Traffic signals help vehicles move
safely and efficiently, but traditional
signals follow fixed timing even when
traffic changes.
This can lead to delay and driver
frustration.
What is adaptive signal control and how
does it work?
Today's traffic signals use detectors
such as sensors in the pavement,
cameras, or radar to know when vehicles
are waiting. Most signals use this
information to follow a fixed schedule
that changes by time of day, but does
not continuously adapt to on the ground
traffic conditions. Adaptive traffic
signal control builds on this by using
real-time data from multiple
intersections. Detectors track where
traffic is moving smoothly and where
backups are forming and share this
information between signals. Instead of
relying on a preset schedule, the system
automatically changes signal timing
based on current traffic conditions to
better understand how traffic moves
through the network. How can adaptive
signals benefit the city?
When deployed in appropriate corridors,
adaptive signals can reduce delays,
smooth traffic flow, make travel times
more reliable, and reduce the number of
stops and time idling. This improves
safety and a driver's experience,
reduces greenhouse gases, and makes
better use of existing transportation
infrastructure.
Great, but what's the catch? Adaptive
signals are not a cure all. They can't
prevent congestion caused by crashes,
construction, or too many vehicles for
the road's capacity. Adaptive signals
adjust timing and optimize existing
infrastructure, but they can't create
new roadway capacity for an overloaded
system. For adaptive control to deliver
value, the city also needs up-to-date
detectors, supporting infrastructure,
a strong communications network, and
trained staff to monitor and maintain
the system. This investment is part of
making the technology work for the
community. What's the bottom line?
Adaptive signal control is a smart tool
that can help manage traffic more
efficiently by responding to real-time
conditions. However, it works best only
under the right circumstances. Adaptive
signals cannot fix congestion caused by
an overloaded roadway system. They
require upfront investment in detectors,
communications, and supporting
infrastructure, as well as ongoing
operating and maintenance resources to
continue delivering benefits.
What's next?
The next step is a study to identify
which system improvements make the most
sense, what investments would be
required to implement and maintain them,
and which options offer the greatest
value.
Adaptive signal control can be the
cherry on top of a modern signal system,
but it is not a one-sizefits-all
solution and may not always align with
the city's priorities. For that reason,
implementation costs and benefits should
be evaluated on a corridor bycridor
basis. This balanced approach help
ensures that future decisions are
informed, strategic, and align with the
city's broader transportation goals.
arterial.
I see that a lot
that
some between
90 in front is really a disaster. Um,
and I would be interested in seeing if
that can help, but I also
I guess I really thought about the um
doesn't help if there's too much traffic
for the roads, which I think might in my
lived experience that doesn't feel like
only a traffic signal problem.
>> It's Julie. Um I think you know my main
experience at least over the past year
or so has been
bus um we either go trans center ride
and two bus from there
either two but u when it comes to the
bus on 900 u I do think it'll be
important to have some have transit
priority there um where you know the bus
will start particularly when it's
approaching the the uh the trans center.
So that's pretty important uh from my
experience I think. Well, I think I mean
probably experience traveling you know
throughout that region
because I I've been thinking about more
extremely
I also ride through this quarter. I
don't remember what this road that goes
right past this old
>> SR900
>> SR900
uh I never remember but SR900 is not a
very memorable name I don't know
>> anyway this roadway I think is the one
that I personally think just from
thinking about it like the traffic
lights on this quarter are kind of the
biggest problem it like people were
saying on Front Street and Sunset yes
there's a lot of traffic there but
that's typically because there's 10,000
cars. Like it's not because the traffic
lights are slowing things down, but here
there's like 10 traffic lights in the
road and have been down for during the
90s
>> or like when you're going to Lake Smash
State Park, there's like literally a set
of like four or five traffic light,
traffic light, traffic light, traffic
light. It is very possible to just get
stuck at every single light and make
taking like what should be a 10-minute
trip take 20 minutes or something,
right? Um so that's where I see there
being like the biggest need for that
sort of thing.
Um because that's the place where I get
most annoyed by the traffic lights, I
guess.
>> It's good to know.
>> Are you taking detailed questions as
well? Because I I I'm having trouble
with the kind of the higher level point
because because I don't know whether
it's a capacity problem or a weather
signal. I just never studied it in that
way. So I can't say. But I I can tell
you that there's a couple of places
where the signals are not working well.
Um, and one of them uh is the
intersection of Front Street and Dogwood
at Right here. And if you're on Dogwood
and you're trying to go uh left on a
front street,
you either have to jump out of the car
and hit the pedestrian light or and I
just and I know that
>> in the tip, this is like a future
project to redo that. I don't understand
why we can't have um a sensor for the
cars coming from street because it's
really really really problematic. uh
>> a pedestrian signal today only.
>> It's only a pedestrian signal now.
>> And so yeah, all kinds of creative
things to get out of there. And it I
don't know if that's adaptive or what
because I don't know enough about what
the boundaries are. Another thing that
is um I don't know if this could work,
but um I mean I I love a Scramble and I
love our Scramble and the three trails
crossing, but uh I find myself at that
intersection on foot on bike and in a
car pretty regularly. When I'm in a car,
it seems really really long. And then if
I'm running, it seems like it's way
longer than it needs to be. And if I'm
biking, it's way longer than it needs to
be. But if I'm on crutches, like I was
last spring, but it's just the right
amount of time. Is there any way for
these sensors to There's not that much.
It's not like, you know, a huge
scramble. There's not that much use each
signal. Is there any way to adapt it
based on the users? Because you can have
I mean, it's like 25 or 30 seconds. Some
of them be cross 5 seconds and sitting
there for seconds. So,
>> so the
I I can take all my time on this, but um
the way that we time signals for
pedestrians is that we have a set speed
that we assume a pedestrian can walk,
which is based basically on somebody.
And that is the minimum that our
manuals, our guidelines, our best
practices allow us to time for a
pedestrian. So, if there's a pedestrian
call, which at an intersection with a
pet scramble, we're going to serve that
every single time we go through a cycle.
Um,
we are always going to serve that
manner. There's technology that can
detect a pedestrian who's having trouble
in the crosswalk and extend that walk
longer and to give them time to clear,
but it's not necessarily going to be
able to go lower than that. And
specifically at the scramble, you have
to time it based on the longest distance
somebody has to cross, which is going to
be the diagonal,
>> right? So it does ped scramles do have a
longer phase. Sometimes they're actually
better for the operations though because
you're getting all the maintenance at
once rather than having to have usually
the longest crossing across the major
street going with the smallest volumes
which is the side street volumes that go
through cuz nobody usually goes through.
They're only wanting to turn on. So
there pedestrians anyway. So you end up
with this weird time bang that's
really based on like
>> So the answer is it's not really on the
table because you have to I can't
>> one note is that we love a pet scramble.
I think that's that's great. And then
wanting to be able to have more
input on maybe not always going to mass
like recall or something. Yeah. And then
um final final one is just that it seems
like
uh it seems like front and sunset is so
right for the scramble and I don't know
if that's also in its own adaptive uh
considering if that's the piece of this
conversation
very adaptive to me and it seems like
>> it would really help there but
Julie
>> yeah I mean I guess I had just
a question about you know the balance
you brought up the point about the
balance of this discussion of you when
we're looking at some of the uh material
corridors
at you know peak hours of you know
between 4 and 5:30 p.m. or 8:30 to 9:30
a.m. A lot of these corridors are
difficult to get through because of the
congestion because of the number of
video input and so it's to what extent
can adaptive signaling change that and
how much problem we have when it comes
to induced demands
to accept because I assume that people
alter
not be on the road like myself I
uh it's the road That's um one block
down from from 900 and I go all the way
to the TFC area and I go on go and I
take the right or there and you get that
signal then I might end up starting with
go that's 900 again and again and so my
question is just like how to what extent
can we sure that
also the fact like are we sure that
similar
as well.
>> Yeah.
>> Jordan was concerned about second.
