STAT April 2010 meeting

Attendance: Marc Lefkowitz (GCBL, note taker), Brad Chase (GCBL), John Motl (ODOT 12), Rhonda Border-Boose (RTC), Jim Sheehan (Ohio City Bike Co-op), Sheri Bontrager (DCA), Mike Neundorfer (Nuendorfer, Inc.), Marty Cader (City of Cleveland), John McGovern (EarthDay Coalition), Sally Hanley (NOACA), Emelio DiSabato (Slavic Village), Barb Clint (YMCA),

Outcome: We want to find the high level categories or pillars of sustainable transportation and from that we’ll define SMART goals and objectives

Who else should be here?

• Higher level reps from NOACA
• Aides from Voinovich and LaTourette’s office for ACT?
• Rich from city of Cleveland engineering and/or traffic engineering
• Someone higher up in RTA, NOACA and city are also bought into this
• Someone from rail/freight (from last meeting but nobody followed up)
• May 17 STAT meeting Australian car share person here
• Sherrod Brown’s aide – Action item: John McGovern will invite
• NOACA – should we have a delegation from this group that meets with the directors and invite them here?
• City engineer and traffic engineer – Action Item: Marty Cader will invite

Group meeting process (John McGovern)– how do we look at these differently with action items as the goal; being fully present with the idea that we’re going to get things done in this city; taking input and moving strategically toward action

Today’s meeting – we each came to this with our agendas but we need a foundation that ties us to the 2019 mission which is building an economic engine for a Green City on a Blue Lake. That tells us something about our metrics and goals and objectives. So talking about sustainable transportation cover in ways that aligns with mission of 2019. We want a balanced approach. We need a metric to measure our progress.

Out of those goals we will have projects and specific next action on those projects. Even some of our four initiatives we don’t have a defined next action and without that we’re in trouble. To get to that we need to know what skills are within our group to drive the initiatives.

Group looked at its four initiatives and projects
1. ACT
2. Euclid Corridor performance
3. Bike-Ped path on Innerbelt Bridge
4. Complete Streets legislation

How have the projects identified by the group fit into a ‘pillar’ or key category?
The group added projects and identified categories (see photo of papers on wall)
Action and Process (or vision) was identified as separate but equal needs

Land use

Education – focus on the assets and broad categories that affect i.e. land use and transportation
How does it tie back to the big goals of 2019?
Where does Quality of Life, Safety and Education fit?

Infrastructure
--Traffic calming / streetscapes
--Complete Streets?

Motorized Vehicles
-cars
-trucks
-ships
-Alternative fuels

Freight
--Air
-Passenger
-Ships

Public Transit

Government Actions

Pedestrians and Bikes or *rather Complete Streets

Other ideas or categories?

We’re not doing goals yet all we’re doing is saying all projects that we bring to the group, what category covers it. After category we figure out the project, timeline and Categories are modes instead? And education, advocacy, planning, policy (i.e. Land Use) is an activity?
Modes cover everything on the ‘vertical’ axis if the horizontal axis has activities When seeking Goals need to have a clear idea of the horizontals that relate to jurisdictions i.e. streets, municipalities?

Goal setting significant and synergistic. What is the metric we will judge ourselves on. They have to be achievable some of that will be based in reality what type of mode shift was achieved in past. Time based –

Moving from categories into action? Do we need to divide into groups in order to have the modes and goals covered?

Mode shift – has been the driver in all cities demonstrating mode shift (Rhonda says) Group conclusion: The key pillars of transportation are modes

The next thing is if we agree is where we go from status quo to more sustainable is to shift those modes (where do we want the modes to be – do we have to research best practices in other metros and have a benchmark? We need to look at our region’s opportunities and progress. Look at other outcomes of mode shift – creating jobs, improving health (reduced asthma hospital visits) and other quality of life – are they metrics?

Mode shift is supported by federal government programs and funding - that’s what this has to be about – were you able to take the money and shift mode because they understand the connection to higher quality of life, health.

