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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Transportation Visioning Committee 2010-11-17Transportation Visioning Committee Revised Meeting Minutes November 17, 2010 In attendance: Members: Stan Black, Kimberley Campbell, Peggy Campbell, John Ericson, Wayne Groome, Jacqueline Halburnt, Cory La Bianca, Fred Mares, Jerry Miller, Rex Poggenpohl, Greg Rosener, and Annika Van der Werf. Absent: Charley Dickey Support Personnel: Larry Gamble, John Hannon, Frank Theis and Scott Zurn Special Guest: Jennifer Taylor, Estes Park Middle School Science teacher Trustee John Ericson presented meeting minutes from the 11/2/10 TVC meeting. They were approved unanimously. Trustee Ericson reviewed previous discussions and asked everyone to share where they are now, and what are their thoughts about where transportation in Estes will be twenty years from now. Each member spoke to the group: Stan Black said we might charge people to park downtown by metering, but utilizing a local's discount card. That will incentivize people to use external lots and shuttles. There will be bypasses owned by CDOT around the town, and downtown will be a destination, like Disneyland. This entertainment/business zone will be pedestrian only. People will still be in their cars, they'll drive until they either find a place to park, or go back out to the external lots to park. Cory La Bianca said we still haven't defined all the questions. We need to provide for our guests while protecting the environment. We have to protect the natural beauty of what's here, that's why people come here. If that is destroyed, people will stop coming to Estes. In 20 to 30 years, we may have to limit the number of visitors, similar to Yosemite. We have to keep Estes a place that people want to come visit. She thinks the pedestrian mall would work seasonally, just treat it as we do for Halloween. She's still open to other ideas. We need to keep brainstorming. Greg Rosener said we are approaching this like a 365 fix for a 45 day problem. The proposed alternate route down Riverside will not work. There have to be other ways to address that issue. The 2007 survey shows that 22% of our visitors are first timers. 29% can't find a place to park. The Transit Hub appears to be the start of a viable solution to our parking issues as well as relieving congestion. The 2003 Transportation Alternative Study shows a 2020 need of 1725 parking spaces. With the 400+ parking spaces added by The Transit Hub to our total existing inventory of approximately 1370 parking spaces, our parking needs appear to be met until 2020. The major issue is how to utilize the Hub and these additional spaces. CDOT will be an active player; but are their goals the same as those who live in Estes Park? They want to move people/vehicles and reduce congestion, thus reducing problems. Estes Park wants to keep the people here and improve their experience. Kimberly Campbell said she is more open-minded now. She agrees that downtown is a destination — it must be a positive, entertaining and relaxing experience. We need improved signage. For example, the signage at 34/36 guides you to the Beaver Meadows entrance, but if you're trying to get to Old Fall River Road, that's the farthest entrance — they should be guided to the Fall River entrance. It would be better if we could guide visitors onto Wonderview as a main route to RMNP, and have an alternate route down Big Horn or Virginia to Moraine and out to the Beaver Meadows entrance. That gets people downtown who want to be downtown, and into the Park if that's what they want. We can support remote lots or the downtown area, but not both. What if we put limits on the downtown parking — by time, paid parking, maybe even removing some of the lots? How do we ensure the shuttles succeed? Peggy Campbell said she doesn't think 20 years out, but in terms of short-term fixes! She had several thoughts: We have a social responsibility to the environmental beauty and historic aspects of Estes Park. These must be considered. Estes should be a destination, and we should take advantage of "doing the right thing". We must showcase that! Enhance the visitor and the resident experience. Making downtown an experience destination is a good idea. We need to use new technology, but it must be proven before we implement it. Signage needs to be addressed. We must maintain the natural beauty of this area. Our brainstorming is good, great ideas are coming out. Wayne Groome said Church Street is a community 23 miles from Orlando. People come from Orlando and have a different experience at Church Street. Estes should be that type of gateway community. Downtown Estes should have no parking; there should be a by-pass from 34 or 34/36 to the Park. The street downtown should be meandering. Fred Mares suggested we might consider underground parking, where the elk can graze on top, like what Vail has done. We've been talking about this 45 day calendar, and the extended season, visitors, and special events. How do we get people up here in the winter without them having to drive here? In 5 to 10 years there is going to be a lot of re -development here in the valley. What does transportation look like then? 34 and 7 will be ripe for re -development. Route 66 has condos now. Will it be accommodations or entertainment then? Where is the commercial area, the office park? Short-term fixes we can do now, like the signage. We need to look at the entire 20 years as a continuum. Annika Van der Werf thinks defining the problems will help. We don't want to hurt the downtown businesses. We need to make it a benefit for the locals — they are a constant. We're talking a lot about the variables. Larger commercial areas will provide growth; we also have to allow for future technology. We can't plan for what we don't know about yet. Jacquie Halburnt said government's job is to provide a nice environment for businesses to succeed. As far as solutions, she thinks roundabouts must be considered. They can be beautiful, and can be successful. If we bring a uniqueness to downtown, and improve the ambiance, then