- of the Transportation Commission is called to order. Will the staff please call the roll? Here. Here. Here.
- Here Here Thank you first item on the agenda we start with reports and communications To start with
- are there any reports from commissioners? Seeing none moving on next we move on to report from staff first is
- 180-day order update Good evening commissioners Andrew seabor city engineer here to provide you a status
- update on 180-day orders Since your last meeting no new orders have been issued but did just want to
- let you know that two Prior orders were reissued this was I think the first time that I
- Orders have been reissued now multiple times on these particular items. The first one is four all-way
- stops on 7th Street. And then the other is related to loading zones adjacent to Kirkwood Avenue. I'm
- happy to answer any questions you have about these orders. Mr. Flaherty. Thank you. Thanks for the report.
- Were both of those orders extended more than one time, or just the first one?
- I believe they have both now been extended toy Multiple times and does engineering staff plan to bring
- those to the City Council? Or are they required to come to City Council for? Permanent status and the
- idea that a timeline for that sure it is fair question ultimately the topic of these and Title 15 does
- need to go to City Council where things are is
- Our city administration legal team was trying to work with the council legal team and started to work
- on just the larger discussion about Title 15 and what should be or shouldn't be in that. But that did
- not get resolved. So I think this is kind of hanging in the balance of those ongoing discussions. And
- the timeline of that I don't have anything to offer. Thank you. And would that be true for like all
- 180-day orders that were kind of in a limbo of sorts and would just use those
- repeat until we have a Legal clarity and agreement between the council office and the mayor's office.
- I think that's the current anticipated Approach to these and where I would keep this commission updated
- of those orders But yeah, I welcome further dialogue on that. Thank you The commission on 180-day order update
- Seeing none, we can move on to the next report from staff, which is the parking study status update.
- Thank you. Hi, my name is Michelle wall and the parking service director for the city of Bloomington.
- In March of 2025, the city partnered with Walker consultants to conduct a comprehensive review of downtown
- residential parking in Bloomington.
- The study has focused on rates, policies, operations, enforcement, technology, with the goal of creating
- a parking system that is efficient, equitable, and sustainable. Throughout 2025, the Walker's project
- team conducted stakeholder meetings, site visits, public surveys, and gathered community feedback. The
- Transportation Commission has continued to be informed about updates and has been a part of a dedicated
- presentation.
- From December, 2025 through March of 2026, the draft report was revised following a leader project consultant
- immediate departure from Walker. Also an internal review was done. It was then recently shared with
- the working group, which is made up of representatives from ESD, planning, engineering, and public works,
- as well as the parking service team for additional input. So looking ahead, the next several weeks will
- be focused on review and discussion
- April 17th, the draft report will be presented to this commission with comments and writing requested
- by April 24th. April 27th, parking services will present key findings, including potential rate changes,
- enforcement updates, and new parking technology. And any additional questions will be collected for
- written follow-up at that time. May 18th, parking service will propose to the transportation
- Commission updates to Title 15 and will be presented based on the study's recommendation. On May 20th,
- it's our goal that Walker Consultants will present their report and recommendations to City Council.
- Overall, the study provides a roadmap for improving Bloomington's parking system and it sure continues
- to meet the community's needs now and to the future. Thank you.
- Questions from the Commission on the parking study Thank you for the update I'm looking forward to reviewing
- in April Am I recalling correctly that the scope of this particular study isn't the full Parking system
- or set of parking policies at the city. It's like specific to Downtown or is it everything is it everything?
- Oh, okay. It's everything. Yes
- Mistaken recollection. Yeah, thank you. Okay. Thanks for confirming that great Any other comments from
- the Commission If not, thank you, thank you for your report The next report is on West 3rd Street from
- Buckner Street to South Davidson Street So on West 3rd Street there are
- are several blocks of traffic calming islands that require drivers to do a chicanning maneuver where
- they have to go left and right. And that encourages them to reduce their speeds and use Third Street
- less as a cut-through route. These have been in place for several years, but it's been brought to our
- attention by sanitation and drivers of snowplows that it's been hard for them to turn in and off of
- these streets because of the tight nature of it.
- What's happening is that they're either driving over the curb or over the islands or they're striking
- the wall of the cemetery. Because of this, we went out to the field and we observed the vehicles making
- these maneuvers and we talked to our streets department and we realized that the best thing to do would
- be to cut down the size of some of these islands so that we could still maintain traffic calming effects,
- but allowing these larger vehicles to still make their turns.
- I did note that sanitation and snow plows were the ones that we were aware of, but I'm also assuming
- that larger vehicles for deliveries are also having these same challenges. And so if you look at the
- image, the two blocks that we're looking at are Buckner and Davison. Buckner is the one that's on the
- east side, and then one block to the west is Davison. So for Buckner, there's an island
- directly west of the intersection. And that island, we're proposing to cut back about half of the length.
- And then over at Davidson, on the east side of the intersection, we're doing the same thing. We're gonna
- cut back the length of about a half. And then to the west of that intersection, there's an island that
- we tried to keep as much of the space, but due to simplicity and just to prevent future issues with
- vehicles, we're just gonna remove the entire island.
- Even if we remove these islands or make them smaller, that will still have a traffic calming effect.
- But it will still allow larger vehicles to make the turns and not damage the islands or the wall. Thank
- you for your report. Thank you. Comments from commission? Mr. Flaherty? Thank you. This is
- really interesting. Does anybody actually know how long those islands have been there? Quite a while.
- I want to say 25 years or more. I'm just curious. I'm sympathetic to the changes. I understand
- the constraints. I'm wondering what changed. We've just been sort of tolerating folks running into things
- for multiple decades. Did vehicles get bigger? I don't know. Anybody have any opinions or thoughts?
- I think there's a couple things I want to say these islands the traffic calming is I'm gonna guess 15
- years or so old I'm certainly pre my time but not not much before maybe I think what is really generating
- the timing of this now is both just I guess primarily what's leading to it right now is a resurfacing
- project the road hasn't been resurfaced since these islands were going in so by nature we're needing
- to reevaluate this quarter like we do all others and that's what I
- why we're exploring making changes along with that project. Got it. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Other
- comments from commissioners. Thank you for that report. This now we move on to the part of our agenda
- for cases. The first case is TCI 2601. It's a transportation inquiry regarding Morningside Drive and
- Smith Road.
- Taylor or Alexander is here. That would be the chance to take the microphone Hello, my name is Brianna
- Alexander and I am the mother of Lena the ten-year-old who was recently hit by a car while crossing
- the intersection at Morningside Drive and Smith Road and
- Immediately after crash after the crash sitting in the hospital ER watching my daughter repeatedly Vomit
- up the blood she had swallowed from missing teeth that were knocked out on impact. I was overwhelmed
- with guilt I had failed to keep my daughter safe My husband and I had only begun letting Lena across
- Smith Road this past summer after she asked to be able to go to visit her best friend's house and the
- Yellow Slide Park
- It was a decision we made carefully and only after many conversations about safety and weeks of her
- demonstrating she was responsible enough to always wear her helmet, travel with friends, and be home
- on time. I was so nervous, but also know how important independence is for a child's development.
- Nonetheless, sitting in the ER waiting for answers on the extent of the damage to her little body, managing
- my composure to keep her calm,
- Thinking through how to make her whole again and trying not to let my mind spiral to the worst outcomes.
- I felt like I had failed her When tragedy happens your instinct is to turn inward But when your village
- shows up to help it reminds you that you're part of a bigger picture Before we even got home from the
- hospital a neighbor had organized a meal train to help take the pressure off while we focused on Lena's
- care and almost immediately dates filled up and messages of care and concern were rolling in and
- Over the next weeks, the messages from terrified parents who couldn't help but put themselves in our
- shoes made me realize it could have been anyone's child. I hadn't failed. What happened to my daughter
- was not an anomaly. It was an inevitability. Every neighbor I spoke with had stories of close calls
- in that intersection, feeling like they had to be hyper vigilant after witnessing distracted drivers
- rolling through, not stopping.
- The intersection at Smith and Morningside does not demand driver attention. It needs upgrades that will.
- Doing nothing now is not neutrality. It is the decision to accept that this will happen again. A serious
- injury crash is no longer just a statistical probability according to your own data. It has now happened
- to a child. Parents should not have to choose between their child's independence and their child's safety.
- They deserve the peace of mind that our roads are designed to keep them safe. I urge you to allocate
- funds for immediate safety improvements at the intersection of Smith Road and Morningside Drive because
- no parent should have to stand in an emergency room wondering if a simple walk to the park has changed
- their child's life forever. And I've got some photos, I don't know, of the injuries she sustained.
- Are we able to display the photos? I don't believe we are able to display the photos. But if you would
- like to pass them to commissioners, I believe that that is certainly from the realm. Thank you for your
- presentation. To just give an overview of how this inquiry process works, we have an opportunity to
- comment and ask questions. Then there'll be public comment, both in person and online.
- and then we'll come back to the transportation commission where we have an option to request further
- study or information or request a future petition or resolution that addresses the issues raised. So
- to start that, do commissioners have other questions for the petition or initial comments before we
- move to public comment? Okay.
- We'll move to public comment first. We will have in-person comment and then we'll move to online So
- there's someone from the audience who would like to speak Before we start the Speakers must sign in
- and be recognized by the chair. Okay, we're limited to one three minutes three minutes per speaker Direct
- dialogue with the Commission and not permitted
- Remarks must remain respectful and zoom folks can use their race and people race race and feature to
- be recognized. Thank you with that Soon as you're signed in What's your name Lawrence Ruich, thank you
- Good evening and thank you for holding this hearing your willingness to
- who listen and engage reflects a deep commitment to the residents of Bloomington, and that matters.
- It signals that our community is not just managed but cared for. As noted, my name is Lawrence Ruich.
- I'm an educator of more than 20 years, and I come before you on behalf of the Park Ridge East Neighborhood
- Association and the families, children, and residents who move through the intersection of East Morningside Drive
- and Smith Road every day. As an educator, I've long believed that the spaces we inhabit, our classrooms
- and our neighborhoods, should function as learning environments, and in any true learning environment,
- people must feel safe, seen, and supported in order to grow. Right now, this intersection is not reflecting
- those conditions.
- This is a space where children walk and bike with family and friends, where families cross to access
- parks, and where residents navigate by foot, bicycle, personal vehicle, school bus, and public transit.
- It is a shared space, but it is not yet a safe one. What we are seeing is not an isolated issue. It
- is a pattern, drivers rolling through stop signs, speeding through a designated greenway,
- near misses that have become normalized. And then, on October 6th of last year, that pattern became
- a reality. A child was struck. In education, we talk about knowing those in our care, understanding
- needs, responding thoughtfully, and adjusting our actions accordingly. Our community is telling us something
- clearly. This intersection is not meeting those needs.
- The care for a community is to respond, not after tragedy, but in anticipation of it. We are asking
- for visible, immediate signals that help drivers recognize the seriousness of this space, especially
- in an age of increased distraction. High visibility stop signs with flashing borders, rumble strips,
- or speed tables along Smith Road. These examples are not simply traffic interventions,
- They are messages. They communicate. Slow down. People matter here. A caring community does not wait
- for more data when the lived experiences is clear. It listens. It responds. And it acts with both humility
- and urgency. This intersection has already been identified as high priority. Now is the moment to align
- that designation with action.
- Because ultimately, the measure of a community, like a classroom, is whether its members feel safe enough
- to live, to move, and to grow within it. We are not asking for consideration. We are asking for action
- so that no family in our community has to learn about safety through harm. Thank you for your time and
- care. Thank you. Will the next speaker please step up and sign in?
- My name is Leah sin Iverson and I'm here with representatives from Girl Scout troop 1900 all friends
- of Lena Alexander the 10 year old who was struck at the intersection we're talking about Living in the
- land of what-ifs is not a unique experience as a parent our daughter's second grade teacher in fact
- has a name for this and it's called the what-ifs monster and
- What if she falls? What if she's made fun of? What if she doesn't make it home this afternoon? Or all
- of what ifs I've heard in my own mind. Now that one of my worst fears became a reality with the accident
- involving our oldest daughter's friend, Lena, I find my fear being driven to action. So here we are,
- Girl Scout Troop 1900 and others we know to share our concerns with the lack of safety in the intersection
- adjoining sibling neighborhoods, Park Ridge and Park Ridge East.
