STATEMENT OF ISSUE
Based on the concern over pedestrian and vehicle conflicts and accidents in the multi-modal district along the Tennessee Street corridor, it is being requested to perform a planning and engineering analysis to examine the potential for designating transit lanes on Tennessee Street between Ocala Road and Monroe Street.

This item requests the City Commission to approve the use of proportionate share mitigation funds from the FSU Campus Development Agreement, Fund 300 for this analysis. The Department of Public Works has negotiated a task assignment to accomplish this analysis with the Genesis Group under their Continuing Consultant Civil Engineering Services Agreement – Contract No. 736 executed on May 20, 2004 and requests City Commission approval of the negotiated task assignment.

RECOMMENDED ACTION
Option 1 Approve the disbursement of $49,971 from Fund 300 for the analysis on the proposed Tennessee Street transit lanes and approve the award of the task assignment in the amount of $49,971 to Genesis Group, one of the City’s Continuing Engineering Services civil engineers.

FISCAL IMPACT
The cost of this analysis is $49,971. Staff recommends that this project be funded from funds already received for the mitigation of the impacts from the FSU Campus Development Agreement (balance as of September 30, 2008 is $885,436), Fund 300. The Office of Budget and Policy has reviewed this item and concurs that it meets City budgetary guidelines.

Gabriel P. Menendez, Director, Public Works Department

Anita Favors Thompson, City Manager

For information, please contact: Gabriel P. Menendez, Public Works Department, at (850) 891-8196

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL/ISSUE ANALYSIS
HISTORY/FACTS & ISSUES
In early 2008, subsequent to several traffic accidents involving Florida State University (FSU) students crossing West Tennessee Street between Dewey and Copeland Streets, the FSU Office of the Vice President and the Student Affairs Office had requested the City to address the safety of students crossing at this location. Commissioners Gillum and Lightsey, through the Long Range Community Based Planning Target Issue Committee directed staff to develop short, intermediate and long-term solutions for enhancing pedestrian safety along this corridor. The resulting solutions and their current status are as follows:

Short Term Solutions: several non-capital intensive solutions, which did not require FDOT approval, were conceived as follows:

• Modify the traffic signal phasing at Tennessee Street and Dewey Street to enhance pedestrian safety. (Status: Complete)
• Modify after hours traffic signal synchronization along Tennessee Street so as to support lower traffic speeds. (Status: Complete)
• Establish taxicab stand along Raven Street. (Status: issue dropped in favor of establishing a “Night Nole” StarMetro stop on Tennessee Street at Raven Street).

Intermediate Solutions: consists of those concepts which would require more analysis and findings and include the following:

• Reduce the number of lanes on Tennessee Street from six to four and restrict the curb lane to transit use only. (Status: Requested funding included in this agenda item).
• Install a marked crosswalk at a mid-block location between Dewey and Copeland Streets or at Raven Street with a pedestrian activated signal whenever the aforementioned lane reduction goes into effect. (Status: Waiting on outcome of Corridor Study).
• Due to freight circulation to and from the businesses in the area, staff is currently exploring the abandonment of a portion of Raven Street to limit freight access to Virginia Street and accommodate the above-mentioned StarMetro stop. (Status: Will be provided to the commission under separate cover).

Long-Term Solutions: consists of a comprehensive multi-departmental effort for developing a future vision for the Tennessee Street Corridor.

Tennessee Street is a state maintained roadway, and is considered a Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) Connector from the Greyhound Bus Station east to I-10. Because much of the roadway is already over or near capacity, the state will be looking for ways to increase roadway capacity in the future. To create additional capacity for cars via additional lanes is very unlikely due to right of way constraints, and is undesirable because such capacity projects would further degrade the pedestrian environment. Therefore, long-term capacity expansions must look at moving people instead of cars. This means investment in transit, with safe access for pedestrians and cyclists to that transit. This street is the heart of the City’s multi-modal district and should place primary emphasis on bicycle, pedestrian and transit mobility and secondary emphasis on the automobile.

