Say "wow" to VOWS?

The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) has launched a new program for soliciting public input. It's called Voice of Washington State (VOWS) and it takes advantage of new web-based techololgy. Read about it here:

• news release
• VOWS website
• Transportation Issues Daily blog post

The program includes:

1. seven regional Online Discussion Forums to publicly voice opinions, post ideas, and interact with other citizens
2. online Survey Panel to participate in occasional online surveys

Jefferson County is in the Western Washington Forum.

Anyone is welcome to participate in the discussion forums and survey panel. One must create an account using an email address and password in order to participate.

According to the WSTC news release dated June 28, 2012:

The ultimate goal is to gather public input on Washington state transportation policy and funding, and to inform the statewide discussion and decision-making process. Topics for discussion will focus on all things transportation: highways, mass transit, freight and high-speed rail, ferries, barges and aviation. The governor and Legislature will be briefed on the ideas and data generated through the online discussion forums and surveys.

The combination of the online survey and the regional online discussion forums is a new outreach strategy for the WSTC. While the Commission has conducted successful phone and email surveys through the Ferry Riders Opinion Group for a few years, the primary community input tool has been public meetings. The online tools remove the distance and travel barriers inherent to public meetings; this increases the opportunity for everyone – no matter where they live – to participate and share their views.

PT Pedalpalooza

Note: The following is copied from the PTpedals webpage.

Inspired by Portland’s Pedalpalooza, and Vancouver, BC’s Velopalooza, PTpedals’ first effort at promoting a continuous stream of bike fun is PT Pedalpalooza 2012, a 5-day series of bicycle activities and celebration of cycling scheduled for July 11-15, 2012.

PT Pedalpalooza’s debut this year includes some steering committee organized activities, but this effort is largely a grassroots-based program of bike fun. ANYONE can plan a ride or activity and put it on the calendar, so others can participate in bike fun! AND the BIKE FUN is not limited to those 5 days in July… those are just the inaugural celebration. The mid-July timing is planned to be a multi-day cycling festival for a “pedalpalooza” celebration of cycling every year. To continue the BIKE FUN and growing our bike community and bike culture, keep planning and posting bike fun rides and things to do all summer and all year long.

PTpedals is a new volunteer-directed, community-based effort focused on promoting bicycling activities, events, culture/community and BIKE FUN for people of all ages and skill levels. Activities for casual bicycle riders (uncertain about riding much distance or pedaling uphill) to experienced road cyclists and mountain bikers are encouraged to plan activities for others and participate in BIKE FUN during PT Pedalpalooza and year-round by checking the PTpedals calendar and joining the e-mail list for ride and bicycling activity announcements at: ptpedals@lists.riseup.net.

The ReCyclery re-opening is Earth Day

This Saturday, April 21--also known as Earth Day 2012--is the grand re-opening of The ReCyclery at its new location at the intersection of Blaine Street and Kearney Street in Port Townsend.

A "bike parade" starts from the Farmers Market in uptown Port Townsend at 2:00 PM and heads to the new site adjacent to the community facilities on the Mountain View campus.

The mission of The ReCyclery is Positive Social Change Through Bicycles.

Visit The Recyclery website for details about the event and the organization.

Statewide Transportation System Survey

The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) is seeking input from the public regarding statewide transportation needs, priorities and funding options.

Anyone can take the survey by registering via this webpage. The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Let your voice be heard!



UPDATE: Survey Results - January 2012

• Report
• Slide Presentation

More information after the jump...

"Walk Friendly Communities" program

On October 1, 2010, the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in conjunction with the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), launched Walk Friendly Communities (WFC), a new initiative to encourage communities across the country to support pedestrian safety.  Read the FHWA press release for details.




US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood described its benefits in a recent blog post.  FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez said, "Walk Friendly Communities will show how cities and towns across the country are creatively improving walkability and demonstrating leadership in addressing pedestrian safety concerns."

The program offers a comprehensive assessment tool to evaluate community walkability and pedestrian safety. Questions in the online survey cover a community's efforts in engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation, and planning. The program will accept applications until December 15, 2010.

2011-2016 Transportation Improvement Program subject of Oct. 18 public hearing

The Quinault River threatens the South Shore Road.  Jefferson County frequently faces road management challenges resulting from winter storm damage.

The Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) will hold a public hearing on October 18, 2010 as a step in the process to consider and adopt a Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the period from 2011 through 2016. The TIP is a list of capital transportation projects that the Jefferson County anticipates undertaking in the next six years.  It includes cost estimates and secured or planned revenue sources for each project.