- I employ you to actively listen to the girls thoughtful statements and consider their courage as 10
- and 11 year olds coming to this meeting speaking their hearts and minds. And I ask that you consider
- and strongly urge you to improve the safety of the intersection. And learning more about its history
- from other neighbors who have been there for decades, I found out
- about not one but two or three other accidents that occurred that led to death, including a 20-year-old
- bright altruistic girl named Susie, who lived in Park Ridge East for the summer with her parents. Any
- chance at saving one more kid from being hurt or adult, one more parent from pain, will make our community
- that much safer and maybe even squelch another what-if monster in this mom's mind. Thank you for your
- time. Thank you so much.
- Hi, my name is Violet, and thank you for inviting our Girl Scout trip here today. I hang out in the
- neighborhood where Lena got hit. Most of my friends live there, and we have our meetings down at the
- street at the St. Thomas Lutheran Church. There are a lot of intersections in Bloomington that I'm not
- allowed to go on. This is because my parents worry about this happening to me. When my mom told me that
- this happened to Lena, my heart was shattered. How did this happen?
- My question was answered. She got hit because the driver was on his phone. This is illegal, right? But
- there are people who do it anyway. There are a lot of people who get hit by drivers who are on their
- phone. 8% to 10% of cyclists who are hit by cars were hit by drivers who were on their phone. Yeah,
- that's a lot. And think, this could happen to anyone. Lena's outcome could have been different if she
- wasn't wearing a helmet.
- wants to make things like this never happen again. Some of the most effective ways I think would help
- is rumble strips, bright pink paint on crosswalks or flashing lights. These aren't big changes, but
- we could save a life. Thank you. Thank you so much.
- Ready for our next speaker to sign in state your name and you have three minutes. Hi, my name is Nicole.
- I'm a girl from the Girl Scout troop 1900. We're here today because our friend Lena was tragically hit
- by a car while biking through the intersection with Morningside and Smith Road.
- This happened because the person that hit her was on their phone Lena's accident was not the only Accident
- and will not be the last if you don't make a change if we don't do anything The people being hit there
- might not be as lucky as Lena People walk a bike and jog across that intersection all the time an accident
- is bound to happen if you don't do anything We have I've already prepared some ideas that
- can help. We can add lights to our stop signs. We can add a protected bike lane and we can also add
- rumble strips. Thank you so much for clearing your schedules to make time for us and we hope you make
- a difference. Thank you.
- ready for our next speaker to sign in. State your name. You have three minutes. Thank you. Hello. Sorry.
- Thank you for inviting me in my trip tonight. My name is Elena Iverson, and I'm one of Lena's good friends
- from school and Girl Scouts. I live in Parker G's, the same neighborhood that Lena lives in, across
- from the intersection. I was at music lessons during the accident, and my parents told me in the morning
- I was devastated, and all my friends were at school, too. Barely anyone talked at recess, and all we
- did was walk around. At lunch, Girl Scouts, recess, and most of school, we kept waiting and waiting
- for her to come back. The day she came back, everyone was so happy. As well as not being able to go
- to school, she could also not eat solid foods, which meant mashed potatoes for months. None of us would have
- None of this would have happened if it weren't for a college student being on his phone and didn't realize
- the kid riding in front of him and didn't stop at the stop sign. And that stop sign was the only thing
- that could have stopped him, but it didn't. So I think that you should add raised berms, intelligent
- speed bumps, and or bright colored crosswalks. These things would help because they would make sure
- that no one could hit anyone and help people stay off their phones. Thank you. Thank you so much.
- Thank you. We're ready for our next speaker. If you can sign in, state your name, you have three minutes.
- Thank you.
- AJ I am 10 years old and I am part of the troop One nine zero zero. I heard about Lena's accident and
- I was very sad when Lena came back When Lena came back, they said that she could only have liquid foods
- when I heard the person who hit or was on their phone Hit her was on her phone. I was livid I thought
- of multiple ways to make sure it didn't happen to my friend to me and my friends are my family again
- I thought I Thought it was speed
- Bums next to stop signs, since the person ran the stop sign while looking on their phone. Lena looked
- both ways before crossing the road. They did the right thing while the other person didn't. I think
- people of all neighborhoods should ask for walkways because I have had various accidents where a car
- where a car almost hit me because walkways were not available. I hope you're bringing my warnings to
- reality. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much. Ready for our next speaker? Please sign in, state
- your name. You have three minutes. Should I write my name?
- Hi, my name is Lena Alexander. I am the person that got hit by a car while riding my bike through the
- intersection at Smith and Morningside. I'm here to talk about the safety of the intersection and why
- you should do something about it. Even though I followed all the safety rules, like stopping and checking
- both sides of the road to make sure it was clear, traveling in the crosswalk and wearing bright colors,
- the driver ran the stop sign and crashed into me.
- breaking my jaw in three places and knocking out my three front teeth. I think to make the road safer
- to the people crossing it, you should add rumble strips or a colorful crosswalk to get people's attention
- better. You should make the road safer because the intersection goes between two neighborhoods, which
- both have city parks. Therefore, lots of people go through there, so they should be able to cross safely.
- If you don't add improvements to make the road safer, then it might not be long until another kid gets
- hit. And if they're not as lucky as I was, then their hit might be worse or even fatal. Thank you. Thank
- you so much. Thank you. Please sign in. State your name. You have three minutes.
- My name is Kathleen Bagas, and I have lived in Parker G's for 49 years. I've served on the traffic committee
- for Parker G's for more years than I wanted, but at one time when we were trying to get sidewalks on
- the north side of Morningside, it took us 10 years to make that happen.
- We met with the engineers. We just happened to mention that, oh, by the way, there's no slowdown for
- children at the park. That was put up the very next day because I think we were violating national law.
- But it shouldn't take forever to make these things happen. It took us another several years to get speed
- bumps on Morningside. I think Brianna was on the traffic committee at that point to see that happen.
- Some of the reasons given for us not getting speed bumps were there haven't been enough accidents yet
- on that road to put speed bumps in. Well folks, that is utterly ridiculous. We've had accidents on Smith
- and Morningside before. I don't know how many times in 49 years I have sat there trying to get out going
- west and people just blare through coming from the north.
- Never coming from the south have I seen it, but coming from the north, no acknowledgement that there's
- even a four-way stop there. It shouldn't take forever. It's pretty obvious we have a problem.
- And it's taken, sadly it's taken, Lena having an accident. And she has long-term effects of that. She
- mentioned she broke out three of her permanent teeth.
- They can't replace those until her jaw grows to the adult size. So she's going to go on through her
- school life without those teeth. Fortunately, she has very good friends that are supportive. But this
- shouldn't be happening. We don't need to have more accidents at that intersection to let you know that
- it's dangerous. You can't see the stop sign for the branches.
- But even then, if you do see it, people don't stop. So something more than lighted stop signs has to
- happen there. Obviously I'm emotional about this. They did a wonderful job. We just shouldn't see kids
- getting hurt again. Thank you so much. Next speaker, please. Sign in, state your name. You have three
- minutes. Thank you.
- My name is Steve Eggers and I'm representing the Park Ridge Neighborhood Association Executive Committee.
- Not to repeat what's already been said, but I think you understand and have been impressed with the
- testimony, especially from the Girl Scout troop supporting Lena. To think about, I've been in Park Ridge
- as a neighbor in Park Ridge, a resident for over 35 years.
- When I first heard about this accident, naturally I think Lena is a terrible accident. Luckily she had
- a helmet on, but it impacted her Girl Scout troop. She missed her Bradford Woods fifth grade camp. That's
- a big deal. I know it was big for my kids. I would defer to you folks, you're the experts, you know what
- Possibly could be done at this intersection to highlight those stop signs whether it's rumble strips
- whether it's a solar powered lighted stop sign whatever it takes but we really as a thoroughfare between
- Park Ridge and Park Ridge East because we both have Wonderful parks. Thank you city of Bloomington we
- have lots of crossover and lots of kids who know each other in the two neighborhoods and
- not only the kids, but also adults that walk and go to play tennis, because the tennis court's over
- in Park Ridge East. So we defer to you. This happened last October, and I understand the first meeting
- was because the weather had to be rescheduled, but I defer to you folks. You can make a good decision
- here and rely on the engineering experts to make this intersection safer. Thank you very much.
- Thank you. Ready for our next speaker?
- Please sign in, state your name, you have three minutes, thank you.
- Hi, I'm Jim Schrader. I am representing the Bloomington Bicycle Club. We're a club of about 200 cyclists.
- We're not all adults. A lot of them are children of parents that belong. I'm just here to comment that
- pedestrians and cyclists are so
- I forget, are so vulnerable users of any transportation system in this country and we're the ones that
- usually are hurt or die. It's terrible. That street, from a bicyclist standpoint, that intersection
- is well used by a lot of bicyclists also. Currently,
- The bicycle lanes are insufficient. I don't know if there's enough traffic to consider a bike path on
- one side, but it definitely, everyone thinks it got improved because of 3rd Street and Smith Road, all
- of that construction, but no, it was great right at that intersection, but then everything disappears.
- All of you,
- On this committee know all about the ease the three ease of traffic engineering Education well mom and
- dad told Lena everything and I'm sure she got grilled on that about being safe and all that Engineering
- while we're talking about engineering now The last e is enforcement
- There are laws that were violated during this tragic, whatever one says, accident. It was a collision.
- We need to stop doing the hugs and prayers and all that stuff. Things can be done. Thank you.
- Thank you. Next speaker.
- Please sign in, state your name. You have three minutes. Thank you. My name's Darrell Boggess. I lived
- three houses away from that
- intersection since 1977, I have learned to distinguish between the sounds of thunder, car wrecks, and
- squirrels tripping the transformer for the power line behind my house. Duke has replaced the transformer
- Storms are getting worse. We have more thunder than we used to. More rain, more snow, more ice. We don't
- have much problem with the transformer now that it was upgraded. But we have a continuing real and present
- emergency at the intersection of Smith and Morningside. I've seen city police parked
- One block towards town on the west side, on Morningside, waiting to see the next car that comes running
- through the stop sign. And then they turn the lights on and they go issue a ticket. Well, that's nice.
- But that's not effective. What we need is multiple modes of communicating to distracted drivers.
- If you're not familiar with the street, go and drive it. Go down to 10th Street and see what's been
- put up there recently. The flashing lights, the strobe lights get people's attention visually. We need
- rumble strips. We need auditory notification that people can hear. People learn different ways.
- Some people remember what they see. Other people remember what they hear. We don't just need a sign.
- We need stripes across where the walkways are. Visual, multimodal, immediate, not next year,
- not next month. Next month starts this week. It's springtime.
- The kids are out. The dandelions are blooming. The drivers are driving. The bikers are biking. The time
- to act is now. You heard from the experts. I'm really impressed with the expert comments and opinions
- that you heard today. You got the picture. Now let's do something. It's your turn now.
- Thank you so much another speaker in council chambers. Thank you Thank you President Stossberg councilmember
- Flaherty and members of the Commission for Having the Girl Scouts here this evening and for listening
- so attentively I know that means the world to them to have your your attention You know, I know you
- don't want to hear from an old man after these Girl Scouts spoke but
- Did want to point out a couple things that I think are important for you to consider As you're moving
- forward with action that the safe streets for all action plan, which is a fantastic document with a
- fantastic mission it identifies this intersection as a high-risk network or with a score of 37 this
- is the only intersection in the east side of town At least on the north side of 3rd Street that has
- this designation
- And I'll note that the the dashboard which is a fantastic tool to find out where it's safe to cycle
- where it's safe to be It doesn't yet have this incident on the dashboard And so I just wanted to point
- out that there there are some really great resources that we already have within the city of Bloomington
- that we that we can diagnose this now, you know, I
- When my wife and I were looking for a home here, we chose Park Ridge East because it was in between
- two ice cream shops. Everyone talks about the parks, but no one talks about the ice cream stores. It's
- pretty magical, and that's one of the really benefits that people live in this neighborhood. And the
- other thing is that we have the best school in the entire state, University Elementary. All of these
- kids ride the school bus together. As I think one of the Girl Scouts is talking about,
- They knew the next day at school that their friend wasn't coming back because they got hit by this bus.
