TAB Meeting Minutes March 17, 2026
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1 TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES APPROVED HELD ON March 17, 2026 The Transportation Advisory Board of the City of Mesa met at City Hall (20 East Main Street, 1st Floor) on March 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. TAB Members Present TAB Members Absent Others Present Daniel Hartig (Chairperson) Dana Alvidrez Sabine King Mike James (Vice Chairperson) * Lea Bertoni Anna Janusz Tara Bingdazzo Daniel Laufer Justin Bond Rob Crist Melissa Leon Michelle McCroskey *arrived at 5:53 pm Chairperson Hartig called the March 17, 2026, Transportation Advisory Board meeting to order at 5:35 pm. Item 1. Approval of the minutes of the Transportation Advisory Board meeting held on January 20, 2026. It was moved by Board Member Bond, seconded by Board Member Leon, that receipt of the above-listed minutes be approved. Upon tabulation of votes, it showed: AYES – Hartig – Bingdazzo – Bond – Crist – Leon – McCroskey NAYS – None Item 2. Items from citizens present. None Item 3. Hear and discuss a presentation on the Downtown Mesa Resurfacing and Restriping Project. 2 Sabine King, Supervising Engineer, introduced herself and indicated that she would giving a presentation on the Downtown Mesa Resurfacing and Restriping Project. Ms. King presented the details of the upcoming project, which originated from the downtown Mesa micro-mobility and parking plan. The goal of the plan is to enhance transportation options for all users, including drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and scooter riders, while maximizing and clarifying downtown parking. Ms. King outlined Downtown Mesa’s Mill & Overlay program, new striping configuration and wayfinding signage to public parking. By coordinating these changes with the city's scheduled pavement maintenance, the transportation department can use the newly resurfaced roads as a "blank slate" for the new striping. Ms. King showed a map of Downtown Mesa’s Proposed Bike Network and a couple proposed street cross section examples. She noted that many of the City of Mesa's wide downtown streets are currently underutilized. The project will incorporate a mix of parallel and angled parking, utilizing physical barriers like delineators and curb stops to keep cars out of the bike lanes. Next, Ms. King outlined the four-year current pavement maintenance plan that includes the ADA updates and targeted concrete curb repairs followed by the mill and overlay project that will provide the opportunity for the new striping configuration. The project will tackle one downtown quadrant per year. It will start in the northwest quadrant and move counterclockwise, finishing by 2029. The project is budgeted at an average of $5 million per quadrant, totaling just over $20 million. Ms. King presented a few examples of design concepts and explained key elements of each of them. She added that the City of Mesa will remove center turn lanes (except at major intersections) to create the necessary space for the new bike lanes and parking configurations. The City of Mesa’s plans is to add green-striped bike lanes to provide a safe alternative to Main Street, which cannot accommodate bike lanes due to the light rail. To maximize safety, the design aims to place bike lanes behind parked cars, using the parked vehicles as a physical buffer from moving traffic. Ms. King added that the plan includes removal of some downtown traffic signals. Traffic lights at five low-volume intersections—specifically at Robson and 1st Street, Macdonald and 1st Street, Macdonald and 1st Avenue, Sirrine and 1st Avenue, and Hibbert and 1st Avenue—will be converted to all-way stops. This change is designed to reduce unnecessary wait times and improve the pedestrian experience. Signals on higher-volume roads like Center Street will remain. Additionally, the city has already removed the confusing color-coded parking lot system in favor of clear, standardized blue public parking signage. Board Member McCroskey inquired about the visibility of stop signs at wide intersections, specifically on Macdonald, following the proposed removal of traffic signals. She asked how the stop signs would be placed to ensure they are noticeable to drivers. Ms. King responded by using the 1st Street and Robson intersection as an example of a location where a traffic signal will be removed. She explained that due to the wide median on Robson, there is not much that can be changed, so the current layout will remain. On 1st Street, unused hatched areas on the right- hand side provide an opportunity to place stop signs closer to the travel lane, preventing them from being blocked by parked vehicles. She added that reflective sleeves can be installed on the signposts to further enhance visibility. 3 Board Member McCroskey inquired whether there had been any discussion regarding scheduling major road construction at night to avoid daytime traffic impacts and the extreme summer heat. Ms. King responded that because the project is in a residential area, the impacts of nighttime noise must be weighed against daytime traffic disruptions. The work will be strategically phased to ensure alternate routes remain open. The project does not involve moving any curbs. It primarily involves concrete work for ramps and sidewalks, followed by a relatively quick mill and overlay resurfacing, rather than a lengthy roadway reconstruction involving curb relocation. Due to the residential impacts and the speed of the resurfacing and striping processes, night work is not prioritized, and daytime impacts are not anticipated to be a significant issue. Board Member McCroskey inquired if physical barriers or vertical elements would be installed along the bike lanes to alert drivers if their vehicles drift into the designated cycling area. Ms. King stated that vertical delineators equipped with reflectors will be installed in certain sections, particularly adjacent to parallel parking stalls. Furthermore, she noted that the bike lanes will generally be physically separated from moving traffic by a buffer of parked cars, significantly reducing the likelihood of vehicles entering the bike lanes. Board Member McCroskey expressed support for the separation of bike lanes from vehicle traffic. She then commented on the proposed changes to parking zone colors, emphasizing the need for clear, quickly identifiable signage with time limits in the City of Mesa downtown area. Additionally, she emphasized the need for clear wayfinding and safe bicycle parking for