Jefferson County Public Works issued a press release this week that pertains to the proposed TIP and upcoming public hearing.


Visit the Jefferson County website TIP page for more information and access to documents and maps.


You are welcome to comment on this blog.  In order for your comment to reach the BoCC as part of the public hearing and TIP adoption process, please email the Commissioners directly.

Draft County Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Update

Jefferson County is updating its Non-Motorized Transportation & Recreational Trails (NMT) Plan that was initially adopted in 2002. The 2010 Plan update will guide the County’s development of non-motorized transportation facilities and multi-purpose trails, including:

• Larry Scott Trail and the Rick Tollefson Trail


• Safe routes for walking to school


• Sidewalks in commercial areas and adequate roadway shoulders and community trails for walking in residential area


• Pedestrian and bicycle connections to transit routes


• Bicycle commuting routes


• Bicycle touring routes such as the Olympic Discovery Trail
  

Click here for additional information on the 2010 NMT Plan Update, including links to chapters of the proposed NMT Plan.

The Jefferson County Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on the Draft 2010 Non-Motorized Transportation and Recreational Trails Plan at 10:00 AM on May 17, 2010 in the Commissioners’ Chambers at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Port Townsend.

Gov. Gregoire congratulates Port Townsend students for submitting winning vessel class name

Gov. Chris Gregoire visited Blue Heron Middle School in Port Townsend on Thursday, April 22, 2010 to congratulate students for naming the new Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel class. WSF conducted a contest to name the new classification of 64-car ferries with fourth-grade students from Chimacum, Port Townsend and Whidbey Island.

Blue Heron student Rose Dunlap submitted the winning entry, Kwa-di Tabil (pronounced kwah DEE tah-bayle), which translated from the Quileute dialect means “Little Boat.” The first Kwa-di Tabil Class ferry, Chetzemoka, is scheduled to begin service in late summer 2010. WSF is building two more Kwa-di Tabil Class ferries, which will begin service in 2011 and 2012. Click here to see photos of the event and construction progress.

Jefferson Transit – Public Invited to Meet Finalists for General Manager Position

Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
The Jefferson Transit Authority Board, with assistance from the Washington State Department of Transportation, will be hosting two opportunities for community members to meet the top candidates for the position of General Manager. These include an informal reception at the Bishop Victorian Hotel located at 714 Washington Street in Port Townsend on April 5, 2010 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. and a panel interview at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship located at 2333 San Juan Ave in Port Townsend on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Both events will provide opportunities for those who attend to provide written comments to the Jefferson Transit Authority Board about the finalists for the position. For more information call 360.385.4777.

Transportation Satire, Anyone?

The Project for Public Spaces isssued an e-newsletter today that makes for some interesting early April reading. ;-)

Cars illegally occupy prime real estate in Atlanta.

Jefferson Transit to hold open houses about new routes changes coming April 11th

Jefferson Transit will be holding two open houses—one in Port Townsend and one in Port Hadlock—in the coming week to let the public know about the new route changes going into effect on April 11th. Both open houses will be from 5:30-7:30 pm with the Port Townsend one on March 18th at the Marina Room at Point Hudson. The second one will be March 23rd at the Jefferson County Library in Port Hadlock. Both are free to the public. “The open houses are a great opportunity for people to find out about the new route changes,” said Mike Pollack, Interim General Manager for Jefferson Transit. “These new routes are a significant change that makes it much easier for our local community to get around, to get to work and become more ‘Green’. We welcome everyone to attend one of the open houses and learn how this can positively affect your life.” Maps and schedules of the new routes will be available, as well as staff from Jefferson Transit to answer questions. In addition, transit staff will demonstrate Internet-based Google Transit for individuals to determine the best way for them to get from “Point A to Point B.” Some of the advantages the new routes will provide to the community include extended service hours on some routes, fewer transfers between buses, easier commuting (the new schedules match start and quit times of most major employers), and more service to downtown and uptown. For more information, go to www.jeffersontransit.com or call 360.385.4777. Jefferson Transit is a public transit system that began service in May 1981 after a successful vote by Jefferson County citizens in 1980. Jefferson Transit operates as a Public Transportation Benefit Area in the State of Washington.

Port Townsend featured on walkability & livability tour of Puget Sound

The 9th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference is coming up in Seattle, February 4-6, 2010.

Following is a brief statement of purpose from the conference website:

Today, more than ever, we are faced with environmental and economic challenges that will define our generation, shape our future, and test our resilience as cities, regions, states and a nation. Join leaders from across the U.S. as we tackle these challenges head-on and demonstrate solutions to curbing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, creating a green economy, and building more livable, walkable, and healthier communities.