There's just a lot of people waiting
there. That's not the arterial,
>> but it's
going to defract
I almost want to reframe this because
there's there's a lot in the question
which yeah if we fix capacity or we add
if we if we make it so that we can have
more through vehicles on the major
streets then it may pull things off the
side streets but it could also
negatively impact people from side
streets trying to get onto that at the
same time. So that that that is kind of
the push and pull, but I I want to try
to figure out what is the goal overall
is that like
we want to have Dory's point less diver
traffic onto the side streets, the local
streets, and we want to keep things on
the arterials if that's the the goal and
we want to move that, but we also don't
want to induce demand on major
arterials. I feel like those are the
things that I really need to like hear
as far as a priority goes at that's
really threading the needle.
Let's go over here next.
>> So, this might be slightly off topic,
but I don't know what a pedestrian
scramble is. I don't know if I'm the
only one here who doesn't know what that
is.
>> It's a great question.
>> Do you want to handle it, John, or you
want? Well, I will take an attempt and
then if I what I pick up the pieces.
>> So, it is a signal signalized
intersection where when the walk sign
comes on for the pedestrians, then go
any direction. And so, if you're wanting
to go north, you go north. If you're
wanting to go
west, you go west. And if you're wanting
to go northeast, you go northeast. And
so, all the pedestrian movements happen
all at once. So, it's you usually see it
where you have a lot of pedestrians. So,
if you're at the
Yes. A location with lots and lots of
pedestrians.
>> Yeah. Japan.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
Like the Santa Monica Pier has a
pedestrian scramble
>> place
of the Reineer Trail. Gilman. They call
the three trails crossing. Yeah. Or if I
ride by schools, I uh see the
>> Oh, caboose. They got a little nice,
too. I've been there, but I didn't know
there was a pedestrian there.
>> You have be there.
>> Yes.
>> Yeah. And if you ever go to the
Belleview Transit Center, there's one
there, too. Yeah.
>> Okay. Yeah. And we were possibly
discussing putting one of those in front
of Sunset. And I think that being
pedestrian crossing there said that's
probably a good idea.
>> Yeah, you always end up going
in your
>> um we're looking for like specific
priorities. I think based on the
different road sections you showed, I
guess my mind there's different
priorities for different ones of those.
Like old town is full of pedestrian. 900
does not support as many pedestrians.
That's not a pedestrian thoroughfare as
much. So my priority probably wouldn't
be prioritizing pedestrian 900 even
though it is
things like that. So I think it's like
roadway independent.
>> Yeah, I
you you queued me up perfectly because
the next part of the conversation is to
break down the corridor and I would kind
of group them up so that they're
somewhat similar in nature, but we can
get into those very specifics. Um what
we're going to do is go through those
groups and I like to think of things in
three buckets of what about that quarter
do you want to protect? What would you
like to create? So, what is something
new that you would like to see there?
And then what do you want to avoid? What
would be a bad outcome that you'd be
like, "Boy, I wish we didn't do that in
the future." Um, so why don't we just go
through because the very
>> more general comment,
>> okay,
>> on the pedestrian scramble and
discussion of corregation of pedestrian
traffic, I think we talked about there's
kind of a minimum worthy amount of time
that the crosswalk must meet on. We
didn't talk about like the full cycle
length. So how do you forage and I think
this is probably something that is like
a general positive of adaptive signaling
is you can at times when you don't have
congestion reduce the cycle width
perhaps for cars
>> and that would be awesome.
>> Okay. and in a number of uh
intersections plus
perfect.
All right. So the first group that we
were looking at um
it's like so we have it's okay it's
quite a big quite a big group. So, we
have the Seamish Northwest Seamish Road
at Southeast 56th, which is the loop
that goes up and around
uh sort of the Costco area there. Um and
then East Lake Samish as well. So, lots
of big box retail off of those, lots of
um shopping through traffic on those as
well. We also included um Front Street
in here. uh I think just the north side
of Front Street and then 17th or the
SR900
um corridor which is a much longer one.
Now the ones that I've kind of
highlighted in yellow on the basically
what's north of I90 that is included in
one of the plans that we were talking
about earlier. Um and there's a little
cross-section in there. They're called
like parkways. Um I showed the option
here where there's a transit on them. So
on some of these parkways there are
transit you know routes. So there's
transit priority. Um and on those the
modal plan has already sort of
identified that vehicles and transit are
going to be the like the mode priorities
for those major corridors.
So with that, I just kind of want to
looking at the map of these corridors on
on the board. What do we want to protect
create? Why don't we just start with one
question at a time? Hold on. What do we
want to protect about those corridors?
regardless.
>> I think this has this I know we talk
about priorizing and less of rather
regardless these are arterial but um on
piece you like to have a shrill where
all the bikes and the runners are. I
think that these I can imagine all all
three creative work protecting their
signal priority because there I do
notice as someone who's ran for or just
just ran um that's a very popular respon
I think I think that cross also has a
history of uh accidents
so there's
something that we would be looking for
the uh group pedestrians still be
improved especially with all left turns
>> yeah some improvements to it like this
allow terms that science they're not
always following
the solutions that have children
bouncing off that point. Uh I think
I think you know having enabling people
to
people who are biking or who are walking
or rolling
on these trails. So East Lake Smamash
among the Smamish trail on the north
side of north of the Smamish road and
then kind of the the other trails on the
west side of uh SR 900 those kind those
trails and then of course the crossing
from East Lake Samish to the rest trail.
So trying to make sure that people are
able to flow pretty freely between, you
know, when they like cross the road and
stuff and so enable that happen. I know
there's been times where I've had to be
stuck at the crossing for squad rest and
trail quite a long time. that we're
trying to uh tax the ability for um best
friends and my nurse and rollers to go
through that area
to me.
>> Uh I was just going to try and put a
positive spin on say that there is a
history of some uh there was a fatality
out many years ago. Um but there have
been improvements
um and I think we want to project those
improvements. Um I do feel like my
office is particularly efficient to get
further non-motorized but it is there is
a facility which is nice and so making
sure that we protect the um
the predictable there and the
separating
at some of those major intersections
where nonmotorized and yeah
I think they're probably at least three
and then major non-car intersections in
this corner of the wood. Uh and so what
we talked about earlier with like uh
prioritizing non non-vehicle traffic at
times when we don't have a lot of
throughput and vehicle traffic. I heard
you say signal lights there.
>> I was actually just talking about the
safety.
>> Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm I guess I want to
make sure that safety efforts that have
been made are protected. Um,
>> yeah,
>> I think that even if it's not
prioritized for nonmotorized efficiency,
that's a trade-off we make and I think
we can't make any trade-offs in safety.
And so just the like there's that um the
signal that says that you can't make the
right turn, you know,
first.
Yes. Thank you.
Um,
let's go into create. What do you What
would you like these corridors to be
that they're not doing well today?
to like uh for 17 and like getting onto
I90. Um just that backup if you're not
HOV
um usually because people are going
straight or right does everybody know
where I'm talking about? Okay. Um so
like helping them create less friction
um on that entrance and then getting off
I90 onto Front Street just the folks
that are trying to get over to continue
onto Front that big um that's really
difficult
>> and then everybody else who just wants
to go right on building
uh areas that create
a room
Victoria,
>> in addition um getting off 90 onto 900,
I sit at that light, you know, right
there by the PCC
multiple light cycle every time. And if
I go at a really, really, really dead
time, like that ramp is backed up all
the way to the highway a lot of times
and I'm just sitting there fine. But I
imagine that that is a bottleneck for
people who need to go places other than
Costco, you know, like it's uh I don't
know that like just never seems right to
me. Um get off there sitting on that
ramp.
>> Can you say again?
>> It's when you're going eastbound on
westbound on 90. when you go to get
officially online
and um whether you're going right or
left from that exit that whole exit back
up especially because there comes a
point where you can't separate into
whether you're going right or left and
it's just one long line ours um I don't
know that I've ever sat at that cycle
for less than like two
>> gothroughs or whatever you go to Costco
at 9 in
I send my husband for exact now
I've gotten hit on that like by a car
behind me on that one. Uh I just I
really particularly hate that off ramp
but I the light seems a problem there.
Anyone
else with things I want to relate
for?