Mike – mode shift is the key metric because it relates to all of these quality of life issues which are harder to quantify. Standard metrics are hard to develop at federal level for mode shift because the quality of life. Rhonda – think we need to have early successes (projects). Mike we decided to be a group around action but those four initiatives haven’t been accomplished yet. At same time we should be responding to mission statement of 2019. We have diverse representation of orgs – if one of our goals is realization of a goal that a member is already working on we could claim that as an early success. (Jim) Being able to move that up and identify projects that are achievable. Mike back to big goals – maybe we should divide into groups and really push to come up with a goal statement that’s at a really high level (ties to 2019) and then figure out the metrics or numbers (we could tackle that at the next full meeting). Brad – we have the data for mode shifts in other cities. Mike – mode shift all over world data being collected (being collected at NOACA). Air Quality – maybe getting out of non attainment is a goal? Mike -- The metrics we tie ourselves to are fundamental and tied to something that is measured with consistency. Barb -- There are good measures out there i.e. Atlanta and Olympics
Mike – to develop an economic engine is the overall mission we’ve got to tie to that

One goal might be if we double mode shift and that mode shift spurs local business creation and design innovation

Metric that’s repeatable

Where can we be – do we break mode shift metrics into different modes

This relates to the audacity of the goal but want this group to be effective which means we have to figure out our assets (mapping on ED and transportation)

Rhonda – has there been any recent survey work on public preferences?

Barb the Y is doing public engagement on this

Rhonda – what are your real metrics to demonstrate that you are driving with mode shift

Sally – I think NOACA is overrated in terms of modes shift data – we just use the census. We only have traffic/bike counts at specific intersections.

Mike – protocol for measuring current modes and help NOACA institute that process might be a project

Conclusions

Think we need someone identified to do research for goals?

Emelio - We got to a point organically to get some structure down. Next meeting talking about goals and metrics should be the focus and how to put people where

John – size of group also agree more manageable If we have aides from congressional

Brad -- Goals and metrics brought forward from prior meetings allows for a jump start at next meeting

Sally – Are we going to know who does what when we leave today? Marty – size of this meeting better. Trying to be inclusive important we helped organize it today. A lot of progress today

Sheri – if someone would gather some facts and numbers for us to look at (Action item: Brad) for metrics setting

John – our agenda may be full sometimes maybe we should skip the early stuff and get into the meat of it. Our goal is city or region? How are we going to fund things in the future? Gas tax and income tax drive these issues…

Mike -- Would like to get a group together for overarching goal and the metric attached to that. (six people volunteered Barb, Brad, Mike, Marc, Emelio, John)

Brad would like to have it hosted by other participants- NOACA, RTA, ODOT, or other similar place

ACTIONS:

1. Sally will check to see if the NOACA conference room is available for our next meeting and what arrangements we should make for lunch. May 17 is the next STAT meeting location TBD.

2. Barb will convene the six people who volunteered to outline some SMART goal possibilities that tie to the Summit vision and would create mode shift.
vThe group will also discuss benchmarking and the reliability of mode measurements. The group will consider the use of outside resources and will report back to the group in the next meeting.

Items from wall exercise on pillars and projects

Group agreed that modes would be the pillars, and other categories (education, land use, etc.) would be activities or metrics that affect potentially all modes. Dates in parentheses are when project/activity/idea was first proposed at STAT meeting.

