDOT study shows a volume increase on NE 175^th Street, so drivers were bypassing 15th Avenue NE for short while, but still turning onto 15th from NE 175^th Street.

Councilmember Gustafson felt the study should be carried through to March or April to get a better feel for what's going on before the Council decides on lane configuration.

Councilmember Way urged the public to contact the City Council and tell them what they think.

Mr. Olander noted that the Council authorized funds for traffic calming, so it would be advisable to allow more time to see how it’s working.  He said it would be useful to continue the study and provide a concluding report in March or April.

Responding to Councilmember McGlashan, Mr. Meredith noted that traffic counts on Meridian Avenue N. near N 185^th Street are between 12,500 and 13,000 vehicles.

Councilmember Gustafson asked if the three-lane configuration reduces the multiple threat scenario, to which Mr. Meredith responded affirmatively.  Councilmember Gustafson suggested that signal synchronization will also help avoid the multiple threat scenario. 

Mr. Meredith responded to questions from Councilmember Gustafson regarding the widening of 15^th Avenue at bus stops, the work he did for Seattle in terms of road conversions, and his predictions for future traffic volumes on 15^th Avenue NE.   He explained that of the eight to ten road conversions he did for Seattle, only one was converted back to four lanes.  He predicted that traffic volumes would increase slowly, possibly reaching current levels if signal synchronization is achieved.

Councilmember Ryu commented on the project’s stated objectives, noting that the consultant predicted that 600 vehicles per day would be diverted from the corridor.  She pointed out that the analysis did not consider gas prices or other economic factors.  She said she appreciates the maps and graphs, which help explain the issues.

Councilmember Way asked if any studies have shown that medians have created an “attractive nuisance;” in other words, the perception of refuge that a center median presents may cause pedestrians to make poor judgments.   Mr. Meredith noted that the “roving eyes” project on Aurora Avenue attracted people to cross there.  He affirmed that medians can sometimes serve as a pedestrian refuge.

Councilmember Way commented that drivers often cannot see pedestrians in the median.

Mr. Sanchez commented on unsafe medians he has observed, but they were remedied by trimming the vegetation to improve visibility.  He said a median serves as a refuge for pedestrians on a four-lane road.

Mr. Meredith concurred, noting that raised medians on a five-lane road is a positive improvement.  He said we want to make sure any median that is installed will not present a visibility problem.

Councilmember Way asked if staff has considered the impacts of changing the speed limit in isolation of other factors.

Mr. Meredith said staff has not considered it, although the speed limit is established based on how the street is operating; a four-lane road would present more speeding problems.

Councilmember Way asked if the design of the storm drains present a problem for cyclists.

Mr. Meredith replied that the storm drain covers are “bike-friendly;” staff replaced the old ones when the road was restriped.

Responding to Councilmember Way, Mr. Meredith said staff has not developed cost estimates for the bus turnouts yet. 

Deputy Mayor Fimia called for public comment.

            (a)        Wendy DiPeso, Shoreline, said the three-lane configuration is really working well, and she’s glad to hear the drain grates have been changed.   She hoped that bus stops could be re-engineered to accommodate safe bicycle travel.  She suggested decreasing the speed limit by 5 miles-per-hour, noting that a small decrease makes a huge difference in accident survivability.  She suggested interviewing businesses to see how they're recovering since construction ended.   She concluded her remarks by saying that center islands will reduce accessibility for emergency vehicles as well as access to businesses.

            (b)        Maria Walsh, Mountlake Terrace, suggested that the City synchronize the left-turn signal at the intersection of NE 180th Street and 15^th Avenue NE.   She said traffic flow problems occur at this location because the first car prevents following cars from turning left.  She also recommended installing a bus pull-out on 15^th Avenue at NE 165^th Street because the buses suddenly stop and impede the flow of traffic.

Councilmember Gustafson requested approximately ten minutes to present some material relevant to this discussion.  He said the question of lane configuration “boils down” to who we are serving.  He said the City has an obligation to its citizens to reduce speeds and collisions and to increase safety, livability, and sense of community.  He noted that Redmond, Kirkland, and Seattle have all come to the conclusion that three-lane road configurations are superior to four-lane roads based on the evidence.  He outlined a City of Redmond PowerPoint presentation explaining the rationale for three-lane road conversions.  He said the issue was very contentious in Redmond but it was consistent with their vision, and three-lane roads are consistent with Shoreline’s vision.  He presented data showing how three-lane roads have historically reduced the accident rate by 33 percent and provided examples of different road conversions.  He provided various collision statistics around the region, noting that the accident rate was reduced by 49% on N. 45th Street in Seattle.  He urged the Council to delay its decision until more information can be obtained.  He added that the City of Kirkland is willing to provide the Council or any business owner with a tour of their “road diets.”  He felt it would be worthwhile to contact the City of Kirkland regarding their experience with road reconfigurations.

Deputy Mayor Fimia appreciated the information but said the real question is whether a three-lane configuration is right for the 15^th Avenue NE corridor.   She said the three-lane conversion is not transit-friendly, and with more people moving here there are increasingly fewer opportunities for efficient transit.  She asked about the 2020 or 2030 Puget Sound Regional Council projections for traffic volumes in the corridor.

