QUESTIONS from the PUBLIC from the Draft Transportation Action Plan Online Open House Held April 13, 2020 April 20, 2020

QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC From the draft Transportation Action Plan online open house held April 13, 2020 April 20, 2020

The City of Minneapolis hosted an online open house for the draft Transportation Action Plan on Monday April 13, 2020. Numerous questions were answered during the conversation and can be reviewed on the link of the video recording of the event. The questions which we were unable to answer during the event are listed below with answers.

1. Will Diamond Lake Road east of Nicollet get a full pedestrian evaluation and update? It has become much more car-oriented in the last ten years since the 35W upgrade. The upgrades promised at that time were never completed. Major entry and corridor to green space (Pearl, Diamond Lake Park). Design not consistent with Vision Zero. Will it have a new designation? Lower speed limit? Narrower roadway? Bumpouts at intersections?

As part of the City’s Vision Zero efforts, the speed limit on Diamond Lake will be reduced to 25 mph. A portion of Diamond Lake Road from Portland Avenue to I-35W South will be sealcoated this year and a bike lane will be installed. Any additional improvements would be considered when the street is identified in the City’s capital improvement program (CIP) (Diamond Lake Road is not currently in the CIP).

2. Will you provide more shelter from inclement weather for pedestrians?

Minneapolis works closely with Metro Transit and other transit providers on designing pedestrian spaces that accommodate transit shelters; Metro Transit owns and maintains the majority of transit shelters in Minneapolis. As the B, D, and E aBRT lines are implemented in Minneapolis, more transit shelters are anticipated.

3. Minneapolis Public Schools is working toward Universal Bike Education - bike education for every fifth grader - these efforts will be critical for the city to reach it's traffic reduction and increased biking goals. The current plan calls for "supporting" Universal Bike Education. Other cities are actively funding these initiatives. Minneapolis Public School has a strong program in place, through Safe Routes to School. Will the city consider "doing" this kind of program (e.g., through direct funding) in order to increase the districts impact to more fifth grade students? Through increased funding the district could purchase more fleets that can rotate amongst schools, reaching more students. Thank you, Jeff Carlson, Community Education Coordinator Whittier International Elementary

The draft TAP has a specific action to support this work which is undertaken and led by Minneapolis Public Schools (Bicycling action 10.3); at this point support is more reflective (vs. do) of the City’s role in this program. The action is referenced in the Minneapolis Public Schools Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan (priority action 1 on page 6).

4. Residential streets or side streets? Main community corridors/bus routes are residential streets.

Unsure what this question refers too. If the person asking wants to re-ask, we will do our best to respond.

5. A PPN makes a lot of sense but is there a mechanism or process for improvements outside the network?

Many of the strategies and actions apply to the entire pedestrian network, not just the PPN. For example, Walking Action 3.1 seeks to improve lighting conditions on all streets during reconstruction projects.

6. How can the city make progress towards clearing snow on the Pedestrian Priority Network?

Most of the actions in Walking Strategy 4, Improve winter walking and rolling, are geared toward improving winter conditions for pedestrians on the entire pedestrian network, not just the PPN since getting to and from the PPN in the winter is just as important as accessing destinations along it. Two actions that look specifically at improving snow clearing along the PPN include Walking Action 4.3 which focuses on improvements at transit stops and stations and 4.8 which includes the City’s corner clearing program which will focus first on clearing corners on the PPN.

7. For pedestrian priority networks and bike crossings would the city be widely implementing raised crosswalks like those widely using in countries like the Netherlands?

The City has started using raised crosswalks more frequently in recent years as they are an effective tool for improving safety. Use of this design feature will be described in the forthcoming Street Design Guide and is referenced in Bicycling Action 4.2.

