GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.
IT IS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15th, 2019 AT 9:30 A.M.
I'M MIKE O'BRIEN.
WELCOME TO THE SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
A SPECIAL COMMITTEE MEETING THIS WEEK ON A FRIDAY MORNING TO HANDLE A SINGLE AGENDA ITEM.
ANOTHER DISCUSSION.
AND HOPEFULLY, A VOTE ON THE APPOINTMENT OF SAM ZIMBABWE AS THE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION.
WE WILL JUMP IN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
YOU EACH HAVE TWO MINUTES.
COME ON FORWARD.
GOOD MORNING.
ESTEEMED COMMITTEE.
I'M HERE TODAY IN MY PERM CAPACITY AS A HUMAN BEING, MEMBER OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION,
CITY OF SEATTLE AND CHAIR OF THE GREENWAYS.
BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH SAM BACK WHEN HE AND I WORKED FOR SISTER NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
WORKING ON TRANSPORTATION.
HAVE HEARD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS ABOUT HIM SINCE THOSE YEARS AND ALL THE GOOD WORK HE
HAS DONE.
AS YOU KNOW, ALL TOO WELL, TRANSPORTATION IS ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES FACING SEATTLE IN
ADDITION TO OUR HOUSING ISSUES AND I THINK SAM IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED AS A PERSON WITH
A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, HAVING BEEN IN THE CUTTING EDGE OF A LOT OF VISIONARY WORK.
BUT ALSO HAVING BEEN IN THE TRENCHES AND SEEING HOW THINGS GET DONE.
AND, WE ARE IN A GREAT POSITION IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE THAT WE HAVE GREAT PLANS.
GREAT CLIMATE PLANS, MODAL PLANS.
WE HAVE VISION ZERO.
WHAT WE NEED IS TO GET IT ALL DONE.
WE NEED BRAVERY AND COMMITMENT.
WE ALL NEED TO SUPPORT SAM A LOT.
BUT I HOPE THAT YOU WILL ENDORSE HIS APPOINTMENT.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH SAM IN THE YEARS TO COME.
SHAWN?
I AM HERE IN MY CAPACITY AS THE LABOR REPRESENTATIVE OF LOCAL 17.
I WAS A MEMBER OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE THE MAYOR APPOINTED TO REPLACE MR.
AKUBLI.
APPRECIATED THE CHANCE TO AID IN THE PROCESS.
I'M HAPPY TO ENDORSE SAM ZIMBABWE.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP ON THE COMMITTEE.
ANYONE ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE WANT TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT?
SEEING NONE, WE WILL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I WILL INVITE PRESENTERS NOR WARD.
AND WE WILL JUMP INTO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE.
I WILL LET JASMINE READ THAT WHEN WE GET TO IT.
APPOINTMENT OF SAM ZIMBABWE AS DIRECTOR FOR A TERM TO JANUARY 2023.
WELCOME.
THANK YOU FOR BEING BACK HERE.
TRIAL BY FIRE, CONGRATULATIONS FOR THAT.
I FIGURE IF YOU ARE STILL BACK HERE AT THIS POINT, THAT BODES WELL FOR THE YEARS TO COME.
BEFORE WE JUMP IN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO SAY, CALVIN.
I GUESS WE CAN START WITH INTRODUCTIONS FROM EVERYBODY.
CALVIN, CENTRAL STAFF,.
SAM ZIMBABWE WITH SDOT.
SHEFALI RANGANATHAN.
YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD?
I'M JUST HERE TO REINTRODUCE SAM ZIMBABWE.
YOU DO YOUR JOB WELL.
I WANT TO SAY HOW APPRECIATIVE WE HAVE BEEN WITH HIM IN THE SNOW RESPONSE AND SDOT, THEY
HAVE BEEN WORKING 24/7, 12-HOUR SHIFTS.
I'M THANKFUL FOR SAM'S LEADERSHIP.
THAT'S GREAT.
I WOULD ONLY SAY IT HAS BEEN A FUN FIRST FEW WEEKS.
FIRST THREE WEEKS.
