Integrated Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting

Minutes

Meeting #:
Date:	Monday, June 21, 2021
Time:	7:00 P.m. - 9:00 P.m.
Location:	Virtual

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1.

Members Present:

Beth Revelle, Briana Petersen, Nick Morrison, Greg Pace, Tim Park (Acting Chair), Doug Benton, Jim Young, Alexander Andrenkov

2.

Member Regrets:

Carm Piro, Jason Manayathu, Don Richardson, Councillor Shawna Stolte

3.

Others Present:

Rob Hagley (Marketing & Customer Service Coordinator - Burlington Transit), Jeff Black (Manager of Traffic Operations and Signals), Kaylan Edgcumbe (Manager of Integrated Mobility), Dan Ozimkovic (Transportation Planning Technologist), Georgie Gartside (Clerk)

4.

Declarations of Interest:

None.

5.

Approval of Minutes:

5.1

Approve minutes from meeting held May 17, 2021

On motion, the minutes from the meeting held May 17, 2021 were approved as presented.

6.

Delegation(s):

None.

7.

Regular Items:

7.1

Update on ITAC's 2021 workplan and budget

Georgie advised that ITAC's 2021 workplan and budget was approved at the June 7, 2021 Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee meeting. Carm was in attendance at the June 7 meeting in the event there were questions from members of Council and there were no questions related to ITAC's workplan.

7.2

Burlington Transit return to service campaign

Rob provided an overview of the “Welcome Back Aboard” campaign that Burlington Transit will launch from July to the fall due to the significant decrease in ridership during the pandemic. The decrease in ridership was about 30-40% and mainly from GO transit commuters.

The marketing campaign will showcase Burlington Transit as a safe transit system and will include eight weeks of advertisements featuring cleaning procedures, masks and How2Ride. There will be ads in the Burlington Post, as well as digital ads through social media and the city's website, along with ads on destination signs.

Rob also advised that updates are being made to the transit schedule that will be marketed in August and September. On-demand transit, magnus cards and e-tickets will all roll out in September as well.

Questions:

1. Would you please explain the cleaning process for the buses?  Answer: The city buses were sprayed with Aegis Microbe Shield when the pandemic hit which provides several years of protection as it prohibits bacterial and viral growth. The buses were sprayed again with the same cleaning agent earlier this year.
2. How was Handi-Van affected during the pandemic?  Answer: Handi-Van never dropped below 60% ridership from pre-pandemic. Masks, face shields and gloves were provided to Handi-Van drivers and the number of passengers on board was limited during the pandemic.

7.3

Staff updates:

a.

Transportation planning

Kaylan provided the following updates:

• Council approved the workplan for the Major Transit Station Area studies.
• Aiming for the end of June to release the lived experience papers related to the Integrated Mobility Plan. There will be a social media marketing push and links will be shared with the committee.
• Transportation planning staff are involved with many development applications under appeal. There are some new applications, but not many.
• Press release last week that the provincial government reassessed the Urban Growth Centre for Burlington and changed the location from downtown to the Burlington GO Station area. The result will push height and density out of downtown to the area around the Burlington GO station.

Question:

1. With the Urban Grown Centre moved from downtown, will that mean buildings will be developed within the Official Plan policies?  Answer: Developers won’t be able to refer to the Urban Growth Centre as a reason to have height and density downtown any longer.

ACTION:

• Kaylan to arrange for a planner to attend the September ITAC meeting to speak about land use planning and permissions regarding the Urban Growth Centre.

b.

Active transportation

Dan shared the following information:

• Public Information Centre reminder for Wednesday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. for the first protected cycling facilities in Burlington.
• June is Bike Month - virtual engagement will take place. Partnered with the public library to distribute bike lights and bells. Residents can pick up at the six operating libraries across the city or at Spencer Smith Park.

Questions:

1. Does bike parking have to be included in new developments?  Answer: Yes, bike parking is a requirement in new development applications.
2. Does bike parking have to be accessible?  Answer: Bike parking needs to be functional, with no obstacles obstructing the parking. 
3. Will the Integrated Mobility Plan look at mid-block policies for crossing the street?  Answer: No, that would be an operational policy. Staff look at pedestrian crossings when requested.
4. With protected cycling lanes, are there conflicts with bus stops?  Answer: Transit staff are reviewing the work on Plains Road to make sure there are no conflicts.
5. Has the city's Accessibility Coordinator been briefed regarding the protected cycling lanes?  Answer: Yes, the Accessibility Coordinator has provided feedback.
6. Will there still be a sidewalk along Plains Road?  Answer: Yes, the sidewalks will be staying.

c.