- This is a tight community. We've got representatives from both neighborhood associations coming up here
- today. We've been talking about this ever since it happened. So, you know, again, I've been talking
- for too long. You want to hear from the girls. Action, action, action. Don't kick this down the road.
- Let's take action and anything we can do to help you. We'd love to help out. Thank you.
- Thank you and could you state your name Peter Iverson a concerned father. Thank you If there's another
- speaker in council chambers, you can go ahead and make your way towards the podium I
- Thank you. Please sign in state your name. You'll have three minutes Hello, my name is Zach Mueller
- My wife and I recently purchased the house that's on the northeast corner of this intersection. It's
- a 3901 East Morningside You know, I just want to say for a second that I'm really I admire All these
- young folks who took the time to come here and it's really important to hear their voices The previous
- person just said I don't know what more I can say but I think that if they can spend their time after
- school and
- getting up and working through this being kind of a difficult thing to do. I don't think there's any
- reason why I can't do the same. I'm not, my wife and I aren't parents, but I don't think that really
- matters in the grand scheme of these things. The last thing that I want to do is see our local government
- fail the people who live in it. And frankly, I've got two minutes left in my public comment.
- I can see, we have a ring camera over our driveway. And I can see that intersection right now. And so
- I think that I'm gonna spend, let's say one minute, I'm gonna spend one minute and all I'm gonna do
- is every time that a vehicle rolls through this stop sign, I'm just gonna call it out. And I hope that
- we have some mathematically inclined young folks who might be able to keep track of it for me. Just
- keep a little tally or something. So let's start. Oh look, there's one.
- Going southbound. There's a car that didn't stop for pedestrian. Going northbound. Oh, there's another one.
- Okay, there's a car turning out of our neighborhood, Park Ridge East, it didn't stop all the way, bad
- form neighbors. Up northbound missed one, there we go, one going northbound. Oh, and just to round out
- the minute, there's one more. Do we have a, okay, so that's six. Every 10 seconds, this is not high
- tide for traffic.
- I checked at 5.30, I kept a tally on my camera from 5.30 to 5.45 and I counted 31 automobiles that chose
- not to even come close to a California pause rolling stop. Not even fully stopped. I'm gonna stop and
- keep going. 31. The least we can do is put rumble strips in. My wife and I, arguably since our
- Driveway backs out directly into the intersection. We'll be the ones that everybody they're gonna have
- the most inconvenience Let's do it. Whatever it takes. I don't care. This is silly. Thank you Thank
- you Any more speakers in council chambers, thank you to sign in state your name you'll have three minutes. Thank you
- My name is Marissa Koblenz. My daughter was with Lena at the time of the event, and so I'm here just
- to echo everybody else's plea that something be done to help. That was October 6th, and my daughter
- has not ridden her bike across that intersection since. I don't know if or when she will. And so she
- was best friends with Lena.
- At that time and like that has been really hard in their friendship because there was frequent back-and-forth
- and neither of them have crossed that intersection since So very long-term effects on our family and
- that friendship And so I echo everyone else's plea to do something to make the intersection safer I
- definitely want to see the city of Bloomington really back up their support for kids and Cyclists and
- pedestrians with action at this intersection. Thank you. I
- Thank you. Are there other speakers in council chambers? We'll move to online and then we'll have another
- opportunity for people here. Is there anyone online who has raised their hand to talk? Hopi s Hopi s
- Please state your name and you have three minutes
- Hi, thank you so much. My name is Hopi Stossberg and I'm the city council representative for district
- three and both Park Ridge and Park Ridge East are in district three and I'm also a resident of Park
- Ridge. So I thought that it was appropriate tonight to comment on a couple of things. First of all,
- I wanna highlight an understanding I think that the
- the representative from the Bloomington Bicycle Club like mentioned, but maybe didn't say it clearly,
- but the entire, and I think one of the Girl Scouts did too, the entire stretch between 3rd Street and
- 10th Street on Smith is problematic. And it is highlighted in the transportation plan as problematic.
- And, you know, I've lived here for 12 years and there've been various, like various times it's kind
- of been brought up, like what can we do about that? And one of the problems is it takes a lot of money,
- a lot of investment.
- to figure out remediating that entire stretch to make it better for pedestrians and cyclists. And so
- I wanted to highlight that as kind of like recognize that that is part of the conversation and part
- of the problem. But going to this intersection specifically, as somebody mentioned, it is a neighborhood
- greenway crossing. And it would be really excellent if we could have some consistent policies around
- greenway crossings. And I think that those policies would start with
- on the Transportation Commission in terms of what what y'all with staff are kind of delegated to do
- and that would be that would be really great just to be have some consistency around town what we expect
- as a community in terms of the safety of our greenways especially when they cross busier roads whether
- or not obviously there is a traffic signal at that road because in theory this vehicle should have stopped
- and in actuality it didn't because stop signs
- don't actually force cars to stop or even potentially slow down. And then lastly, I just want to say
- thank you to all of the residents and all of my neighbors in Park Ridge and Park Ridge East who have
- contributed to the discussion tonight, especially the Girl Scouts for braving the public microphone
- because that can be an intimidating thing to do. And I'm just really impressed with them. And I also
- really appreciate that
- the speakers generally, you know, people spoke up with positive suggestions and not just complaints
- and I just wanted to really appreciate my neighbors and my constituents for their comments around this
- intersection. So thank you so much. Thank you. Are there other folks online who'd like to comment? Next
- I have Katie Yoder. Katie, you have three minutes.
- My name is Katie Yoder and I have been a resident of Parkridge East for nearly 10 years and I have two
- children who are eight and nine. I use the intersection at Morningside and Smith. Every single day my
- husband bikes through it for his commute and my children and I regularly walk to school to the playgrounds
- and bike and run through this area as a family. I'm also a teacher at University and I have participated
- in the Safe Routes to School efforts as a parent, educator and community stakeholder.
- So I really, really care deeply about how students and families move through this area. And the intersection
- sits directly on the Morningside Greenway, and it is actively used by people walking, biking, families
- with children, and community members accessing the nearby bus stop, not just drivers. It's designed
- to be a shared, multimodal space, and it needs to function safely that way. We've been advocating as,
- Kathy Baja said earlier for safer streets in this neighborhood for years, and we were so grateful to
- see traffic calming added to Morningside. But this particular intersection remains a serious problem.
- Even though it's a four way stop, as many people have said tonight, drivers frequently roll through
- and ignore pedestrians altogether. I've had moments where I physically had to put my hand out to a car
- just to make sure they saw me.
- We teach our kids, as Brianna said, to be extremely cautious, to make eye contact with drivers before
- crossing, but that isn't always enough. We've had multiple close calls and we know this risk is real
- because a child has been hit here. Excuse me, I live across the street from Lena. It was every parent's
- worst nightmare. I was driving into the neighborhood when I reached Morningside and I saw her bike lying
- on the road, emergency vehicles, and then
- Brianna, her mom running full speed down the street. It's an image that seared into my mind, like a
- bad dream come to life. Safety in our neighborhoods should not depend on whether you are in a car. Everyone
- using this greenway intersection deserves to move through it safely. And we've done everything we can
- on our end to be safe. And now we need the street design to do its part too. Thank you. Thank you.
- Hannah, you have three minutes. Hello, my name is Hannah Vaughn. I live in Park Bridge East. I've lived
- here for 12 years now, and I live on Morningside. I have two daughters who have shared different seasons
- of life being best friends with Lena. And first, I want to really make it extremely clear that Lena
- has known how to cross the street appropriately since she was five.
- I think that's how old she was when she came into my world. Brianna really raises very independent and
- smart and capable children. And I was blown away by Lena's ability to be intentional at crosswalks when
- she would come to my house to play. So it's just important. I know a lot of people want to default to,
- well, the child probably didn't do quite right. And she said she looked both ways, but did she?
- She did. Lena Alexander looked both ways, I promise. The other thing that I want to say is that I walk
- my dog down the same path
- At more obscure times, 6 AM, maybe 8 PM, those types of things. And at those times of day when there
- is only one or two car on the road, I will not cross that intersection until the car comes to a complete
- stop, even if they are just now turning onto Smith. Because of the number of times I have nearly been
- hit while walking my dog, wearing a headlamp, wearing a reflective vest,
- Um, I wait until the car comes to a complete stop, regardless of if I could have gotten, I probably
- could have gotten across the street entirely if I had just gone. Um, but it's just an intersection that
- is blatantly ignored over and over and over again. So at this point, I feel like white noise. Um, you've
- heard from the girls who broke their hearts, finding out what happened to their dear friends. Um, and
- it just kind of can't be ignored. It has to be fixed. Thank you so much.
- Thank you. I also have Maria. The name again. Mary Ann Dorsey. Mary Ann. Mary Ann, you have three minutes.
- Thank you. Thank you. My name is Mary Ann Dorsey. I'm currently honored to serve as the president of
- the Park Ridge East Neighborhood Association. I've been impressed with everyone who's spoken tonight,
- all the comments and data that they've shared, especially the Girl Scouts. I trust that many people
- there are concerned about this situation and want to do something, but I think as Darryl Boggess put
- very well, it's time to do it or over time to do it. I know we share our stories, but sometimes stories
- actually have effect. As a young girl, I lived in Indiana on a street
- that had similar issues. My close girlfriend, best friend got hit by a car and broke her arm. It flipped
- her over the car. So similar to this, the Girl Scouts, and I was one of them, and neighbors went to
- the county at that time and said, please, please, please do something with this street. Everyone was
- concerned. Everyone wanted to do the right thing. But whether it was funding,
- Again, I was nine years old, whatever the issue, nothing happened. When I was 18 years old, my best
- friend at the time, her sister was in a car, same intersection, same thing, and she was killed.
- To this day, people that were in that meeting often regret and wonder, what if we'd done something
- differently? After that, it still took another 15 years to change that.
- street and intersection. I'm just asking that we don't make the same mistake here and we do whatever
- it takes to make it safe for children, adults, anyone who is using or crossing that. I appreciate Zach
- Miller timing it right now with his camera and telling us who was running street. Just before I left
- town, I was there. I came to a full stop and
- Motors looked over at me and just blew right through the center of the street. It happens every week,
- two or three times. So thank you very much, and I appreciate that you'll do the right thing. Thank you.
- I'm not seeing anyone else online. Thank you. Anyone else in council chambers? Last chance for public comment.
- Seeing none, we'll move back to the commission. And as we make this transition, I want to clarify some
- context, both for ourselves and for the public. What the commission can do at this point is we have
- three options. We can recommend no further action. We can request additional study or information, or
- we can request a future petition or resolution be placed on an agenda, identifying a clear and actionable
- outcome, directive, or policy objective.
- So that's something for commissioners to keep in mind. I also want to provide some context because we
- had a similar inquiry, unfortunately, just last November. It was a vulnerable user, pedestrian, crossing
- a crosswalk when it was their turn, who was struck by a driver when it was not their turn. I want to
- tell you about the outcomes of that, as that can affect this useful context here. In that case, we passed
- two resolutions, and it's an option we have.
- tonight to pass more than one. We passed a motion for staff to develop a resolution that reviews city
- policy on citing drivers for traffic violations, in particular for alignment with Safe Streets for All
- and Vision Zero goals. That was one of the points that our speakers brought is that the driver was distracted
- and we wanna make sure that in terms of enforcement that we're doing as much as we can. So something
- is in motion there already.
- At that time, this was for College and Covenanter crossing College Mall. We passed a motion to request
- staff to conduct additional study of the College Mall Road and Covenanter intersection in the context
- of contemporary safety standards for the greenway system. What that incident had in common with this
- one is it was a greenway system, a system of routes that the city has
- Promoted a safe crossing a busy road where a vulnerable road user was struck. So with that introduction,
- I'll move to commissioners for a comment Appropriate to ask questions at this time. You may okay. Thank
- you Yeah, so compliance is is well enforcement is definitely one issue here and I think you
- we've already taken a step to advance policy, hopefully policy change on that front, but recognizing,
- as a lot of the commenters did, that we're really aiming for safety by design to the maximum extent
- possible. And I'm curious for the engineering department's perspective, in a situation like this, so
- from a design standpoint specifically, when we're looking at an always stop with poor compliance, maybe
- on the high volume street,
- what additional options do we even have in our toolkit to increase safety by design in a situation like
- that? Measures that come to my mind are at least putting on the pavement stop sign ahead. That just
- gives more notice to people, but other things that we could do are at a race crosswalk at the intersection
- to encourage people to slow down, or a traffic calming device ahead of the crosswalk.
