1. Item_0_Agenda_2019_09_10
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ITEM_0_AGENDA_2019_09_10.PDF
2. Item_2_CACT_Draft_Minutes_For Nov 14_2019_(2)_(3)
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ITEM_2_CACT_DRAFT_MINUTES_FOR NOV 14_2019_(2)_(3).PDF
3. Item_10a_CACT_Letter_To_Council_On_Scooters
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ITEM_10A_CACT_LETTER_TO_COUNCIL_ON_SCOOTERS.PDF
4. Item_10b_CACT_Letter_To_Council_On_Using_Surplus_ Funds_For_Traffic Calming
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ITEM_10B_CACT_LETTER_TO_COUNCIL_ON_USING_SURPLUS_ FUNDS_FOR_TRAFFIC CALMING.PDF
5. Item_10c_New_Details_On_Route_7_Rapi
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ITEM_10C_NEW_DETAILS_ON_ROUTE_7_RAPI.PDF
6. Item_10d_Kids_In_Germa
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7. Item_10e_The_Silver_Line
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ITEM_10E_THE_SILVER_LINE.PDF
8. Item_10f_Bolt_Bird_Lime_And_Razor_Scoot
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ITEM_10F_BOLT_BIRD_LIME_AND_RAZOR_SCOOT.PDF AGENDA CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 7:00 PM City Hall Dogwood Room 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. Public Comment: 2. Action Item: Approval of Minutes of October and November 2019 meeting 3. Committee Members Reports:: 4. Staff Reports: 5. Information Item: CACT 2019 Priority Tracking Sheet 6. Information Item: Update of Fast Tracking of Neighborhood Traffic Calming Projects 7. Action Item: Pace Car Program 8. Discussion Item: Annual CACT Report to Council (2018 Report enclosed) 9. Information Item: Letter on Biking and Walking (Susan Dimock) 10. Correspondence and Articles: a. CACT letter to Council on Scooters b. CACT letter to Council on Using Surplus Local Funds for Traffic Calming Projects c. “New details on Rt.7 BRT project”, WTOP d. “Kids in Germany redesign road to save lives” e. “The Silver Line’s Second Phase is Looking at a September Opening Date” f. “Bolt, Bird, Lime and Razor Scooters will be off DC Streets in 2020”
The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5027 (TTY 711). For more information call 703-248-5178.
Please Do Not Remove Posted December 6, 2019
Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation
November 14, - 7:00 pm- 10:15 pm
300 Park Ave-Oak Room
Draft Meeting Minutes
Attendance CACT Members City Staff Member Present Andrea Caumont, Chair Yes Jeffrey Sikes
Paul Baldino, Yes Bill Ackerman Yes Others in attendance: Doug Devereaux Yes Phil Duncan Addison Heard No Shaun Dakin No Dave Gustafson, Vice Chair Yes
Liaisons Liaison Present David Snyder No (City Council) Melissa Teates No (Planning Commission) Sarah Fong Yes (Youth Representative)
Agenda
1. Public Comment 2. Action Item: Approval of October 2019 Minutes 3. Committee Member Reports 4. Staff Reports 5. Information Item: CACT 2019 Priority Tracking Sheet 6. Discussion Item: Bike/pedestrian connection between West End Park and MEHMS/GMHS 7. Action Item: Letter to Council Recommending the use of surplus local funds for NTC projects in the queue 8. Information Item: Scooter Policy update 9. Action Item: Letter to Council on scooters 10. Information Item: W Annandale Rd/Gundry Dr NTC Project 11. Information Item: Great Falls/Little Falls NTC Project 12. Information Item: “DC residents weigh in on future of e-scooters in the Nation’s Capital”, Washington Post 13. Information item: “NTSB wants Mandatory Helmet Laws” 14. Information Item: “Separated bike Lanes”
1. Public Comment: Two residents of W Marshall Street asked for additional traffic calming measures for the street.
Pamela Houghtaling, a driver safety instructor with AARP attended the meeting to observe and to learn about the issues that come before the CACT. She is a City resident and teaches driver safety classes for seniors at the Community Center. Her next classes are scheduled for March 2020.