Traffic operations and signals

Jeff provided the following update:

• Speed limit areas initiative - first area has been approved and implementation is almost complete. Looking at new locations across the city.
• Council recently approved the installation of six new rainbow crosswalks, three in the next two years. Mayor’s office is spearheading the location choices.
• There are a number of pedestrian crossovers along the Centennial multi-use path. Currently focusing on one at Tim Dobbie Drive by Haber Recreation Centre and will be looking at the hydro corridors as well.
• Downtown patio setups have been completed.
• A staff report was presented regarding the closure of Brant Street for the summer related to safety and physical distancing due to COVID-19. Council also discussed the use of Brant Street in the future, including a flex street. A further staff report will be presented to Council in the fall.

Questions:

1. How is the city able to tell how many pedestrians use an area?  Answer: The city sends people out to do pedestrian counts.
2. Why do pedestrians have to always press the traffic signal button to activate the walk indicator?  Answer: To provide optimized timing for vehicles.
3. Is there a rule that if a proposed crosswalk location is close to a traffic light or an intersection with a stop sign, the city won't put in a crosswalk?  Answer: Nearby traffic control measures are considered, but each location is looked at on its own.
4. With regard to pedestrians having to push the signal button to activate the walk indicator, there is an education piece and a safety issue because pedestrians will cross even if the walk signal doesn’t come up.  Response: Pedestrian walk indicators can be made automatic in locations where there is a high pedestrian demand. 
5. Can the city automate the walk indicator at all traffic lights during the summer for pedestrians?  Answer: To reprogram all signals in the city to have the walk indicator come up every time would have extreme impacts on mobility in Burlington. There are many locations with no pedestrians and there needs to be a balance in moving vehicles throughout the city.
6. Is the efficiency of the use of the right of way at an intersection measured by the number of pedestrians or by the number of vehicles?  Answer: The city doesn't have a strict rule; it's not one or the other. Burlington is car centric, but staff also look at active transportation.
7. Is there technology to detect pedestrians at intersections?  Answer: While staff are supportive of it and have spoken to vendors about it, at this time there is no technology.

Action:

• Kaylan to organize a workshop for the committee regarding the future of Brant Street.
• Small working group to meet over the summer to discuss ideas for Brant Street. Committee members to email Jim Young if interested - Nick, Doug, Beth and Alexander expressed interest.

d.

Burlington Transit

Rob shared the following updates:

• Summer youth Presto pass will be available for July and Aug for $50
• Split pass for low income users being offered up to 3 months at a time, rather than monthly
• Service enhancements will begin in September and return to pre-pandemic service levels. Route 1 will be in 10 minute intervals during peak periods
• On-demand transit coming in the fall
• Work is still underway for transit priority signaling and a date to implement has not been set.

7.4

Roundtable updates:

a.

Burlington Accessibility Advisory Committee

Doug said that the city has installed a Mobi-Mat at Beachway Park to allow those with disabilities to get to the waterline on the beach. There are side shoots to allow people to get by each other, but not sure if it's wide enough for two wheelchairs to pass each other. The committee has also been involved with providing input into the city's housing strategy.

b.

Burlington Cycling Advisory Committee

Greg said the Cycling Committee members are looking forward to the Public Information Centre on June 23 regarding the protected cycling facilities on Plains Road. There is also a lot of interest in the webinars being offered for Bike Month.

c.

Burlington Seniors' Advisory Committee

Jim shared that the Seniors' Advisory Committee received an update from Kaylan on the Integrated Mobility Plan. Seniors are onboard for improved mobility and have some accessibility concerns in getting around the city.

d.

Burlington Sustainable Development Advisory Committee

Tim said Bianca Caramento, Manager of the Bay Area Climate Change Council, attended the June SDC meeting. Burlington and Hamilton have a goal to be net zero communities by 2050 with an interim goal of 50 percent by 2031.

8.

Other Business:

None.

9.

Adjournment:

Chair adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m.