8. Currently, a kid walking or biking to Green Central from 33rd and Stevens has to navigate either 31st or 35th streets - both have narrow sidewalks, high traffic volumes, and frenzied freeway entrances. A pedestrian crossing at 33rd or 34th street would be a for those students and families. Is there any plan to build a pedestrian bridge over 35W between 31st Street and 35th Street?

No, there are no current plans for a bridge at this location.

9. Will vision zero address driver aggression and targeted violence (whether planned or "heat of the moment") at any point?

The City is indirectly addressing this now through street safety improvements that reduce the likelihood of conflict between different people traveling our streets. The 2020-2022 Vision Zero Action Plan does not have direct actions on this, but it is something we may do in the future.

10. If the city won't make all signals automatic recall even in a pandemic with a state of emergency declared and knowing COVID can be transmitted by touch (and that people with disabilities and people who are elderly are both more at risk from COVID and more dependent on the timing allotted by actuated signals), how can we trust the city to take either VZ or Complete Streets seriously?

The City has made quick progress on this action in light of COVID-19 by changing most street crossings that previously required a person to push a button in order to get a walk signal to automatically having a walk signal with every light cycle (Walking Action 2.1). The City is also currently lowering speeds on most City-owned streets, which is a part of our Vision Zero efforts. We annually provide an update on progress through our Your City, Your Streets

report (see 2017 and 2018 reports) and will be reporting back on Vision Zero progress twice a year, starting this summer.

11. Design street demand setbacks for buildings for the greening of streets. The current 2040 plan has an inferior setback requirements.

The Design section of the Transportation Action Plan includes Strategy 4, Green the streets, that includes actions the City is taking to maximize greening in the street right of way. The City is working to maximize opportunities to reduce asphalt and concrete and expand greening.

12. Maybe I missed it, but did you do an implementation segment on this plan?

Yes – the last portion of this plan “Progress” talks through how we are approaching implementation. We hope to add more details with the final plan. Broadly, the goal is to complete or have all action in progress by 2030. The level of difficulty rating next to each action should help give an indication of how likely it would be to see progress sooner rather than later on a particular action.

13. Excited to see this plan! You all did a wonderful job. I'm curious about winter maintenance on the priority bikeway, but especially for Greenways and Bikeways. Can these all get extra focus to ensure they're usable year round and don't disappear as transportation options during winter?

Thanks! We are excited about the plan as well. Maintenance of our bikeways in the winter is really important. The plan calls for the prioritization of clearing snow and ice from trails and protected bikeways within 24 hours of a snow event and determining the best way to reach the same standard on neighborhood greenways (see Bicycling Strategy 6).

14. The protected bike lanes on 26th Street and 28th Street have dramatically improved biking and walking near Whittier, Andersen and Jefferson Schools. One wonderful addition would be to have a raised barrier for the protective bollards. The issue is that the protective bollards, at grade with the bike lanes are constantly being knocked over. I know that other protected bike lanes have a raised concrete curb for the bollards making them far less likely to

be knocked over. Could a raised barrier be installed on 26th and 28th streets, from Hennepin to Hiawatha?

As a broader strategy, we have seen success in starting with a buffered bike lane with bollards and going back to upgrade with concrete barriers as resources allow, and plan to continue to expand the use of this technique citywide. The City regularly maintains protected bikeways throughout seasonal weather events, and the draft TAP outlines a commitment to replace these bicycle bollards by June 1st of each year (see Bicycling action 6.5); striping is also replaced on an annual basis. There are no immediate plans for an upgrade to 26th or 28th Streets.

15. The presentation stated the 21% (?) of surface area of the city was devoted to streets. How does that compare to lakes and parks?

22% of the land area in the city is our public right of way, often called streets. There are 5.12 square miles of parks, 3.66 square miles of bodies of water, rivers and streams, and a total of 57.44 square miles in Minneapolis. The percentage of land used for parks is 9%. The percentage of land covered by bodies of water, rivers and streams is 6%. The combined percentage of land covered by parks, bodies of water, rivers and streams is 15%. [Note that this only includes park land within the Minneapolis border; MPRB owns park land outside of the border that is not included.]