Mr. Meredith said he could gather that information for the next discussion on this issue.

Deputy Mayor Fimia commented that a three-month study is not sufficient to make firm conclusions about the traffic patterns.  She expressed concern about moving traffic from 15^th Avenue NE onto neighborhood streets, and the prospect that traffic will not return to 15^th Avenue NE.   She said the project has already cost over $10 million, but many traffic calming devices may be needed which will increase the total cost.  She asked what other options the City could pursue that don’t incur a cost.  She pointed out that people called the two-way left turn lanes on Aurora Avenue “suicide lanes,” but they seem to be acceptable for 15^th Avenue NE.  She said the analysis might not be capturing the causes and effects of the traffic flow problems.  She added that not having bus pull-outs is very problematic because there is not enough room for traffic to pass buses.  She wondered if there was another corridor near 15^th Avenue NE that could include bike lanes since buses and bicycles do not coexist very well.   

Councilmember Ryu referred to a study by the Center for Transportation at Iowa State University, which provides guidelines for road conversions.  She said it appears they advocate for conversions on roads with less than 17,000 vehicles per day.  She wondered if 1) we're limiting the volume on 15th Avenue NE by design; and 2) if we are going against the guidelines if we allow more vehicle traffic.

Councilmember McGlashan said he has also researched this issue, noting that the City of Redmond reclaimed the streets in its downtown area.  Redmond established a rating system based on the different road users: drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, etc.  Following their “road diets,” they saw a reduction in accidents and injuries.  He said Seattle has typically used a mixture of road diets and traffic calming to address problems on collector, minor, and principal arterials.  He encouraged the Council to read a Seattle Government article describing their experience with road conversions.  He said other statistics demonstrate that road diets decrease accidents/injuries and increase safety.  The only disadvantage is overflow traffic in neighborhoods; however, this is specific to roads of 20,000+ vehicles per day and the overflow can be managed with traffic calming.  He noted that signal synchronization also helps increase traffic flow and safety.  He pointed out that raised medians on Aurora Avenue are dictated by WSDOT, but 15^th Avenue NE is a different kind of arterial.  He said he will not support reverting back to a four-lane configuration. 

Councilmember Hansen pointed out that the decrease of less than one mile-per-hour in average speed amounts to a 2 percent increase in travel time, or a delay of about 6 seconds in the corridor.  He said decreasing the speed limit below the level that traffic will reasonably allow will increase accidents.

Mr. Olander discussed next steps and recommended not addressing this issue until the traffic study is completed in March. 

Deputy Mayor Fimia preferred to leave the date open.  She said the Council needs to discuss it before then, and the Council needs to get information from the public.  After the next set of questions, the Council can decide whether to make a final decision.

Councilmember Gustafson disagreed with this approach.

RECESS

At 8:40 p.m., Deputy Mayor Fimia called for a five minute recess.  At 8:46 p.m. the Council meeting reconvened.

Deputy Mayor Fimia recognized a speaker from the audience who wished to comment on the traffic information.

            (a)        Jennifer Middlebrooks, Shoreline, said the City hasn't given serious consideration to the traffic problems at this intersection of NE 170^th Street and 15^th Avenue NE.  She described the various car accidents she has witnessed and provided a map describing visibility and speed issues.  She said sloping terrain is also a factor at this intersection, and while pedestrians are a factor during the daytime, they are not at night.  In addition, the embedded lights at the pedestrian crosswalk are not visible during the day.  She said drivers views are blocked at NE 170th Street turning left onto 15^th Avenue.  She said a pedestrian light would improve the situation, but what is really needed is a full traffic light.

Mr. Olander introduced Mr. Ron Vine, of the ETC institute, who conducted a citizen survey on behalf of the City. 

Mr. Vine explained the survey’s methodology and described it as a “good random sample of the community by key demographic factors.”  The survey report contains a trends analysis, an importance/satisfaction analysis, and benchmarking comparisons based on 14 strategic topic areas.  He pointed out that many of the results are very consistent compared to prior studies, which is a good indication of the survey’s accuracy.  The survey’s margin of error is 4.4 percent, which means the survey is about 95 percent accurate.

Continuing, Mr. Vine noted that satisfaction is higher in 29 areas and lower in 25 areas compared to the 2004 study.  Traffic, street maintenance, police services, and storm water ranked as the highest priorities, which reflect 2004 results.  In terms of overall City maintenance, the survey showed a significant increase from 55% to 65%, but a decline in the satisfaction with street lighting.  Enforcement of codes and ordinances has the lowest satisfaction rate to date; the survey indicates a high priority on enforcing litter cleanup, abandoned vehicles, and so on.