cyclists navigating the downtown area. Ms. King assured the board that visible and secure bicycle parking is a priority. She stated that the City of Mesa actively collaborates with local businesses on bicycle parking options in visible locations, allowing cyclists to comfortably monitor their bicycles. Board Member McCroskey inquired about the specific destination, the 1st Avenue and 1st Street bike corridors, are intendent to connect. Ms. King stated that the corridors are designed to connect to the broader downtown network. This includes future connections to Center Street, which is being addressed as a separate capital improvement project. The overall goal over the next four years is to establish a comprehensive network of north-south and east-west connections, primarily using protected or striped bike lanes. However, some streets such as Macdonald and Robson that have wide median will not have dedicated bike lane due to space constraints. They are low-volume streets that will still serve as connections within the wider network. Board Member Bond noted that Robson is the only corridor providing a designated crosswalk connection across University Drive Ms. King clarified that the designated crossing is located on Grand, just east of Robson. 4 Board Member Bond suggested utilizing stop signs with LED outer borders, in addition to reflective posts, to better capture drivers' attention. Ms. King acknowledged the suggestion. Chairperson Hartig inquired how the downtown bicycle network is planned to connect to areas outside of the immediate downtown square mile. Ms. King responded that establishing broader connectivity is an ongoing effort. For example, Center Street contains striped bike lanes north of University Drive, connecting to the canal paths. Additionally, future capital improvement projects, such as the planned extension of Mesa Drive north of Main Street utilizing Proposition 479 funds, will include bike lanes to further expand the network beyond the downtown core. She further acknowledged that, while the current focus is on connecting the downtown area, it is essential to ensure connectivity to various destinations beyond downtown. Chairperson Hartig inquired about the definition of "micro-mobility parking" as referenced in the presentation materials. Ms. King stated that the micro-mobility concept originated from the Downtown Transformation Office. She explained that it primarily refers to providing infrastructure for parking, including bicycle parking and anticipating future needs for shared electric scooters. While scooter usage is currently low in the City of Mesa compared to other Valley cities, the plan aims to accommodate a potential future increase in micro-mobility options in the downtown area. Chairperson Hartig then inquired whether there were any safety concerns regarding vehicles backing out of the proposed angled parking spaces. Ms. King advised that the angled parking is situated on a low-volume, low-speed street. While acknowledging that drivers must look over their shoulders when backing out, she emphasized that angled parking is common in urban areas and functions as an effective traffic-calming measure. The tighter street design introduces "side friction," which naturally encourages drivers to reduce their speed and pay closer attention to their surroundings as they adapt to the pedestrian-friendly environment. Chairperson Harting commented that drivers might veer into the opposing lane to navigate around vehicles backing out of angled stalls but agreed that the low vehicle speeds should mitigate potential safety issues. Vice Chairperson James noted the upcoming Cul-de-sac development at Site 17 and its function as a mobility hub. He expressed that this development increases the importance of enhancing the bike lanes on, and connections from, University Drive, and described the current striping on University Drive as in need of improvement. Ms. King agreed with this assessment. Vice Chairperson James commented that a large tree was previously lost to a storm on the northeast corner of Mesa Drive and University Drive, suggesting that the resulting available right-of-way could be utilized for infrastructure improvements. Downtown Mesa Resurfacing & Restriping Project Transportation Advisory Board March 2026 Agenda 2 • Downtown Mesa Micromobility & Parking Plan • Downtown Mesa Mill & Overlay o Four-year program • New Striping Configurations o Update street characteristics o Add bike lanes o Add parking o Remove Signals • Wayfinding to Public Parking Micromobility & Parking Plan 3 Goals • Enhance transportation options as the downtown area grows • Focus on creating a sustainable, multimodal transportation network • Explore options for improved connectivity between surrounding neighborhoods & downtown businesses • Create dense, urban environment that incorporates walkability & shared parking solutions • Maximize utilization of existing parking resources & anticipate future parking needs Micromobility & Parking Plan 4 Downtown Mesa Proposed Bike Network Micromobility & Parking Plan 5 Proposed Street Cross Sections *concept-level cross sections Pavement Maintenance 6 Downtown Mill & Overlay Project • Four-year program (4 sq. mi.) • ADA updates & targeted concrete curb repairs where needed • Opportunity for new striping configurations Legend FY 25/26 FY 26/27 FY 27/28 FY 28/29 FY 25/26 = $6,000,000 FY 26/27 = $5,925,000 FY 27/28 = $4,950,000 FY 28/29 = $5,250,000 Pavement Marking Updates 7 Restriping Project • Part of mill & overlay project with newly paved roadways • Update street cross-sections with new striping configurations to meet the following goals: o add new and enhanced bike lanes to targeted corridors o add downtown, on-street parking options o promote slow-speed, multi-modal, downtown street characteristics Pavement Marking Updates 8 1st Street Design Concepts Pavement Marking Updates 9 1st Street Design Concepts Pavement Marking Updates 10 1st Street Design Concepts Pavement Marking Updates 11 1st Street Design Concepts Proposed Traffic Signal Removals 12 1st Street • Robson • Macdonald 1st Avenue • Macdonald • Sirrine • Hibbert Intersections will be converted to all-way stops. Public Parking Signage 13 Wayfinding to public parking areas • Parking garages • Surface parking lots Why We Are Here Today 14 Overall Schedule • Provided to TAB: Background, goals & resurfacing project Current design concepts for striping How to provide suggestions • Comment during today’s meeting • Submit written feedback to sabine.king@mesaaz.gov by March 31, 2026 Questions/Discussion 15 15