16. How quickly do you picture the bikeway network updates being implemented?

The goal is to complete the All Ages and Abilities Network within 10 years, by 2030.

17. On bicycling: Will the city set a standard that ensures that future protected bikeways will be built with something better than bollards (whether as a sidepath or in the street with a concrete barrier)?

We anticipate continuing to use a variety of bikeway treatments, including bollards, concrete curbs, parked cars, and planters.

18. On transit: What is the difference between the bus lanes that are in Transit 2.2 (will be installed) from the bus lanes that are in Transit 2.3 (will be "evaluated")?"

Given the unique characteristics of individual corridors throughout the City, some require more detailed evaluation than others before commitments to installation can be made. The corridor segments identified in 2.2 have had more technical work done at this stage and are initial priority candidates. The corridor segments identified in 2.3 require more technical work, and in several circumstances require cooperation and partnership with other jurisdictions to implement (i.e. MnDOT and Hennepin County).

19. It seems any plan put forward today needs to somehow acknowledge that things may (will?) be different on terms of travel post-Covid. Have you thought about that yet?

We are actively thinking about impacts of COVID-19 on the future of how people get around and what sort of post-COVID trends will emerge. We will continue to monitor impacts and determine the best way to incorporate into the final plan.

20. The electric scooters caused issues with riders ignoring traffic rules and safety on sidewalks. Will there be an increased effort to regulate use and parking of these scooters?

We work with scooter companies on safety and we do have regulations in place. The 2020 program will require that scooters be locked to public bike racks, municipal sign posts or at a designated scooter parking area. Scooter companies can be fined for documented violations of riding or parking regulations by operators or users of the scooters. The scooter companies are also required to participate in public engagement events and provide education and training on proper riding and parking behavior.

21. Cars are dangerous. Does Minneapolis have any plans to ban them from the streets?

Minneapolis will continue to manage all modes of travel by prioritizing those walking, rolling, and bicycling. The mode share goal is to move single occupancy vehicle use from 43% to 20% of trips by 2030, so we acknowledge that car travel will remain part of our future, but hopefully less than it is today.

22. Where does supporting more "Highway BRT in-line stations" fit in this plan? Technology or Transit. Do you see Highway BRT coming to I-94?

The City continues to support Highway BRT projects and affiliated in-line stations in this plan. There are references in the following Transit actions: 1.2, 2.7, 4.5, 4.7. Regarding Highway

BRT, the City will continue to support and advocate for transit advantages and infrastructure that improve transit operations throughout the city. Minneapolis will continue to work with regional partners, including MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council, regarding the feasibility of BRT on I-94.

23. Does the city have leverage to tell MnDOT how to use its ROW or highway travel lines in the city of Mpls?

The City partners with MnDOT (and other jurisdictions) as projects led by those agencies are designed and implemented within the city. We do not tell our partners what to do, but we will be using this plan and the forthcoming Street Design Guide to inform our approach to any project within the city and actively work to implement the goals, strategies and actions of this plan.

24. How is Minneapolis working with St Paul/other neighboring cities to get geographically broader goals implemented that will be beneficial for transportation throughout the metro?

We recognize transportation networks and mobility options do not end at municipal borders. We partner in many ways; one recent example is Minneapolis successfully coordinated with St. Paul on reducing speed limits on many City-owned streets to 20 and 25 mph.

25. Will this plan inform City's legislative priorities and help make Mpls delegation champions for transit, for example, bonding for B & D lines?

The City through Intergovernmental Relations in the City Coordinator’s office continues to support a legislative agenda that advocates for transit including bus, and the Bus Guideway and Express Bus Development Program to advance regional transitway projects including full funding for bus rapid transit projects.