there is incentive for businesses to redevelop. She said the Town has a good relationship with CDOT. Jerry Miller said we're on the right track. We're looking at a long-term solution for a short term problem. That short period will expand to the shoulder seasons. We also have to consider the shifting demographics. We can't move the traffic away from downtown, as that would affect businesses. We need separate downtown and non -downtown districts. We have to have economic as well as environmental and social sustainability. Jennifer Taylor said you really need to include locals. Specifically, like the Town did with the Bond Park redesign in presenting your final few ideas letting them have buy -in. Scott Zurn suggested thinking big. Don't get caught up in the details now. Rex Poggenpohl said the Town deals with the short-term. We should give ideas that deal with the short but lead to long-term solutions. Signage is short-term. Keep the long-term in mind. RMNP drives many Estes Park visitations. It's the premier Park in the nation. Can it handle twice the number of visitors in 20 years? Frank Theis said this Committee should transcend just transportation. What should the Town look like in the future? Identify what is good and conserve it, preserve it. We have a good relationship with RMNP, and with historic preservation. We also need to find what is important with higher density, and with higher winter visitation. Having a seasonal closure of downtown streets may be a good idea. However, you can't force people to do something they don't want to do because it could backfire on us. Do we really have a parking problem? What about the car- less vacation? How do we move people from Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins to Estes Park without cars? How about using solar trams here? We have great solar resources here, let's utilize what we have. Keep up the bold ideas! John Ericson said we need to consider the cultural and economic draws to Estes, and expand on them. We need to consider the image of the Town now and in the future. We need to protect our natural environment; we can't lose the "charm" of Estes. We have a fabulous sense of place. We do want to decrease the congestion downtown, utilize remote lots, and consider bypasses on 36, 34, and 7 on the south and west that have yet to be identified. Jennifer Taylor, Sixth Grade Science teacher from Estes Park Middle School, spoke to the group about having her class, 2r Century Learners work with the Committee. The focus of the class is to tackle real world problems and come up with real world solutions. The class is working on a project, which would enable the school district parking lots to be used as overflow lots when school is not in session. When they have completed their project, they would like to present it to the Committee. Larry Gamble, from RMNP, presented information on transportation in the Park. Since its beginning, the Park has been charged with preserving the natural beauty of the area, while providing for recreation and the accommodation of cars in the Park. Their largest volume (three - fourths) of visitors occurs in July, August, and September with the shoulder seasons' volumes increasing. The largest numbers come from the Front Range area (Pueblo to Cheyenne). The Park considers itself an "urban" park. Four million people travel three hours or less to use the park for the day. RMNP has offered shuttles to the visitors since the 1970's. The shuttles are free to riders (paid for by entrance fees). The Parsons -Brinkerhoff study indicated that parking shortages will lead to congestion in the Park. This has an impact on the natural resources and the visitors' experiences. Recommendations to minimize the impact are to redistribute visitors to other attractions within the gateway communities, or to redirect them to other, less crowded, places within the Park. In the next phase of transportation planning (referred to as Rocky II) RMNP is looking to test Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Given the communication tools that are available today, RMNP may be able to take advantage of instant messaging technology and inform visitors before they even begin to enter RMNP or the Estes area of alternatives to congested areas. Working with the Town, this information could also be available at the Transit Hub. RMNP is starting work on a plan to provide hike/bike trails on the east side of the Park. These proposed trails would link the entrances and have spurs to popular destinations like Sprague's Lake. They are considering adding bike racks to the shuttle buses. The new shuttle contract will focus on greener technology and ITS, in an effort to protect the Park's natural resources and provide quality visitor experiences. Shuttle service ridership is up. It's apparent that there is a learning curve for the visitors — the first year they see the shuttle and its routes, the second they "dabble" in riding, the third year they plan their visit using the shuttles. Key to shuttle bus success is a consistent schedule, yet maintain some flexibility for peak months. Visitation rates have been relatively flat for the past ten years, and the Park doesn't feel any urgency to implement vast changes. Future visitation rates may in fact decline as the younger generation is indicating a disconnect with outdoor activities. Competing entertainment and other interests may take visitors away. The aging population will likely smooth out the July -September peak by allowing people who were previously tied to school schedules to travel on the shoulder seasons. Routine shuttle service to the top of Trail Ridge Road is not an option. There are too many hazards with having stops in bad, even dangerous, weather. There are bus tours that run from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center to the Alpine Visitor Center and Milner Pass for a fee. Those tours are consistently sold out. Commercial tours run by companies in the gateway communities have also done well. Next meeting: December 1 Peggy Campbell, Convention and Visitors Bureau Time: 3 to 5 p.m. Location: Town Hall Training Room 130