I think Julian mentioned this earlier,
but this is the corridor that includes
the Squatch Transit Center, I believe,
and creating more
um more mobility for the buses to get in
and out, especially during high traffic
hours because I know the bus has not
been sitting traffic there for freaking
ever. um when you're coming in and
coming going in or going out at a high
like a high per time and I know that
there's some things so smart uh with the
signaling improvement like there's
uh like prioritization for buses
a lot with getting people in and out of
the center
you mentioned that up by the trans
center and all the new developments are
the potential like gears in the future
if that happens and um but that will be
like the new symbol maybe I know this
only shows these highlight areas but
maybe that would be or that's included
as well or analysis signals because that
might be to consider in the future that
might be a busy area mainly track walls
might increase
or especially when pedestrians
walk around
at very least just preparing for making
sure this this infrastructure is
compatible with that future is
important.
>> Mhm.
>> Yeah. And also there's a lot of
development that is getting open to that
trail that is already broken ground or
they break ground soon on that one. It's
going to be a lot more at least local
traffic that will be continuing with
pass through traffic that we
>> Yeah. And also I think uh you know
thinking about future developments I
feel like those you know big boxers are
eventually going to be red developed uh
sometime in the future and so you know
thinking about
to you know make sure that
that
scenario many
Great.
And then anything on these to avoid
things we don't want
>> any siblings comments on
the safety protected and avoid. Yeah.
Yeah.
I guess this is
guess I guess another situation to talk
about like when it comes to the side
streets of when it comes to area and
those uh arch but those roads flowing
into
road and thinking you know we want to
avoid
making it smoother on a side road at the
expense of making her turn her left or
whatever
etc etc. So I don't know where I stand
on that. Uh but I think that question
but um I mean you mentioned like the
entrance to the N that00
as well.
I'm sorry I was restate that for me. I
was still I was trying to make any
saying and I distracted um avoiding the
juice especially with what you mentioned
earlier with the the 90 and that's true.
I think in general we talked about kind
of the backups that conformed uh due to
polit
and we do uh backups that prevent you
know traffic flowing around
which pretty well
you know just because we
all right
moving On to the next slide.
It's a fun one. Uh, so this is the south
end of Front Street and then east and
west of Sunset. We've already heard the
intersection
of Front and Sunset is a concern. Um,
this one's perfect. There's no problem.
Yeah.
>> Protect the operation at
Besides uh traffic, what I'm talking
about thinking about protecting this is
a really huge area uh where kids walk to
school um multiple schools uh at
multiple ages. Um and then I would
really like to like
facility for them at crosswalk uh things
like that. Um I know
on second one because of the traffic
pages that flash you make on the school
road. But uh like yeah um but
yeah just in general taking protect
large sidewalks for kids groups of kids.
It's a really big area for a lot of
pedestrians but particularly a lot of
kids and some kids on uh e scooters that
maybe don't know road safety and things
like that. And while they should talk
about safety, like I just would hate to
see any accidents. We had an accident at
six and sunset a couple years ago where
elderly man would hit. Um so things like
that,
>> I would say, you know, front street,
this this part of street and sunset way
is kind of like the most pedestrian
section of Isaba by far. And so I think
the most important thing to protect for
me is just the pedestrianization of that
region. Like we we don't want anything
that will make the area more hostile to
pedestrians. Uh be that with like harder
to track across the street or anything
like that and including safety, but I
also just think the general like
convenience of pedestrians
I want to protect here. But and also
with I think protecting it's pretty
fluid like is
yeah
>> I don't know if this is within the scope
but uh when they connect to like
intelligence um
because really between I said 15 17 and
18 a lot of people can get off of any
one of those
>> and it would be really I mean for real
time data that's feeding into the back
your real time data so that the drivers
can adapt
local maps.
>> No, I'm just thinking I don't know if we
would ever have signage, but like
wouldn't it be nice if I knew instead of
arguing every time about whether it's
better 15, 17, right?
>> Yeah.
So it's nice if there was some
indication of of which of those is to
then you can go the other way cuz
there's a lot of options for a lot of us
in that whole grid
>> and I don't know if that's
>> I mean there's it system that can do
that
>> but can that can they work together?
Yeah, I think yeah that is a it can
making a system that can and
coordinating with wash to do that it's
definitely a challenge but it's not kind
of a pie in the sky
>> I don't know that it's a pie in the sky
that I have done
>> I did a project in Tacoma and that was
our recommendation
>> yeah between the three interchange the
three exits a lot of people have you
know options going to the plateau or
whether going south
or you could go any of those if you knew
that Newport was moving but um street
wasn't you can get
off at 15.
So let's talk about supermarket
checkouts for a second.
All right. So, okay, say I have three
lanes, three uh supermarket checkouts,
and I have a queue behind each of them.
Each of those cues is going to move, you
know, at the speed of the checkout. If I
have one queue that needs all three of
those, that Q moves three times as fast,
even though the throughput through the
check.
There's a lot of that going on in these
streets where you have everything
leading to the oneway and going south
for the people that are going toward
South. Uh and so a lot of trouble in
this particular corridor is people can't
get around town when they're not going
through the cross streets south because
there's so much traffic going on front
streets out. So I mentioned this earlier
like if there were a way to you know
turn it into kind of a one Q system
where everybody's flowing then you get
flow of traffic around town even though
there's a lot of congestion capacity
cover
no idea how to do it
that's okay
>> there's a lot of potential traffic
shaping that
>> has the impact of it's the same amount
of capacity it's the same amount of
throughput but on any particular
traffic's moving a little bit faster and
so traffic that is not going through the
bottle that uh has a better experience.
So I want to dig in just a little bit on
the front street backs up and it stops
you from getting around other ways. So
would the desire be to get people to use
an alternative route to Fun Street so
that it doesn't back up as much onto
other
>> um I would say to be specific we've got
the intersection at Front and Second
which is set up the high school.
>> Yes. The bottom of the map there we've
got the intersection of Front and Sunset
intersection of Newport and Sunset
>> uh and then second at Sunset.
>> Mhm. If you think of this as like three
highway exits funneling through that
going down through the that one lane um
at the worst times you get traffic back
up and essentially stop.
>> So three lanes of it less traffic going
>> each of them moves a third of the one
lane south of the second and front uh
intersection.
>> Yeah. So if if there were an alternative
that didn't have that following
property,
>> you might have a better experience for
people that are not trying to going east
west instead of trying to go south
east west around town.
>> Yeah. Well, because one of the problems
I think that what he's trying to say is
that like if I try to go down like Broad
Street while you're in that traffic, but
I'm just trying to get to like Thai down
front street, but like I'm not trying to
go restaurant. I I love that restaurant.
Like if if I'm just trying to go go to a
a restaurant in along Front Street, it's
completely impossible that time of day.
But if you could just make it that the
same route of traffic moves a little bit
faster, it would make it much easier for
me to get as a misappable resident to
get from my house to the Thai restaurant
within town.
So if there's any solutions that like
can just make it so that the flow the
traffic flows through town even if it's
the same amount of traffic that would
make it easier to get to our
destinations. And that's the main
concern people live in the time
>> where it's fully stopped and we can't
>> Yeah. Because the problem is traffic
being stopped, not their V8 traffic.
>> Yeah.
just thinking of things I want to
protect. Um that trail head's right
there on Sunset and like any they've
done well parking lots,
but um the fact that it's there, the
electric charging they're putting there,
things like that. Um I think that's part
of what make really special is how many
entrances you have in the mountain. Um
this is the protect slashcreate. a tiny
little fourc car parking lot by the high
school trail, you know, that
>> Oh, yeah.
>> Yeah. Incred.
>> Yeah. And like
>> occasionally you'll get a car that's
parks, so you're kind of parked in um
>> that I would like uh protecting access,
I guess, to to the trail on this because
there are a couple like very wellused
ones uh on these corridors.
picking up a vulnerable.
>> Yeah,
true.
>> Yeah. I mean, I think like the previous
discussion was a lot about
matters of throughput and I don't think
that can do that stuff.
So you know I think priority for this
for this area is really to ensure that
those will get around bikers able to get
around pretty quickly. uh uh protecting
the premier trail protecting uh you know
will eventually be an east sunset
bikeway or or maybe that's sort of on I
use and so those kinds of uh the best
possible really
yeah
>> yeah no signaling won't fix the issue of
>> three different passages going
>> you're not going to like not found
developments to make different like that
jump through the funnel gets us but it
is
>> um
>> yeah so I protecting uh the ability
rather than loser but the safety of the
interaction between pedestrians the
people on wheels
the people in cars
>> so a couple things related to the roof
so if we talk about another quarter uh
transit uh so going on sunset that's
kind of a connection point between the
Isqua transit center uh you know via
Newport comes to sunset is up for the
highlands uh so priorization to transit
uh this is one place we got that and
historically we've had transit go on
street as well I don't know if there's
current
>> yeah so that's going to change over time
but I think there's a lot of transit
route bus routes we do
priorities
uh And then the other thing when you
talk about folks kind of people moving
on to nonmaterials because they have to
do that to protect their place in life.
