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Home My WebLink AboutMN-MATC-2019-12-16 MOBILITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MINUTES PRESENT: Chair Lerner Commissioners (8) Chang, Brouwer, Barden, Parkes, Powers, Roberts, Lyczko, Srivatsan OTHERS PRESENT: Common Council Liaisons – McGonigal and Nguyen Information Management Specialist – Myers Approval of the November 25, 2019 Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Commission Meeting Minutes- Resolution By Commissioner Roberts: Seconded by Commissioner Powers RESOLVED, That the minutes of the November 25, 2019 Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Commission meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously Statements From the Public: No one from the public appeared to address the Commission. Commissioner’s Comments: None CC Liaison Report: CC Liaison Nguyen reported that Common Council approved the location on East Seneca Street for intercity bus operations. Work to relocate the fire hydrant at that location was started. He further reported, as a member of the TCAT board, that TCAT’s future headquarters will be a 13 acre site by the airport near the area of Cherry and Warren Roads. He also noted Governor Cuomo will be visiting this week to open the newly renovated airport. Chair’s Report: Chair Lerner introduced Matcom’s new member, Srikar Srivatsa and introductions to other members were made. He further stated that everyone whose appointment term is expiring this year have expressed interest in being reappointed. Chair Lerner, as he mentioned at the last meeting, interviewed another applicant that might become an advisor to the ADA Coordinator sub-committee. He reached out to him last week about that possibility, but has not heard back. Chair Lerner shared that his schedule through January and February may become a little irregular due to personal reasons. However, he can still be reached by e-mail, but may not respond immediately. Date: December 16, 2019 Time: 6:00 PM Location: Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation Commission Meeting Minutes December 16, 2019 2 January Vice Chair – Commissioner Brouwer volunteered and should be available for the monthly meeting with Transportation Engineer Hathaway which is scheduled for January 21st at 3:15 pm. Pedestrian Snow Removal Public Input: Chair Lerner noted that it was great timing for the survey to start, with the early December snow storm occurring. Commissioners Chang and Brouwer provided everyone with a 28 page document that provided charts and statistics on responses to the survey which included 23 questions. Commissioner Chang reported that 814 people completed survey. He stated that answers to the demographic questions were optional and that more women than men participated in survey. Please see attached survey for complete details on the questions and responses. Lengthy discussion followed on the floor as each of the questions and responses were reviewed with opinions of additional information that should be obtained in the future as well as ways to get input from under-represented neighborhoods as determined by the survey were shared. The survey responses are helpful because they show what the priorities of the public are as far sidewalk snow removal and possible future changes. There is a strong feeling, as a community, that we’re not doing enough for the elderly, disabled, and people with strollers with the current sidewalk snow removal program. In addition, responses show some bad news because there are a substantial amount of responses (37%) that report slipping and falling more than once a year due to snow and ice with 18% of those requiring medical attention. It was suggested that it would be interesting to compare the above numbers with the slip and falls that actually get reported to the city because some people might not have called the City to report an injury. There was a clear message (about 70% of the responders) that people would like a cost and feasibility study done; however, not a yes about paying a cost to have the snow and ice removed from their sidewalks. Chair Lerner noted that work needs to be done in order to formulate plans for when and how to report on the results to Common Council. Will the report include simply data or recommendations about policy development, further research, and how that will happen? He would like to schedule a separate meeting with Commissioners Chang and Brouwer sooner rather than later to go over the results and determine a course of action. He would also like to have a spreadsheet of all the data so he could play with it to develop a raw compilation of responses. For the January meeting he would like a report for the commission and then determine from that what any recommendation to Common Council might include. Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation Commission Meeting Minutes December 16, 2019 3 Emergency Building Evacuation Training City Clerk Holcomb provided a brief training on how to evacuate the building in an emergency and where the exits are located. Discussion followed on different scenarios that might occur during meetings and the courses of action to take depending on the situation. City Transportation Plan Coordination Commissioner Parkes reported that he and Commissioner Lyczko attended the meeting with Transportation Engineer Hathaway and Chair Lerner. They discussed ongoing environmental studies, the grant awarded to fund upgrades to traffic signals, and the award of federal funding that the City has been selected to receive. They reviewed the scope of work by Stantec for the parking and transportation study, which was sent by e-mail to all commissioners for their review and input back to Transportation Engineer Hathaway by December 18th. They also discussed a couple of possible focus areas such as way-finding, the public outreach portion of the study and neighborhood viewpoints of parking downtown in general. What do neighborhoods perceive as problems with parking downtown? Commissioner Lyczko stated that she and Commissioner Parkes reviewed the scope of work for the whole transportation plan and their focus on parking before it was merged with the transportation study. The study will inform them how to focus their work particularly related to outreach and input from neighborhoods and how they view getting through the city and parking. The contractor will be focusing on public outreach in February, and they are both working to make sure that Matcom is actively involved in that process. Chair Lerner stated that he would be strongly in favor of stating that last comment directly to Transportation Engineer Hathaway. ADA Issues - ADA Coordinator Commissioner Roberts reported that he, Chair Lerner and Commissioner Srivatsan met last week along with a representative from the North East ADA Center and City Clerk Holcomb. The Commission Project Form charged Matcom with putting together a recommendation for the City to hire an ADA Coordinator. They plan to look at cities similar and not similar to the City of Ithaca, entities that have ADA coordinators, and put together questions and things to talk to stakeholders (mostly department heads) about the project. Another meeting will be scheduled in early January to meet and divide up duties and any Matcom member is welcome to attend. They don’t have a timeline yet, and are proceeding on the idea that this is something the City needs and that stake holder’s support. Bicycle Incident Data: Commissioner Powers reported that she and Commissioner Barden are scheduled to meet next week to come up with a plan on how to address this topic. More information will follow. Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation Commission Meeting Minutes December 16, 2019 4 Meeting Wrap Up: The next meeting is Monday, January 27, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in Common Council Chambers Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarah L. Myers, Information Management Specialist Q1 How satisfied are you with snow and ice removal from sidewalks in the City of Ithaca? (See photo below) Answered: 814 Skipped: 0 Very dissatisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Neither satisfied or dissatisfied Somewhat Satisfied Very satisfied How satisfied are you with... How satisfied are you with... How satisfied are you with... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% 1 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 18.30% 149 41.89% 341 12.16% 99 24.69% 201 2.95% 24 814 2.52 8.97% 73 19.66% 160 13.39% 109 38.08% 310 19.90% 162 814 3.40 36.12% 294 38.45% 313 12.29% 100 10.20% 83 2.95% 24 814 2.05 VERY DISSATISFIED SOMEWHAT DISSATISFIED NEITHER SATISFIED OR DISSATISFIED SOMEWHAT SATISFIED VERY SATISFIED TOTAL WEIGHTED AVERAGE How satisfied are you with snow and ice removal from sidewalks in the City of Ithaca? How satisfied are you with snow and ice removal from crosswalks (see example photo) in the City of Ithaca? How satisfied are you with snow and ice removal from curb cuts (see example photo) in the City of Ithaca? 2 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q2 Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Answered: 814 Skipped: 0 Pedestrian walkways are... Pedestrian walkways are... Pedestrian walkways are... Pedestrian walkways are... 3 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 16.73% 136 37.88% 308 9.84% 80 31.12% 253 4.43% 36 813 54.55% 444 29.61% 241 8.23% 67 6.51% 53 1.11% 9 814 62.90% 512 23.34% 190 9.09% 74 3.81% 31 0.86% 7 814 48.52% 394 32.64% 265 10.84% 88 6.28% 51 1.72% 14 812 18.87% 153 31.69% 257 21.95% 178 20.72% 168 6.78% 55 811 Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Pedestrian walkways are... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% STRONGLY DISAGREE SOMEWHAT DISAGREE NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE SOMEWHAT AGREE STRONGLY AGREE TOTAL Pedestrian walkways are cleared of snow and ice to a degree that I can easily get around Pedestrian walkways are cleared of snow and ice to a degree that the elderly can easily get around Pedestrian walkways are cleared of snow and ice to a degree that people with disabilities can easily get around Pedestrian walkways are cleared of snow and ice to a degree that parents with children in strollers can easily get around Pedestrian walkways are cleared of snow and ice to a degree that children can easily get around 4 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q3 How often have you experienced the following after a snowfall due to the condition of pedestrian walkways? Answered: 814 Skipped: 0 Delayed shopping trips Delayed participatio... Arrived late to work or... Avoided work or school... 