2. Action Item: Approval of Minutes for October 2019: The minutes for October had not been completed by staff.
3. Committee Member Reports:
Andrea reported that the Pace Car Program had made some progress. We will need to revise the brochure. Final product likely to be a brochure and magnet. Paul reported that the Arlington Board will be considering a 2 mile long dual W&OD trail expansion in Arlington at its next Board meeting. Doug commented on his recent trip to Boise where he observed scooters on sidewalks and their version of a Pace car program. Dave commented that he intends to reach out to the EDA on the Way Finding Program consultant. He also mentioned that construction had now resumed on the bike parking at EFC metro.
4. Staff Reports: Since many of the items on the agenda would be included in the staff report , there was no staff report.
5. Information Item: CACT 2019 Priority Tracking Sheet:
The Priority tracking sheet was updated to reflect changes to the Pace Car program status and Scooter Policy. 6. Discussion Item: Bike-Ped Connection Between West End Park and MEHMS/GMHS:
Andrea shared with the committee a proposal for a more direct bike/pedestrian connection from the W&OD Trail via West End Park to MEHMS/GMHS. The route would involve public streets and private property. The route would begin where the W&OD trail connects to West End Park, travel over the gravel lot to Falls Ave, follow Offutt Drive to Birch Street, cross Birch Street and use the alley behind the Giant Food shopping center to reach Haycock Road and the connection to the schools. This would be a long-term project and is included in the Small Area Plan for this area.
7. Action Item: Letter to Council Recommending the use of Surplus Local funds for NTC Projects in the Queue:
The CACT has taken a position that a substantial portion of the local surplus funds (part of the $2.4 million) should be used to implement traffic calming projects currently active or in the “queue” awaiting selection. The proposal would concur with the City Manager’s proposal to use some of the surplus to fund an active project, and implement solution for projects which have qualified, but not yet been selected for implementation. Another set of projects in the part of the City where the streets intersect Rt. 29 would also have measures implements in a neighborhood wide approach. Funding for these projects would come from the federal grant. Staff will develop cost estimates for these projects.
The CACT letter proposes that a substantial sum of the surplus be dedicated to the NTC program. A budget amendment is scheduled for Council consideration in January 2020. The letter was forwarded to the City Manager and Council and is included in this packet.
8. Information Item: Scooter Policy Update:
The latest Staff Report on Scoter Policy dated November 12, 2019 was provided to the Committee. This report has a different recommendation compared to earlier versions. The latest staff recommendation now supports no riding of scooters on City sidewalks with the exception of sidewalks adjacent to Rt. 7 and Rt. 29.
9. Action Item: Letter to Council on Scooters:
The CACT voted 5-0 to send a letter to Council indicating their strong support to allow scooters on sidewalks, but requiring scooter riders to not exceed 6 mph and requiring them to yield to pedestrians. This was the original staff recommendation previously presented to Council. The letter was forwarded to the Council and City Manager and is included in this packet.
10. Information Item: W Annandale Rd/Gundry Dr NTC Project
Jeff reported on the status of the active NTC project on W Annandale Road and Gundry Drive. A concept plan for the intersection improvements was provided to the CACT. Staff plans to implement this project this calendar year, weather permitting. The concept plan was approved by the Winter Hill HOA and presented to residents at their October HOA meeting. Estimated cost for the project is $150,000.
11. Information item: Great Falls/Little Falls NTC Project:
Jeff reported on another active NTC project: Little Falls and Great Falls Streets. A Working Group meeting was held on November 7th and the group was presented a refined concept plan for the project. Copies of the plan were also in the CACT materials packet. The Working Group voted to approve the concept plan, with the next step to hold a public meeting of residents in the study area. This will be held in January and then a petition seeking 67 percent approval will be circulated. If approved, construction could happen in summer 2020. Funding for the project would likely come from surplus local funds.
12. Information Item: “DC residents weigh in on future of e- scooters in the nation’s capital”
13. Information Item: “NTSB wants mandatory helmet laws” 14. Information Item: “Separated Bike Lanes”
To: Mayor Tarter and members of City Council From: The Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation Subject: Scooters should be permitted on sidewalks
November 21, 2019
Dear Mayor Tarter and members of City Council:
The Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation is in favor of progressive people-centered transportation policies that expand mode choice for the citizens of Falls Church City. We strongly support a new pilot program for dockless scooters that will improve the ability of City residents to make short trips without the need of a car.
At two square miles, Falls Church is an ideal candidate for alternative transportation modes such as scooters and bikes. Council should be doing everything in its power to support car-free and car-lite lifestyles in Falls Church City. We believe banning scooters from sidewalks would be a step in the wrong direction. Scooters should be permitted on sidewalks. However, they must yield to pedestrians.
