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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 2016-01 Support for MetroPlan Orlando Initiative for Innovative Traffic Signal Technologies RESOLUTION NUMBER 2016-01 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA; SUPPORT FOR INNOVATIVE TRAFFIC SIGNAL TECHNOLOGIES PILOT PROJECT REPEALING RESOLUTIONS IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS,the City of Winter Springs, Florida, has made the following determinations; and WHEREAS, the Orlando metropolitan area (which includes Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties) now has more than two million residents and the population is expected to continue growing at a rate of 2-3% each year; and WHEREAS, the metropolitan area is the nation's top visitor destination with more than 62 million visitors in 2014 (which is more than 500,000 visitors on a typical day) and strong growth from domestic and international markets is expected to continue; and WHEREAS, the metropolitan area's continued growth and prosperity depends on a transportation system that can safely and efficiently move an ever greater volume of people and goods; and WHEREAS,there are limited opportunities for building new roads in densely developed, urbanized areas while further expanding existing arterials may not be cost feasible in terms of right-of-way and can be contrary to community interests; and WHEREAS, to meet these challenges, more emphasis is being placed on other solutions such as transit, non-motorized transportation and the use of transportation system management and operations strategies to optimize utilization of existing arterials; and WHEREAS, traffic signals play a critical role in moving vehicles on arterials while also providing for the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists; and WHEREAS, advances in traffic signal technology and related traffic management practices have been shown to improve utilization of urban arterials and reduce travel time delays, which is the goal of an effective transportation system management and operations program; and WHEREAS, one such advance has been made with adaptive traffic signal technology which results in traffic signals being operated based on information from roadside devices whose effectiveness can be confirmed with probe vehicle technology such as electronic toll transponders or Bluetooth-enabled devices within vehicles; and WHEREAS, the Orlando metropolitan area currently has six (6) independently controlled traffic management centers (Florida Department of Transportation/District 5, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Seminole County, Orange County, Osceola County and the City of Orlando) and opportunities exist to improve connectivity, collaboration and coordination that could benefit the region's transportation system and possibly reduce costs; and WHEREAS, for operating and maintaining traffic signals there are immediate opportunities for streamlining work processes between Florida Department of Transportation/District 5, counties and cities that should begin with reworking existing agreements; and WHEREAS, making improvements to interoperability among the six (6) traffic management centers and reworking agreements for operating and maintaining traffic signals would be positive steps to enhance the region's transportation system that demonstrate our commitment to collaboration and the efficient use of resources; and City of Winter Springs,Florida Resolution 2016-01 Page 2 of 5 WHEREAS, MetroPlan Orlando is embarking on the development of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Master Plan where the aforementioned topics, among others, will be addressed and an important factor in prioritizing strategies in the Plan will be the identification and application of emerging and innovative technologies to improve mobility and reliability of the transportation network, especially on arterial roadways; and WHEREAS, the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Master Plan will serve as the basis for making prudent investment decisions with federal, state and local funds that will improve transportation system management and operations; and WHEREAS, a new Federal Transportation Bill is being drafted by Congress to replace MAP-21 and it is expected to include funding for one (1) or more pilot projects to accelerate the deployment of innovative traffic signal technologies; and WHEREAS, Congressman Mica has called this opportunity to our attention and has offered to lend his support with obtaining federal discretionary funds to conduct one (1) or more pilot projects using innovative traffic signal technologies throughout the metropolitan area; and WHEREAS,there are a number of prospective arterials in the Orlando metropolitan area that are considered to be promising corridors for possible pilot projects such as US 17-9.2, US 192, US 441, State Road 414, State Road 50, State Road 426, State Road 434, State Road 436 and State Road 438; and WHEREAS, once a new Federal.Transportation Bill is approved by Congress and the President, it is expected that the United States Department of Transportation will develop specific information on pilot projects such as criteria that will be used for evaluation/selection, procedures for submitting grant applications, funding match requirements, etc.; and City of Winter Springs,Florida Resolution 2016-01 Page 3 of 5 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation's discretionary grant programs are highly competitive and applications selected for funding must be well-defined, have a broad base of support and hold promise for delivering positive results that can be replicated elsewhere. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA,AS FOLLOWS: SECTION I - that in anticipation of this new funding opportunity, it is in the best interests of the City of Winter Springs to join together at both the policy and technical levels to prepare for submitting a region-wide grant application for an innovative traffic signal technology pilot program. SECTION II - that MetroPlan Orlando and the Florida Department of Transportation/District 5 will take the lead, working closely with the City of Winter Springs and other local governments, to develop one (1) or more pilot projects that conform to the criteria established for the discretionary grant program by the United States Department of Transportation. SECTION III - that the City of Winter Springs is in full support of its Staff working closely with MetroPlan Orlando and the Florida Department of Transportation/District 5, along with other local governments, to develop a competitive grant application to obtain federal funding for one (1) or more pilot projects to evaluate the benefits of innovative traffic signal technologies. City of Winter Springs,Florida Resolution 2016-01 Page 4 of 5 SECTION IV - that it would be advantageous to have a centralized traffic management center that is managed by multiple users in a collaborative manner to allow for shared staffing through centrally held contracts, greater interoperability, developing operating and maintenance standards, enhancing security, sharing software through centralized licensing, disseminating multimodal data, having one (1) call-in number for the public to use in reporting incidents and for improved coordination of incident response through the development of MetroPlan Orlando's Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Master Plan. SECTION V - That this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED IN A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS CITY COMMISSION THIS 11TH DAY OF JANUARY 2016. APPROVED: � � l CHARL S LACEY, ATT ST: �N LORE NZO-LUACES, City Clerk APP LAS O FORM AND CORRECTNESS: ANTHONY A. GARGANESE, City Attorney City of Winter Springs,Florida Resolution 2016-01 Page 5 of 5