- that if they're not paying attention, they would go over that and be warned that they're gonna go over
- something. We could also add a traffic island just to visually narrow the area. Thank you. And any other
- thoughts about the efficacy of some of the other options that folks raised in comments? So I'm recalling
- rumble strips and maybe the possibility of like
- I think I've seen stop signs that have like lights around the outside of it, right, or things like that.
- Yeah, I think the rumble strips would also be effective at helping people to be brought back to attention.
- I'm not aware if rumble strips are something that we usually do before stop signs. I think we usually
- do them before construction zones or curves. And the idea of
- Lights on stop signs. I think that would also be good to draw attention to the stop sign But in this
- case if the person was looking at their phone, I'm not sure if adding lights to a stop sign would would
- do that Thank you, yeah If I can add something If I don't necessarily agree with the ideas that you
- guys brought up I think
- It's not saying that there are other things that we couldn't do Yeah, okay, mr. Coppock a Couple things
- one of them what about changing the crosswalk markings instead of just the two lines to put in more
- of the Mid block or piano key cross crossing What does it take to do that Simply that would just be to
- Have our crews go out there and paint it There already is a March crosswalk and so we've Already said
- that there's Sufficient volumes of pedestrians crossing to have a crosswalk. So we would just be upgrading
- it to continental crosswalks So you will be upgrading it or We can I'm gonna say cuz it's kind of I
- mean those are you kind of used to designate where people don't really expect a crosswalk and I
- That's a pretty open area when people come through there, but what does it take to get rumble strips
- put in? Because, I mean, even though it's not a curve or whatever, I mean, it's kind of an area where
- people do roll through or just drive through because it's, like I say, it's kind of wide open. What,
- I mean, are rumble strips an ordinance matter or is it just, what creates getting rumble strips? What
- is needed to create rumble strips being put in?
- I'm gonna defer to Andrew. Thank you City engineer a couple things I Guess rumble strips are would be
- a new tool for the city Bloomington Especially in a residential area like this typically a lot of guidance
- would suggest not using rumble strips whether they're linear along a center line like you would see
- on a freeway Or on the approach to a curve or something like that
- They can generate a lot of noise. So that is just a thing to be aware of So if it's something that that
- we're hearing if the Commission asks us to further evaluate it That's something that we could do but
- just to be aware that generally they're not industry suggested treatment in urban context or adjacent
- to nearby residents another thing just to reflect on to that just for for maybe the Commission's awareness is
- Frequently we will receive requests for always stops With the desire that those will be the tool that
- makes an intersection safe Sometimes we will staff may not agree with that suggestion and say there
- may be our other treatments and an example of this intersection and some of the things you're hearing
- are potentially a reason just just for awareness that when there are a higher volume road intersecting
- a more minor road
- Drivers tend to not always fully respect the stop signs So just that is a part of it and just just wanted
- to draw some attention to that, too Yeah, I have a question about the Ways how we can resolve this we
- talked about a few ideas in here people brought up some ideas you mentioned something what's the best
- way to identify which will fits the specific intersection which will work their best and
- I'm guessing it's research, but then maybe we already have some information so we can make some assumptions,
- or in general, how do we define the best solution, and how do we measure the outcome of this solution?
- Those are really good questions. I think that's a part of what this inquiry process is. So the commission
- can certainly request staff to do a further study. If there are particular treatments or ideas, you
- would like staff to do further evaluation on our research.
- we'd be happy to and to share the findings at a future meeting. So that's certainly a tool.
- And I'm sorry, if you guys are asking questions and I'm not answering them all, that is not on purpose.
- I am struck. Was there more to that? My second question was about the metrics. How can we measure the
- efficiency of this solution? I mean, we need to assume something and then we'll test it out, I'm guessing. Yeah.
- Various options, a lot of them can take and consume time and resources on staff's part. There's things
- that we could do like evaluating compliance. What are speeds? We could do a compliance study of how
- many people are stopping, how much are they, or how close are they coming to stopping. Longer term,
- you can measure crash trends, which is not what anybody wants to do, but I think compliance is something
- you can assess and measure over time.
- I think I have a follow-up question. So I'm sure we have similar situations in other areas of the city.
- I wonder do we have any Numbers or data on what solution worked in there or like what can be used like
- similar context and solutions which worked or didn't work Can we use that information somehow? I think
- Generally, that's a thing that I think staff is always trying to keep in mind is when we look at a particular
- location that's getting more attention is just keeping the
- larger network in minds in that wanting to make sure that we're being consistent and Appropriately
- prioritizing things across the entire city Recognizing and there are other crashes where we don't always
- hear about or we don't have Really compelling cases for so just just being mindful of that
- Do we have any any place in the city which is like similar on what we discussed in here in terms of
- like the Lord in terms of the number of people? Trafficking like all of this. Yeah any similar examples
- which can be referenced to there Probably are and I'd probably want to think through that and maybe
- share that at a future meeting I'll ask a question Some neighbors have suggested a mural at the intersection
- as a possibility. Is that just to get people's attention more?
- Is that a possibility? I think the the city does I would want to revisit it but we have a there is a
- Art in the right-of-way policy those things go through our city board of public works One thing of note
- in relation to some of the comments too are that there are very strict guidelines on what crosswalks
- can look like so there we do not permit murals or different color crosswalks
- But something outside of the crosswalk is is more possible We haven't seen a mural on a road like Smith.
- They've generally been on more lower volume local streets So those would be just things that would be
- looked at and logistically with every a problem with Whatever temporary closure to make something like
- that happen I
- There's always a process to work through things. We have major roads that closed at different times
- that possible. Thank you Of all the different options we've talked about which would be the One that
- you would be able to be completed the fastest quickly I think
- The honest trick in the part of that question that I struggle with the most is what would be effective
- if I'm being honest. I think one of the things that we could do most easily, and this is me as the engineer
- that isn't responsible for those that install and maintain things, but would be to look at the crosswalk
- markings and potentially explore a crosswalk marking that is more high visibility.
- But would that have stopped a driver that wasn't looking at the stop sign? But that would be probably
- the easiest thing that could be done that might have some help. Go ahead. Yeah. I had one other question
- about a treatment type, which is I'm seeing increasingly used in Bloomington, maybe in slightly different
- contexts than this, which is flexible delineator posts that actually create a vertical
- Barrier and I think in other cities at least I've seen approaching an intersection on both sides to
- say I'm like the bike lane Stripe on one side and the center line on the other It does have quite the
- effect. I think of visually narrowing the space if you are diverting at all you hit something right
- that's that's Not gonna damage your car terribly, but but it gets your attention certainly What are
- your thoughts about that type of treatment in this type of situation? I
- I think that's something we'd be open to evaluating and looking at. There's probably some implications
- that I'd want to make sure we're being mindful of, and also going back to the prior question about what
- could be done soon that might help. Another option is just making sure stop signs are visible. I believe
- they are, especially going northbound, but another way that we've done in locations where they're not
- always visible
- Or whether our obstructions is to put stop signs on both sides of the road So those would be like more
- near-term lower cost type things that could be looked at Thank you Yeah One more question Andrew Hank
- was here about some monies that you had to try some things on different intersections of
- couple meetings ago would just be it one are you going to be looking at this intersection and two is
- that one of those intersection you might Put some of that money towards the temporary Design or redesigning
- the intersection? That's a good question, and I don't know if Ryan or Others might have more. I don't
- know if we've gotten to that level of detail, but looking to Hinks boss I
- Manager, I don't believe we have exact an exact list nailed down yet. So we can certainly look at it
- I think we have some more questions. Yeah, sorry. I'll ask one. So looking at our city at the subset
- of places where greenways cross busier intersections, are there places in that category where we have
- done treatments that we wouldn't otherwise have done if it was just two car-focused roads intersecting
- each other? That's okay if you don't know, I'll stop your head.
- Don't know nothing is coming immediately to the top of my mind. I know when we have done greenways,
- we've looked at stop signs and Removing them, but that would be more on a minor road configuration Do
- you think that could be a justification for an upgraded or different kind of treatment specifically
- when greenways cross other roads, I Think so. I think in maybe other examples might be where there are not a
- Always stops but where we would have Like I'm thinking of really major roads where we might put a pedestrian
- hybrid beacon type signal Or we would put medians in the center of the road to enable users to cross
- one lane at a time But most of those it's they wouldn't have to always stop. So this is what
- this intersection has today I Got it Highland and Thornton
- Highland has bumps. Okay breaking news. Yes there That's fair. I'm sure there are other examples where
- we've done bump outs or things with our greenway projects I appreciate the hints maybe there and Max
- Maxwell and Thornton Yes, you're right. And I think maybe one of the tricks here is on Smith is that
- we don't have parking in their bike lane so if we were to do bump outs it would be into the bike lane and
- And the bike lanes there. I know you've heard a comment are already narrow, but that would there are
- they're substandard. Yes. Yeah Yeah, thank you. We have some more questions or comments. I think I'm
- gonna go to mr. Drummey next Recently during a quarter study we talked about Neighborhood circles and
- traffic circles and there's something between a neighborhood circle and a traffic sort of what we think
- of as a roundabout I guess is that something that's ever you've ever seen used in a situation like this just to
- Make it harder to go through this intersection make you force you to slow down Yeah, we have neighborhood
- traffic circles and near Westside neighborhood other communities That's maybe different context than
- a road like Smith. Some communities are starting to do more with like a mini roundabout That don't take
- the full space as a more traditional neighborhood or roundabout that
- Could be explored here. Those tend to have more mountable treatments, but try to encourage people to
- slow down That would be a potential alternative to an always stop at this location But those would typically
- then turn the intersection to a yield intersection instead of a stop and then have to navigate some
- Obstacle that's what I was in my mind. Yes. I'm any roundabout would have the yield signs instead. Thank
- you That's
- My question is kind of follow-up of what we discussed before, what I asked before. So I wonder,
- do we have, I believe we had the conversation on this, we had a commission on this topic before. I wasn't
- part of that, but I'm just curious what kind of information or like data we already have around that
- context of that area, like which can help us to choose which solution could be. Of course, if you don't
- have any answer right now, it's fine, you can deliver it later, but I'm just curious, do we have anything
- on hand already? And I'm, I'm sorry.
- Missed that No problem, the question is do we have any data or information which explains the context
- and helps us to understand which solution we can lean towards Sure, I think that would probably be a
- part of a further study and one that I think is already gonna be forthcoming for the prior inquiry that
- was referenced at College Mall and Covenanter So some more to come and that would be an option that
- we could present in the future
- I'm going to make one more comment, and I think it's about time to move towards making some motions.
- This time I want to speak to the audience, particularly the Girl Scouts who all came. I am a dad who
- lives nearby. I live on Morningside Drive. I live near that intersection. I have my daughter's name,
- Lena, and it really is hard to hear. I biked with her through that intersection when she was 10.
- It's something I'd like to see improved. I'm up here today partly because one of my friends from college
- was killed while riding her bike by hit from a distracted driver. So it's something that's important
- to all of us up here and to me in particular. I'd like to see this addressed systematically. You all
- know about this intersection and this person. I don't want this to happen to any other intersection,
- to any other.