After an extensive review of the policies and experiences of neighboring jurisdictions, our City staff originally recommended limiting scooter speeds to 15mph and permitting them to ride on sidewalks throughout the City (at a reduced speed of 6mph). The CACT supports this original recommendation.
Due to concerns about pedestrian conflicts, some members of Council have requested that our City code be amended to preemptively ban electric scooters and other motorized devices such as skateboards and e-bikes from using sidewalks throughout the City except on Route 7 and Route 29. While the CACT understands the concern for pedestrians, we are also concerned about the safety of scooter riders who will be forced to ride in the street on unfriendly, higher speed roads like Annandale, Hillwood (the parts with no bike lane), South and North West St., Lincoln Avenue and Great Falls Street and in areas with limited visibility.
Banning scooters and other e-devices from sidewalks would be a regressive change to our City code. Scooter riders are also vulnerable road users who deserve to be protected. The CACT supports progressive transportation policies that foster alternate modes of transportation. We ask you to support scooters and reject this proposed change to our City ordinance.
Sincerely,
Andrea Caumont Chair
Committee Members Dave Gustafson (vice chair) Shaun Dakin Paul Baldino Doug Devereaux Bill Ackerman Addison Heard To: Mayor Tarter and members of City Council From: The Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation Subject: Support for using surplus funds for pending traffic-calming projects
November 21, 2019
Dear Mayor Tarter and members of City Council:
As we’ve heard in recent Council meetings, many Falls Church residents and visitors have frightening stories to share of repeated close calls with cars, commercial vehicles, and bikes. Nationwide, fatal crashes involving bicyclists rose 10 percent from 2017 to 2018 while ones involving pedestrians rose 4 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Our neighboring jurisdictions have reported alarming numbers of pedestrian and cyclist deaths and injuries in recent years:
Washington, D.C. | In 2019 and 2018, more than half of the people killed in traffic fatalities were walking, biking or using a scooter. As of Oct. 24, the District recorded 22 traffic fatalities in 2019, including 10 pedestrians, two bicyclists and one scooter rider (Source: Washington Post). In 2018, 15 pedestrians, three cyclists and one scooter rider were killed (Source: WAMU).
Fairfax County | At least 35 people have been killed in pedestrian crashes since 2017, including 14 deaths and 126 injuries this year, as of Oct. 29 (Source: FairfaxCounty.gov).
As City and regional populations continue to grow, and as the City continues to evolve from a car-centric community, more pedestrians and cyclists encounter cars and trucks more often. On top of that, traffic patterns constantly change due to major construction projects, cut-through traffic from people avoiding I-66 tolls and drivers using apps like Waze.
Amid Falls Church residents’ daily safety concerns while walking and biking on our streets, the CACT strongly encourages City Council to:
• Use a significant portion of the recent budget surplus to expedite completion of traffic-calming projects currently in the NTC queue
• Use local funds to finish top-priority projects and “slower” grant money to complete lower-ranked projects that are still of great importance, as suggested by some on Council
• Direct the Police Department to monitor high-risk residential areas, as suggested by the mayor, especially during school bus pick-up and drop-off times
We applaud the measures taken by City Council and staff in recent years — especially sidewalk construction — to make the City a safer, more pleasant place to walk and bike, and we encourage more efforts to ensure safety on the streets.
In recent years, Washington, D.C., Arlington and Alexandria have all adopted Vision Zero commitments to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious accidents in the coming years by making significant investments in safety measures. Falls Church should do the same.
Our committee would like to work with City staff and Council to create a comprehensive plan for the City to encourage safe driving and improve the safety of everyone on City streets.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Andrea Caumont Chair
Committee Members Dave Gustafson (vice chair) Shaun Dakin Paul Baldino Doug Devereaux Bill Ackerman Addison Heard
New details on construction of Route 7 rapid bus stations, lanes | WTOP Page 1 of 6
Home » Transportation News » New details on construction… New details on construction of Route 7 rapid bus stations, lanes
Max Smith | @amaxsmith November 14, 2019, 6:15 PM
A rendering of the 11-mile bus rapid transit line along Route 7 in Northern Virginia. (Courtesy Northern Virginia Transportation Commission)
New plans for rapid bus stations and bus lanes along Route 7 in Northern Virginia show the changes that could come to the busy commuter route over the next decade.