FIRE MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN EASIER THAN WHAT I HAD TO DEAL WITH.
BUT, I'M STILL HERE.
AND LOOKING VERY MUCH FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION.
THAT'S GREAT.
MAYBE SAM, IF YOU DON'T MIND, TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED
IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
I AM PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN HEARING YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON KIND OF THE STATE OF AFFAIRS
OF THE HUNDREDS OF WORKERS IN SDOT.
I IMAGINE THERE ARE GROUPS OF FOLKS WORKING OVERTIME AND STRETCHED DURING THE TUNNEL CLOSURE.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S BIG STUFF STILL HAPPENING WITH THE BUSES COMING OUT OF THE TUNNEL IN
JUST OVER A MONTH AND I IMAGINE THE CREWS THAT DO, I ASSUME A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE CALLED
UP TO MANAGE THE SNOW RESPONSE TOO.
SO I IMAGINE THERE ARE FOLKS BURNING IT ON BOTH ENDS.
TELL ME ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN OUT THERE AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THEM.
SURE.
, SO, I THINK EVEN BEFORE I STARTED ADD SDOT, SDOT WAS WORKING IN OVERDRIVE WITH THE PERMANENT
VIADUCT CLOSURE.
THE ORGANIZATION HAS DONE WONDERFULLY.
I CAN'T THANK THE STAFF THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION ENOUGH FOR BEING CALLED ONTO IN LOTS OF WAYS.
ALSO WORKING AT THE SAME TIME, JUST TO TRY TO BRING ME UP TO SPEED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
I HAVE HAD THE CHANCE THE MEET FOLKS FROM AND THE AGENCY THROUGH A SERIES OF ONE ON
ONE PRESENTATIONS.
GETTING BRIEFED ON PROJECTS AT THE SAME TIME.
WE HAVE DONE THE NORMAL RESPONSE TO SNOW AND ICE AND IT TURNED INTO THE ABNORMAL AND THE
DEPARTMENT AND THE STAFF WERE ABLE TO TRANSITION SEAMLESSLY FROM WHAT WE WERE REGULARLY PREPARED
FOR TO THE UNUSUAL BACK TO BACK SNOWSTORMS WE HAVEN'T SEEN IN A LONG TIME.
SO IT HAS IN SOME WAYS SLOWED ME DOWN.
IN TERMS OF GETTING UP TO SPEED ON ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AND ALL OF THE PROJECTS.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE INCREDIBLE RESPONSE THE DEPARTMENT
HAS BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN.
GREAT.
I KNOW WE ARE JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNSON.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
APOLOGIES FOR BEING LATE.
NO PROBLEM.
IT'S A BIG DEPARTMENT.
A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE BEEN THERE FOR DECADES.
I KNOW THE FOLKS THERE KNOW HOW TO DO THEIR JOB. AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE DEPARTMENT
HAS BEEN WITHOUT A PERMANENT DIRECTOR OVER A YEAR NOW.
I'M CURIOUS HOW FOLKS ARE REACTING TO THAT.
BUT PERMANENT LEADERSHIP FOR THE TIME GOING FORWARD.
YES.
SO I THINK THAT EVERYBODY HAS BEEN VERY WELCOMING AND VERY WILLING TO SHARE WHAT THEY ARE WORKING
ON, WHERE THEY HAVE HAD CHALLENGES.
AND SO, SORT OF WHAT I HAVE ASKED IS AS WE GO THROUGH THOSE INTRODUCTORY, GET TO KNOW
YOU MEETINGS THAT I'M GETTING NOT JUST WHAT'S WORKING WELL FROM PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVE BUT
ALSO WHERE THEY HAVE CHALLENGES.
AND THAT HELPS ME, YOU KNOW, REALLY GET TO KNOW THE ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE.
I WOULD AGREE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR A LONG
TIME.
AND KNOW THE INS AND OUTS.
THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF TALENTED NEW FOLKS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION.
AND THAT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, INTERESTING TO COME IN AT THIS TIME WHEN PEOPLE ARE JUST
SHOWING ALL OF THEIR TALENTS.