- Around town, so we want to address this intersection, but we also want to see what we can do Systematically
- and so we're going to see what we can we can do So at this point we have you can have more comment or
- we can move towards making the one of the resolutions I mentioned and Mr. Fleer
- Actually ask a process question related to you may potential motions We're still in the early phases
- of this Commission and kind of navigating some new structures and procedurally These aren't the types
- the types of things we're talking about generally would not come to the City Council for codification
- for instance I'm trying to get a little better sense is the only policy path now through one of these
- routes that the Commission would take
- Are there also things that the engineering or planning department might do at its own initiative? For
- instance that wouldn't actually require formal action of this body Could someone help me clarify that
- I'll try I certainly on this topic the Commission has the per the rules the three options to explore
- I think more
- Globally a couple things that are on my mind are The engineering department is for the first time in
- over three years fully staffed Over three years and so between that and also I think some recent hiring
- happening in the planning department we're getting to a point where we can start to Do what we are charged
- with doing and what some of those things are called out in the safety action plan there are a number
- of action items
- That we have honestly just not been able to do all of them because of capacity constraints So hoping
- that we are able to be more Proactive in identifying things per that plan that means that I don't think
- we'll be able to do all but We intend to take steps forward to address some of those I don't know if
- that answers your question, but some of those may result in policies standard procedures things about
- how we are moving forward with with various activities and
- Yeah, and maybe just by way of follow-up and I know we can take the route of passing things here and
- we probably will but That takes time because we meet monthly and and so just wondering what options
- are there for Staff to act at its own expertise and initiative too. Yeah, and I generally just speaking
- there are things that this Commission doesn't see that result in action and
- Typically what we are taking before you and we are all learning this is a new thing for all of us is
- Trying to be proactive about bringing forward major capital projects And then also things that do have
- policy changes that things that would have typically been in a title 15 ordinance That being said if
- there are other things that I am blanking on or other desires of the Commission to please let us know
- but there are other things outside of those realms that we we do
- Over time. Okay. Thank you. Well, I'll add one more question if neighbors did want to pursue a mural
- What would be the process step for that? I think maybe a first just a Probably an email to Transportation
- Commission and we'll make sure to get you directed to the right people in process Thank you
- Just small question on the process too. So basically the If I understand it correctly is the fastest
- way to achieve anything is to have like if we want to learn more It's a study then we do study in the
- months we discuss the results of the study and then then only we can decide What we do next, right?
- So do I understand it? Right that months is like the minimum to get something done with this process
- right now. Yeah, I think
- Commission asks us to do study. We'll do a study We will keep the Commission up to date and share the
- results of that study Depending on what staff finds there can be some smaller incremental things that
- don't Jump to the level of needing the Commission's review that could happen sooner That's possible
- Thank you other process questions or we can also but mr. Cope
- Andrew if The Commission does Request an additional study. What kind of time frame do you think you
- would need to do that study? That's a good question We talked about an inquiry that I think you discussed
- in November that we haven't brought forward the results of yet So I think most likely it would probably
- be a series of months. There's also other
- Projects and major initiatives coming your way. So it's a balance to of managing your schedule and what's
- on the agenda But I don't know maybe a couple months if I'm just guessing Thank you Other questions
- or would someone want to put forward one of the options we have I can repeat them if you'd like I
- I'd like to make a motion that we request an additional study and information on this particular intersection
- Any comments on that before we take it to a vote We need a second Question on the motion. Yeah, you
- may Do we have a second before we bring it to the floor for discussion?
- All right now now now it's on the table for discussion and we'll start My my thought would be Amending
- the motion to be a little more specific in the in the terms and the scope of the study You know, I think
- a lot of times general public they hear well, we're gonna study it doesn't mean a whole lot to them
- but I think if we could amend the motion to be somewhat more specific in
- in terms of the scope of the study, you know, whether it be the rumble strips, the additional signage,
- all the things that were mentioned, or if it's just gonna be a comprehensive, we'll leave it to engineering
- and just my thoughts. Thank you. Other comments on the motion? Comment, I guess, last question. I looked
- up online to see what our resolution was related to the covenanter. I have it here.
- Remind me Great I have it here says we passed a motion to request staff to conduct additional study
- of the college model and covenanter Intersection in the context of contemporary safety standards For
- the city's greenway system. So one option we would have would be to extend the scope of that request
- to look at Generally Where our greenway network crosses intersections
- What safety standards do we apply to that? Thank you. I think my question is still around how soon we
- can get any results. I mean, if we decide to do the study, like, what would be the most efficient way
- on, like, get something achieved in the end? I understand that it takes time, but if it's easier to,
- like, join, like, with another study or, like, some other way, do it separately?
- Are you suggesting that if we joined it with the one that was already happening, I mean, maybe that's
- an option too I'm just Thank you Mr. Flaherty, I think I lean in favor of a petition myself and so I
- don't know if those are mutually exclusive But That's it so so maybe I would be voting for
- I would support an expansion of the prior resolution that looks at this more systematically the issue
- of greenways crossing busy streets So I would support that if the motion were amended, but I think in
- this particular case. I'm interested in moving Direction of a petition as well. Okay. Yeah, I'm also
- interested in the expanding the scope of the The one from November to look at more generally greenways
- and intersections
- if we expand the existing one is it in action already like is it in process already or not yet this
- is the one you mentioned that it's not happening yet right it has not started yet or it started we're
- asking about the status of the motion we passed in November which was to look at the college model and
- covenant or intersection in the context of the city's greenway system and so we're discussing the possibility of
- Expanding that but where our questions about the status of that That evaluation is in very preliminary
- stages as if I'm being honest I'll also say that while they're both part of a greenway network The the
- context of those crossings is also very different college mall is very different than Smith the traffic
- signal verse and always stop so I think from an initial review they would be Separate they could be
- presented together, but they would be looked at a bit in
- Even though they both are a part of a green way You mentioned That's useful to look at things systematically
- and I think we were trying to sure work within that framework You also mentioned these are two different
- kinds of intersections Do you would you find that to be useful to combine those inquiries or to look
- at them separately? I think maybe a part of it would depend on the Commission's desired
- Prioritization, I think the systemic evaluations can take longer Whereas the more focused evaluations
- can be quicker And but that generally we are also trying to have that larger perspective in our evaluations
- So it's a complex thing and that's why we have a commission to sure It does sound like we might have
- an opportunity for a good now better later approach you mentioned some
- like a second stop sign or some things that could be done in a short term, not permanent, low cost,
- while a long, while a more systematic approach was taken. That seemed like a workable path. Yes. Okay.
- My comment would be the reason I had to ask about the college ball on covenanter situations, just not to,
- Because I agree with with Andrew analysis. This is a completely different intersection. It seems like
- it does happen to be a greenway, but also cars running stop signs at any intersections that an issue
- that we need to look at. So I would be in favor of amending the competition or the current motion.
- to include how it interplays with the green play component, but also focus specifically on this intersection
- with the hopes that there'd be quicker action knowing that the wheels of government turn silver. Mr.
- Coppock, would you like to amend your motion? I have no problem with amending my motion to Brian's position
- on it, which is including the, including College Mall
- How do you want to amend it? No, no, I mean copy paste what we determined that the, I don't have the
- language in front of me, but the, it's keeping your motion completely focused on this particular
- intersection, but also including an analysis of not only how do we make the intersection safer, but
- also how do we, in keeping in mind that it is a greenway and we want to focus on a greenway crossing
- as well. So I could, to put some words to that, it would be a motion to request
- Staff to conduct additional study of the Smith and Morningside intersection in the context of contemporary
- safety standards for the city's greenway system Yeah, that's fine Yes, just to step in real quick Irish
- did you catch that motion I caught What mark just said
- But if there's something else that I'm supposed to attach the motion, I did not catch that No, I just
- want to make sure you caught what mr. Stossberg said, okay You'll need a motion to amend the original
- motion. Okay It can be done via unanimous consent as well as long as no one objects. Yeah Do we have
- unanimous consent to amend or replace the motion we do great Is there further comment or we're ready
- for to vote on this
- I'm just asking just a question on the scope to not make this study very long. Maybe it's not super
- relevant to this discussion, but I just want to make sure that we define the scope clearly. So the scope
- is just this intersection, which he said smaller is better, but it's framed in the context of our greenway
- system. And that I think gives the city some latitude to consider treatments that other intersections
- might not have.
- Clarification are there other comments before we vote? All right Let's I think we're ready to vote on
- this motion. Then can we have a roll call vote? All right Strasburg, yes Scooter scroll. Yes Davis absent
- Flaherty. Yes drumming. Yes Valen
- Yes Copic. Yes. All right all in favor. Thank you Thank you with that motion carries Thank you for everyone
- who came to speak on this matter you're welcome to stay for the rest of the meeting but if you've got
- other things to do you're welcome to So I also have a mission another making another motion
- Yes, we are allowed to have more than one motion on this. Yeah, okay, and I can share just a bit of
- rationale. I mean It seems to me like there are at least some low cost low barrier options to make some
- progress now And that based on the data we have not only the experience shared by folks today, but the
- data we have documented in the safe streets for all action plan especially as it relates to
- the crash risk for vulnerable street users at this exact location and in near proximity. I think it's
- warranted to at least consider taking action now and that's what a petition would allow us to consider
- and vote on in a future meeting. So with that in mind, I move to direct the development of a petition
- recommending action on near term achievable interventions at the Morningside and Smith intersection
- with the goal of maximizing compliance with the always stop
- Science to improve safety outcomes for vulnerable street users Second we have a second so this is on
- the table for discussion Question for staff that does it sound like a viable option if it were to pass
- I Think the motion was is clear. I think the
- Being transparent, the question that's in my head is what criteria would be used to hypothetically put
- two stop signs at what intersections or what intersections to do higher intensity crosswalk markings
- knowing I think we need to
- Do a better job maintaining the markings that we do have at the same time So those are just the questions
- in my mind. The motion is very clear. We're happy to evaluate and come back on that So to clarify you're
- just you're asking to us to look at this at a system perspective of like What criteria are we using
- at this intersection that we would be comfortable with applying elsewhere in the city? I guess
- Honestly, I think I'm more think those will be the questions that I'm going to be asking myself and
- in evaluating and responding to this Yeah, that's fair. Thank you As a petitioner do you have a response
- I think it's a good question. I think yeah, we often aren't thinking of those things and always need
- to be Because we can't do everything at once and we have limited funds and limited staff capacity and
- all the rest I think at the same time we often don't have those systems in place and we can't let that
- prevent any
- near-term action and again for me the kind of dispositive factor beyond, you know, the catalyst of folks
- coming tonight was the Safe Streets for All action plan and the data we have again with respect to bicyclists
- in particular actually at this intersection. So in the absence of a more perfect systematic approach,
- I think those data-driven maps in the Safe Streets for All action plan about different crash risks for
- different types of roadway users,
- is a useful proxy, at least that's where I was coming from. So. Mr. Flaherty, was your, can you clarify,
- were you calling for something temporary until the longer term was in place, or more actually calling
- for something immediate? But immediate or permanent, you see the distinction? Yeah, I do. I would say
- that's flexible based on the engineer's recommendation. I said near-term achievable interventions. The
- achievable there was meant to denote
- funding existing, I know there's some budget for these types of things and there's some flexibility,
- but there's too many unknowns to direct with very high specificity exactly what it should be. So I'm
- leaving to staff some discretion on making a recommendation with those broad contours of something achievable
- and near term that would at least make improvements to maximize what they think is the best chance of
- maximizing compliance with the all-way stop and improving safety.
- I mean, I'm just supporting that, and I think I'm just curious, is there anything which can be done
- without extra study, like near term? Like anything where we know that it's compliant with any guidance
- we have in this, guidelines we have in the city, and maybe there's something missing, we can do it already
- right now without extra research? That's, I think, my question for now. And anything we can do right
- now. I don't know if there's anything
- More the Commission can do right now. I think any time that engineering is doing things we will study
- it before we do it So but what can happen? With or without the Commission getting an update something
- we'll keep in mind Mr. Trummy I'm in favor. Mr. Flaherty's motion. I would like to say I guess why there's
- an audience here there are ways to
- There are other methods and tools that we don't have in Indiana because our state legislature won't
- allow us to have them speed cameras stop-siding cameras things like that, so Just you we vote for the
- people in Indianapolis And so, you know keep that in mind that there are other tools out there to make
- our streets safer That we as voters can help push for change. So but otherwise I'm in favor of the current motion
- I would consider framing and have it be temporary until this study is until something better is done,
- right? So we're not just doing a reactive thing So I'm in favor of improvements, but I want to do good
- now and and better later Can't disagree with that Okay So in your motion is that something that they
- would come back to the next meeting and tell us what?