A new conceptual engineering report lays out 18 specific bus rapid station locations from Tysons to Alexandria. It also details the spots where buses would have their own lanes in the middle of the road or on the outside of the road, and where buses would share lanes with car traffic.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission formally accepted the report Thursday night.
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“We’d all ideally love to see something in the next five to 10 years, but there’s lots of decisions and lots of public input that is going to go on before that time,” NVTC Executive Director Kate Mattice said in an interview.
The project is estimated to cost around $350 million in today’s dollars, which is projected to equate to $450 million to $500 million in 2030, since no new bridges are expected to be needed.
Those costs include planned widening of Route 7 in some areas that will be used to add bus lanes, but do not include bus purchases, any new maintenance facility or ongoing operations.
The designs also indicate where up to 100 properties could have a sliver of land or more taken for the project. None of those locations are finalized at this stage, and further designs could reduce the impact.
The areas with the most significant impacts could be Tysons, Pimmit Hills, Seven Corners and Bailey’s Crossroads.
The corridor runs from Alexandria’s West End Transitway through the Mark Center, Bailey’s Crossroads, Seven Corners and Falls Church, to Fairfax County’s Spring Hill Metro in Tysons.
By narrowing down construction plans now, development can be focused near stations to reduce extra traffic.
“The idea is getting ahead of land-use decisions so that we can look at maximizing that bus rapid transit,” Mattice said.
Design details
Though it remains early in the process, the specific recommended station designs and roadway layouts mark another significant milestone in development of the improved transit system.
The busiest station is projected to be at the East Falls Church Metro station, where more than 10,000 people per day are projected to get on buses, mainly to transfer to the Orange or Silver lines.
Though the study concludes bus-only lanes the entire way would be best, traffic pressures and existing buildings make that impractical.
Route 7 would get bus-only lanes from Tysons to Falls Church and from Seven Corners to Beauregard Street. In areas such as Falls Church, the study recommends “BAT lanes” — lanes marked as bus-only but that would also allow car traffic to turn in and out of driveways.
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There would also be some spots where buses would simply sit in regular traffic in order to largely keep existing lanes and turn options for drivers in most spots.
New sidewalks would be added in places near stations that do not have them today.
The design focuses on 10.5 miles from Spring Hill to N. Beauregard Street in Alexandria. Separately, Alexandria is planning the West End Transitway that will also be a part of the bus rapid transit system.
Bus stations would likely include locations to pay for trips, trash cans, real-time arrival information and other features.
Stations
Tysons
In Tysons, stations would be near the Spring Hill Metro, the Greensboro Metro and at Fashion Boulevard.
The number of people living and working near those stops is expected to jump dramatically over the next 20 years.
The station at Fashion Boulevard was initially considered for International Drive, but was shifted due to safety concerns with all of the cars at the intersection.
The route of the bus line in Tysons could change further under an ongoing Fairfax County study. The county is making a number of changes in Tysons, such as adding a new street grid and plans to turn the Route 7/Route 123 interchange into a regular intersection in the future.
West Falls Church/Pimmit Hills — Capital Beltway to Haycock Road
Near Pimmit Drive and Old Dominion Drive, the bus-only lanes would be in the middle of Route 7. At Old Dominion Drive, the stations would be just after buses cross the intersection to make it easier for buses to keep moving. (Courtesy NVTC)
Bus-only lanes would end near Idylwood Road with the shared BAT lanes picking up just past Interstate 66.
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Stations are slightly farther apart in this area, with a focus on stops near Marshall High School, the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library and George Mason High School.
The two stops would be at Dominion Drive near the library and Marshall High School, and near Chestnut Street by George Mason High School and the planned new development there.
Falls Church: Haycock Road to Washington Street
In
In Falls Church, BAT lanes are suggested where buses and turning traffic can both use the curbside lane. That would put general traffic in a single lane in the center of the road. Stations (purple) would be located near several intersections as space allows in the city. (Courtesy NVTC)
downtown Falls Church, the tight space means buses could share lanes with cars in BAT lanes.
Stops would be at West Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and Maple Avenue.
This area could see more changes during later designs to examine different ways to create bus-only lanes as new development is built along Route 7.
East Falls Church: Washington Street to south Seven Corners
The route from Falls Church through Seven Corners relies on a future Ring Road Fairfax County plans to build in the Seven Corners area, connecting Wilson Boulevard and Route 7.
