Department of Transportation 2020-2021 Annual Report

TRANSPORTATION

2020-2021 Annual Report Department of Transportation

New Strategic Plan Prioritizes Safety, Collaboration and Equity

In fiscal year 2020-21, the Greensboro Department of Transportation (GDOT) staff developed a new strategic plan. It’s a detailed guide for how the department will focus its work in the next two years and beyond with three goals: Make GDOT a great place to work. Make GDOT a great partner. And make Greensboro a great place to get around. To be a great workplace, department leaders will increase communication and collaboration with and recognition of staff, build a safety culture, support professional growth of employees, and create an equity team.

Provide Greensboro safe, seamless and equitable transportation choices. MISSION Collaborative | Equitable | Innovative | Integrated | People-Centered | Safe VALUES To be a great partner, staff will collaborate more with other City departments and community organizations and create innovative technological solutions to transportation issues. The plan also addresses how the department will work for a better Greensboro by communicating and engaging more with members of the public and promoting a safety culture. The plan includes more than three dozen action steps with specific, measurable results.

You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there. – Yogi Berra

2020-21 Highlights

Here are a few of the ways GDOT is already meeting its strategic plan goals. Increased Staff Engagement In a year when employees faced unprecedented stresses related to the pandemic, GDOT leadership worked to help staff stay connected. Director Hanna Cockburn hosted quarterly virtual all-staff meetings to keep everyone informed. Staff also participated in virtual brainstorming and feedback sessions to craft the strategic plan using a variety of new online collaboration tools. Equity Team Established Beginning in June 2020, GDOT reviewed its policies, programs and services with an equity lens as part of a larger City-wide effort. To continue this work, in April 2021 GDOT created a cross-division team to work on

department projects, identify engagement activities, and represent the department in City-wide race and equity initiatives. The team will assist with four priority projects: encouraging the creation of affordable housing with transit access; improving transparency of Greensboro Transit Agency service (GTA) changes; promoting staff mentoring; and supporting minority- and women- owned businesses in the bidding process. Safety Committee Relaunched GDOT’s strategic plan includes a critical implementation step to make GDOT a great place to work: reboot the staff Safety Committee to identify and address the specific safety needs of the department with a tailored approach. The Human Resources Department is assisting the committee of

2020-2021 Year in Review

GTA Veterans Resource Ride launched. Project won a national APTA AdWheel award.

Transit service restored to normal schedule. SCAT Access GSO rebranded.

$500K grant for new electric bus and charger received from NC Department of Environmental Quality.

November 2020

January 2021

July 2020

December 2020

October 2020

Bellemeade- Eugene Streetscape public meetings held.

2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan adopted. GTA participated in holiday reverse parade.

New wayfinding

Providing Support Through the Pandemic Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, GDOT has provided support for bus riders and the broader community. GTA buses operated fare-free through December 2020 to ensure continued access to transportation during the economic crisis. It provided 1.3 million free trips. As vaccination drives ramped up in spring 2021, GTA also provided free transit passes for vaccination trips. GTA has shared health and safety messages throughout the pandemic, including a bus wrapped with the three Ws message. Beginning in summer 2020, GDOT staff worked with other City departments and Downtown Greensboro Inc. on Open Streets, a project that expanded outdoor dining and retail sales into the right-of-way. Those

six GDOT staff members to establish a charter, outline responsibilities, and develop implementation activities and timelines. The committee’s first action will be a safety audit. Drone Policies Under Development In partnership with the Information Technology Department (IT) and other infrastructure departments, GDOT is establishing City-wide policies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones. Some GDOT staff members have and are working on obtaining UAV piloting credentials. GDOT is exploring how to best use UAVs for data collection, remote sensing, video and photography. The deployment and use of drones will help GDOT work more quickly and accurately when conducting traffic analysis and evaluating complex transportation project needs.

Eugene Street Deck opened.

Phase I of Depot

New Strategic Plan adopted. Davie Street Streetscape public meeting held.

renovation completed.

February 2021

June 2021

Spring Garden Street bike lane pop-up installed.

April 2021

May 2021

GTA fare mobile app, UMO, introduced in collaboration with Hi-Tran and PART. GTA E-lerts security reporting mobile application launched.

Blue Duck scooters and e-bikes deployed.

March 2021

plan adopted.

2020-21 Highlights (continued)

efforts provided more space for patrons of local restaurants and shops within the right of way while COVID-19 precautions limited business capacity and encouraged social distancing. Expanding Broadband Access In November 2020, GDOT received a $234,000 Federal Transit Agency Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) grant. It will be used to create a plan to use the City’s transportation infrastructure to provide broadband internet to areas of high poverty. The project, a partnership with IT, will assess the needs of local residents through public outreach. It will consider how the City’s transportation fiber optic network and things like bus shelters or street lights can provide a foundation to expandWiFi access to neighborhoods that need it most. Evolving Downtown This year, GDOT has supported new growth and redevelopment downtown by opening the new Eugene Street Parking Deck and advancing streetscape plans. The 950-space deck is the first the City has built in more than 30 years. It also supports the $140 million Project Slugger mixed-use building S P E N C E R D L A K E

project and other planned developments in the Lo-Fi neighborhood of downtown. GDOT staff have finalized plans for revamping the streetscape on Bellemeade and Eugene streets around the First National Bank Field and on Davie Street. Construction of these improvements will begin this fall. Syncing with the City Comprehensive Plan GDOT is working to synchronize its transportation plans and projects with GSO2040, the City’s new comprehensive plan. GDOT is refining its approach to the capital improvements program and plans for future transportation bond projects, holistic transportation investments and interdepartmental collaboration. This approach aligns with a wide range of GSO2040 objectives, including quality of life; safe, comfortable, and convenient transportation options; social equity; economic resilience; and strategic investment in historically underrepresented areas. GDOT recognizes the importance of shaping transportation services and projects as opportunities to improve mobility choices and access for all ages and abilities.

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