- What they think could put in there like markings or stop-ahead sign or something like that. Is it I
- think that's the idea I don't know. I didn't actually require a date in the motion I don't know if that's
- something that's helpful for staff to prioritize among multiple options or if there's a presumption
- that Yeah, we could empower them to take action without coming back to us Also true. Yeah, that would
- be the fastest route to something happen
- That's kind of just my process question from earlier, which is I guess that's kind of like a fourth
- option. We haven't really talked about which is directing Some type of action with it without our future
- consideration I Don't I don't know if we have to have I guess the directing of that action would be
- a formal step this body could take but I think we've established that staff could take action without
- us that question and once we've
- Requested a petition if they feel as they analyze it that has warranted. I suppose they could just move
- forward. That's right Right, they don't need us to take action. Yes All right, would you like to read
- your petition one more time? Sure, I move to direct the development of a petition recommending action
- on near-term achievable interventions at the Morningside and Smith intersection of
- with the goal of maximizing compliance with the always stop signs to improve safety outcomes for vulnerable
- street users. Okay. Nope. Is there any other feedback before we take a vote on this? I'm sorry to talk
- about process. Well, we can. No. Okay.
- Anyone else then I think we're ready for a roll call vote on Mr. Flaherty's proposal motion Yes Jimmy,
- yes clarity. Yes, it was go. Yes Jasper. Yes Copic. Yes All right motion carries
- Are there any other motions regarding the Morningside and Smith? Seeing none, we're ready to move on
- to our next item on the agenda for those who wish to stay. Thank you all. For those of you who did attend,
- I was collecting, some people wrote something that they would like to be included in a packet.
- If you brought something that you would like to be included in the packet that you've not previously
- submitted, so long as your name is on it, I can include it in an addendum to make it part of the record.
- Thank you very much.
- We will move on to the next item on the agenda, which is TCP 2607 Infrastructure improvement and title
- 15 amendment Roger Street Grimes to 3rd Street There's someone here to present yes, I'm over here Kendall
- Kenoki engineering department. I'm just going to go ahead and share my screen here and present
- So this project is the Patterson Grimes Rogers resurfacing project for your consideration tonight are
- two changes to Roger Street that would have required title 15 Amendments, that's what we're going to
- be focusing in on tonight, but I'm kind of going to give you a broader overview of the project
- Before we zoom in on those two locations. So this is a project that we put together last year for the
- 2025 in dot community crossing matching grant applications so this is a Funding source that the state
- provides for maintenance projects They have to be maintenance projects and they provide a 50-50 match
- in funding. So it's really great and
- Opportunity for municipalities to go for funding. We put together a project here that included most
- of Patterson Grimes and portions of Roger Street We did not get the funding last year in 2025 so we
- shelved this project But we actually received notice that there's a second round that's opened up for
- the 2025 CCMG funds and we are kind of now rushing to put this project forward
- Together get it finalized and out the door. So that's why it's coming to you tonight It's kind of a
- unique situation where we didn't think it was gonna happen and now it's it's happening So it's coming
- before you tonight. I kind of wanted to talk a little bit about When we do these kinds of projects,
- you know, they're primarily resurfacing maintenance projects so we're resurfacing the roadway mill and
- overlay is the by far the
- largest expenditure of funds for these projects. However, we are replacing damaged curbs, damaged portions
- of the right-of-way, and we also are required by federal law to replace curb ramps. And so when we go
- and do one of these projects, we often end up having a large number of curb ramps that we need to replace.
- And because of the city's priorities and goals, I've shown some of them here. Our transportation plan,
- our Safe Streets for All plan talked about tonight.
- We we look for opportunities to make safety improvements even during maintenance projects So I just
- kind of wanted to review a little bit some of the safety improvements that we're doing as part of this
- project This is not an exhaustive list We just wanted to draw your attention anyone in the public's
- attention to the types of things that we look for So first of all, if you're familiar with Patterson,
- there are several traffic signals. This is in the area of Nova Nordisk we have three traffic signals
- that I've circled here that are a part of the project and
- And while we're out there doing work, we have to do curb ramp work. We're gonna do some safety improvements
- to the signals. So a few that we're doing here, we're adding flashing yellow arrow four section heads
- to the signals. So currently I've got a screenshot of one of the Patterson signals. It's just two green
- bulbs. We're gonna go ahead and add a flashing yellow arrow anywhere we have left turn lanes. This is
- a proven safety countermeasure.
- Also allows us to make changes to the timing of the intersection and potentially improve pedestrian
- Crossings by being able to to show a red arrow There's there's tons of opportunities for safety improvements
- with these so we're going to go ahead and add them We're also going to add the back plates to the signal
- heads. This is another proven safety Improvement and we're going to do this at all three of the intersections
- We're also going to add an additional section head around curves. I think I have no I don't have an
- example of that but
- This is but oh I did I drew a little you can see my sketch there This is so when you know a tree is
- blocking the signal you as you're approaching it from around a curb You can actually see what the signal
- is showing whether it's green yellow red And you can see it farther in advance of the intersection than
- you could otherwise New pedestrian push buttons. These are just some of the changes we're making that
- you know are low-cost but great opportunities for safety improvements at these intersections and
- Another thing we're doing that I think is really cool is this is a screenshot of Patterson and Rogers
- and one thing that we've had a lot of success with is doing truck aprons to slow down Turning vehicles
- as they're making a turn. So this is the intersection of two truck routes We have to have a
- large intersection to accommodate those trucks. But what we're doing here is we're making it uncomfortable
- for everyone else to whip around that corner at high speeds that causes safety and
- concerns at the crosswalks, of course and We've had a lot of success with these. I think something unique
- on this project. We're trying is kind of going a little farther with them and and putting the Putting
- them on both sides of the crosswalk. We've typically just put them in between the two crosswalks so
- this will be a an opportunity to try that out and see how it goes, but I'm really excited about this
- This is just we're also doing this at the other intersection Allen and Patterson
- But that's another example and then here I just kind of wanted to show this is pretty standard in Bloomington
- at this point But you know when we're resurfacing a road that's very wide we look for opportunities
- to narrow the lanes add more bicycle infrastructure So here's just an example of kind of that very long
- section of Patterson where there's no cross streets We have we have space here to add bike lanes on
- both sides and actually make them buffered so we're doing that on this roadway as well and
- And then again, you know if we have room we have a lot of room on this road We're gonna try to find
- some opportunities. So here Adding a refuge island to help improve crosswalks. This is at Madison and
- Patterson I'm in McDowell Gardens there So that's you know, just an opportunity and again, none of these
- require eliminating travel lanes Eliminating parking there. There's no, you know title 15 changes that
- that we have to do we can just do these but
- And I have one more we're actually this is Grimes near John's Bloomington Transit facility there we're
- actually trying to Buffer the sidewalks a little bit better if you've ever walked along Grimes, this
- is an extremely uncomfortable place to walk so we're trying to take advantage of the little space we
- have in the roadway to actually just We only are using what we need for the vehicle travel lanes and
- then we're trying to protect the sidewalks and the pedestrians a little bit better so you can see here
- You know at switch yard park. We're pulling the sidewalk back where we don't have right away We're just
- trying to push out the curb lines a little bit where we can So just another example of some of the changes
- we're making But now I wanted to kind of focus in on two locations that you know These are some opportunities
- for changes that might require some additional public engagement these would require title 15 changes
- because they would require changes to parking and I kind of wanted to go over these with you in a little
- bit more detail tonight and
- So the first one this is Rogers between Patterson and Dodds and if you're familiar with McDowell Gardens
- This is the location where there's parking on Rogers on the east side of the roadway So if you're headed
- northbound, you're supposed to shift taper over to the left go around the parking spaces then taper
- back and then we have that crossing Refuge Island crossing at Allen and then we have another section
- of parking where you shift over go around and then shift back to
- Often there's no one parked here. So vehicles are kind of just charging through in the in the right-hand
- side through the parking lane And you know that that space In our observation has not been heavily utilized
- So one low-hanging fruit here is to eliminate the parking from those two blocks and stripe bike lanes
- on the roadway so here's an example of what it looks like and
- Right now so you can see none of these cars are parked. They're just kind of traveling through the area
- But someone could park there and vehicles would go around So this is kind of what we're showing at this
- point as an improvement to this corridor It's not complete and full bike lanes, but the brakes in the
- bike lanes are only For like the Refuge Island at Allen or right at the intersection There's a small
- gap before the bike lane starts but otherwise we're able to get continuous bike lanes like I'm showing here and
- Between our new protected bike lanes that are going in on second Street We currently have protected
- bike lanes on Rogers between second and first we have painted bike lanes down to Dixie currently This
- would kind of complete that gap with a couple of notable exceptions to the multi-use path that exists
- on the west side of Rogers So as you know, I've kind of shown it here but our transportation plan has
- this little chart in here and shows us what we're supposed to prioritize pedestrian cyclists transit
- and then cars and
- One thing that these bike lanes can do let me go back to the plans is also buffer the sidewalks better
- So cars are farther away from the sidewalks and this provides a safer experience for pedestrians but
- what in order to do this we're we're going to have to go through a 180-day order title 15 change to
- eliminate parking on this block and What I'm going to do over the coming month is reach out
- to the neighborhood set up a meeting and and
- What their opinion is going to be on the topic? But this is just based on the guidance that we had in
- our published plans and our goals as a city This seemed like the right thing to do here. So I'm bringing
- it before you tonight I'll talk about the other location as well But ultimately if you all want me to
- do the outreach and then come back and report what the public says I can do that if you all want to
- you know support this as is knowing that we're going to do the outreach and just
- Approve it tonight. You can do that or or whatever motion you you would like to make But I'll move on
- to the other location now. So this one I think has come up quite a bit I lived a block from this location
- for about six years This is how and Rogers and this is a greenway crossing. This is what it looks like
- currently We receive a lot of requests for improved crossings here on the house Street direction Rogers
- is a busy street. And so we're resurfacing the roadway and while we're at it
- We have the opportunity to do something. So what I'm showing here are Refuge islands on both the south
- and north sides of the intersection To help facilitate safer pedestrian crosses across Roger Street,
- which is the busy street. This is an uncontrolled intersection So it's a little bit different than the
- one we were talking about last petition Cars do not stop but this is one one option for improvements.
- I think there's there's more that could be done you could
- Block off similar to Allen and Rogers You could block off traffic from going through the intersection
- at all and just only allow bicycles and not allow Left turns just right turns out of Howe Street We
- felt like you know, just given the time constraints of this project. We would go ahead with this option
- that improved safety but didn't have such a drastic change to the traffic patterns in the neighborhood and
- However again, just like the other location I plan on going out to the neighborhood in the next month
- and hearing what everyone has to say about this idea And so I'm hoping they'll be able to give me some
- more feedback as to can we do more here? I think this is this is a great first step. It's a huge improvement.
- There is the opportunity to do more I also kind of wanted to show and draw your attention to Smith and
- prospect so Smith is just to the right on my drawing here and
- Just to the north and then prospect is a little bit farther north. These are both streets They're they're
- pretty small streets Smith is almost like an alley, but they are streets officially They are named streets
- and what we're showing here bump outs We we could do more here. We could do Refuge Islands You know,
- we could do the type of Refuge Island you see currently at House Street. We could do something more
- but you know right now we were we were just trying to make it a
- Safer without impacting the traffic flows the existing neighborhood. So this is another location where
- I Really do want to get more feedback from the neighborhood. I will say we do have parking on the east
- side of Roger Street in this location That's why it's being brought to you tonight the addition of these
- two refuge islands at how Does eliminate a very small amount of the parking? however, most of it is
- Maintained basically the the parking between Smith and third is all still maintained. So it's really
- not eliminating very many spaces But again, we could eliminate parking all along here and do either
- additional Refuge Island improvements or we could even do bicycle infrastructure if that was desired.
- So My next step like I said is to go to the neighborhood and you know as I said before you have several
- options on on how you want to go tonight, but I guess first I just wanted to
- Bring this to your attention and and request your feedback and I think that's all I needed to go through
- right now But I'm happy to answer any questions on this. Thank you Questions for the presenter Mr. Flaherty,
- thank you. First question is just how this Interacts with the the Rogers Kinzer Madison corridor study
- and in particular, you know
- Are we closing doors on design options or things like that or increasing costs by? Putting some of these
- things in now. Can you tell me more? Yeah. Yeah, that's a great question And you know when we started
- we thought we were way ahead of it And then we thought we were gonna be way behind it and now we're
- right right literally right in with it The consultant was here for a week last week But yes, so this
- does have some impacts to what potentially could be done. I have tried I've coordinated with
- Transportation planning I've tried to go with what seems to be the most likely Direction from that study
- with these changes that we're showing. However, that still could change It is possible that doing bump
- outs on Rogers for example could limit future bike infrastructure It could limit refuge islands and
- when I say limit it just means that we'll have to remove the bump outs that we just put in and do something else and
- Again, I don't know when that the actual construction will be happening from the study So the study
- may happen we may not do anything for five to ten years that would not You know that would mean we definitely
- still want to do something now if that makes sense But but yes, I think like on the southern portion
- striping bike lanes That's not really restricting anything from happening by adding the refuge islands
- adding the bump outs very well Because those are those are all curbed. Is that right like some type
- of concrete? Yes, that's correct
- Thank you. First of all, I used to live in that neighborhood, so I really appreciate all the ideas around
- that. I used to walk there quite a bit. I'm just curious, can you refresh one more time? So Hope is
- quite more narrow than Rogers. Do you propose to have refuge islands in there, too? Did I get it right?