SO I WAS OUT DURING THE SNOW RESPONSE WITH SOMEBODY WHO IS DRIVING A PLOW, WHO HAS ONLY
BEEN I THINK WITH SDOT FOR A YEAR OR SO BUT HAS EXPERIENCE AT THE STATE LEVEL TOO.
HAVING PEOPLE COME IN WITH A LOT OF TALENT IS NICE TO SEE.
THAT'S GREAT.
SO, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE KIND OF --THE NOT SO NORMAL THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED
SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN HERE, YOU WERE HIRED I THINK IN LARGE PART NOT FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE,
BUT THE ONGOING OPERATIONS OF SDOT.
I THINK ONE OF THE SKILL SETS YOU BRING THAT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS PROJECT DELIVERY.
AND SO, PUBLIC COMMENT, WE HEARD MOVE SEATTLE AND HOW INNOVATIVE THAT PACKAGE IS.
THE DEPUTY MAYOR IS A FORMER COCHAIR OF THE LEVY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
SO SAM, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN TERMS OF ONCE WE GET THROUGH THESE, WITH THE SEATTLE SQUEEZE
GOING ON A COUPLE OF YEARS WE WILL NEVER BE THROUGH IT.
BUT ONCE THINGS GET TO NORMAL.
HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE PROJECTS ON THE BOOKS AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO GET STUFF
PUT ON THE GROUND WITH CRAZY CONSTRUCTION ENVIRONMENT IN SEATTLE?
SURE.
SO, I HAVE HAD SOME OPPORTUNITY TO DIG IN THERE.
I THINK THE WORK THE DEPARTMENT DID THE LAST YEAR WITH THE LEVY RESET WAS VALUABLE.
WE ARE RESCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY.
BUT, I THINK WE WILL BE ABLE TO SHARE SOME GOOD NEWS COMING OUT OF THE END OF 2018 FROM
THE RESET.
AND THEN, WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO.
I HAVE ALSO BEEN REALLY STARTING TO GET INTO WHERE WE STAND ON THINGS GOING FORWARD.
WHERE WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES AND WHERE THERE ARE STILL CHALLENGES IN CONTINUED COST ESCALATIONS
AND JUST THE PIPELINE OF THINGS COMING.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, HOW THE COUNCIL IS GETTING GOOD INFORMATION.
HOW THE PUBLIC IS GETTING GOOD INFORMATION.
MAYBE NOT A LOT OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING THIS TIME OF YEAR, BUT I IMAGINE THERE'S A
LOT OF WORK BEING DONE ON DESIGN AND BIDS SO AS SOON AS THE WEATHER TURNS, THE CONTRACTORS
CAN GET ON THE GROUND.
YOU ARE PROBABLY SEEING HOW ARE THE BIDS COMING IN. AND, ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH
THINGS IN THE CONSTRUCTION WINDOW OVER THE COURSE OF NEXT YEAR.
I HAVE IS A PARTICULAR INTEREST ON SOME OF THE PIECES IN THE BIKE NETWORK.
WE PASSED SOME RESOLUTIONS MAKING A COMMITMENT TO THE DOWNTOWN BIKE NETWORK.
THAT'S JUST A PIECE OF IT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY.
DO YOU WANT SAM TO RESPOND?
I WOULD JUST AGREE.
THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE WORK THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
THE DEPARTMENT HAS ALREADY DONE A LOT TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES.
IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO, IT WILL BE GOOD TO SETTLE IN AND SEE WHAT WE ARE SEEING WITH
THE CONTRACTORS, MAKE CLEAR WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE.
HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN SEE DELIVERED THIS NEXT YEAR.
AND IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT LIKE HEY, WE ARE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THIS ONE PROJECT,
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW THAT UP FRONT SO WE CAN PLAN AROUND THAT AND MAKE SURE WE CAN
DO WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO MAKE IT A TOP PRIORITY.
JUST TWO QUICK ONES.
THEY MAY NOT ELICIT QUICK RESPONSES BECAUSE THEY ARE MEATY QUESTIONS.