An optional pre-conference tour focusing on "Smart Growth in Small Towns" is taking place February 1-3, including a stop in Port Townsend this Wednesday. Last week, the Peninsula Daily News ran a story about this week's visit. For tour information, see the flyer PDF posted on the conference site.

The Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, Inc. recently set up shop in Port Townsend. The mission of the organization is "...to to make cities and towns throughout the world walkable, bicycle and transit friendly, livable, sustainable, socially engaging and welcoming places by improving their built form."

Executive Director Dan Burden is one of the leaders of the small town tour this week. He is well known as an expert in "walkability" and his co-leader Paul Zykofsky, part of the Center for Livable Communities program of the Local Government Commission, is recognized in the arena of "smart growth."

Port Townsend has been selected as one of the small towns in the Puget Sound that has made strides in consciously creating opportunities for "walkability."

As they get comfortable establishing the new Institute here in Port Townsend, we'll try to coax Institute staff Dan Burden and Sarah Bowman to contribute ideas to ongoing conversations on this blog.

EPILOGUE: The PDN published an article about the 2/3 tour on 2/4.

Jefferson Transit Extends Saturday Morning Poulsbo Service for Four Weeks

When Jefferson Transit staff heard that Kitsap Transit had proposed to cut connecting service in Poulsbo on Saturdays, it didn’t take long to come up with a plan to maintain vital connections until a service adjustment could be made in January. Jefferson Transit staff members first heard about a Kitsap Transit service reduction effective December 13 on December 6. The information passed by word of mouth from riders to drivers to administrative staff members. The service cut eliminates two of the existing 8 round trips on Saturdays on the Kitsap Transit #90 Poulsbo/Bainbridge service. Coincidentally, these two eliminated trips are the only trips on that route that connect with Jefferson Transit’s #7 service between Port Townsend and Poulsbo. In addition, cuts to Kitsap Transit’s #32 Poulsbo/Silverdale schedule will have some adverse effects on Jefferson Transit connections.

By mid-morning the following Monday, a plan had been made to extend the #7 route on Saturday mornings all the way to the Bainbridge Island Ferry terminal until a service adjustment in January once again makes it possible to have efficient connections from Port Townsend to Poulsbo to Bainbridge and back on Saturdays. “We realized that this was just about the worst time of year to lose this connection. Many people depend on those trips to get to and from the airport, especially during the holiday season. We needed to act fast in order to keep our riders happy”, reported Jefferson Transit’s general manager Dave Turissini. The #7 will run morning service from Port Townsend to the ferry terminal on Bainbridge Island on the following dates:

Saturday, December 19
Saturday, December 26
Saturday, January 2
Saturday, January 9

The regularly scheduled Saturday #7 departure will leave from the Haines Place Park-and-Ride at 8:20 AM, as it does now, and continue on to the Bainbridge Island Ferry terminal. It will make one stop in Poulsbo at the Poulsbo Transfer Center at 9:40 AM and will arrive at the ferry terminal at 10:05 AM. That same vehicle will then depart the ferry terminal for its return trip to Port Townsend at 10:15 AM, stopping at the Poulsbo Transfer Center at 10:35 AM and arriving back at Port Townsend at its regularly scheduled time of 11:49 AM. There will be no changes to the regularly scheduled Saturday afternoon service that departs Port Townsend at 3:22 PM; however, this bus will not connect with any Kitsap Transit Services upon arrival in Poulsbo. This bus will accept transfers from Kitsap Transit #90 as it does now. Passengers should note that the only way to get beyond Poulsbo on Saturdays using Jefferson Transit between December 19 and January 9 is to use the 8:20 AM #7 Port Townsend departure. After January 19 Jefferson Transit will operate a modified schedule that will restore connections with remaining Kitsap Transit services.

For further information, please contact Jefferson Transit directly at 385-4777.

Jefferson Transit Public Hearings December 15

There will be two public hearings at the next regular meeting of the Jefferson Transit Authority Board to take comment regarding a proposed service change in April, 2010 and the proposed Operating and Capital Budgets for 2010. Materials for these two subjects can be found at http://www.jeffersontransit.com/ The Authority Board meeting will be held at the Port Townsend Fire Station training room, located 701 Harrison St., Port Townsend, at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15. For more information, please call 385-4777.