The number of citizens contacting the City has increased significantly, and the survey indicates citizens are satisfied with the service they receive from City staff.  The survey shows people are getting more of their information from the Currents newsletter, the cable channel, and City Web site, and getting less news from television and newspaper.  Under economic sustainability, 49% of respondents rated the City as “business friendly,” which is a slight increase from 2004.   Respondents rated Shoreline slightly higher for overall quality of life and livability, but slightly lower as a place to work.  The rating for level of safety varies depending on the location, and there were no significant trends since 2004.  The rating on overall condition of neighborhoods remained essentially the same as the previous survey.  The survey showed lower satisfaction ratings on transportation issues, which reflects 2004 results, so the highest priorities remain on streets, pedestrian walkways, public transportation, and bike lanes.  The rating for overall quality of services and value of services received from taxes increased to 42%.

Mr. Vine then discussed the Importance/Satisfaction Analysis, which was computed according to each issue and benchmarked to 20 medium-sized communities.  Traffic flow/congestion was ranked as the most important issue, followed closely by street maintenance and code enforcement.  Medium priority issues include effective communication with the public, police services, and quality of parks/recreation, storm water, and services from City employees.  In some cases there were strong correlations with the results from other communities, and disparities in others.  Mr. Vine pointed out that this information will help the City set performance measurements and goals.

Mr. Olander asked how to reconcile the apparent inconsistency regarding crime statistics and police services.  He pointed to the fact that satisfaction rating for police services has decreased, but crime has decreased and people feel safer in their neighborhoods.

Mr. Vine noted that there were some changes to the questions since the last survey, but not enough to alter the results significantly.  He concurred that he too was somewhat puzzled by the public safety responses.  Mr. Vine concluded his presentation by outlining other benchmarking comparisons with other cities, noting that while Shoreline is above and below the national average on several different issues, it is generally close to the average.

Deputy Mayor Fimia called for public comment.  There was no one wishing to provide public comment on this agenda item.

Councilmember Ryu noted that two factors can affect people's satisfaction: 1) level of education; and 2) ethnicity.  She asked if these factors possibly affected the results.

Mr. Vine said there appears to be more dissatisfaction among those making over $100,000, which possibly ties into education and income levels.  He noted that various ethnic groups rate things differently, but overall he saw much more consistency than anything else.

Mr. Olander noted that satisfaction with street lighting decreased, but the quality of service didn’t change.  He wondered if this result was due to a change in perception.

Mr. Vine responded that there could be an expectation that things will change since it was rated a high priority.

Councilmember Gustafson asked about the difference in responses between men and women regarding Shoreline as a place to live, work, and raise children.

Mr. Vine noted that the responses to these questions were more dissimilar than in other areas of the survey.  He speculated that a higher rating by women (or by those who have lived in Shoreline less than 10 years) regarding Shoreline as a place to raise children might indicate a more positive outlook on the community. 

Responding to Councilmember Gustafson, Mr. Vine stated that the 2006 survey is a better comparison to the national database than the 2004 survey because it compares Shoreline to cities of similarly size.

Councilmember Hansen asked if the survey showed any differences based on geography or identified geographic areas that were particularly satisfied or dissatisfied.

Mr. Vine said although the survey is “geo-coded,” there were no strong correlations based on geography.  He said the survey was very consistent for the top priorities.

Councilmember Way pointed out that the survey results for code enforcement could be interpreted two ways; people are dissatisfied because there is either too much or too little enforcement.

Mr. Vine noted that the section for the code enforcement wording was changed to use the term "efforts."   He commented that a large proportion of respondents provided a neutral rating for code enforcement, so it’s possible that people don't know much about it.

Mr. Vine responded to Councilmember Way that the survey questions regarding customer service are the same as every city across the country. 

Councilmember Way suggested that people probably have different conceptions of sidewalk maintenance.  A low satisfaction rating for sidewalk maintenance could be interpreted as a lack of sidewalks in certain areas.  She said although people feel safer now, police services is still a significant issue and an ongoing need in the City. 

Deputy Mayor Fimia expressed concern that there might be a lot of variation in people’s minds about the definition of emergency preparedness.  She called attention to the fact that 46% of respondents said they were "somewhat prepared" if left on their own for 7 days during an emergency.

Mr. Vine noted that this response was the fourth out of five options, so emergency preparedness may be a continuing need.

Deputy Mayor Fimia suggested there might be a correlation between litter and debris, police protection, and the “broken window” theory.

MEETING EXTENSION

At 10:00 p.m., Councilmember Gustafson moved to extend the meeting until 10:30 p.m.  Councilmember Ryu seconded the motion, which carried 5-1, with Councilmember Hansen dissenting.

7.  (a) 2007 Budget Adoption

Mr. Olander suggested that Councilmembers introduce any budget amendments they might have for consideration and final adoption on December 11.  He suggested that formal motions on the budget not be made tonight.

Deputy Mayor Fimia called for public comment.

            (a)        Wendy DiPeso, Shoreline, encouraged the Council to put the budget discussion in human terms and address issues of safety, human services, and vandalism.   She said she personally witnessed what appeared to be a criminal act in her nieghborhood, which made her feel unsafe.  She urged the Council to approve a second street crimes officer and additional funding for mental health counseling. 

It was noted that the Council could pass the budget ordinances separately.