Therefore, staff suggests the longer term corridor include the creation of a center lane for bus rapid transit. Such a concept might include four travel lanes for cars (2 east and 2 west), bike lanes on each side, and a reconstructed sidewalk. This concept would involve more capital investment due to the reconstruction, but would add 2 and 1/2 feet on each side to the sidewalk. The land development regulations should likely also be amended to provide for wider sidewalks as properties redevelop. If bike lanes are not provided, sidewalks could be rebuilt to 10 and 1/2 feet on both sides, but this means cyclists would have to ride with very high volumes of traffic or ride on a highly used sidewalk. The center bus rapid transit lane could be converted to a streetcar lane in the future. Staff will need to research how other cities have handled intersection and turning movements using a similar transit-centerlane concept.

This is only an initial concept to show the Committee and public what the corridor might look like in the future. Workshops for the public and property owners would be necessary before any final decisions could be made. (Status: Waiting on outcome of Corridor Study.)

Therefore, based on the concern over pedestrian and vehicle conflicts and accidents in the multi-modal district along the Tennessee Street corridor, it is being requested to perform a planning and engineering analysis to examine the potential for designating transit lanes on Tennessee Street between Ocala Road and Monroe Street in support of the intermediate solutions presented above. This analysis will evaluate and identify solutions to improve safety and mobility for pedestrians and other corridor users. The study area shall include a ¼ mile radius “pedestrian shed” that feeds transit along the corridor and will identify the land uses contained within. The study area may be extended in certain locations where significant generators are identified.

This analysis shall also examine the potential benefits and impacts of modifying the cross section of Tennessee Street to include median installation and evaluation of transit lanes in place of the outside lanes along the specified section during the daytime hours as well as the concept of using these lanes for curbside parking at night.

Early during this study, it will be important to gain consensus on the study’s goals and objectives, to define and solicit the involvement and assistance of the key stakeholders in the project, and to clarify and understand the major community concerns. Meetings and workshops with major stakeholders with the City of Tallahassee, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency (including the Citizen Advisory Committee, Technical Advisory Committee, and the Multimodal Advisory Committee), Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department, StarMetro, Florida State University, and others as identified to receive input identifying major concerns prior to the development of a preliminary concept plan.

The Department of Public Works has negotiated a task assignment to accomplish the analysis with Genesis Group under their Continuing Engineering Services Contract No. 736 executed on May 20, 2004 and requests City Commission approval of the negotiated task assignment. This analysis has the support of the Long Range Planning Target Issue Committee.

CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS
Not Applicable. This is applicable only when vendors are bidding for City projects. All professional services contracts are exempt from the Charitable Contribution.

OPTIONS

1. Approve the disbursement of $49,971 from Fund 300 for the analysis on the proposed Tennessee Street transit lanes and approve the award of the task assignment in the amount of $49,971 to Genesis Group, one of the City’s Continuing Engineering Services civil engineers.

Pros
a. The present situation where pedestrians and vehicles often share the road is not conducive to pedestrian safety. This analysis will provide input to improve safety and mobility for pedestrians and other corridor users.
b. This area is within the Multimodal Transportation District (MMTD) and this Transit Lane analysis is consistent with the objectives of the MMTD.
c. This is the most expedient method of project delivery and the negotiated fee is fair, reasonable, and competitive.

Cons
a. The funds could be used to mitigate the impacts of a more deserving FSU project yet to be determined.
b. Additional time would be added to the project schedule.

2. Do not use Fund 300 for this project.

Pros
a. These funds would remain in the reserve for other significant improvements associated with mitigating the impacts of the FSU master plan.

Cons
a. City funds may have to be used for this project.

3. Provide alternative direction to staff.

ATTACHMENTS/REFERENCES

Attachment A – Tennessee Street Transit Corridor Timeline
Attachment B – Scope of Services