BUT ONE OF THE REASONS I BELIEVE THE MAYOR CHOSE YOU IS YOUR ABILITY TO FORGE MEDIA RELATIONSHIPS.
WHICH IS GOOD FOR US AS A CITY AS WE GET INTO THE WEST SEATTLE BALLARD LINK EXTENSION AND
CONTEMPLATE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH METRO.
WE FUND THROUGH 50 SOME SOD MILLION A YEAR.
OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PUGET SOUND REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARE CRITICAL
FOR US TO BE ABLE TO BUILD MANY OF THE PROJECTS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER O'BRIEN TALKED ABOUT.
AND YOU HAD A LITTLE REGIONAL BOOT CAMP SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER WITH OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS.
SO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS YOU DIDN'T REALIZE WALKING IN.
SURE, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE LAST FEW WEEKS, BOTH WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS AND OTHER PARTNER
AGENCIES IN CITY GOVERNMENT HAVE BEEN FORGING SOME REAL CONNECTIONS.
THE THINGS THAT WERE CRITICAL WITH GETTING THE CITY BACK UP AND RUNNING WAS MAKING SURE
THE CITY COULD OPERATE.
IT SHIFTED TO SCHOOLS OPERATING AS WELL.
BOTH OF THOSE, WE COULD BE IN VERY CLOSE COORDINATION WITH METRO.
UNDERSTANDING WHERE THEIR CHALLENGES WERE.
AN ANYTHING WE COULD DO AS A CITY TO HELP GET METRO.
YOU KNOW, BACK TO FULL OPERATIONS.
THE COMMUNICATION THROUGHOUT WAS GREAT FOR REGIONAL PARTNERS.
IN TERMS OF CITY COORDINATION, WE HAD A LOT OF COORDINATION AMONG CITY AGENCIES TO FIGURE
OUT HOW WE COULD HELP EACH OTHER TO ADD RESOURCES TO THE RESPONSE.
IN THE END, IT WASN'T JUST SDOT DOING OUR NORMAL SNOW OPERATIONS.
IT WAS SPU PROVIDING SOME EXTRA DRIVERS.
PARKS PROVIDING CREWS FOR CLEARING SIDEWALKS THAT REALLY HELPED US DO AS MUCH AS WE COULD
TO GET THE CITY BACK UP AND RUNNING.
THAT OVER THE LAST WEEK OR SO, I WOULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR IT QUITE LIKE THIS.
BUT I DID MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS A LOT FASTER THAN I MAYBE OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE.
SO, THE OTHER THING I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO SPEAK TO A LITTLE BIT IS THE FOCUS YOU HAVE
HAD THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER ON INNOVATION.
AS WE MOVE BEYOND SORT OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSIVE NATURE OF THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, WHAT ARE
SOME OF THE PLACES WHERE YOU WILL BE LOOKING TO, TO CONTINUE TO INSPIRE US TO BE ON THE
LEADING EDGE OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING, THOUGHT PROCESSES, WHAT ARE
SOME OF THE WEBSITES OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU ARE PAYING A LOT OF ATTENTION TO, OR OTHER
DOTS YOU FEEL LIKE ARE AT THE NATIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, DOING A GOOD JOB OF THINKING
THROUGH INNOVATION AND ACTING WITH A REAL GOOD FOCUS ON INNOVATION AND IMPLEMENTATION?
YEAH, SO, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I, I'M LOOKING TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE TYPES OF
THINGS.
I HAVE BEEN ENGAGED WITH THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS SINCE MY
TIME, SINCE I STARTED AT DDOT MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS AGO. AND JUST LOOKING AT THE PROGRESSIVE
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE IN THAT ARENA AS WELL.
SO, I STAYED CONNECTED WITH THE NATIONAL NONPROFIT WORLD.
I THINK GOOD IDEAS CAN COME FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES.
SO I DON'T HAVE A SET READING LIST THAT I ALWAYS GO BACK TO.