So even even if they wanted to stay off
of them, they're highly motivated to
take a pass through. For example, when
you say people, you mean specifically
car just
>> Yeah, speeding is another thing.
>> Uh
yeah. So So Sunset, just south of Sunset
is uh Andrews.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Uh, a lot of traffic on
Andrews is just kind of cutting the
corner there. That kind of thing. If
there's stuff we can do to,
uh, disincentivize,
uh, pass through traffic, cut through
traffic, that kind of thing.
>> It used to be on sunset and no left turn
at certain times onto
>> Never.
>> I never did that either, and it didn't
really stop anyone. Um, and then they
put those speed bumps in which seems
like a fun challenge to the high
schoolers. Um,
kind of put the buses and I know the B4
go away and stuff, but so you're coming
off 90 and you're going down sunset.
The number of people to want to make
that left on second backs up so much
into a single lane that if you want to
go straight, you have to wait for like
50 cars to make the left first. Um,
there's, you know, a bunch of stuff
there. So, I don't know how much that
could work out, but that seems to really
impede people who aren't even trying to
go that way like that. And I saw it on
the tip or whatever. Um, I think it's
one part's a little like one year and
one part's like three years or
something. But uh that left turn going
straight problem seems to be like a big
bottleneck that doesn't they're not all
triangle at the same place so it's yeah
>> they get stuck there
>> something that I have to work on
>> something to create figure that out
>> um but that that's an area where I'm
like oh not even they're not even
waiting you make a lap they just want to
go to D you can't so
>> similar to Uh when we talk about people
trying to go east west and to north
south like if you were just trying to
get over to like mountain or whatever
>> you can't because you're well you got to
wait for everyone who wants to make a
left on second and then you got to wait
for people want to make a left on front
that's just a very one lane road.
I don't know.
>> But
>> I think we're ready to go to the next
group thing.
>> What one more thing that's wrong here? I
I asked a question about email which was
basically uh
as part of building this we had a new
opportunity to collect data. So even if
we're not doing you know specifically
adjustment schedules we might find data
with us too many uh events.
>> Yeah.
>> And so one of the examples of that would
be school times there's a lot of traffic
which we left out. Uh perhaps there's
something we can do with the adaptive
signaling there. like we know there's
going to just a huge amount of traffic
coming from uh the high school and the
middle school by the same time Jeff sles
for that but even if you don't adjust
the timing of lights uh having that in a
data source that we can rely on for
opportunities and change schedules or
whatever and I'll I'll reiterate just
for the rest of the time here that as
part of this project we are helping
staff look at new data sources big data
sources that are going to answer exactly
some of those questions because those
are also some of the things that we need
to know to understand if the active
signal is even feasible. Um, and then
we're working with staff to make sure
that that data can be used to better
manage traffic flow overall. Um, but it
and I've heard this I think from
multiple members that that is just the
concern is making sure you have data
that backs up travel management like
efforts overall.
>> Yeah. Taking that one step further,
a lot of the sources kind of are, you
know, made any changes, you haven't
perturbed the system. You're just
measuring kind of how it is naturally,
>> right? If you allow foration in the
system, that can allow for much more
precise data science and so coupling
that with the
the traffic uh signal changes,
it opens up other possibilities.
>> Yeah, absolutely.
All right.
Next is the Highlands 9th Avenue. Sort
of a couplet up through the Highlands
area. Um,
we have two more groups. We're good on
time to keep going. Space. All right.
Um,
start with protect.
Sorry, just where's
>> I think this
purple corridor that's a southbound part
of a couple is the blue that goes to
Nora.
>> There's the Safeway gas station at the
bottom.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Splits around. Yes.
>> Across street.
pedestrian priority that is still a lot
of commercial area.
I think the big thing here is yeah I
guess the uh public defeat began between
go straight through uh to go to Kohani
or something to see damage um
versus you know obviously the pedestrian
have been trying to preserve the ability
to to do that across um but I'm not
familiar the highlands areas make a
strong optimization
but you know obviously I'm inclined to
protect cross streets and J pedestrians
and so that's just my general bias but
uh
I don't go to the highlands enough to
say
let's see Thomas I noticed Erica has a
hand up there if you could help me watch
for that
>> yes great
>> let's gohead Erica,
>> thank you. Um, can you hear me? Okay.
Okay. I'm seeing some nods, I think.
Sorry. Um, my audio is a little funky. I
can mostly hear you all. Uh, my
curiosity is around the as the um
guess that's the west end of that if I'm
looking at the map right. It gets
further developed. I'm curious what sort
of pedestrian I guess both forms traffic
but just folks walking from their houses
to the Safeway or the other services in
the area uh coffee shops etc. um what
that means for the pedestrian usage and
signaling there. And then uh the other
thing of note is the um 5 well the
transit center and then there's the 554
stop that's kind of around the hospital
which I know potentially like that's
shifting or changing in the future. Um
but um I personally have not experienced
rough traffic flow in this area and I
might just not be driving during the
right times of the day to experience
that compared to some of the other areas
covered.
>> Have a similar experience but it's not
particularly condensed.
I would the few times I drive through
there it's not the lights particularly
coming back down to look at that and I
seem actually one of the more welltimed
areas in spot as a citizen uh protecting
access to the I'm usually very
pedestrian above all else but you as
that west side that gets built up more
protecting the ability because that road
that you make a left on coming up
Highlands and making a left to the
hospital. Um that's kind of a narrow
road right now and so but they're
building a whole bunch more along there
just in general protecting access to the
hospital for ambulance people going for
the emergency room thing but the time I
think like cars do have to have early
access there.
>> Yeah, it's discovered drive.
>> Thank you. Bye.
Uh yeah, I was going to echo similar
comments and protect uh because I do
feel like it's going to be more
less trafficked areas um and like the
lights are more in sync usually. Um but
it could be a place where the technology
could just further um the improvements
there. Um especially if like you never
be coming down to work or coming up to,
you know, come back home. And so there's
certainly some possibilities to make it
even better, but in general, I guess the
more
better flow through area this
>> you want to protect that existence.
>> Yeah.
>> Uh one of the things that comes up in
some I guess squash strategy in the
community is uh fire evacuation and this
is one of the areas that's kind of
challenging. So it's a protect and a
create. Don't make the fire evacuation
worse, but also try to create a better
way to get people out of there if
there's a fire or an emergency.
>> Put down protect evacuation routes and
create better evacuation.
>> You got it.
I'll I'll note that I have seen traffic
which I think is related to the quarter
we looked at previously uh coming down
Highlands Drive and going on onto
Sunset.
Uh that is something that we would want
to
potentially optimize here at some of
that traffic identity leads to the
highway where there doesn't appear to be
at the throughput in time but provide a
bottleneck and was like it could flow
pretty freely there but sometimes backs
up behind traffic go
>> one area I will say you do come down um
I have seen some dangerous maneuvers if
you're waiting because you're I got to
go straight down to West. Um that uh on
rampant to go east on 90 will
occasionally get a little backed up and
then you have people just being like,
"Oh, I'm going to go on the shoulder
around them." Um I don't really know if
there's any way to do that. But that's
an issue. I will say um most cars are
going to go down some stuff, but if you
get uh at rush tower that turn on at 90,
but it backs up that single lane going
down to sunset even more. There's just a
lot of model like a lot involved with
sunset with a single lane road.
>> So potential prioritization left turning
on.
>> Yeah, something to make that easier so
that you're not waiting behind them as
well.