Bikes

• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Campaign for Active Transportation (Current activity)
• Complete streets legislation passed in Cleveland (Current activity)
• Innerbelt bridge bike and pedestrian multi-purpose path (Current activity)
• Connect bike trails on books (Oct 2009)
• Bike station (Oct 2009)
• Bike parking ordinance focused on events (Oct 2009)
• Support system for North/West and East/South bike connection (Oct 2009)
• Bike storage for community events (Oct 2009)
• Detroit-Shoreway project integrates multi-modes (Oct 2009)
• Open underside of Detroit-Superior bridge (Oct 2009)
• Creating intersections on the West Shoreway to connect west side neighborhoods to lake (Oct 2009)
• Statewide complete streets – ODOT (Oct 2009)
• Bike/Pedestrian lanes constructed on Innerbelt Bridge plus 2 other initiatives completed
• Bike lanes on 490 (March 2010)
• Urban trail network is built; includes all neighborhoods (March 2010)
• Complete streets design (March 2010)
• Bike lane on edge of lake, additional lakefront access (March 2010)
• Increase bike and pedestrian access to lakefront (March 2010)
• Towpath Trail completed (March 2010)
• Complete Towpath Trail and neighborhood connectors (March 2010)
• Rebuild sideway and suspension bridge (March 2010)
• Construct Opportunity Corridor as multi-modal connection (March 2010)
• Increase % of bike riders, public transit users (March 2010)
• Create a built environment that efficiently and safely accommodates bikes/peds while maintaining efficient vehicular/transit movements (March 2010)
• Assist/outreach to parking garage owners re: implementation of Cleveland bike ordinance (April 2010)
• Bike/ped path on Innerbelt bridge – create design competition, rock concert benefit, celebrity endorsement (LeBron), power closer (April 2010)
• Expand Cleveland Bike network to connect with County bike network (April 2010)
• Create complete streets coalition to lead and educationand advocacy effort to pass complete streets legislation in Cleveland and Ohio (look to Lansing & Michigan for ideas) (April 2010)
• Large, active and powerful bike advocacy group (April 2010) Pedestrians
• Look at walksheds around key corridors (Oct 2009)
• Construct ped/bike bridge to Whiskey Island over rail (March 2010)
• Pedestrian overlay districts (March 2010) Motorized Vehicles
• City fleet – reduce, alt fuels, hybrids (April 2010)
• Increase alternative fuels in region (April 2010)
• Private car strategies (April 2010)
• City switches to alternative fuels (Oct 2009)
• Public outreach on anti-idling (additional signage) (Oct 2009)
• Get region out of nonattainment (March 2010)
• Statewide anti-idling (Oct 2009) Public Transit
• Euclid Corridor signal timing (Current project)
• Smart info on transit (Oct 2009)
• Free transit to events (Oct 2009)
• Intermodal center constructed at North Coast Harbor (October 2009)
• Transit directions website applet for mode options added to regional websites (Oct 2009)
• Return of RTA Circulators (March 2010)
• Comprehensive alternative transit map published (March 2010)
• Build relationships with institutions (sewer districts/landfills) to create sustainable fuel sources (cng, biodiesel) for RTA (April 2010)
• Use of recycled materials in transportation construction industry (March 2010)
• Integrate 3C terminal with other local multi-modal transportation options (Oct 2009)
• MMPI to include Amtrak in convention center/med mart (Oct 2009)
• Commuter rail from Sandusky to downtown (March 2010)
• RTA is best transit system in North America again, but for ease of use and number of daily riders (March 2010)
• Improved transit fare system (March 2010)
• Increase number of RTA routes and daily riders (March 2010)
• Car free life-style is easy to do in Cleveland (March 2010)
• Support study of TOD for RTA redline (Oct 2009)

Air (passenger and freight/packages)

Freight (rail, road, lake, river)

Other topics identified, but not necessarily as pillars:

Education/Advocacy/Policy

• Solutions for everyone (March 2010)
• Increased popular support (March 2010)
• Board public education campaign encouraging multi-modes, idling – in schools and w/parents (Oct 2009)
• NOACA anaylsis on moving goods, creating efficiencies (Oct 2009)
• Citizens Advisory Counil at NOACA (similar to MORPC) (April 2010)
• Transportation system designed based on environmental best practices (March 2010)
• Quality of Life issues – education, safety, jobs (April 2010)
• Educational campaign for sustainable transportation and safety (March 2010) Land Use
• Low maintenance and long life transportation infrastructure (March 2010)
• Effective higher density land use (March 2010)
• ?? Canal basin park (April 2010)
• Transportation/planning design done in coordination with communities (March 2010)
• ?? Cleveland wins best bioswale system again (March 2010)
• ?? Delisting Cuyahoga river from EPA lists (March 2010) Funding
• A federal and private sustainable funding source (March 2010)
• Tap into ACT funds (March 2010)
• Predictable transportation funding (March 2010)
• Funding and planning based on complete streets concepts (March 2010)
• Fund (annual) easy to do bike projects – striping, signage (Oct 2009)
• CMAQ funding spent on bikes (Oct 2009)
• Better RTA funding (Oct 2009)
• Efficient use of funds – both taxpayer and other resources (March 2010)