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TITLE: |
Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No. 2023-41: A resolution of the Flagstaff City Council adopting amendments to the Active Transportation Master Plan |
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION: |
1) Read Resolution No. 2023-41 by title only
2) City Clerk reads Resolution No. 2023-41 by title only (if approved above)
3) Adopt Resolution No. 2023-41
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Executive Summary: |
This resolution will adopt a series of amendments to the City’s Active Transportation Master Plan (ATMP), which was adopted by the City Council by resolution on November 1, 2022. The proposed modifications include updating pedestrian and bicycle crash data that was used as background information for the plan, adding safety as an explicit factor in consideration and prioritization of pedestrian and bicycle projects, setting a target of zero pedestrian and bicyclists deaths and serious injuries, and highlighting four corridors as potential complete street conversions. The amendments will help make the City eligible for federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant funding. The City intends to submit an SS4A grant application for a complete street conversion project along Butler Avenue. |
Financial Impact: |
Adoption of proposed amendment to the ATMP will not have a direct financial impact on the City. The ATMP helps guide City capital expenditures, through identification and prioritization of a variety of pedestrian and bicycle projects to be built over the next 20 years with funding from the transportation sales tax (Prop 419) and First Mile Last Mile grant. The plan also positions the City to pursue grants and other opportunities to build walking and biking infrastructure. In this case, the amendments will help support a grant application for a complete street conversion along Butler Avenue. |
Policy Impact: |
The ATMP serves as a guide for enhancing walking and biking by making them more useful, comfortable, safe, attractive and convenient as modes of transportation. Over the years, a variety of City of Flagstaff plans and policy documents have highlighted the importance of walking and biking, starting with the Flagstaff Regional Plan. The ATMP advances the City’s vision and goals for walking and biking by providing direction and details on becoming a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly community. |
Connection to PBB Priorities/Objectives, Carbon Neutrality Plan & Regional Plan: |
Priority Based Budget Key Community Priorities and Objectives
Safe & Healthy Community
Foster a safe, secure, and healthy community
Inclusive & Engaged Community
Advance social equity and social justice in Flagstaff
Enhance community outreach and engagement opportunities
Ensure city facilities, services, and programs are accessible for all residents
Sustainable, Innovative Infrastructure
Deliver outstanding services to residents through a healthy, well maintained infrastructure system
Utilize existing long-range plan(s) that identify the community's future infrastructure needs and all associated costs
Identify smart traffic management, multi-modal transportation, and alternative energy opportunities
Livable Community
Provide amenities and activities that support a healthy lifestyle
Environmental Stewardship
Implement sustainable building practices and alternative energy and transportation options
Implement, maintain and further the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP)
Carbon Neutrality Plan
Goal: Decreased Dependence on Cars
Strategies:
DD-1: Encourage vibrancy, appropriate density, and attainability in existing neighborhoods, so that more residents live within walking distance of their daily needs.
DD-2: Create inclusive networks for walking and biking that are continuous, attractive, safe, comprehensive, and convenient for people of all ages.
DD-3: Encourage Flagstaff residents and visitors to walk, bike, roll and take the bus.
Regional Plan
Goal T.1. Improve mobility and access throughout the region.
Goal T.2. Improve transportation safety and efficiency for all modes.
Goal T.4. Promote transportation infrastructure and services that enhance the quality of life of the communities within the region.
Goal T.5. Increase the availability and use of pedestrian infrastructure, including FUTS, as a critical element of a safe and livable community.
Goal T.6. Provide for bicycling as a safe and efficient means of transportation and recreation.
Goal T.7. Provide a high-quality, safe, convenient, accessible public transportation system, where feasible, to serve as an attractive alternative to single-occupant vehicles. |
Has There Been Previous Council Decision on This: |
On November 1, 2022, the Council approved Resolution No. 2022-50, which adopted the current version of the Active Transportation Master Plan. |
Background and History: |
The proposed amendments to the ATMP were reviewed by the City’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Bicycle Advisory Committee at their regular meetings on June 8 and June 1, 2023. Both committees unanimously approved a motion to recommend approval of the amendments to the Transportation Commission. At their June 7, 2023 meeting, the Transportation Commission voted to recommend the amendments to the City Council. |
Key Considerations: |
The ATMP is intended to provide policy guidance to advance the transportation goals and vision of the Regional Plan, establish specific goals and strategies to support and promote walking and biking, and identify and prioritize needed pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
The proposed amendments are shown in orange text and strike through in the attached draft and include the following:
- Updates a report on pedestrian and bicycle crashes that provided background information for the ATMP. The revised report includes the most-recent five years of crash data, from 2017 to 2021. (Chapter 1, page 6)
- Amends the ATMP’s safety targets to include serious injury crashes in addition to fatal crashes. The amended ATMP will set a target of zero pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and serious injury crashes within the next five years. (Chapter 4, pages 25-26)
- References safety as one of the factors used in prioritization of planned walking and biking infrastructure. (Chapter 8, page 66)
- Includes a link to the online ATMP ped and bike infrastructure map. (Chapter 8, page 69)
- Adds a section under Chapter 6 Infrastructure Recommendations for “complete street conversions” and identifies four potential complete street corridors: Milton Rd, Butler Ave, Fourth St, and Cedar Ave. (Chapter 8, pages 78-79)
These amendments will help qualify the ATMP as a “safety action plan” and make the City eligible for Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant funding. SS4A is a federal grant program for plans, programs, and projects that prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. To be eligible for SS4A funding for infrastructure projects, the City must have in place a safety action plan that meets the minimum criteria set forth in the grant program. The ATMP generally meets the minimum criteria, in conjunction with the Southside Community Specific Plan and MetroPlan’s Regional Strategic Safety Plan; however, the plan’s eligibility is strengthened by the proposed amendments.
The City is currently preparing an SS4A grant application for submittal by the July 10, 2023 deadline for a complete street conversion along Butler Avenue between Milton Rd and Sawmill Rd. The project will include elevating the bike lanes to the level of the sidewalk, constructing three protected intersections, adding or upgrading two pedestrian/bicycle beacon crossings, and adding a parkway and wider sidewalk where ROW permits. |
Community Involvement: |
Walking and biking support a variety of community benefits, both directly and indirectly, including health, safety, mobility, equity, environmental stewardship, housing attainability, economic vitality, community character, and sustainability.
The proposed amendments advance the ATMP - and walking and biking - by making safety an explicit factor in project prioritization, and by highlighting corridors that are candidates for complete street conversions. These modifications to the plan also help the City qualify for federal SS4A grant funding. |
Expanded Options and Alternatives: |
The community was engaged in the preparation of the ATMP in a number of ways, including numerous community meetings and surveys. The proposed amendments were considered at the regular meetings of the Transportation Commission, Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and Bicycle Advisory Committee, all of which are open and advertised as public meetings. |
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