So
this isn't actually strictly related to
this region but it is related to
somebody fire evacuation. That made me
start thinking so this system is a lot
like the system that we're that or I was
thinking here is a lot more complicated
than the typical light system. I was
just wondering how that affects like
disaster preparedness and resiliency of
the transit system cuz for example
uh like like a couple years ago when we
had that huge windstorm it knocked out
power for like a full week and that
meant that a lot of the traffic signals
weren't working
>> and that made it really hard to get
around town. It's like
>> yeah um when everything was already the
road with the freeze on the road and
stuff and then also the traffic just so
much more. So, what I'm wondering is,
does this system make it harder to
revamp the system after there's a big
power outage? Does it not affect it at
all? Because that is a concern in this
region because we have gigantic power
outages once every couple years like
>> they're just going to get worse.
>> I mean, that's a really it's a really
good point and I know my colleague team
member Jim, you know, he talks about
making sure staff are able to
work with the system. So, our resets on
the system, getting it back up and
running can be a challenge.
It can also help a lot because if
there's if it can sense that there's
congestion somewhere that there normally
wouldn't be and direct people a
different way, maybe it could it could
help. But I think that really comes down
to making sure that you have staff to be
able to get it going again. And that's
not doesn't really happen on its own.
Yeah. Operation stuff
>> putting in the priorities just like
resiliency to natural disasters and
stuff like that as a priority for the
project in general I think is important
because you just be experiencing a lot
of that.
>> Yes.
>> Putting that under my notes on this one
under create resiliency to natural
disasters and then putting all four
I used to live in Montgomery town
beneath Maryland and they had a doubt of
signing technology there that I didn't
know existed until one day it wasn't
working with backups.
>> Yes.
>> Yeah. To your point like sometimes when
things aren't functioning it can get
worse because everybody got understood
things will get so much better.
>> Yeah.
>> And I don't know how to deal with that.
uh the database world uh people
deliberately slow down databases to the
worst performance just so it's evened
out and predictable. I don't think you
necessarily want to do that in this
case.
So, front and sunset everywhere.
>> Lower the expectations.
>> That's really now I
and Jim, if you want to come off mute
and say anything here, but I'll speak
I'll speak your the truth that you've
taught me. Anyway, having a switch and a
backup plan is one of like Jen's go-to
recommendation for any further adaptive
system because it does in a limited way
think for itself and sometimes does
things you don't want it to and people
can suddenly freak out when it's like,
"Oh my god, this is not what I'm used
to. and that my rout been messed up and
it can you want to be able to undo it
and go back to the normal operations and
then try to fix it in the background
without everyone sitting there screaming
at you for a week.
>> Yeah, we probably want to test the
backups as well because they
>> Yeah, I mean backup is what we have
today basically what it would go back
to, right?
>> Well, presumably maybe not.
>> Presumably. Yeah, exactly. If you don't
plan for that, then you don't.
I don't Oh, Jim's on camera. I don't
know if he's Give me a thumbs up, Jim,
if I did. Well,
>> yeah, that's good. I don't I don't have
a lot to add. I mean, the whole the
power outage question. There's not a
significant difference between having
the adaptive capability and a regular
signal system or more typical signal
system to when we're coming out of p a
power loss. Uh that's going to be pretty
similar. Chris pointed out the adaptive
systems are more complex and they are
dependent on good detection and
communications and so there there can be
an increased level of responsibility for
the folks maintaining and operating
these systems to keep and running. um
like Belleview staff somebody full-time
who's monitoring and that their adaptive
signal system and so that uh that's
probably the bigger issue to me than a a
power loss and coming out of it just the
ongoing operations and maintenance need.
Anything else to add on Highland's ninth
couplet? We have one more
order to talk about. We've already
talked about this one a little bit.
I pause to see if there was a Okay. Um
for Gilman talked about it a little bit
when we were talking about 900 I think
and some of the redevelopment that's
planned around the future transit
station and future future light rail
station. Um, but so maybe maybe we'll
hear a lot about what we want to create
because this feels like it's a part of
the city that's sort of about to
transition if not in transition. Um, but
let's start with protect what's out
there today.
Yeah, I think this goes into both
develop
um connecting the building for the cross
for the cross street
cross street crossings and cross street
going off to the arterial particularly
like the maple to
900 section because I know in the city
plans there are plans to make more of a
grid pattern uh in the center center
central plan and so there's going to be
more roads coming onto more streets
coming onto Gilman and when you have the
light rail station coming in online you
know 40 point 45 line you're going to
have more background street which is
going west and some bikes and so
ensuring that um
it might be annoying to stop that lights
coming down Gilman after back after back
after back after back after back after
back after back after back after back
after back after for the Safeway area
but
to 900 but I think it is important to
preserve that ability for people to
go etc. So, uh, I think that's my bias
for for that
helpful.
We already talked about pedestrian
rollers, that kind of thing. Uh, but the
multimodal access that the trails
crossing that leg would protect
that
multimodal focus.
Uh N also talked earlier a little bit
about uh Domen and 17. There are a
couple of trails that go through there
that uh they I don't see them use
Cavalry, but it's like it's so
to me it's very intimidating not being a
car in that area just so way through
>> that one with the wooden bridge.
>> I walk my dog in a long loop around
there. You're physically protected from
900, but it's not an enjoyable
experience to walk along there. Feel
like that bridge is best for biking.
>> Get out of there.
>> I think the bridge got destroyed by a
storm.
>> Yeah, it's been a while. And
>> yeah,
>> we've been communicating with washout
the importance of getting it fixed.
There's like a road and in the fall
they're all red. I just really like the
trees along Gilman. Uh I would be very
sad if anything happened to that. Like I
really enjoy the tree canopy that is
there considering it's an art trail.
>> Yeah. The edible trail.
>> Yeah. Yeah. I used to walk my kids up to
juniper go
on Gilman tree there really nice
talked about the uh Eric just talked
about the um drive moving pretty well. I
think this is another area general
pretty well. Um,
so I don't I don't have a lot of trouble
like getting stuck in kind of anywhere
on Gilman getting on to Gilman from some
the edges of it that you got here on
front or 17 back in the shoe. Does it
move too well?
Like what does that mean? Well,
when I when I ask that specifically, I
mean we're hearing side street access.
So I like to think of things as sort of
a spectrum of access to mobility.
Mobility meaning I'm going through I'm
not stopping. Access being meaning I'm
going across or from that corridor to
things. So if the one is accessing the
land use along the priority mobility is
I'm passing through that's the priority.
Where do you think Gilman falls on that
on like a one to five?
>> I think it's a good balance.
>> You think it's good for that?
>> I think it's balanced well. Uh Cynthia
was talking about how from various
perspectives at the British crossing at
Jer and J and uh potentially there's
some issues that could be included. Uh
but as far as traffic is blood, I don't
think this is where the problems are
from from any of those perspectives.
That's just my opinion.
I think we're going to Erica next.
>> Thank you. I was going to pipe in and
say I'll largely echo Adam that this to
me seems similar as the last uh uh
corridor that we talked about where I
generally don't see too many traffic
issues when I've driven along this which
tends to be more towards the evening.
Um, and one thing I would like to
protect or preserve is the general flow
in the intersection past the uh, post
office where it connects to the
roundabout and under I90, which I know
is a, you know, maybe future plans there
or um, where light rail is cited can
affect that, but um, right now I've had
just really good uh, you know, auto
traffic flow experiences there. But
maybe I'm maybe I'm a one-off.
>> Homes.
>> Um, I would generally agree, but back to
like your spectrum, I would say probably
close to well in like the side streeter.
Um, or getting off of Gilman, whether
you're getting on 900 or Street. Um,
those are two bottleneck areas to either
right or left 900 and those trying to
get on to get from 900. Um, so yeah, I
think straight you're you're doing
probably too well and there could be a
better spectrum and you need a little
bit more choice with side streams.
>> I think
>> I was going to echo what you guys have
been saying but also uh add just one
other consideration when you just said
that uh three trails notwithstanding.
It's actually not the Gilman part of
that that's difficult. It's not when
you're flowing through on Gilman. It's
when you're on would that be
>> and there's just so much constraint
because you can't block the box there
and so so only two cars can be
>> it's a mess you're in that position
trying to get on. So it kind of echoes
this theme that seems to be developing a
big job teasing out which is that on and
off Gilden does move pretty well at the
beginning I think. Yeah. And so I just
wanted to add that getting on and off of
it at the three trails across from the
jam side is problematic
but further even at the three cross
I don't perceive that as such.