SOME OF THE WORK, EVEN, THAT THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD HAS DONE AROUND
SPEED AND SAFETY HAS BEEN VERY INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT HOW A FRAMEWORK THAT MAYBE
STARTED IN TERMS OF THE MAJOR CATASTROPHE RESPONSES CAN FEED INTO THE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY
AND CROSS FERTILIZE.
I THINK IN TERMS OF WHERE INNOVATION WILL COME FROM AND WHAT ISSUES WE HAVE TO DEAL
WITH, IT'S HARD TO KNOW.
I WOULDN'T HAVE NECESSARILY PREDICTED THE ISSUES WE ARE DEALING WITH NOW EVEN THREE
YEARS AGO IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE MICRO MOBILITY CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE.
AND, AND I THINK CERTAINLY, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES WILL BE A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
HOW THAT FITS INTO THE CITY LANDSCAPE GOING F FORWARD.
I'M NOT SURE AT WHAT SPEED WE WILL HAVE TO GRAPPLE THOSE THINGS.
MY APPROACH IS TO TRY TO BUILD CONSENSUS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND BUILD A PATHWAY WHERE
WE CAN ANSWER AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE BEFORE TRYING SOMETHING AND TRYING THINGS
AT A SCALE WHERE WE CAN ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS BEFORE MAKING FULL DECISIONS.
THAT'S AN INCREMENTAL APPROACH.
BUT I THINK THAT HELPS ULTIMATELY BUILD LONGER TERM SUCCESS.
WELL, AS THE DEPUTY MAYOR AN I HAVE LONG JOKED OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER, IT
IS A BLESSING AND A CURSE TO DO THIS WORK IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE BECAUSE OF OUR LONG
HISTORY OF ENGINEERS.
I THINK THE TRADITION CONTINUES TODAY WITH OUR NEWEST GENERATION OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS.
AND THOUGH, THERE ARE MANY OF THOSE SORT OF BLUE SKY IDEAS THAT ARE HARD TO IMPLEMENT
AS MR.
GOLDBURG WILL TELL YOU AFTER THE FACT, THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WITH SOME INTERESTING ON THE
GROUND SOLUTIONS.
A SHOULDER RUNNING HOV, 520 BUS CUEING LANE THAT WAS JUST IMPLEMENTED WAS AT THE SUGGESTION
OF A REGULAR 545 RIDER WHO SAID IT SUCKS.
WE ALL SIT THERE FOR 20, 30 MINUTES.
AND SO, MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE HELPFUL FOR BUS RIDERS.
AND WASH DOT TO THEIR CREDIT WENT OUT AND DID A LITTLE WALKING TOUR WITH THAT INDIVIDUAL
AND THEY SAID WE CAN MAKE IT WORK.
MAYBE NOT FOREVER.
BUT AT LEAST FOR THE NEAR TERM.
SO I THINK THERE ARE SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO YOUR POINT OF INNOVATION COMING FROM A LOT
OF INTERESTING PLACES.
WHILE WE HAVE A LOT OF CHALLENGES AHEAD, I'M GRATEFUL TO HEAR YOU ARE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS
FROM OTHER PLACES BECAUSE I DON'T THINK ANY OF US HAVE ALL THE SOLUTIONS.
BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHERE WE COULD STEAL GOOD IDEAS FROM ORGANIZATIONS AND CITIES AND
WHERE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LIFT UP GOOD IDEAS THAT ARE HOME GROWN IS REALLY GREAT.
COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNSON, I LOVE YOUR DESCRIPTION OF HOW INNOVATION HAPPENS.
IT SPEAKS TO WHAT I SEE TOO.
THAT'S GREAT.
SAM, I WANT TO PIVOT FOR A SECOND TO AN ISSUE THAT WE DISCUSSED IN OUR BUDGET LAST YEAR.
AND WILL BE COMING UP IN SOME CONVERSATIONS THIS YEAR AROUND ADAPTIVE SIGNALS.
THIS IS PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE CONFIRMATION.
BUT I HAVE YOU HERE.
I WILL PUT YOU ON THE SPOT FOR A SECOND OR GET YOUR THOUGHTS.
THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WE ARE USING
NEW TECHNOLOGY AROUND SIGNAL TIMING AND I THINK I WILL TRY TO SUM UP THE CONCERNS I
HEARMENT IT IS GREAT WE HAVE NEW TECHNOLOGY.
THE NEW TECHNOLOGY IS ABLE TO READ SITUATIONS ON THE GROUND IN A WAY AND ADAPT TO IT.
IT IS REALLY GOOD AT READING CARS.
IT IS KIND OF OKAY AT READING BIKES.
NOT VERY GOOD AT READING PEDESTRIANS.
THE SYSTEM GETS A LOT OF INFORMATION AND REACTS TO CARS VERY WELL.
ON IT FEELS LIKE AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHER MODES.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE TRANSIT FITS IN THERE.
IT'S NOT TERRIBLY CLEAR IT IS WORKING FOR TRANSIT.
THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS LAST YEAR, WE HAVE LOOSELY SET OUT A PROCESS.
IT IS NOT TERRIBLY WELL DEFINED AT THE MOMENT.
WE WOULD LOVE GETTING YOUR HELP TO CONVENE THE FOLKS AT THE DEPARTMENT WORKING ON THE
MERCER CORRIDOR IS THE CORRIDOR WHERE THIS HAS BEEN DEPLOYED FOR A WHILE.
AND WHERE I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS, PARTICULARLY DAVID MENTIONED HE IS HEAD OF THE BOARD OF
SEATTLE NEIGHBORHOOD GREENWAYS AND A LOT OF THEIR ADVOCATES.
THEIR OBSERVATIONS IS THINGS ARE NOT WORKING VERY WELL.
ESPECIALLY FOR PEDESTRIANS.
SO WE WOULD LOVE TO SIT DOWN WITH FOLKS WHO ARE THE EXPERTS OF THE CITY AND SOME OF THE
EXPERTS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING OBSERVATIONS AND TALKING THROUGH WHAT IS WORKING
AND NOT WORKING AND THINKING ABOUT AS WE GO FORWARD, DEPLOYING NEW TECHNOLOGY.
THE TECHNOLOGY IS FAIRLY AGNOSTIC.
IT WAS JUST WHAT WE TELL IT TO DO.
ANY EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WITH ADAPTIVE SIGNALS ELSEWHERE, ANY THOUGHTS ON HOW WE
MIGHT MOVE FORWARD?
SURE, I WOULD AGREE WHAT I HAVE SEEN AND HEARD OF THE DISCUSSION AROUND ADAPTIVE SIGNALS
BOTH WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT, I THINK THE TYPE OF DISCUSSION THAT YOU ARE
TALKING ABOUT WILL BE A USEFUL THING TO HAVE.
HOW IS IT WORKING.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES AND HOW IS IT WORKING FOR EVERYBODY.
AND HOW CAN WE ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES.
MERCER WENT WORKING WELL BEFORE.
IT IS STILL A CHALLENGE.
WE DON'T WANT TO EXACERBATE PROBLEMS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT DIALOGUE ABOUT WHAT IS WORKING AND HOW TO MAKE IT BETTER
IS I THINK CRITICAL.
WE HAVE FACED CHALLENGES AROUND SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY.
WE INSTALLED PRIORITY IN ONE OUT OF EVERY SEVEN TRAFFIC SIGNALS.
WE WERE TINKERING WITH THE PARAMETERS TO TRY TO BALANCE OUT BUS SPEEDS AND CONGESTION.
ONE THING THAT IT LED TO WHICH DREW SOME FIRE FOR PEDESTRIAN ADVOCATES WAS THAT WE IN THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HAD --WE STARTED THE PEDESTRIAN COUNT DOWN SIGNAL AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE CYCLE.
YOU SAW FROM THE VERY BEGINNING HOW LONG YOU HAD TO WALK.
WHEN YOU HAD VARIABLE SIGNAL CYCLES, YOU COULDN'T DO THAT.
SO WHEN WE INSTALLED TRANSIT SIGNAL PRIORITY WHICH WAS MOVING TRANSIT FASTER, WE DIDN'T
CHANGE THE TIMING FOR THE PEDESTRIANS BUT THERE WAS A PERCEPTION WE HAD BECAUSE YOU
COULD NO LONGER SEE THE COUNTDOWN.