"The Transportation Prescription"

A coalition consisting of PolicyLink, Prevention Institute and Convergence Partnership has published a report entitled, The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America that accompanies an edited volume of detailed transportation and health policy advocacy.

The policy perspective addresses a wide variety of issues and choices in the broad field of transportation, while continually returning to public health as a focal point.

The Foreward to the report is contributed by Congressman James Oberstar, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Congress is currently considering a successor to the current surface transportation legislation, last enacted in 2005. This legislation will directly affect the investment of billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure and programs.

“Environmental sustainability, access, and our collective well-being must combine with mobility and safety as the cornerstones of our transportation investments. The following report represents an important contribution to our emerging understanding of the connections between transportation and public health and is an invaluable resource for policymakers and all those interested in building healthy communities. With a greater recognition of the strong linkage between public health and transportation, I believe we can build a network that supports our mobility and creates access and economic strength while promoting equity, sustaining our good health and quality of life.”

Representative Jim Oberstar

Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

5 years of Washington State climate action summarized in one place

The Washington State Department of Ecology has summarized all of the legislation and executive orders passed or issued in Washington State over the past five years that serve to reduce our state’s greenhouse gas emissions or otherwise address climate change. The text of the bills and executive order are linked to the summaries. Here is a link: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/docs/2009_ClimateChangeActions_071509.pdf

Jefferson County, the City of Port Townsend, and other local partners have joined together to plan and implement climate action. Visit this webpage for more information:

http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/commdevelopment/ClimateChange.htm

NJ FIT: Future in Transportation

New Jersey is developing a new program oriented toward creating greater synergy between land use and transportation, which will yield environmental and health benefits. It's called Future in Transportation.

The program was developed after an Integrated Land Use and Transportation Plan for Route 31 in Flemington, New Jersey, included a robust trip reduction program in connect with public transit. Extensive public involvement was key to the corridor planning process. The project was recognized by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) with a "Best Project Award." The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has also offered congratulations to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for this exemplary work, and included Route 31 as a case study in its Building Community through Transportation program.

Question: While recognizing that we are in a different geographic and demographic context, can we still learn something valuable from effort on the other coast?

JeffConnections - new local site

"JeffConnections" (jeffconnections.com) is a new local Web site with the monniker:

Port Townsend and Jefferson County's source for transportation and event news.

The focus of the site currently is the upcoming six-week Hood Canal Bridge closure beginning May 1, 2009.

The site features bridge closure news updates, links to a wide variety of local transporation and community information sources, transit and ride share information, a discussion forum, transportation-related blogs, and photos and video.

Users may sign up for an RSS feed, e-newsletters, or to be a "JeffConnections blogger." The site will offer various options for those who desire real-time news updates of road and transit conditions during the Bridge closure.

The site is managed principally by the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. Information on the site is coordinated through a local Hood Canal Bridge closure steering committee.

The site may continue after the Bridge closure as a clearinghouse for transport information.

Smart Trips Workshop 1/23/09

From the Sponsors' Event Flyer...

Jefferson Smart Trips -

A Visioning Workshop

*

Friday, January 23, 12- 2 p.m.
Masonic Hall, Jefferson & Van Buren, Port Townsend

Featuring

Vicki Steigner for WA State Dept. of Transportation

Dave Turissini for Jefferson Transit

Josh Peters for Jefferson County

Rick Sepler for City of Port Townsend

What could a Smart Trips program look like in Jefferson County?

Whatcom Smart Trips uses an innovative rewards campaign to get people walking, biking, sharing rides, and taking the bus. Although the Whatcom Smart Trips program is designed for the Bellingham metropolitan area, we could be the test case for a program in a rural area. Our goal would be to decrease congestion in the SR 19/20 Corridor. The program would dovetail well with the new commuter-oriented bus routes being planned by Jefferson Transit. We need to figure out better ways to incorporate bicycles with buses, to encourage use of park-and-rides, and promote transit and ride-sharing alternatives for trips between Port Townsend, Port
Hadlock and points further south (particularly ferries). Here are a few more ideas:

Walk
Installing complete streets, more trails and better interconnections

Bike
Bike commuting classes
Free bike repairs and tune-ups

Share a Ride
Promoting Rideshare Online for commuters
Providing Emergency Ride Home for commuters
Subsidizing the Vanpool program
Developing a Community Car Share program

Ride the Bus
Improving routes on Jefferson Transit, especially for commuters
Relieving congested sections of SR 19/20 corridor
Subsidizing transit passes for employees
Better provisions for bicycles, on-board folding bikes

Exhibits: Come early at 11:30 a.m. to learn more about folding bicycles, ride-sharing programs, walking and biking trails, and proposed transit commuter routes.