Yeah. And ultimately thing that means
making perhaps celestial but
material and making it more fluid uh in
the sense of like or more in terms of
you know getting one side to the other
getting
uh maple and then
again
>> into right. So like I think in the
future especially when it comes to San
Francisco all those movements will be
much more uh serious but much more uh
much more uh much more volume and so um
particular noniz so uh thanking that
ability and also creating uh that
ability is going to be our
>> um I was say this go back to your very
first question when we started which was
like what's your biggest pain point with
signal
is a paw. Um, and mine would be like
trying to turn onto a main thorough
player. Um, like Gilman, for example,
from the side streets. Um, and more so
from like I'm usually like the lights
just about to turn yellow or red and I'm
like, "No, there's still like two more
cars coming. Like, can you just let
I don't know if that's where this
technology might benefit." Um, you know,
being able to pick up there just like
let a couple more cars through and then
there's, you know, there's no one there.
But I'm I'm I go down with that maple a
lot where it's like a lot of censuring
which is just really great and timely
but it's also really quick where it's
like there's still occurs.
>> Um my experience on Gilman is one of the
few times and like not really but
sometimes I'm like I wish there were
more lights on this road. I really
struggle to make an un I'm very
riskaverse in general, but I I really
struggle to make any unprotected left
out of like there's a lot of shopping
and a lot of like medical center I come
out of a lot and traffic never seems to
stop both way ever though I just started
making a right going down the 900 on the
highway and coming back down again. Um
so I use a good word but like it it it's
hard to
the lanes never stop at the same time. I
can't make a lot of um I just created my
own that way, but that probably
>> I'm sure Wash loves to hear that you're
going to
have time.
>> Um so, uh that is a good point. Like the
side streets, the intersections kind of
flow well, but like anything without a
light
And we had a void on here. I feel like
we've got some things to avoid, but if
there's anything left that you wanted to
add
and if there were any other general
things that now that we've kind of gone
through the quarter side by side and you
wanted to talk about something, boy, we
this came up with 900 and didn't
>> just have a question about it in
general. Is this I'm going to assume no,
but it's like all or nothing. Like you
have to do this for like all the lights
on a corridor because they are talking
to each other in the video and stuff or
like would it like if you only had one
corridor but like not some others, is
that not taking full advantage of it cuz
they're not all talking to each other? I
don't I don't I'm not a technology
person, but how much in like how little
or how much would you have to do?
>> You would need to do enough signals that
are connected to each other to get a
benefit of adaptive. That could be the
entire for example Gilman corridor or
maybe half of the Gilman corridor. But I
I think right now there's not enough
city
not just
>> but like yeah if we were like you you do
need to get like to a point where there
is enough return on it but once you do
that you can expand. So there's not like
you need to do that first map do
adaptive on all of the arterial
corridors. And I think one of the things
that um Jim is actually helping me with
too is doing what we're calling a
corridor atlas to understand what's
going on on each of these corridors and
then prioritize the improvements
depending on where it could have the
most benefit.
>> Right.
>> Yep.
>> Cool. Do you want to talk about the next
steps back to you? Okay.
>> All right. Well, thank you guys. That
was a really good discussion. Um so just
want to go through next steps for us. Um
we plan to come back in April to discuss
with you once we've done you've absorbed
all this information. We're going to get
some existing conditions information
data collection. Um and then our goal in
the next um touch point with you really
is to kind of finalize our performance
metrics and our goals for the study that
we move forward with. So we'd have a
little more data, a little more
information to go over with you in that
meeting and then we would take that um
in June to the mobility and
infrastructure
that finalize our performance objectives
and goals so that we can actually start
the full study after that.
>> Awesome.
>> All right. Well, I still have to go. I
think this was great uh discussion.
Hopefully you got a lot out of this.
>> I did. Thank you.
>> Yeah.
>> And I'll stick around until after the
meeting.
>> Wasn't too comfortable.
>> See all the creativity.
Uh uh so we'll move on to our next item
on business
uh which is the board work plan. Uh so
the next item is to introduce and
discuss the 2026 board work plan. uh
Thomas Belterz, senior transportation
planner and board leaison which will be
uh take us through the first item. We'll
come back and take us through the
boardwork plan.
>> Great. Well, yeah, thanks again.
Appreciate it. Uh this should be a
fairly quick conversation, but do just
want to know if you support this
proposed work plan as presented or if
you have any questions or follow-ups I
could answer. Would love to answer that
now.
um do this every year. Uh come view in
January and then in March we adopt it um
here. Uh between that uh we also take
this to council. So I'll be working with
Erica and Adam um just to go to a
council meeting, talk about the proposed
work plan and um just kind of get their
their feedback on it. Um so just very
generally uh there's some administrative
things. So again, work plan like I just
talked about. Um many of you will
remember we did a parliamentary
procedure training. Um we had Tisha uh
come here and we did like an interactive
activity that I thought was uh pretty
fun. Um and then we do election of
officers and you'll recall uh we changed
the uh the board uh rules and
procedures. So we're now doing a
September uh election. So that's kind of
shown here.
And the more substantive things, we have
a general work plan. Uh so I can just
kind of walk through all of these one by
one. So the tip, we touched on that
today. Um then in March, we'll come back
with the draft. We'll really get into
the weeds on that.
There's the adaptive uh signal control,
which uh was just mentioned. And then uh
coming back in April
um there's going to be a discussion next
month on microransit services. Um so
talking about the overview of metrlex
service that we currently have and
discussing uh any potential performance
targets and looking at some service
provider alternatives.
Um Stacy is going to come back to talk
about the IAP. Um you'll recall we uh
discussed this um I think it was October
uh of last year. So coming back with a
followup. I'm just kind of talking about
those proposed updates.
This year there's going to be a lot of
discussion on light rail. Um so uh
tonight we'll have a little uh quick uh
update on where we're at with that. Um
but yeah, we're just going to come back.
Uh I I guess the most uh you know the
biggest deliverable uh in our light rail
study uh will be the evaluation criteria
feedback. Uh that's kind of like the the
nearest one. Um and then we'll sort of
dig into some alternatives that we're
thinking about. Um and we're uh kind of
looking at Q2 Q3 for those discussions.
the community trip production program.
Uh we're going to be uh taking a look at
that in September to November. Um
community trip production is essentially
for our larger employers in town uh with
more than 100 employees. Uh they're
supposed to provide incentives to not
drive themselves uh for the employees.
So, uh, some some people, uh, maybe in
this room have employer paid transit
cards as part of that program. Uh,
sometimes there's free parking provided
through your employer. Those are kind of
like two ends of the spectrum of like
things that are provided through a large
employer. So, uh, we have a CTR program.
It's, uh, per state law that we have
one. Um, city of Visqua has over a
hundred employees. there's like five or
600 I'll say. Uh it's it's something
very large. Uh but we are also under a
commute trip uh reduction program within
the city. So kind of meta on that. Um
but September, November is when that
will be discussed.
>> Great question.
>> Yes.
>> Uh do high school students tax
employees?
>> No. Okay.
>> I I think that's a little
>> Yeah. Yeah. So we do have some like
part-time folks. I'm not sure that
they're uh I don't think part- timerrs
get CTR benefits. Yeah,
>> full time employees.
>> See what you're saying. Okay.
>> The school district has its own program
for students and trying to encourage car
pooling and everything there. So, we do
work with him on that, but the CTR law
through the state just focuses on
employees,
>> right?
>> And so far, the students aren't paid,
but we'll see what the future holds.
Um something I'm pretty excited about is
talking about trail standards. So we'll
give a brief introduction and then we'll
discuss um some proposed updates to city
trail standards. Um right now we have so
many different trail standards and we're
hoping to consolidate into a short list
um maybe a handful. So um more to come
on that but that's going to be a
interesting topic.
um the mobility action plan that we uh
many of us have worked on. Uh we're
going to start uh having a report card.
I'm hoping to uh bring that in October.
Um it's just going to be like kind of a
a short list to kind of see how we're
doing in achieving the mobility action
plan and um that can lead to some other
discussions on how we want to kind of
move forward from that.
Um, we also have a traffic calming
program. Uh, in the mobility action
plan, it calls for a bianual traffic
calming program report. So, that will
come in November. We'll just kind of
report out on over the last two years
how the traffic calming program has
done.