“The timing of delivery of the new Ring Road will be an important consideration for the BRT project,” the study said. “It is very likely that the (new) Ring Road may not be constructed prior to completion of the BRT project. An interim alignment will likely be necessary, which utilizes Wilson Boulevard and Route 7.”
There are four stations planned in this area: Jefferson Street and N. Washington Street, East Falls Church Metro, North Seven Corners and South Seven Corners.
East Falls Church is expected to be the busiest station. It would accommodate the existing bike lane, could have larger station platforms, and could even be moved to the I-66 flyover or into the Metro parking lot in future designs.
The North Seven Corners stop is a new recommendation in order to provide better access to
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The South Seven Corners station would be on the new Ring Road and would be incorporated into any improved Seven Corners Transit Center.
Details of this stop are among the least nailed down, since Fairfax County still needs to finalize what roads will look like in the area.
Bailey’s Crossroads area: South Seven Corners to Beauregard Street
Near Rio Drive, bus only lanes would be in the middle of Route 7, with station platforms between the Rio Drive and Row St. intersections. The project also calls for new sidewalks in the area. (Courtesy NVTC)
The service road in this area will be used to widen Route 7 to create space for bus-only lanes.
The Rio Drive Station will be in the center of the road between the Row Street and Rio Drive intersections. Though it is near Justice High School, the study suggests this station could be eliminated or combined with the Glen Carlyn station in future designs.
The Glen Carlyn station is proposed for about a half-mile east.
Another half-mile to the east, the Bailey’s Crossroads station would require reducing the number of turn lanes for car traffic. Future designs could shift it farther west away from the intersection in order to keep more lanes for cars.
The Crossroads Shopping Center Station at S. Jefferson Street is about 0.8 miles east of there.
The Beauregard Street Station at Route 7 and N. Beauregard Street would be the connection to the West End Transitway project.
West End Transitway: N. Beauregard Street to Mark Center
The buses will continue into Alexandria’s West End Transitway, but the city is not planning bus- only lanes there. Stops will also be closer together in this area than other parts of the route.
The E. Campus Drive/Braddock Road station is near the Northern Virginia Community College Alexandria Campus.
The Fillmore Avenue station would be on Beauregard Street near Fillmore Avenue
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The Southern Towers station would be on internal roads in the complex, and the Mark Center station will begin using the existing transit center there.
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8,424 views | Nov 10, 2019, 08:22am Kids In Germany Redesign Road To Save Lives
Tanya Mohn Contributor Cars & Bikes
School kids in Kerpen, Germany take on road safety. (TOWN OF KERPEN, GERMANY)
Each year some 1.35 million people die on the world’s roads, and another 20 to 50 million are seriously injured, according to the World Health Organization . Kids are among the hardest hit: traffic crashes are now the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29 years worldwide.
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Many children are regularly killed on their way to school in some countries.
Efforts to combat the global public health crisis include many relatively low- tech and inexpensive initiatives , like donating backpacks with reflector strips to school kids, installing road improvements like speed bumps, bollards (posts), and zebra crossings near crosswalks close to schools.
Today In: Lifestyle
“Simple measures can achieve very, very big results” Volker Noeske, head of the technology center for DEKRA , a company based in Germany that conducts automotive testing, inspection and crash research, said at the International Transport Forum’s 2019 summit in Leipzig, Germany earlier this year during a panel session on safety for vulnerable road users. “It’s not rocket science. We need to educate children.”
DEKRA, for example, which recently released its new “ Road Safety Report 2019: Children on the Road ,” routinely provides a range of outreach initiatives to school children to improve safety, from distributing small red caps with reflective material to increase visibility to establishing programs to learn about traffic dangers from the local police. “They put potatoes under a wheel of a bus to show what happens to feet,” in a collision, Noeske told Forbes in a phone interview. “It’s a combination of all these measures - education, training, and infrastructure improvements.”
Saul Billingsley, another panelist, stressed the need for a safe systems approach — designing the infrastructure based on the idea that people are human and will make mistakes. “We need to think differently; we need to educate engineers,” said Billingsley, executive director of the London-based FIA Foundation. “Children are dying. We need to design out speed,” he said. “The key is design, design, design.”