WE GOT A LOT OF FEEDBACK ON THAT AND MADE SOME CHANGES TO TRY TO ALLEVIATE THAT.
SO I HAVE A HISTORY OF TRYING TO DEPLOY NEW SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY.
AND MAKING CHANGES WHEN WE NEED TO, TO MAKE SURE WE ARE BALANCING ALL THE NEEDS.
IT'S A GOOD DIALOGUE AND DISCUSSION TO HAVE.
I THINK THERE IS SOME EXPERTISE IN THE COMMUNITY ON HOW IT IS ACTUALLY AFFECTING USERS AND
I THINK THAT EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE THEY CAN BRING TO THE TABLE WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
I HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS AT SDOT.
THEY FULLY UNDERSTAND THIS.
THEY UNDERSTAND THE PRIORITIES AND THEY ARE UP AGAINST SOME TECHNOLOGY.
ABSOLUTELY.
THAT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE WITH FOLKS WITH SDOT.
THERE IS A RECEPTIVENESS TO FEEDBACK AND LISTENING AN HEARING THOSE THINGS AND TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT HOW WE CAN FIND SOLUTIONS.
I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS HOW MANY OF THOSE THINGS THERE ARE AND THE CAPACITY
TO HAVE ALL OF THE CONVERSATIONS.
MAKING SURE WE STRUCTURE THOSE IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE BEEN HEARD.
AND, WE CAN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION RATHER THAN HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT EVERY DAY.
LOOK FORWARD TO MORE ON THAT.
COUNCIL MEMBER COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON, ANYTHING ELSE?
WE ARE PLANNING TO PUT FORWARD AN EXPECTATIONS LETTER.
I'M AFRAID IT'S NOT FINISHED BEING DRAFT AT THE MOMENT.
WE HAD SOME EMERGENCY RESPONSE STUFF GOING ON AT CITY HALL AND HAVEN'T GOTTEN EVERYONE'S
EYES ON THIS YET.
ASSUMING THE VOTE IN A MINUTE GOES WELL.
YOU WILL BE BACK FOR THE FULL COUNCIL FEBRUARY 25.
I WON'T BE HERE THAT DAY.
SO COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON WILL ASK YOU TO SPEAK TO MR.
ZIMBABWE AT THAT MEETING AND WE WILL MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE EXPECTATIONS LETTER THERE.
THIS WILL MIRROR SOME OF THE STATEMENTS DISGUISED AS QUESTIONS IN THE QUESTION LETTER YOU ARE
GOTTEN.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THAT LETTER AND IT WILL BE
PART OF THE RECORD SO FOLKS CAN SEE THAT.
AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK TO IN THE FUTURE GOING FORWARD.
I DON'T KNOW, FIG ELSE I MISSED THERE?
GREAT.
WE WILL MAKE SURE WE DON'T DROP THIS ON YOU.
MONDAY THE 25th, WE WILL MAKE SURE WE ARE WORKING WITH YOUR STAFF.
IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS WE WILL BE OPEN TO HEARING THAT TOO.
SO WITH THAT --I WILL GO AHEAD AND MOVE AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE.
SECOND.
ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
AYE.
GREAT, THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK.
AND WE WILL SEE YOU, WELL I WON'T SEE YOU, BUT SOMEONE WILL SEE YOU BACK HERE ON THE
25th AND KEEP AT IT.
WE HOPE YOU GET A DAY OFF OVER THIS THREE-DAY WEEKEND.
WE'LL SEE.
THANKS.
COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE THIS MORNING.
GOOD TO THE ORDER?
I THINK ALL OF US WERE SADDENED BY WEDNESDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT, THE FIRST PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY
FOR ME TO THANK YOU FOR WHAT WILL BE CUMULATIVELY A DECADE WORTH OF GOOD WORK HERE AT CITY HALL.
THANK YOU.
I APPRECIATE THAT.
WITH THAT, WE WILL BE ADJOURNED.