- Or on the Huff Street? Are you planning to have any refuge islands, too?
- I didn't get it right I'm sorry. Am I planning on getting Yes, so did you propose to have refuge islands
- anywhere else or just on the Roger Street? Yeah, so we are proposing two on Roger Street and then one
- on Patterson Street as well So I believe on this project. There's a total of three
- Other questions? Okay. The staff recommendation here is that the transportation commission adopt the
- proposed findings, which you can find on pages 29 and 30 of your packet and forward the petition for
- a title 15 amendments with a positive recommendation. Ms. Flaherty.
- I'm happy to vote in support of the proposed findings tonight, but just one thing that did occur to
- me is In terms of sequencing maybe ideally like the neighborhood conversations would happen before it
- comes to us in the future that definitely goes to the fourth finding around adequately conducted public
- engagement and considered, you know a community-centric design Again, I don't think it's a it's a blocker
- for me tonight, but just a note for the future. Maybe thanks
- Just I think clarification the process to you mentioned that you will be reaching out to the to people
- to people living in there, right? So that's like part of the plan or we have to choose whether we proceed
- with the recommendations or you can reach out and then we'll be deciding Yeah, I think the recommendation
- is that you approve it and we will proceed with Talking to the neighborhood and if if there's a change,
- I'll come back to you and just respond to mr. Flaherty I
- This is kind of a unique situation where I certainly would have wanted to do the outreach But like we're
- out to bid right now because we have to follow these state timelines So this is kind of a unique situation
- definitely not intentional. I don't plan on repeating it and Just to clarify part of what's going on.
- There's a season to do these changes. So a month delay Means it's meaningful. You're right. I wanted
- to get it in front of you now so we could yeah. Yeah exactly
- I guess one other reflection and just a question about the flexibility. You mentioned the potential
- to adjust things based on community feedback, neighborhood feedback. I've lived on or more or less on
- House Street for 15 years and used this intersection a lot in just the whole neighborhood. All of the
- crossings on Rogers between 3rd and 2nd are difficult. The sight lines are limited because of hills
- and people drive pretty fast because similar to further south on Rogers,
- It's not very parked, so it leads to folks going faster. And I also know that we don't have a neighborhood
- parking permit in Prospect Hill at all. We just don't really have serious parking issues. And so losing
- parking on Rogers between second and third is really not a concern to me from a policy perspective.
- And I do wonder about pedestrian refuge islands as a treatment
- You mentioned mr. Kenoki on you know, a couple of those other streets like prospect or Smith Which also
- have traffic calming benefits. And so we're navigating trade-offs here right with bike infrastructure
- bumpouts Refuge islands is their flexibility to consider or adjust to refuge islands in those places
- if you all think that's warranted after engaging the community more or you know, we progress a little
- further on the Roger Kinzer Madison study or are we locked in from what was here and
- No, there's flexibility. We're not locked in. We're trying to proceed with our best guess We'll have
- to go through a change order process with a contractor But ultimately we want to put in what the community
- wants and what's the absolute best? So yes, we can change and we will if we need to okay. Well, thanks
- for considering those options Further comments or a motion
- I move we recommend the Sorry, I move we adopt the proposed findings and forward this petition for title
- 15 amendments with positive recommendation Is there a second? I'll second it. Thank you We'll call please.
- I'm so sorry This is open for public comment. Oh Sorry, would members of the public like to comment
- on this? Online
- None we'll come back to the vote. I Think we're voting the roll call Jimmy Yes Flaherty, yes Scottish
- go. Yes Strasburg. Yes Coppock. Yes, Connell. Yes Motion passes. Thank you. I
- Agenda which is TCP 2608 infrastructure improvement for power line trail Mr. Seabor will you be presenting?
- Actually, I'm gonna have director Street is joining us remotely today to present and just wanting to
- appreciate that This meeting is supported by a number of departments. We've got engineering and planning
- present public works was here we have our parks director and we actually also
- Remotely had our deputy police chief present as well in case there were questions Earlier but just wanting
- to appreciate that and I'm going to hand it over to director Street Yes, thank you Andrew, can you all
- hear me? Okay? Yes Excellent. Sorry. I was having some audio issues on my computer. So I had to switch
- to my phone. I don't know what's going on Tim Street director of parks and recreation I am here tonight
- to tell you a little bit about the power line trail that has been in the works for quite some time and
- This is my first time getting to be here with this commission in its current form. So good to be here
- with you and thank you for the time. The power line trail is, we are very excited to build this summer.
- This is a concept that has been around for a couple of decades, I think, as an idea of, hey, we should
- take something underneath these power lines and take advantage of the corridor that can't be built and
- put a trail in this corridor.
- So when I joined the city at the start of 2021 as Parks Operations Director, this project had been about
- 30% designed and was stalled there. This is a project that was authorized in the 2018 Bicentennial Bonds,
- so it has taken a while to get around to successful construction of it, but I'm very pleased that we
- are closing in on it.
- It was stuck at 30% in 2021 because there was a long delay in reaching agreement with the county
- commissioners and with Duke Energy on getting all the necessary and appropriate permissions sorted out
- to be able to build a trail under the power lines. In part because one, we needed to secure an easement
- from the county. The county owns
- the actual property that the Duke power line easement runs through. The power line easement itself is
- very old. I think it dates back to the 1940s. So these power lines have been in this corridor for a
- long time. But that said, it presents a wonderful opportunity for us to build a rare east-west oriented
- pedestrian multi-use trail, 12 feet wide, typical specs, all of that. And as I continue just my storytelling
- and how we got here today,
- Even after we were securing the easement from the county commissioners, which took a little while, we
- found out that Duke had their major reliability infrastructure project, which was doing some major relocation
- of transmission poles and distribution poles back in this area and a revamp of the substation there
- on South Roger Street, which is at the east end of the map that you're looking at here. So we had to
- wait for Duke Engineering to work through the placement of all their poles.
- you know, get final details to us before we could really advance this design to 100 percent. That was
- about a year and a half, two years ago that we were getting that info from Duke. Duke was wrapping up
- their reliability project and we were able to go back to Aztec design and sort of restart the design
- of the project. I'll tell you a little bit about what it includes overall. Overall, it's approximately
- nine-tenths of a mile.
- It picks up at the east side at the right of way of Roger Street coming off the west side of Roger Street
- where there will be a small trailhead with a bike rack and a map things like that. That is actually
- the only place in the whole corridor because of the power line restrictions from Duke that we signed
- and agreed to that we can put any kind of vertical infrastructure.
- So we can't put any trees, we can't put any benches, we can't put any lights in there, and we really
- can't change grades too significantly. We can lower grades, generally speaking, but we can't increase
- grades. Let's see. So 12 foot wide multi-site use trail, starting at the east side with the trailhead,
- it kind of winds its way through
- the large power lines there just south of the Duke substation before it opens up to the west. It's actually
- quite beautiful out there. It's a lovely wildlife corridor. It will connect to Habitat for Humanity
- via the northeast corner of RCA Park. So when Osage neighborhood was built, they built a connector to
- the east side RCA trail there, which in turn will now connect up to the power line trail.
- So there will be good access for that neighborhood. Countryside neighborhood, all of those neighborhoods
- to the south can connect through the park in a few different ways and places and get up to this trail,
- which in turn can get you to the beat line. On the east side, there will be a raised concrete table
- crossing of Roger Street with rapid flashing beacons.
- that we've gone through and worked quite extensively with Neil and with Kendall and the engineering
- department what the best options for putting in that table crossing were and the best place to put it.
- We settled on it's going to be placed directly north of the Switchyard entrance because that's where
- the main sidewalk coming into Switchyard is. So that way you have to cross Rogers but you don't also
- have to cross the double lane entrance into Switchyard Park because
- If you're not familiar, as you come into the south side, or as you come into Switchyard Park on the
- south side, there's a maintenance fence and a maintenance yard, and there is not a path or sidewalk
- on that side. Continuing west, I said nine tenths of a mile. Basically, the western terminus of what
- you see on this map is approximately where the future Adams Street will exist. And we have also talked
- with planning and transportation via Jackie and some others who have worked on the summit development
- to include some plans for this to pick up if and as that develops out in the future and continue to
- the West. So points of interest to the West, certainly one, you know, a connection to Adams Street itself
- would be great if Adams Street goes through. Currently, this trail at the Western end is going to kind
- of end with a little asphalt roundabout so that you can turn around. But
- There are plans to connect it through. There is a currently parks operated piece of disparate trail
- near the element at the mill development, just along breaking away, which is north of the Woolery Mill.
- And there exist future options via Weimar Vanguard to continue to explore with planning and transportation
- what might happen if Weimar ever realigns.
- future ways to connect and potentially make a loop with the Clear Creek Trail and the Beeline and the
- Rail Trail. So very exciting opportunities. I think overall this can serve as a great collector for
- the artery that is the Beeline in terms of getting people from this western area either from existing
- neighborhoods or from from new neighborhoods that may come and providing a safe and great way to get
- connected to the park and to the Beeline.
- Last feature of this is we were looking at this and because we cannot put any kind of lights back here,
- we have decided to put in a glow rock. So they make an aggregate that you could just sprinkle into the
- top coat of asphalt that has a glow rating and is safe and all those things. We've looked into this
- quite extensively. So that will provide some illumination on this trail at night and also is sort of
- just a fun
- Fun nod to the fact that this is Powerline Trail. We ended up, we debated names. We thought, let's just
- call it what it is, Powerline Trail. It'll have a lot of familiarity for people to understand it. And
- this will become part of our multi-use trail network that Parks manages. I think those are the facts
- of it. Obviously, this is an interesting one with the transportation commission getting established.
- This project's pretty far along.
- But in talking to Andrew, we wanted to make a point to bring this to you and talk with you. We anticipate
- construction. We're going to probably do a pre-construction meeting here very soon and work on construction
- this summer and coordinate with engineering in particular any work that happens along or would affect
- that Roger Street corridor. That said, I am happy to go over any details or answer questions as best
- I can. Thank you.
- comments or questions from the commission. Mr. Drumming. The diagram that was just on the screen,
- RCA park. Um, are those, are those mountain bike trails in RCA park or are you allowed to ride bikes
- on those trails that are delineated? Uh, they are just hiking trails. Okay. Yep. But, uh, well, I should
- delineate. Uh, so the, the loop around the Eastern part of RCA park is
- Paved so there is a paved approximate mile loop around the eastern part north and south of the parking
- in the pickleball and the athletic fields there That's multi-use but where you see it West which is
- not being distinguished on this map, which are just the trails in the woods Those are hiking trails
- Yeah, my understanding was the worst of trails you were allowed to mount bike on it's like And so I
- just might was there any and I missed a little bit your presentation to step out for a moment But is
- there any?
- The only infrastructure of powerline will be paved right? There's no mountain biking component Correct.
- Yeah, and currently there is no mountain biking component to RCA Park either that is all at behind Thank
- you your Comments from other commissioners Yeah, I've explored that bike
- that area by bike and I think this will be a great addition to Bloomington and the the glow feature
- will be will fund we'll just assume that the power line and electricity is Is making the rocks glow?
- That's right Other comments before we move from the Commission before we move to public comment All
- right, we'll take some public comment now and
- Sign in, state your name. My name's Jim Schrader with the Bloomington Bicycle Club. I actually talked
- with the planning director 15 to 17 years ago about power line trails, so I'm real excited about that.