Elementary School Kids Design Children’s Roundabout
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Near a school in Kerpen, Germany, children designed brightly-colored, child-friendly signage, zebra ... [+]
(TOWN OF KERPEN, GERMAN)
About 15 years ago, Kerpen , a town in western Germany, took on the design challenge when it realized it experienced more crashes involving children than other similar sized towns.
“We scanned the environment, we scanned the infrastructure, we reached out to the public through news outlets,” Guido Ensemeier, department manager for traffic and urban development for Kerpen and one of the panelists, told Forbes. “We asked in the public schools, we asked parents, and we asked school children where they found it dangerous.”
The town sponsored a bus tour with elementary school children, who were asked to point out problem areas.
“We found out that there was one place where it was very difficult to cross the street, where most traffic moved too fast,” Ensemeier said. “We didn’t know the
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right thing to do, how to solve the problem. We engaged safety experts, but then we thought, ‘let’s work with the children.’”
So it was the local elementary kids who ultimately came up with the solutions. In a series of half-day work sessions, “we showed the children lots of possibilities, but in the end, they decided” how to render them, based on their ideas.
The results were brightly-colored, child-friendly signage, zebra crossings and a roundabout, designed and mostly painted by the kids, completed in 2012.
Kerpen has not had a single road death since then, Ensemeier said.
In fact, in 2016 it won DEKRA’s the vision zero award because from 2009 to 2016 there were no fatal accidents on urban streets. Kerpen was one of only a handful of cities in Europe with such a good result, Ensemeier said. “The children’s roundabout is only one of a lot of our activities to improve safety for pedestrian and bicycle traffic in our city.”
There weren’t reported deaths of schoolchildren before the roundabout was installed, but slower traffic has spawned benefits beyond preventing fatalities, Ensemeier said, noting that previously parents worried about their children’s safety, so frequently drove them to school. “Now, more kids walk and bike to school. It’s good for their health, there are less parking lots, and there is less pollution.” It’s good for socialization, too, he said. “They talk to other kids before school.”
And it works, Ensemeier stressed, because it’s not just any roundabout, “it’s their roundabout.”
Follow me on Twitter .
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Tanya Mohn
Tanya Mohn covers road safety and consumer travel issues for Forbes. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times, and has reported for the BBC, NBC News, ABC New... Read More
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The Silver Line’s Second Phase Is Looking at a Potential September Opening Date
Jordan Pascale WAMU Nov 25, 9:51 AM
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is overseeing construction of the Silver Line extension project. Rich Renomeron / Flickr
The opening of the Silver Line extension could come as soon as September if all things go according to plan, Metro officials said.
But with a sprawling $6 billion project, that’s not always guaranteed. The project is being completed in two phases. The first opened in 2014 and added five new stations to the Silver Line: McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill, and Wiehle-Reston East. The second phase will add six stations, including one at Dulles Airport. But changes and construction delays have set back the initial 2018 deadline considerably.
Four “major” quality issues were covered during Metro’s board meeting on Thursday.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is building the Silver Line and said it will reach substantial completion of the project in April. It will hand over testing and operations to Metro once completed. Board Member Michael Goldman asked about that September timeline being accurate.
“The contractors work for the Airports Authority, so we have no real direct means of knowing or controlling their completion,” said Neil Nott, who heads the Silver Line work. “So it’s difficult for us to anticipate when that will happen, but those are all reasonable assumptions from what we know.”
After six or so months of testing and training, Metro may turn over operations to a private contractor to cut costs.
But first, they’ve got to tackle the ongoing construction issues. In September, the board heard about eight outstanding issues, and now it’s down to four.
The biggest: 1,500 precast concrete panels in the station have the wrong air content, and in some places, not enough concrete covers the steel. The question is: Should Metro accept panels with known issues that will disrupt service, or replace them altogether?
If Metro doesn’t accept the panels, the project opening could be significantly delayed since new ones would have to be made, delivered, and installed.
If they do accept it, that means other long-term impacts. Consultants recommend inspecting all the panels four times a year. They also recommend the re-application of a sealant every five to seven years. The panels are in stations near escalators and above tracks that would likely require a partial or total shutdown.
“We’ve got 1,500 panels … how do you go (inspect them all)?” said General Manager Paul Wiedefeld after the meeting. “That is a significant effort and if we have to do that over the third (electrified) rail, you’re not running trains.”
“We’re trying to get more service hours and this works against that,” he added.
The issue could bring significant cost: $1 million to $1.8 million for every sealant application.