Sponsored by the Transportation Lab, Local 20/20 & Jefferson Transit

Contact 360-385-6579 or info@JeffersonCAN.org

For complimentary transportation to meeting, call Jefferson Transit at 360-385-4777

#

PRESS RELEASE

January 14, 2009

*

JEFFERSON SMART TRIPS – A VISIONING WORKSHOP
Joining forces to reduce congestion

A public workshop on January 23 will offer a look at a program of innovative alternatives for getting around East Jefferson County efficiently. Whether commuting on State Route 19/20 or taking a shopping and entertainment trip, Smart Trips can help. Successful implementation of a Smart Trips program in this area will provide choices beyond reliance on a single-occupancy vehicle (SOV).

The Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) is in the beginning stages of planning to address safety and congestion issues along the SR 19/20 corridor from SR 104 to the Port Townsend ferry. Traffic forecasting for the year 2031 shows that during the "peak hour," which is generally 4:30-5:30 p.m., we could see 50-70% more traffic volume on the State Routes and 60-75 % more traffic at the major intersections along the corridor.

Traditional solutions to this type of volume-to-capacity problem have involved additional travel lanes and traffic signals. Widening the highway may not be what this community desires for the future. If we are to create an alternative solution to our challenge, it must involve transportation demand management (TDM), including innovative programs like Smart Trips, which help reduce the number of SOV’s on the roadways. The sponsors of this workshop, with the support and encouragement of DOT, are undertaking to bring a Smart Trips program to Jefferson County.

Vicki Steigner of DOT will present the Smart Trips program as pioneered in Whatcom County as a strategy for reducing congestion and increasing safety on Highway 19/20. Ms. Steigner will show how the program has significantly increased ride-sharing, transit use, van-pooling, walking and bicycling in four years.

Dave Turissini of Jefferson Transit will present possibilities for commuter routes and Park & Ride locations as part of the effort to reduce congestion.

Josh Peters for Jefferson County and Rick Sepler for the City of Port Townsend will facilitate discussions about the transportation alternatives needed to help commuters, residents and visitors get where they need to go in the next couple of decades without facing gridlock on the highway. The workshop discussion will generate ideas for putting together a Smart Trips program suited to East Jefferson County.

Port Townsend Transportation Lab, Local 20/20 and Jefferson Transit are co-sponsoring the Jefferson Smart Trips Visioning Workshop. If you are concerned about gas prices, want to reduce the congestion on the roads and reduce your carbon footprint, Smart Trips can help.

The workshop will take place on January 23 from Noon to 2 p.m. at the Masonic Hall located at Jefferson and Van Buren Streets. As a lead-in to the workshop, information will be available at 11:30 a.m. about a variety of alternative transportation modes including Jefferson Transit’s proposed commuter routes, folding bikes for convenient use on Transit, walking and bicycling in Jefferson County and how to use rideshare online and van-pooling.

For complimentary transportation to the workshop, call Jefferson Transit at 360-385-4777. For information, contact Marion Huxtable at 379-9527.

#

Rick Tollefson Trail in line for grant funds

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) issued a report to the Legislature in December 2008 pertaining to the grant programs for Safe Routes to Schools and Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety.

Jefferson County Public Works submitted a proposal for consideration under the Ped & Bike Safety program to complete the funding needed to design and construct phase 1 of the Rick Tollefson Trail (RTT) in the Tri-Area of Jefferson County. The RTT is a non-motorized, multi-use path that will eventually run from central Port Hadlock to the Chimacum school campus along State Route 19. The centerpiece of the RTT is the phase 1 stretch from Chimacum Road near the Bob Bates Fields to the northeast corner of HJ Carroll Park by way of the Chimacum valley and over the Chimacum Creek via short bridges.

The WSDOT report lists RTT phase 1 as the #9 project among 92 total. (See page 19 of the PDF.) The first 16 projects in this competitive process are anticipated to be funded. However, the final word will come from the State Legislature in setting the budget during the 2009 session. The County is very hopeful that our project will receive grant funding this year and be ready for construction next year.

The RTT will provide a relatively direct (and enjoyable) path for bicylists and pedestrians (including wheelchairs and strollers) connection between widely-used amenities, which will enable non-motorized travel that avoids busy roadways. The overall goal of the project is to construct an attractive, universally supported, and well-used multi-use trail that is part of a non-motorized network in the Tri-Area. More information on the project can be found in the County's 2009-2014 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program.