- I would assume that this will
- Hook up with the Wapahane Mountain Bike Park Is that correct No from Tim I'm sorry not being familiar
- with this commission. I don't know if you would like me to you may respond Go ahead and answer the question
- about he's asking will it connect with Wapahane Mountain Bike Trail? I
- Absolutely, yeah. So currently, with what we are building right now, it will not. But that is certainly
- on our radar long term. And we have talked about, through Jackie and Ryan and others in planning, as
- Summit develops through trails and paths through there, there will be additional connection options
- to the west. OK. And then also on the RCA park, there was a mountain bike
- a trail developed by Eagle Scout about five to 10 years ago. So I assume that is official. I am not
- familiar with that or currently with any mountain biking trails in Marciate Park. I'll invite you out
- there sometime. Sure. Seeing no one else in council chambers.
- Is there anyone online? Yes, I have Jeff McKim Jeff McKim you have three minutes. Thank you Yes, thank
- you very much I just wanted to commend Tim and everyone in Belleville everyone else involved for moving
- this project forward I really think this is the most exciting Bloomington trails project since the beeline
- and it serves a major unmet need as far as East West active transportation goes as well
- This trail I think is going to become even more useful and well used as a summit project builds out
- as Tim mentioned. And so I just wanted to say thanks for the presentation and I can't wait to see the
- trail open. Thank you. Anyone else online? If not, we'll come back to comments from our commission again,
- or we can look for a motion. Mr. Drummy.
- Tim, I think you mentioned it, but I didn't quite understand. Is the idea that once Summit is developed,
- the trail will be extended by the developer or somebody, or is that yet to be determined? I would defer
- probably to Ryan. He might be able to better answer a question about phasing of that. But what we looked
- at when they were working on the development documents for Summit and everything was connecting the
- west end of the current trail
- where it will end at the future Adam Street with a little kind of asphalt roundabout right now. And
- continuing that over to connect with the north end of a trail that was built through triggers for the
- element at the mill development. So that development is just to the north and a little bit east of the
- Woolery Mill. So that would bring the total length of actual trail to the north end of Woolery Mill.
- from which point there are some interesting options. You know, I know one of the things that's been
- around for a long time is this, you know, idea of Weimar realigning, which is development triggered
- and everything, potentially Weimar becoming a multi-use trail. So we would, we would basically get trail
- all the way to the north end of Woolery Mill. But also through Summit, there were also
- you know, paths along the roads and different connectors and things like that, that could also be used
- to facilitate safe connection over all the way to Wema Road and potentially to Wapahane. Thank you.
- Other commission comment? If not, we'll move, we'll look for a motion. I move we
- Adopt the proposed findings and approve the power line trail project plan. Is there a second? second
- Roll call vote, please Copic Yes, Connell. Yes, drummy. Yes, Flaherty. Yes, Scott ishko. Yes, Strasburg.
- Yes Motion passes
- Thank you. Thank you all very much. Yep. The next item on our agenda is commission schedule
- change cancellation of August, 2026 meeting. I don't know if we need a presentation about that. Uh,
- this is Iris bowl, um, presenting, uh, I don't have a presentation to be honest. Um, this is, um, about
- as cut and dry as it's going to get around here. Um,
- I'll just provide a quick summary of the report I included in the packet that being four reasons we
- have a scheduling conflict with budget hearings whether it's direct or indirect staff are concerned
- about the coincidence of having a Transportation Commission meeting in the same very close proximity
- of the budget hearings and Staff have recommend that we cancel the meeting scheduled for August and
- but I did want to observe that Technically it may be rescheduled for August 31st if that is your prerogative
- Okay We'll just make this fast I'll go ahead and any comment or go ahead and put forward a motion I
- Move we cancel the August 24th and
- Meeting of the Transportation Commission Great Great who was the second on that one? Okay. I think we
- all wanted to be A second can we do this by a voice vote? Do we need a roll call? Just a note on the
- motion. I didn't motion degree I didn't move to reschedule But I suppose we could always consider that
- at a closer date if we're having trouble with the queue of things always possible. Yes, I
- Okay, we are ready to vote on this meeting cancellation This one sorry to interrupt this one can be
- a voice vote. Okay, great. Let's do it all in favor Any opposed Motion carries Great that concludes
- the cases portion of our agenda. We now move on to discussions of topics not on the docket. Are there any such
- items from commissioners Mr. Flaherty, yeah, I have to They're both relatively brief one is a follow-up
- from the item. I had last month, which was about if commissioners had perspectives on whether City residency
- should be a requirement to serve on the Commission or whether we might want to have flexibility for
- at least one member I think the conversation we had was
- Yeah, maybe not needed. We're not strongly opposed but but not warranted at this time I was then reminded
- by my colleague councilmember Piedmont Smith that the particular context of that inquiry was because
- one of the appointments gives preference to Board members employees or other formal volunteers with
- Monroe County Community School Corporation and we had difficulty finding somebody to fit that need it's
- not a requirement. That's just a preference for one of the seats and
- but the idea was essentially should we be looking to, when you constrain these seats, they get harder
- to fill, and so should we be looking to loosen a constraint on one of the constrained seats, so to speak,
- to counterbalance that, and we could maybe just invite any brief comments on that, and I can report
- back to the council committee, but I did wanna follow up, so thank you, that's the first of two items.
- Any feedback for Mr. Flaherty?
- I'll add that tonight is a case in point We had a very important meeting a lot of people showed up from
- the public and we had barely a quorum So we do have a challenge having enough people here I'd receive
- feedback from councilmember Stasberg about The importance of bringing someone from the school system
- perhaps from the transportation department of the school system There are several schools along the
- Roger Madison Kinzer corridor
- I think it would be a valuable perspective to have on this commission. Also, we have more and more e-bike
- commuters. We have good connectivity with Ellisville. I've known an e-bike commuter from there. So I
- would definitely be open to that perspective, both to solve the practical problem of filling our seats,
- but also to either include extra voices related to the school system, which is a county agency,
- or from e-bike folks who are commuting from outside city limits. Thank you. I'll just support that in
- general. I mean, I think bringing different perspectives which are like relevant to the conversations
- we have in here, I think it's something we should be trying to achieve. Yeah.
- Thank you all if anybody else has additional thoughts feel free to email me I will get back to the council
- committee that would involve a city code change. They're considering A future ordinance to make a variety
- of board and commission related changes Second item was if you're not familiar the City Council has
- Most months a deliberation session, which is not the formal regular session of the council to vote on
- legislation But rather more of a generative policy development type of meeting and
- I requested and will be leading on April 15th, Wednesday, April 15th, a deliberation session on the
- particular challenge of pedestrian safety and accessibility in the wake of snow events. We had some
- real serious challenges this year. Obviously, we had a pretty big snow event or two. That's not entirely
- unique to us. We've had these challenges for many years.
- There aren't a lot of easy fixes, but there probably are some ways to improve and so the goal is to
- Ideate with some relevant stakeholders city council members. I'll be inviting I have invited and confirmed
- attendance from I think four or five of the relevant departments either engineering or planning Public
- works parks, which actually has responsibilities here to and hand which controls the citations for violation
- of not clearing the sidewalk
- and then I thought it would be nice to have a Representative of the Transportation Commission join as
- well. I plan to also reject the Council for community accessibility I know we have one member from from
- that council so that could be the the Commission president or it could be another member who volunteers
- and we You know if there's no one else to step up So I wanted you to be aware of it at the very least
- and wanted to invite Participation in that session. They usually that's about two hours. So 630 day
- 30 on Wednesday April 15th
- And finally, sorry, if you have particular ideas or thoughts or questions that you want explored in
- that session, I would also be happy to receive those. So please feel free to email me or talk to me.
- So council members can follow up with you directly if they're interested. Yes, though I was hoping we
- might identify a person to join if it's the will of the commission. Just a question, can it be removed
- or it has to be in person?
- I would encourage in person. Those sessions tend to be kind of at a round table type of setting, and
- it's a little bit trickier with remote. Anyone interested? I can hound. I'll be traveling, unfortunately,
- that's why. So I think it's your turn. OK. Does that work for folks? All right.
- Thank you. That's all I had Sorry, just a small question. So this such session happens regularly too,
- right? Yes, and probably eight months of the year or something. We have a deliberation session. Yes,
- and it's possible to participate in this later if there will be an option to Yeah, they're on a very
- wide range of topics and we have someone public safety coming up after that there is
- Almost always public comment available. Sometimes the sessions are designed in ways that are more about
- public engagement explicitly So we had some housing and zoning sessions last year that were more about
- Community input and an idea gathering. So yeah, you can keep an eye on those on the council's Calendar
- and agendas. Thanks Items from commissioners Mr. Drummond
- I have an item to raise. I have an issue that I'd like to bring before the commission. I'm not planning
- to bring it before this evening. But I wanted to do it the right way and look at it as a member of the
- public. And I'll be honest, I didn't spend a ton of time trying to figure it out, but I wasn't able
- to figure it out. And maybe Ryan can help. What is the proper, if I were not a member, I understand
- as a member of the commission, I understand how I could set up a case.
- But if I was not a member of the Commission, how would I what would be the what is the proper process
- to bring an issue in front of the Commission? Great question. There is a couple of different options
- The easiest is there is on the Transportation Commission website on the city of Bloomington's website
- There is a form that you can complete you just write your name email address and what you'd like to
- have included number of members of the public had that the Smith and Morningside
- Comments included that way this evening. You can also just email Andrew Seabor Iris bull or myself or
- the Transportation Commission email address, please. Yes that actually you could email any of those
- three people but then there's also the Transportation Commission email which is It's just transportation
- commission at Bloomington die and duck of I Well, and I saw the I was able to see the I was competent
- enough to see the email opportunity But is that?
- that Does that count as I mean if I email that email address and say hey what? What's the bus schedule
- for tomorrow on this route? Does that create a you know? I mean like is it is it you guys are gonna
- reach out to the person that emails that and say would you like to bring a case to the Commission or
- do you just want to know that we're gonna fix the pile for your house, you know, it means that make sense and
- If you're submitting for a pothole, I would encourage you to use you report I understand that but not
- everybody knows that yeah. Yeah. No, we would respond The same way for either if you send that to me
- directly. I will also help you submit your your report. So Yeah, we keep will absolutely figure it out.
- It doesn't just sit in an inbox with no response Do we need to do something more affirmatively to let
- the public know? That this body is here to
- issues like we heard this evening and To give them instructions to figure out how to submit those issues
- That's a that's a maybe rhetorical question or a question for the Commission, but that's that's all
- I have I Would like to observe as well that in the packet the very last page of the packet is actually
- a public comment from someone offering something
- An item that was not on the docket This was the first time and all of the public comments that we've
- received where it was for something not already on the docket This is something that if a member of
- the Commission was interested in taking up they could continue to dialogue with staff Because staff
- have access and commissioners have access to a special tracking form right where we're gathering interest
- for things that may become
- Inquiries or petitions or resolutions and that's generally how those things get escalated for members
- of the public and in large part as you've observed because there are lots of other ways to resolve things
- like a pothole where we don't necessarily want to Give someone the impression that they need to wait
- a couple months to fix a pothole people often Care less about the process of triage and simply want
- the results of proper triage so
- I hope that helps. That's thank you. Yes, that's I like that. There's a question from Deborah Meyerson
- on Incentives for bike graphics within bike racks within the city. So she has some questions about that
- So that was late breaking for us So that's something we can review and if we want to bring that back
- in another form we can do that Other comments from staff
- commission if not, we will move on to any Discussion of topics not on the docket from staff All right,
- I'll simply flag that next week or next month's meeting The packet materials may be a little different.
- I can't exactly tell you how I and assume that you will all want to continue receiving a PDF packet,
- but you should know that
- WCAG federal Requirements are going to be changing and that's city is getting more uniform and standardized
- in its response to those federal changes but it will affect how the Commission's documents are made
- available to the public but not necessarily prepared for commissioners because it is a redundant step
- not necessarily the transformation of the entire process and
- So if you have any questions about what that's gonna look like, feel free to email me. I'll be setting
- it up. Thank you. Thank you. It sounds like some extra work for you. Yes. Then we'll move on to public
- comment for items not on the docket. Is there anyone in council chambers who'd like to comment? No.
- Is there anyone online who'd like to? No. All right. At that point, we have reached adjournment
- And if there's one thing I know about Robert's Rules of Order, if you get the bottom of the agenda,
- you can just adjourn. So we will do that, meeting adjourned.