26. Given that Black, Latino, Asian (i.e. communities of color) and lower-income communities face the highest levels of air pollution in the State, how will the Transportation Action Plan contribute (and prioritize) their health? https://blog.ucsusa.org/cecilia-moura/who-breathes- dirtiest-air-from-vehicles-minnesota

Equity is a top goal of this plan. The strategies and actions in this plan focus on reducing air pollution, which has the potential to most significantly improve health for those most

adversely impacted – communities of color and lower-income communities as noted in this question and the referenced article. Our Pedestrian Priority Network and All Ages and Abilities Network used areas of concentrated poverty with greater than 50% of the population people of color as a factor in their development. Additionally, the mode shift goal of reducing single- and multiple-passenger vehicle trips, along with strategies to increase electric vehicle use (Technology Strategy 6), will contribute to lower levels of air pollution. Working with other efforts of the Department, such as the 20 Year Street Funding Plan, the goal is to have the TAP improve health.

27. The TAP seems agnostic to streetcar. What is going to happen with streetcar? Will Minneapolis continue with planning and constructing a streetcar line?

The TAP is focused on delivering projects over the next ten years that significantly improve transit operations with less focus on the type of vehicle providing the improved operation. The three corridors that have been evaluated and studied for a potential streetcar in the past are identified under Transit Strategy 4 as high capacity, neighborhood-based transit corridors.

28. does lyft/uber with one passenger count as a multi-person vehicle trip?

Yes, for the passenger, it would be a multi-person vehicle trip. The driver would have additional single-passenger trips (before and after the passenger leaves).

29. How will the Transportation Action Plan keep people safe while automated vehicles are deployed in Minneapolis and Minnesota? A recent study shows that "Five studies revealed that participants considered harm to a pedestrian more permissible with an AV as compared to self as the decision agent in a regular car. This shift in moral judgments was driven by the attribution of responsibility to the AV and was observed for both severe and moderate harm, and when harm was real or imagined. https://academic.oup.com/jcr/advance-article- abstract/doi/10.1093/jcr/ucaa018/5819144

Regardless of future technologies, the City’s commitment to safety is paramount. The Complete Streets modal hierarchy will remain the same by putting non-motorized forms of transportation first and by investing in protected infrastructure for people walking and biking to protect the most vulnerable modes around vehicles, whether they are automated or not. The City of Minneapolis and MnDOT have both agreed that pedestrian and bicycle safety will be a crucial part of any automated vehicle testing that happens in Minnesota.

30. What actions are being pulled forward in the plan to combat COVID? Will the city prioritize any of these actions in the near-term like the City of Oakland has done with slow streets (i.e.e 74-miles of street opened for people to safely travel): https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2020/city-of-oakland-announces-oakland-slow-streets- program-starting-saturday-to-enable-safer-walking-cycling

The City has made quick progress on two items in light of COVID-19 travel impacts: changing many street crossings that previously required a person to push a button to get a walk signal to automatically having a walk signal with every light cycle (Walking Action 2.1) and limiting vehicle travel space on certain streets to allow more space for people to walk, roll and bike while maintaining proper social distancing (a trial of Design action 2.5).

31. Is the Nicollet-Central streetcar being converted to an aBRT line?

There has been no final decision made regarding the type of improved transit service slated for implementation on the Nicollet-Central Corridor. The corridor is identified on the Transit Priority Projects map as a high capacity, neighborhood-based transit, and is planned to be implemented as part of the TAP in partnership with Metro Transit (Transit Action 4.1).

32. How is Minneapolis working with Hennepin County, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and other agencies to meet transportation goals within the city?

We know that creating change and reaching our goals takes more than just writing a plan. It takes years of work and years of partnership, including with other agencies who we rely on to help design solutions and, at times, to try something new. Hennepin County, MnDOT, Metropolitan Council, Metro Transit, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and other partner agencies were involved in helping to shape this draft plan. The plan identifies support actions where the City’s role is primarily to support the work of partner agencies. The City will be proactive in seeking to provide that support and will look to partner with these agencies as projects they lead occur within Minneapolis.