So, um, I can maybe go back to this
larger list here. Just wanted to know if
you had any questions. It looks like
Erica has a question from there.
>> Thanks. Um for the traffic calming
program is that like we're discussing
our like over the last year about we've
um made the suggestions for really
overhauling um you know the original I
think like 2003 system is kind of what
uh things were set to like. Is that the
flavor of that discussion?
be an update on implementing the new
policy that council adopted in November
of 2024.
>> Okay, perfect.
>> Based on CAP's feedback, I should add
this policy.
>> Great. We have any other questions on
work plan?
>> Okay, let's move on then.
>> I'll just I'll just say next steps. Uh
yeah, I will be working with Erica and
Adam. We'll take this to council uh in
March. So, I'll just kind of coordinate
with you offline. Um see which which
meeting works. Um but yeah, we'll
>> Yeah, it'll bring this back to you guys.
>> We're going back to you guys. Our next
item was this is reports uh saying we
have a staff.
>> I do. Yeah. So, there's uh I would say
maybe four topics we want to cover. Um
first off, wanted to give a shout out to
Jillian
Uh don't mean to put you on the spot,
but uh
>> do order.
>> Okay. Yeah. Well, um we we'll circle
back to that then. Uh I'll just say that
uh TAB is actively recruiting for new
members. Uh so in this next round, we
will need uh two regular positions
filled and two alternates. Um,
applications are due February 15th at
11:59
p.m. Um, so please uh please do uh apply
and like if you're I guess uh Ally, your
your term is uh coming to an end. So you
have a one-year term. So we would uh
encourage you to apply again if you're
interested. Um and then any other folks
that are interested um would love for uh
you to like spread the knowledge that
this exists. Uh we are actively uh
recruiting but would love to like kind
of make this as grassroots as possible.
Um yeah, I'll save uh discussion with
Jillian after that. Um last week uh it
was announced that the line two will be
opening uh March 28th. Uh that was very
exciting. I was actually at the press
conference uh in Seattle. It was very
fun. Uh good energy. Um so just wanted
to and in case you haven't heard, it's
all over the news, but in case you
haven't heard, um that will be on March
28th. Um and then yeah, I will uh kick
it over to Andrea uh to provide an
update on light rail planning in a
squad.
>> Great. Thank you, Thomas. Hi everybody.
If we haven't met, I'm Andrea Leonard.
I'm the deputy city administrator and in
charge of infrastructure and
transportation for the city and I wanted
to run over uh some upcoming things just
to make sure that you are aware and can
um weigh in. So on February 29th we are
having a special meeting with city
council covering transportation topics
only. Among them is the pavement
condition index. So, our streets
operations manager will be talking about
what is the condition of our streets. We
regularly do an inventory and see, you
know, for example, are there lots of
cracks, potholes, what's the condition?
Use that data to help us figure out our
maintenance plans moving forward. Um, as
part of that presentation, there's going
to be a discussion on uh pavement
maintenance
um techniques.
And so, um, we have for the past couple
of years been piloting some new tech
techniques that we haven't done before
to extend the life of the roadway.
Things like crack seal. You're probably
seeing more of that around town than you
used to. Um, other types of seals. And
so, we've gotten some feedback from the
public. Uh, not a ton, but some feedback
on these different techniques. So, we
want to talk with council about uh those
techniques moving forward. Can we um
continue to use those because uh some of
these techniques are more cost effective
than what we had traditionally done to
extend the life of the roadway. So
that's what the discussion with council
will be um on pavements on February 9th.
We'll also have a discussion on
Metroflex. So this group, this advisory
board many years ago really considered
all of our options for Metroflex, our
microransit program in the city. We um
had a two-year pilot program for that.
That two-year pilot came to an end at
the end of last year. Council decided to
renew it for another two years and um
continue to help subsidize that service,
but they wanted to have another
conversation about what are those
success markers. We have established
goals for the program. We have metrics
that we're using. Um but there are they
raised a concern last fall about the
cost per ride. And so while we're
hitting some of our uh uh shared ride
and uh so SOV trip reduction goals,
we're hitting uh some of our equity
goals and making progress on lots of
things. The cost per ride between King
County Metro and the city together is
about 40 bucks per ride.
And so and so um even though we're
hitting all these other goals uh the
question is is that a cost we want to
bear is there are there ways to reduce
that cost per ride. As part of that
conversation we have changed the service
area. We worked with King County Metro
to change the service area to try to
pick up a few more riders. So Metroflex
uh starting next month will no longer
serve a port the large majority of
Squawk Mountain as it was and instead um
we're adding on uh Isiqua Highlands up
to Blakeley Hall. And so we think that
um that will pick up more riders and
change that cost per ride metric.
In the meanwhile, we want to have a
conversation and our council wants to
have a conversation about um Metrolex.
What is what is that success marker? how
do we prioritize among those goals that
this group helped establish and also
look at um by way of facilitating that
conversation look at some options. So
this advisory board looked at other
options including the possibility of um
going private and maybe doing a
partnership with Uber or a similar
service as Uber. Maybe there's other
providers. For example, Circuit provides
uh the Bellhop in Belleview. are there
um other providers we can look at? So,
we're packaging all that information for
council consideration among the next
steps that I'm proposing to council is
just to get initial feedback on where
they'd like us to head and then come
back to this advisory board to be able
so that you guys can roll up your
sleeves and really dig into this
information and help provide the advice
uh that you provide to council. So,
we're making a stop at council first
just to see what kind of discussion they
want to have for the rest of the year.
Um and then I I'm going to propose
coming back to this board for a more
detailed discussion with you all.
Um then uh we have a discussion uh that
council would like to have on the
transportation benefit district. So as
you may know the transportation benefit
district is a special sales tax
district. Uh we passed a a tenth of a
percent sales tax just for
transportation spending only. Um so
can't use that money to spend on
anything else. just transportation
and we passed that a couple of years
ago. So there were some things we talked
about uh at the time on how we wanted to
spend those funds. One was um uh IT
projects, intelligent transportation
systems, some of the smart signal stuff
that Marina talked about earlier today,
plus many more things. Um, we also
talked about using some of that funding
to help fund uh, Pinch Point or
Northwest Semeish non-motorized
improvements. And, um, also in the fall,
council decided to use some of those
extra funds left over to help fund
Metroflex. And they also said, you know,
let's talk about this a little bit more
strategically and figure out, is this
really where we want to be spending
those transportation benefit district
funds now and in the future? Are there
other ideas that we have? So, that's
really what that conversation is like
and that's going to help shape up some
of our approach to the tip um that we
are updating this year as we update that
every year. So, we're going to use some
of that guidance from council to look at
how do we want to spend that that
funding moving forward. Mayor Mullet
also has a few proposals that we're
going to go over with council. So, those
are some of the things coming up on
February 9th. I also wanted to talk
about Isiqua light rail and what we're
doing right now with Sound Transit. So,
um, Isiqua is slated to have our own
light rail station in 2044.
Uh, Thomas, as I think you know, is
working on a station alignment, uh,
study right now to figure out where
those future where a best spot is for
that future light rail station. So,
we've been doing a lot of the planning
work to march towards uh, that light
rail station and prepare for it. There's
one problem as you know Sound Transit is
having significant budget woes and is
trying to figure out how they can um
still implement ST3 but in a
cost-effective way. One of the things
that we're very concerned about is uh
they may decide to not build an isiqua
light rail station. They may decide
instead to cut all of it and put in BRT
for Isiqua instead or perhaps even do
nothing. And so our stance is pretty
bullish on this. We um believe that
light rail is continues to be a high
priority for Isiqua. We've been planning
around it for a long time. Um Isiqua
voted in favor for Sound Transit 3. Back
in 2016, Isiquans have been paying these
taxes and car tab fees for 10 years.
