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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-04-15 Bicycle & Pedestrian_MIN BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION Thursday, April 15, 1999 Meeting Minutes Members Present: Tim Garry, Landon Hilliard, Tom Powell, Russ Rickert, Theresa Johnson, Jennifer Hadden, David Young, and Council Liaison Carole Wheeldon. Staff present: Maria Harris. I. CALL TO ORDER: Tim Garry called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: March 18, 1999 Minutes were approved as submitted. III. PUBLIC FORUM Teri DeSilva, Ashland Police Department, presented her idea for a Bike Rodeo to the Commission. She said the rodeo would be from 10am-2pm on Saturday, May 22 in the parking lot of the Pacific Northwest Natural History Museum parking lot. DeSilva said she had contacted Ashland CycleSport and they would be helping with bike safety inspections and offer $5 tune-ups. She said there would be a riding course and a hand signals practice. DeSilva said she is looking for donations from businesses and volunteers to help with the rodeo. She asked that each Commissioner solicit 5 businesses each to donate items/gift certificates for a raffle. Wheeldon asked DeSilva if she was aware that the Commission was currently preparing for Ashland Free Ride Day, and that stated she wasn’t sure if there was any extra time for another event. DeSilva said she wasn’t aware of that, and would just appreciate whatever anyone could do. Harris said the Bike Rodeo was in conjunction with the Bicycle Education Safety Class being conducted at Ashland Middle School from May 10 through May 28 for which the Commission had written a letter of support for. IV. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION A. Bike Rack Recommendation: Blackstone Audio/27 Mistletoe, Steve Black Harris referred the Commission to a memo in the packet which presented background information. She said attached to the memo was a copy of the findings of the staff report for 27 Mistletoe and a copy of the ordinance on required bicycle parking design. She said Mr. Black is requesting to use a bike rack of a different design than the required u-bar. Steve Black presented photos of the bicycle parking rack that he had built and installed at the building he recently build at 27 Mistletoe Road for Blackstone Video. He explained that he was required to install bicycle parking as part of the planning approval for the building. He explained that he had built the bike rack himself and said that Mark Knox had asked him to fabricate the rack. Black also said Knox had approved the design. Young asked if many bicyclists came to the business. Black said no, that it is a 7-unit warehouse/startup business building. Young recommended that Black be able to keep the rack. Harris said the rack that has been installed on the site requires the front wheel of the bike to support the bike and does not allow the bike frame to be securely locked to the rack as required by the ordinance. She said the racks are often referred to as “wheel benders” because the support of the front tire is weak and bikes fall easily thereby bending the entire front rim. She said the Commission would be setting a precedent to use a type of rack that has been routinely turned down in other approvals because it does not meet the requirements of the ordinance. Wheeldon suggested tabling the item until the next meeting. She said she typically, the applicant can speak to the Commission and then the public hearing is closed and the Commission has deliberations. Wheeldon said she believed the Commission needs to discuses the issue and it is difficult given the large number of people waiting in the audience to present another issue to the Commission. The Commission agreed to continue the item to the May agenda. PUBLIC FORUM The public forum was reopened to hear from residents of the SOU Family Housing on Wightman Street. Kevin Richmond, 96 Wightman #2, said his home fronts right on the new bicycle path (Central Ashland Bike Path). He said people are driving their cars on the bike path to get to and from the softball fields. And yesterday, one of the drivers almost hit his daughter who was playing in the front yard. He said he called the police department and they said they couldn’t do anything about it since the path was not signed to keep automobiles out. Several other people from the neighborhood spoke and shared similar incidences involving their children. Wheeldon said she would take care of it. Rickert mentioned that another car-related problem occurs in the bike lane on East Main at Walker near the Soccer Fields. He said cars park on the edge of the road and block the bike lane. Wheeldon said she is involved with the soccer practice and all parents and coaches have been informed not to park in the area, and that the problem should continue to let her know. B. Ashland Free Ride Day Debriefing Wheeldon said Ashland Free Ride Day would be Thursday May 13 and that the Hilliard, Gary and herself had met to plan the event. They would develop a streetscape picture to distribute to elementary schools for a coloring contest. She asked each Commissioner to write a letter to the editor and get them to her. She would give them to John Enders of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Wheeldon said Enders had agreed to run the letters the week before the event. She said the WAMS students would be covering the event. Garry said that they had discussed trying not to do too much and only run one advertisement afterwards thanking people who participate. He said they would be developing a survey for elementary students to fill out that asks them how they get to and from school. Hilliard said they decided to go after student this year and that education is more important that the number of people who participate. He added that he was working on getting a sticker made to hand out to kids. The Commission unanimously voted to spend up to $100 on production of the stickers. Wheeldon asked Rickert what needed to be done for the stops. Rickert said the restaurants need to be contacted and the Public Works department for the tables. He said they usually have the stops open from 7-9am and have coffee and pastries. Rickert said Brothers, Morning Glory, Evo’s and the Rogue Valley Roasting Company were the participants in the past. Hilliard said that the Commission gave a reimbursement to the businesses last year. The Commission voted unanimously to give all participating businesses a stipend again this year. Rickert said the volunteers at the tables should greet people, offer them refreshments and mingle. Wheeldon said she thought there needed to be another short meeting to get the final details worked out. They agreed to meet March 10 at Evo’s at 5pm. C. Goal Setting Goal Setting was continued to the next meeting because of lack of time. D. Misc. Rickert said the planner of Talent, Nancy Kincaid, needs Bicycle and Pedestrian people because she wants to start a commission in Talent. He asked that if the Commissioners know anyone who might be good for the Talent Commission, to let Nancy Kincaid know. Rickert said he had a project idea to get a pedal-powered street sweeper to clean the bike lanes. He said Siskiyou Velo wants to put some money into the project. Rickert said there used to be a firm in Eugene that made this type of sweeper. He said from hearing the Public Works presentation last summer, it is obvious that they don’t have enough time to regularly sweep the lanes. So he said he wants to get a sweeper and have a volunteer crew regularly clean the bike lanes in Ashland. Hilliard reminded everyone of the upcoming Bike and Boat Swap at the Armory. He also announced that a Town Cruise would be taking place after the Earth Day Fair at SOU. V. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.