33. Walking during the winter is currently quite bad because the City relies on property owners to shovel, which is inconsistent. why does the plan [not] propose that the City take on clearing sidewalks along the Priority Pedestrian Network?

The City is focused on improving its current systems by expanding awareness of the importance of clearing snow and ice, clearly defining roles and responsibilities under the current ordinance, communicating how to find help for those who are unable to clear their sidewalks and streamlining the inspecting and enforcement process. As part of the 2018 Minneapolis Pedestrian and Bicycle Winter Maintenance Study, the City analyzed several other approaches to snow and ice management including city-led snow clearing for sidewalks and determined that a city-led program would not be able to meet the service-level of the current system. (See Walking Strategy 4.)

34. Will we see freight transported by lower-carbon-emitters like electric bicycle in the near future? What are we doing to incentivize deliveries by smaller vehicles?

Yes, we have several strategies and actions that focus on encouraging last mile deliveries via smaller and more environmentally friendly vehicles (Freight actions 1.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3).

35. How does the plan propose to balance the limited right of way along commercial/transit corridors where there is a demand for on-street parking, bus only lanes and bike facilities?

Some actions related to this are included within the Street Operations topic of the plan. In short that balance is shaped by the City’s Complete Streets policy, Vision Zero commitment, goals outlined in this plan, stormwater management goals, and the networks identified in this plan (Pedestrian Priority Network, All Ages and Abilities Network, Transit Priority Projects and the Truck Route Network). The forthcoming Street Design Guide will include more details on that balancing reflecting the City’s policies and commitments.

36. I didn't see any Transit action items calling out improving access to the Upper Harbor Terminal or adding "Highway BRT in-line" stations on I-94 in North Minneapolis. What does this group think of improving transit access to UHT and adding highway BRT in-line station on I-94 in North Minneapolis? Are there good reasons for leaving out of this plan at this time?

The City supports improved transit access to Upper Harbor Terminal and will coordinate with Metro Transit to expand new local, limited stop, and/or express service to the UHT site with a priority of connecting residents to the proposed housing and jobs. Minneapolis will continue to work with regional partners, including MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council, regarding the feasibility of BRT on I-94.

37. The City owns and manages thousands of parking stalls in municipal ramps and lots. Studies show that convenient parking encourages people to drive rather than walk, bike, or take transit. Why doesn't the TAP address this fact?

The draft TAP focuses on the public right of way. We recognize the connection between land use and travel choices; the City’s Traffic and Parking Services Division manages the City- owned parking ramps and evaluates pricing, and how it relates to our transportation goals, on a regular basis.

38. How about a bold idea? Underground subway.

The TAP strives to lay out a clear yet aggressive 10-year action plan that maintains a balance between innovative ideas and practical and achievable strategies and actions. Throughout the TAP engagement process we sought out bold ideas, and this is an idea we heard and certainly appreciate. The strategies and actions we included in the draft plan are those that we felt were realistic within our 10 year time frame.

39. Studies show that one-way streets facilitate faster traffic and create unpleasant places. Is there any plan to convert streets like Park/Portland, Lake/Lagoon, University & 4th Avenues NE, and countless downtown streets into 2-direction traffic?

Well-designed one-way streets are more efficient at moving people, which allows us to dedicate more space in busy corridors to walking, biking, transit, and greening; and, one-way streets can more safely move the same number of people because there are fewer conflict points at intersections. We recognize we need to improve the design of our one-way streets and plan to do that; the forthcoming Street Design Guide will have additional details on that.

40. Perhaps...Highway BRT in-line stations is covered in Action 2.7...but it is unclear

The City continues to support Highway BRT projects and affiliated in-line stations in this plan. There are references in the following Transit actions: 1.2, 2.7, 4.5, 4.7. Regarding Highway BRT, the city will continue to support and advocate for transit advantages and infrastructure that improve transit operations.