5 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 38.17% 308 15.24% 123 23.42% 189 16.23% 131 6.94% 56 807 37.92% 303 17.02% 136 24.28% 194 15.64% 125 5.13% 41 799 38.02% 300 14.83% 117 23.19% 183 19.14% 151 4.82% 38 789 66.16% 526 13.58% 108 12.20% 97 6.42% 51 1.64% 13 795 32.31% 262 30.33% 246 27.13% 220 8.51% 69 1.73% 14 811 81.78% 660 14.25% 115 3.47% 28 0.12% 1 0.37% 3 807 Never Less than once a year Once or twice a year 3 or more times a year Every snowfall event Slipped and fell on city... Sustained an injury that... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% NEVER LESS THAN ONCE A YEAR ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR 3 OR MORE TIMES A YEAR EVERY SNOWFALL EVENT TOTAL Delayed shopping trips Delayed participation in social groups Arrived late to work or school Avoided work or school altogether even though it was open Slipped and fell on city walkways Sustained an injury that required medical attention 6 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 83.89%682 16.11%131 Q4 Do you live in the City of Ithaca? Answered: 813 Skipped: 1 TOTAL 813 Yes No 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes No 7 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 3.51%24 3.51%24 5.56%38 28.99%198 51.10%349 7.32%50 Q5 How often does the sidewalk in front of your residence get cleared adequately? Answered: 683 Skipped: 131 TOTAL 683 Never Seldom Around half of the time Usually Always Not Applicable (My residenc... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Never Seldom Around half of the time Usually Always Not Applicable (My residence does not have a sidewalk) 8 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 7.03%48 14.79%101 27.09%185 36.90%252 8.49%58 5.71%39 Q6 How often does the side of the block that you live on get cleared up adequately? Answered: 683 Skipped: 131 TOTAL 683 Never Seldom Around Half of the Time Usually Always Not Applicable (My block do... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Never Seldom Around Half of the Time Usually Always Not Applicable (My block does not have a sidewalk) 9 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 73.06% 499 9.96% 68 16.98% 116 Q7 What situation best applies to you? Answered: 683 Skipped: 131 TOTAL 683 I own my primary... I rent my primary... I rent my primary... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES I own my primary residence in Ithaca I rent my primary residence in Ithaca and I am responsible for snow removal I rent my primary residence in Ithaca and the property owner is responsible for snow removal 10 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 68.23%466 14.49%99 2.93%20 5.42%37 2.20%15 6.73%46 Q8 Who clears the sidewalk in front of your residence most of the time? Answered: 683 Skipped: 131 TOTAL 683 Me or a member of my household Property owner or landlord A neighbor or volunteer Someone I hire No one Not Applicable (My residenc... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Me or a member of my household Property owner or landlord A neighbor or volunteer Someone I hire No one Not Applicable (My residence has no sidewalk to clear) 11 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 9.37%64 39.68%271 25.48%174 7.32%50 3.37%23 14.79%101 Q9 Over the course of a typical winter, I find clearing sidewalks of snow and ice to be Answered: 683 Skipped: 131 TOTAL 683 Easy Neither easy or difficult Difficult Very difficult I am physically... Not Applicable (I am not... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Easy Neither easy or difficult Difficult Very difficult I am physically unable to shovel snow Not Applicable (I am not responsible for snow and ice removal) 12 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 8.05%55 24.45%167 67.50%461 Q10 Do you currently pay to have snow and ice removed from the sidewalk in front of your residence? Answered: 683 Skipped: 131 TOTAL 683 Yes No, but I would be... No, and I am not interest... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes No, but I would be interested in paying No, and I am not interested in paying 13 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q11 How much do/would you pay to have your sidewalk cleared of snow each time it snows? (in dollars, do not include the cost of clearing private walkways and driveways) Answered: 683 Skipped: 131 14 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 83.78%682 63.64%518 77.40%630 9.95%81 8.97%73 8.11%66 Q12 Do any of these situations apply to you? (Check all that apply) Answered: 814 Skipped: 0 Total Respondents: 814 I live in the City of Ithaca I work in the City of Ithaca I often shop or visit the... I am a business own... I own properties i... Other (please specify) 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES I live in the City of Ithaca I work in the City of Ithaca I often shop or visit the City of Ithaca I am a business owner in the City of Ithaca I own properties in the City of Ithaca other than my primary residence Other (please specify) 15 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q13 Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Answered: 814 Skipped: 0 I am satisfied with the cit... I am satisfied with the cit... I am satisfied with the cit... I believe the current way ... 16 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 10.14% 82 13.97% 113 68.73% 556 5.81% 47 1.36% 11 809 23.15% 188 29.80% 242 39.78% 323 5.54% 45 1.72% 14 812 11.58% 94 16.63% 135 31.53% 256 30.42% 247 9.85% 80 812 31.81% 258 31.20% 253 18.62% 151 12.21% 99 6.17% 50 811 11.19% 91 8.12% 66 10.33% 84 30.87% 251 39.48% 321 813 Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly Agree I support further stud... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% STRONGLY DISAGREE DISAGREE NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE AGREE STRONGLY AGREE TOTAL I am satisfied with the city’s responsiveness to inquiries and complaints related to snow removal from pedestrian walkways I am satisfied with the city’s enforcement of ordinances related to snow removal from pedestrian walkways I am satisfied with the city’s fine of $50-100 per offense for property owners who repeatedly don’t clear sidewalks in a timely fashion I believe the current way of relying on property owners to keep pedestrian walkways clear in the winter is sufficient I support further study of the cost and feasibility for the City of Ithaca to take over responsibility for snow removal of pedestrian walkways 17 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q14 Please answer True, False, or Don't Know to the following questions about snow removal from pedestrian walkways in the City of Ithaca under current law. Answered: 814 Skipped: 0 Pedestrian walkways mus... Pedestrian walkways mus... The full paved width of the... Properties at street corne... 18 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 7.49% 61 72.48% 590 20.02% 163 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 814 84.52% 688 4.67% 38 10.81% 88 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 814 72.41% 588 7.64% 62 19.95% 162 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 812 86.33% 701 1.11% 9 12.56% 102 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 812 13.53% 110 55.47% 451 31.00% 252 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 813 59.66% 485 5.41% 44 34.93% 284 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 813 True False Don't Know (no label)(no label) street corne... Properties next to a... If ice is too frozen to... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% TRUE FALSE DON'T KNOW (NO LABEL) (NO LABEL) TOTAL Pedestrian walkways must be cleared of snow, but not ice Pedestrian walkways must be cleared within 24 hours after the start of a snowfall The full paved width of the sidewalk must be cleared Properties at street corners must clear sidewalks on all sides, not just the front Properties next to a street crossing do not need to clear the curb cut leading to the crosswalk If ice is too frozen to remove, a suitable material must be placed to provide traction for pedestrians 19 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q15 What neighborhood do you live in? Answered: 732 Skipped: 82 20 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q16 What do you think is the main issue with snow removal from pedestrian walkways in Ithaca? Answered: 731 Skipped: 83 21 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey Q17 Do you have additional comments about snow removal from pedestrian walkways? Answered: 541 Skipped: 273 22 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 35.48%275 61.42%476 1.16%9 1.94%15 Q18 What is your gender? Answered: 775 Skipped: 39 TOTAL 775 Male Female Non-binary Other 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Male Female Non-binary Other 23 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 0.25%2 4.83%38 12.47%98 20.48%161 20.87%164 20.74%163 20.36%160 Q19 What is your age? Answered: 786 Skipped: 28 TOTAL 786 Under 18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Under 18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ 24 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 60.33%473 0.26%2 2.93%23 4.08%32 11.22%88 1.66%13 16.71%131 1.02%8 1.79%14 Q20 What is your primary occupation? Answered: 784 Skipped: 30 TOTAL 784 Employed Secondary School Student Undergraduate Student Graduate/Profes sional Student Self-Employed Stay-at-home Retired Unemployed Other (please specify) 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Employed Secondary School Student Undergraduate Student Graduate/Professional Student Self-Employed Stay-at-home Retired Unemployed Other (please specify) 25 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 1.87%14 2.00%15 3.33%25 0.80%6 0.80%6 0.80%6 0.67%5 1.07%8 89.87%674 4.67%35 Q21 What is your racial or ethnic identity? (Select all that apply.) Answered: 750 Skipped: 64 Total Respondents: 750 African-America n/Black East Asian Hispanic/Latinx Middle Eastern American Indian/Alask... Pacific Islander South Asian Southeast Asian White None of the above, pleas... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES African-American/Black East Asian Hispanic/Latinx Middle Eastern American Indian/Alaskan Native Pacific Islander South Asian Southeast Asian White None of the above, please specify... 26 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 86.25%671 13.75%107 Q22 Do you have a disability? Answered: 778 Skipped: 36 TOTAL 778 No Yes (please specify) 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES No Yes (please specify) 27 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey 9.53%61 19.69%126 21.88%140 17.50%112 21.25%136 6.41%41 3.75%24 Q23 What is your average annual household income? Answered: 640 Skipped: 174 TOTAL 640 Less than 25,000 25,000- 49,999 50,000- 74,999 75,000-99,999 100,000-149,999 150,000- 199,999 200,00 + 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Less than 25,000 25,000- 49,999 50,000- 74,999 75,000-99,999 100,000-149,999 150,000- 199,999 200,00 + 28 / 28 Snow Removal from Pedestrian Walkways Survey