Thirteen people were killed and more than 400 were seriously injured in traffic accidents between 2019 and 2023 in Bloomington. The city’s stated goal is to take that number to zero by 2039.
Bloomington’s Planning Services Manager Ryan Robling presented one way to help at the Bloomington City Council’s Wednesday meeting: merge several of the city’s commissions into one directed, safety-conscious board.
That plan would combine the Traffic Commission, Parking Commission and Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Commission. The council discussed but did not vote on the item.
The commissions would merge into the Advisory Transportation Commission, made up of nine members and focused on safety equity. The appointments, in the plan’s current iteration, would be as follows:
- One from the Council for Community Accessibility (or a designated representative) appointed by the mayor
- One appointed by the Public Transportation Corporation Board of Directors
- One appointed by the Plan Commission
- One appointed by the Board of Public Works
- One city councilmember appointed by the council
- Two city residents with “demonstrated experience” in using forms of travel other than motor vehicles as their primary means of transportation — like walking, biking or transit — appointed by the council
- Two city residents appointed by the council, with preference for members of groups representing students, human rights or marginalized communities.
The new commission would be charged with much of the same functions as the previous commissions and have oversight on certain projects’ implementation.
The overall idea is to promote inter-commission collaboration on safety within the new group. Robling said that people on other non-combined commissions would become more involved in improving safety in their own work, especially the two members from the Plan Commission and Board of Public Works.
“Decisionmakers need to be listening to people with safety concerns,” Robling said.
Councilmembers and public commenters were broadly supportive of the plan but hashed out the fine print for more than an hour and a half.
Steve Volan, a member of the Parking Commission, said during public comment that he was concerned the commission’s mandate would conflict with its purpose to manage parking demand.
Greg Alexander, who serves on the Traffic Commission, said during public comment that he thought the plan was “awesome.”
“Having public review of projects is huge,” he said.
Still, the makeup of the commission became a point of contention — one that councilmember Isak Asare said was the main question on his mind.
The standing three commissions have a total of 25 seats combined and often face difficulties in meeting their mandates (and meeting at all). Robling’s idea is to consolidate the focus of the groups to reduce overlap and have select appointed positions to ensure the commission meets quorum.
However, some councilmembers said they were uneasy about the potential workload put on the commission and suggested adding more members. Robling said he wasn’t concerned about it.
Councilmember Hopi Stosberg suggested adding more positions in advisory roles, and one for the Monroe County Community School Corporation in particular, since the district already deals with transportation management on a regular basis. Those members wouldn’t be counted in the number needed to reach quorum, but Stosberg said they would still have valuable input.
Christopher Emge, director of advocacy and public policy for the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, said merging the commissions would be a positive change. He said that having one board will give the commission more “gravitas,” granting it greater influence.
Emge suggested increasing the representation of the business community on the proposed commission, to which Council President Isabel Piedmont-Smith agreed. But the Parking Commission already requires two “merchant” members, who typically have poor attendance at its meetings, according to Robling.
The schedule of the Advisory Transportation Commission’s meetings would be determined by the commission itself based on what it deems necessary. Everywhere from quarterly meetings to multiple per month were suggested.
What’s up in the air:
The clock is ticking as some pre-merged commission terms expire in late January, and Piedmont-Smith said the merger will need to be up for a vote before the end of the year.
Originally on the council’s agenda was “Action regarding Pending Litigation.” Piedmont-Smith struck that from the agenda, saying there was no action taken. It’s unclear what the pending litigation is.