41. Are there any statistics on how these changes will effect our waterways and lakes?

Design for People Strategy 4, Green the streets, recognizes the importance of reducing asphalt, concrete, and other impervious surface in our street right of way in part to improve water quality. At this time, we do not have statistics quantifying that benefit.

42. How about an elevated metro?

43. How much money is being spent on bike lanes when this type of transportation is used by such a tiny part of our population?

Thousands of people regularly bike on the streets and trails in Minneapolis. Many bike facilities use paint and bollards, which are relatively low cost compared to other street projects. Bicycle facilities are often improved as a part of a street reconstruction project; the cost is not broken down per mode on those types of projects. We all share the cost of maintaining and reconstructing our streets no matter how you travel along them.

44. How about on the revenue side? Are there plans to increase smart meters and use the funding to support the goals of reducing traffic and increasing biking and walking?

Much of Street Operations Strategy 5 relates to parking within the City. Street Operations Actions 5.3, 5.5, 5.9, and 5.10 support this work, although the specifics of financing the improvements will continue to be evaluated over the life of the TAP.

45. Why should MNDOT and Hennepin County continue to own and operate streets in Minneapolis when they have the most dangerous roadways and apparently don't share the vision to fix that. These agencies priority is to move cars.

The City has worked closely with MnDOT and Hennepin County in developing this plan and the Vision Zero Action Plan around traffic safety. Their partnership is essential to achieve our goals, many of which are shared across agencies. We will be proactive in working with them on streets they own and operate and we are excited for that expanded partnership.

46. When will Minneapolis address accessibility barriers per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which has been in place for 30 years? For example, when will Minneapolis replace pedestrian ramps and fill sidewalk gaps?

As outlined in the ADA Transition Plan for Public Works, Minneapolis replaces pedestrian curb ramps and installs new pedestrian curb ramps through several capital programs each year. Sidewalk gaps are addressed through a standalone Sidewalk Gap program and through street reconstruction projects.

47. Why doesn't the TAP propose removing buses from Nicollet Mall to create a pedestrian and bike street?

The recent redesign of Nicollet Mall prioritizes pedestrians and transit on this important downtown corridor. The City continues to support Metro Transit operations on Nicollet Mall and is committed to improving transit speed and reliability (Transit Action 2.4).

48. Does the TAP say anything about implementing more durable and highly visible crosswalk markings? Most crosswalks appear to be painted with latex, which doesn't last very long.

The TAP includes an action to develop criteria for expanding the number of locations with marked crosswalks (see Walking Action 2.2). Currently, durable crosswalk material is applied in high-traffic areas as funding is available.

49. Why is this open house only 1 hour long? Seems like not enough time to deal with what is a big topic...

Agreed. We learned from our first online open house (April 13) that 1 hour was not long enough to answer all questions (as evidenced by this list of remaining questions!). The remaining two online open houses will be extended by 30 minutes to allow for more time to answer questions.

50. Highway 55, including Hiawatha Avenue and Olson Memorial Highway, are awful places to walk. Yet, the TAP proposes adding BRT, supporting the Blue Line extension and leaving the

car-oriented divided highway. Why can't we work towards making these roadways better for people?

The City has for many years been working with MnDOT and Metro Transit to improve these important streets, including the pedestrian environment. We recognize that these are attractive areas for new development, but that must be better supported by the street and sidewalk environment. Although there isn’t a specific action on that in this plan, we plan to continue that work. The planned improvements for the Blue Line Extension and associated work along Highway 55 would significantly improve the pedestrian and bicycle environment along Olson Memorial Highway.

51. Why not go a little longer?

We learned from our first online open house (April 13) that 1 hour was not long enough to answer all questions (as evidenced by this list of remaining questions!). The remaining two online open houses will be extended by 30 minutes to allow for more time to answer questions.