The April TPB meeting was held completely virtually due to the COVID-19 precautions. These precautions primarily have required people in the Washington region to practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings. Board members called into the meetings from their homes. Technical difficulties interrupted the live broadcast but the recording was available as soon as the meeting ended and highlights were available on Twitter.
There were two action items on the agenda, one was an amendment to the bylaws to allow for these virtual meetings in case of an emergency, and the board approved Transportation Land-use Connections projects for technical assistance.
Action Items:
Approving projects for the FY 2021 Transportation Land Use Connections program. The TPB’s Transportation Land-Use Connections (TLC) Program has provided support to local jurisdictions as they deal with the challenges of integrating land-use and transportation planning at the community level since 2006. Staff solicited applications for the FY 2021 TLC round of technical assistance between January and March 9, 2020. The board received an in-depth briefing on the projects recommended for technical assistance for FY 2021 and approved the projects.
Read more about the projects approved for TLC technical assistance.
Listen to the presentation and board discussion.
Amending the bylaws. Last month, the TPB provided notice to amend its bylaws to allow for virtual meetings in the future in case the board is unable to meet because of public safety, or public health concerns. Maryland Department of Transportation provided comments which added clarity on who and how leadership can call for a virtual meeting, and comments which ensured that matters that require a vote are provided in writing at least three days in advance of the virtual meeting.
One board member asked about the possibility of having virtual meetings regularly and not just in emergency situations. Others noted that it is generally easier to have discussions and make decisions in person as much as possible. The bylaws amendment passed.
Listen to the board discussion.
Informational Items:
Regional Safety Study briefing. One topic that the board has focused on since last year has been roadway safety. The board initiated a study that is now underway, to better understand the factors contributing to serious injury and fatal crashes. This briefing presented the findings from a regional crash data analysis. It included data looking at the major factors in crashes leading to serious injury and death. The data included behavioral factors like not wearing a seatbelt, speeding, or impairment from alcohol or drugs. There was also data relating to crashes on different types of roadways like arterials and at intersections. Later this spring, there will be a deeper analysis of crashes involving pedestrians, crashes at or near intersections, and crashes along principal arterials. One of the more important outcomes of the study will be a set of actions the region can take to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roadways.
Board members were interested in how the study can take a deeper dive into the data and were most interested in finding out ways they could get at the causes to find solutions in their own jurisdictions. Board member Jason Groth of Charles County was interested in location data to see where crashes are occurring and then seeing how they could get help to make improvements.
Board member Deni Teveras from Prince George’s County noted that there is a TLC project in her jurisdiction near a location with a high number of crashes and that the project will make it safer for pedestrians in the area. She also noted that the area is small, densely populated and has a high number of people walking. She was interested in finding new ways to work on education to help people in areas with large immigrant populations.
Board member Victor Weissberg asked about how equity and evaluation can also be added to the usual 4 “Es” of road safety. Traditionally people talk about education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency medical services. Could there be an opportunity to ensure that equity and evaluation also be taken into account? TPB planner Jon Schermann noted that there could be an opportunity to analyze this safety data through an equity lens on the regional scale by combining it with work that has already been done with TPB’s Equity Emphasis Areas.
Overall, board members are interested in learning how they can look at the data and think about how to address the most common causes of crashes that result in serious injury and death.
Listen to the presentation and board discussion.
Travel demand management initiative, telework. Travel Demand Management (TDM) uses marketing, education, financial incentives, and other policies to encourage people to drive alone less. TDM is one of the Visualize 2045 aspirational initiatives. One type of TDM activity, Telework, plays a significant role in managing demand on roads and transit services. The current public health emergency has led to a significant increase in telecommuting. At the meeting, Nick Ramfos, TPB Operations Program Director, provided an overview of the many programs Commuter Connections has led as part of the TPB’s initiative. He specifically highlighted a program to provide employers telework policy templates to help them implement telework programs. These were in the works before the current situation. Commuter Connections has promoted their telework resources to help employers get through their transitions to extensive telework during the public health emergency.
Listen to the presentation and board discussion.
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