“The balancing act, the choice to be made is a high cost and high operational impact concentrated just prior to the beginning of revenue service versus a long term consistent cost and operational impact that we’re just eating over time. So can we take it? Is it worth bearing that over time? Or is it better to get it all out of the way?” asked board member Steve McMillan.
Wiedefeld said he’s unsure which is the best route, but he described it as a major concern.
Other issues include:
Track ballast that has small rocks that could affect drainage in the train yard Areas where tracks aren’t level Track plates, which hold the track down to the ties, have a gap between the track and the plate.
The board was also briefed on other Silver Line considerations. Testing will shutdown the Wiehle-Reston station multiple weekends through March.
The budget may also be adjusted in January to account for the opening and added service costs.
This story originally appeared on WAMU.
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From: https://dcist.com/story/19/11/25/the-silver-lines-second-phase-is-looking-at-a-potential- september-opening-date/
Bolt, Bird, Lime, And Razor Scooters Will Be Off D.C. Streets In 2020 | DCist Page 1 of 2
DEC 3, 5:14 PM Bolt, Bird, Lime, And Razor Scooters Will Be Off D.C. Streets In 2020
Natalie Delgadillo
Say goodbye to these lime green babies: Lime didn’t get a 2020 scooter permit in D.C.
Photo by Mike Licht / Flickr
The District Department of Transportation has cut the number of scooter operators in the District in half for next year, granting permits to just four dockless scooter companies: Jump, Lyft, Skip, and Spin.
That means that four scooter operators that currently have thousands of vehicles on D.C. streets will no longer be able to operate in the District next year. Say goodbye to Bird, Lime, Razor, and Bolt scooters (the latter are part of Usain Bolt’s mobility company ).
https://dcist.com/story/19/12/03/bolt -bird -lime -and -razor -scooters -will -be -off -d-c-streets -i... 12/ 5/ 2019 Bolt, Bird, Lime, And Razor Scooters Will Be Off D.C. Streets In 2020 | DCist Page 2 of 2
DDOT announced its decision on Tuesday. It’s in line with the new permit applications the agency released for public comment back in October and confirmed the following month: up to ,-,--- scooters would be permitted for .-.-, a near /- percent increase from the previous limit, but only four scooter operators would be granted permits.
But even if the pared down number of operators isn’t surprising, it will likely come as a shock to many dedicated scooter-riders to hear exactly which companies they’re losing. Some of the companies DDOT left out have had a huge presence in the District from the very beginning of its dockless vehicle pilot program , most notably Lime. If you’ve walked around the city for any length of time over the last two years, you know precisely what those lime green scooters look like. Black Bird scooters have been equally ubiquitous.
As they’ve become increasingly popular, the scooters have become the center of some controversy around safety. Ward 4 Councilmember Mary Cheh introduced legislation earlier this year that would cap scooter speed at ,- miles per hour and prevented riders from using scooters at night (Cheh ultimately walked back the latter regulation). Scooter operator Skip (which received a permit) was suspended for a few months this year after a scooter caught fire on the sidewalk and other fires occurred in the company’s downtown warehouse. (In another incident, a Skip scooter literally exploded in a resident’s backyard .)
DDOT also approved two dockless electric bike operators for next year: HelBiz (a new operator for the District) and Jump, which is the only company that will be operating both bikes and scooters in the city.
Each scooter operator will be allowed an initial number of up to .,8-- scooters on the street, which makes for a potential total of ,-,--- electric scooters in operation D.C. The two bike operators will also be allowed .,8-- vehicles, making for a potential 8,--- dockless electric bikes in the city next year.
Per DDOT, the agency received a total of ,: dockless vehicle permit applications for next year: five for bikes and ,4 for scooters. Four of the applications were immediately disqualified because the vehicle they were peddling didn’t qualify as a “personal mobility vehicle,” as DDOT defines it. The agency then scored each remaining company on a ,:>-point scale, with a minimum of ,., points needed to be considered for a permit, per DDOT. The four highest-scoring companies got a .-.- permit.
In the next few months, DDOT is going to begin installation of ,-- parking corrals for dockless scooters and bikes, which will be located off the sidewalk and out of the way, per the agency’s press release.
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FILED UNDER: dockless vehicles , scooters
https://dcist.com/story/19/12/03/bolt -bird -lime -and -razor -scooters -will -be -off -d-c-streets -i... 12/ 5/ 2019