Hello City Council and Staff
Thank you for serving our city and considering an update to the old NTMP
program. My comments on this item:
1. The NTMP has been suspended for 4+ years and todays meeting is still
just a study session. This is unacceptable. For example folks on my street
have been asking for traffic calming for years and we keep hearing that
"the city is working on a new system" and until then, nothing can be done.
We urgently need to move forward with some solution for systematic traffic
calming updates urgently.
2. Given the timeline in #1, I am sure staff has a lot on their plate, so
generally having a data driven / scored system makes sense to me rather
than a long subjective process that favors those who complain the loudest.
The data scoring system generally seems good and I support including
pedestrian and bicycle-heavy areas.
3. I 100% support giving the transportation department more leeway to
implement solutions without additional hearings
4. That being said, data is never perfect / 100% accurate. There should be
additional input from the community that should be considered at:
A. The stage of project selection - make public a map of possible streets,
a list of prioritized streets, and allow people to comment.
B. Stage of implementation - once a street is selected and a rough plan
exists, allow people to comment and suggest amendments.
This should be done without city council hearings (see #3)
Instead, I suggest some sort of system, online and/or in person, where
people can submit comments and suggestions AND receive a response back,
similar to the act menlo app for example.
Again, I urge council to give direction to move forward quickly with a
data-driven, efficient process that also incorporates community input.
Thank you for your consideration
Misha Silin
D4 Resident and Planning Commissioner