We're going to be paying them for
another 20 uh plus years for ST3. So,
um, we want to make good on that
investment and, um, and putting in BRT,
you know, that service looks very
similar to what the 554 was pre-
pandemic, 12minute headways, a bus along
I90 corridor. Then we had a one seat
ride to Seattle. We're not going to have
that in the future. So, for isans to be
taxed extra to receive what really is a
reduction in service moving forward with
the BRT is not something we're willing
to accept. And um again, Mayor Mullet is
providing a lot of leadership on this as
well and feels very strongly. And so we
are working very diligently, Thomas and
I and many others at the city at um
trying to have a campaign to save
Isiquaz light rail station. And in that,
please mark your calendars. I'm going to
put a hold on your calendars. We would
love for you all to attend on February
24th. Let me get the time down.
We would like to have a uh rally
starting at 5:30. We think 5:30 to 6:30.
A rally to save Isiqua light rail. And
what we want to do is certainly invite
all of you and all of our other partners
and people interested and supporters of
transit in Isiqua to rally together and
learn more about where current status is
with the light rail station and the
light rail alignment to from Bellev to
Isiqua. Um what the city is planning on
doing about that and we're going to be
asking for some good oldfashioned
grassroots support. So that means we
want people to write letters and emails
to the Sound Transit board in support of
transit and specifically our light rail
station and maintaining that. Um we're
also going to be asking folks to um come
down and attend the Sound Transit board
meetings and support light rail. We
we're looking at what kind of swag we
can have so we can be visible to those
Sound Transit board members, providing
public comment, all of that because
we're going to need everyone's support
in order to keep this light rail
station. We're also working with our
employers. Uh, Mayor Mullet has been
going around to several of the bigger
businesses in Isiqua, obviously,
including Costco, but also along the I90
corridor just beyond our borders because
we have a lot of employees going to
those major employers um in Belleview
and um and a lot of uh a lot of jobs
also in Isiqua that residents are coming
from all over. So, this this light rail
station is key for future job growth in
the region. Um, and so we're getting
support from our major employers and
property owners and developers for that.
Um, and so we just we need your help.
And so, uh, what I'm asking from this
group is any help that you can provide
in again writing personal emails to the
Sound Transit Board and helping show up
and informing your neighbors. Um Thomas
is going to be the keeper of our uh list
of interested folks who wants who want
to help. So we can send kind of email
blasts of hey there's a meeting next
week. Can you show up? Can you help
write emails? That kind of a thing. So
we'd love if there's other people that
you know um should be on this list of of
interested folks then uh please send
those suggestions Thomas's way. We're
going to be putting together that list
certainly next week, but ongoing through
this campaign. Um the rally on February
24th is to help galvanize some of this
local support in Isiqua, including some
other regional uh stakeholders like
Transportation Choices Coalition and
others. Um and uh this is all gearing up
for a board retreat that is happening in
March, mid-March. It hasn't been
scheduled yet. We don't know exactly
when it's going to occur. we know it
might be around mid-March. So, um that's
kind of what we're gearing up for. And
there's going to be another board
retreat in June. So, right now we're
kind of um you're going to see a lot
more in the news and in local blogs and
other places about our proposal and how
we want to um keep our light rail
station and how we want to partner with
Sound Transit in order to do that. But
we really really need uh a lot of the
community to show up and support this
and make sure that Sound Transit keeps
their promises um that they made to you
all as voters in ST3.
Any questions?
Uh how much do you have in in support of
this message around cost effective
building in versus other places that uh
you know essentially we're competing for
dollars that are limited?
>> We are
>> we are
>> to support our
>> Yeah, it's a good question. Um, so you
know, what was originally in the ST3
package was what's called the Ski Link,
South Kirkland, Isiqua Light Rail. Um,
it's unclear at this point how um how
committed Kirkland is to their segment
of the line. And so it's possible that
Kirkland is very happy with bus rapid
transit and maybe is willing to just let
their light rail line go. Um that's kind
of early indicators what we've heard
from Kirkland so far. And if that's the
case then u maybe that frees up some
dollars for Isiqua. The other thing that
you should be aware of and that we're
talking with u many regionally about is
the principle of sub area equity which
is uh governs sound transit's
investments and something that's up for
discussion for them. Sub area equity
basically is that um where we collect
tax dollars from to fund Sound Transit
will also receive benefits of their tax
dollars. So, uh, at this point they have
to make investments in the east side
because they've been taxing us for
years, but what those investments are is
up for debate. So, again, they may feel
like, well, maybe BRT satisfies that um,
sub area equity policy. Um, we would
maintain it does not. And so, what we're
trying to do is take a different
approach from, let's say, Seattle.
Seattle has been saying, "We need more.
We need more." And trying to get more
and more of Sound Transit's dollars.
Well, Isiqua is saying, "We want to
partner with you and reduce your costs
and make this easier." And so, um, we
want to be able to help Sound Transit
have a really easy win here um to make
it uh to make it appealing and help keep
their promises to voters where Seattle
is just wanting to take more and more
essentially. So, we think we have a
different approach that's going to be
appealing to the Sound Transit board.
Um, and uh, and so that's how we're
hoping to maintain a competitive edge,
but we do need we we do need to make
some noise in a Saka to make sure
they're aware that we want this and
we're going to hold them accountable to
the promises they made to us.
>> I think you can glad you haven't shared
that our comments. That would be very
helpful.
>> Love that. We are working on that. So,
we're gonna we're putting together some
email templates for folks to kind of
choose from to be able to send out and
you can, you know, it's a starting
point. You can send it as is or you can
doctor it up and make it more of your
own. Um, and we'll be coming out with
much more specific messaging, but right
now we're we're gearing up and we want
to make a big splash.
>> Uh, Thomas, do you have any more staff
aboard? I don't, but I know that Julian
wanted to mention something that I was
going to, so I would love to have him uh
have this time.
You want me to share report?
>> Yeah,
>> I just have a quick uh shout out for the
Isqua climate action plan as a metrics
committee. Uh that is meeting starting
next week. Uh so we're going to Stacy
came and talked to us at our last
meeting which was ago. Uh
part of what we discussed with her was,
you know, shifting things from like
implement the transportation plan to do
some advocacy of climate metrics and
that. So we're getting that stuff kicked
off. I guess states get talked to us
next month. Uh so a couple as well. Uh
I think that's all I have for the for
the chairs report.
Uh Erica, you're on. You're the actual
chair. Anything to add?
>> Uh thank you, acting chair. Um thank
Yeah, thank you for uh having grace with
me showing up very late. I was
experiencing the very thing that we
discuss. I was in gridlock traffic on a
highway. Um nothing to report from me um
other than I'm here in Olympia for the
next couple months. Um, I think you'll
see me teams in next month, but then I
should be back by March. So, um, yeah,
hearing the other end of, uh, Sound
Transit's budget wos wearing my other
hat a little bit. So,
>> right. Uh, so that'll conclude the chair
report. Uh, Julian,
>> yeah,
>> you have the floor. Well, I mean, I'm
glad that uh I get to write the
soundtrack. That's I'm glad about that.
But I'm kind of bummed that I get to uh
you know have the nice discussions
according to the work plan uh later in
the year. Um I will be doing another
term uh here on TAB um or going for
another term. Uh that's because I am
moving to the Netherlands in August
uh for a master's program. and public
policy. And so I'm going to master
university which is kind of in the
southeast corner that notch of
Netherland between Belgium and Germany.
Um and so I'll be spending a year there.
It's probably um hopefully much longer
than a year as well. Uh, I'm so really
excited for all the biking that I get to
do there and the trains and all the
other public transits, public
transportation infrastructure from the
Netherlands and Germany and Belgium
everywhere else. So really really
looking forward to that. But it's been a
really wonderful four years on so uh you
know and informed why policy. So that's
for sure. Uh but yeah, it's been amazing
for years.
>> Thanks for
>> Yeah, it sounds like a great
opportunity.
I clearly need to invest more in
multimodal so that we can compute
the challenge that you think pretty well
when you do that.
Just looking for incorporating your
learnings from your experience into
that.
Uh yeah, hoping hoping to to sustain it
longer term in the Europe uh at least
for the last few years. So yeah,
>> okay. Any other announcements?
>> And hope it's okay. Um but I'm pretty
sure I have a ballot and they're due
February 10th. It's a school district.
So please be sure to vote. Shameless
spot.
Thanks. Uh, any other announcements?
Uh, hearing none, uh, I will pronounce
the meeting and adjourn at 8:11 p.m.
Thanks everyone for staying late
discussions.
Any question?
>> Thank you. Make great your children.