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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-06-29 Bicycle & Pedestrian_MIN BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION Special Meeting Thursday, June 29, 2000 Meeting Minutes MEMBERS PRESENT Joan Spear, Beverly Morris, and David Young. STAFF PRESENT Maria Harris was present. PUBLIC PARTICIPANTS Renee Edwards, Benjamin Sawyer and the Rogue Valley Transit District’s Matthew Barnes. CALL TO ORDER: Young called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Young offered to facilitate and gave some background on the event. He explained that it used to be called Free Ride Day, and that it used to occur earlier in the year. He also noted that two members of the commission, who helped organize the event in the past, have moved away. Discussed renting a shuttle for the day, to run between downtown and on the Boulevard. It was noted that the closed lane on Siskiyou Boulevard would be limited to use by the shuttle and bicycles. Spear noted that Council liaison Carole Wheeldon was going to check into the possibility of closing a lane on Siskiyou. She said it had occurred to her that there would have to be a sign at each intersection. Young suggested that volunteers could also be used at corners, and other possibilities for dealing with this issue could be looked into further. Young confirmed for Morris that the event will be occurring on a Friday. Young suggested outlining the meeting. The group agreed the first task would be to outline the purpose of the event. It was agreed that the group would begin with brainstorming and then proceed to develop an action plan and allocate tasks. Goals/Purpose of Events Young questioned the purpose of the event, and what the group intended to accomplish. Morris explained that the commission hopes to encourage people to walk, bike and ride the bus. Young questioned why the commission wants people to do those things. Morris responded that she would like to see a decrease in traffic. Edwards suggested that there are lot of people who want to start walking and biking, but are trying to figure out how to get started. Morris stated that she walks when shopping, and takes a cart that draws comments like, “I would walk to the store if I had a cart like that.” Spear suggested that another goal is to raise awareness that there are alternatives to the automobile, and to help people stay fit in a country that has become overweight. Morris suggested that people do not think that it is possible to walk from downtown to the hospital, or to Tolman Creek Plaza for example. Young noted that making dedicated drivers aware of other options interested him because he gets frequent comments when he rides his bike. He said he has been doing it for ten years, and he noted that it took a huge lifestyle change to make this commitment to cycling. He further explained that now that he has made a change, it is easy. Cited an acupuncturist he knows as an example, who did not feel he could cycle to work and arrive sweaty. Ashland Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission Minutes June 29, 2000 Page 1 of 4 Spear recognized that this event may not change people like that, but it might be able to persuade people who are considering a change already. Harris confirmed for Sawyer that this is a city-sponsored event. Sawyer suggested that including this fact in the advertising would send a powerful message. Spear questioned whether “Stop Smoking Day” is successful. Edwards stated that she did not believe this was comparable, given the addictive nature of nicotine. Young suggested that perhaps it is a matter of having this information out there, to help people who are ready to make a change in their lives. Sawyer recommended advertising the event, and suggested presenting it as “A Look Into the Future” with a focus on the upcoming redesign of Siskiyou Boulevard. He suggested handing out bike trail maps, and asked if one was available. Barnes noted that Jackson County is working on a map like that. Harris explained that it would be possible to make a single sheet Ashland biking map, but probably more difficult to make it a polished, presentation piece in the short time that remains. Young summarized that, at this point, it seems that the goal is to raise awareness and educate people about new possibilities. He emphasized the importance of sending a positive message, and suggested finding a way to involve and embrace drivers, rather than being adversarial. Harris noted that she would provide information from the publicity materials for Walk Your Kids To School Day to use in preparing advertising. Briefly listed goals identified as raising awareness of alternative modes of transportation, providing information on the benefits of exercise, reducing traffic, reducing pollution, enhancing a sense of community and the quality of life, alleviating parking problems, and quieting the town to eliminate noise pollution. Also noted that promoting safety could be considered a goal. Brainstorming Young questioned what the event would look like. Morris said she envisioned a little fair somewhere, with booths where people would be demonstrating the latest car-free transportation methods. Young suggested talking to local bike shops to see if they wanted to do quick, reduced-price tune-ups. Morris said there are scooters, skateboards, in-line skates, electric bikes, walking sticks, bicycle trailers and backpacks that could be exhibited. Young noted the shuttle would also be a major element of the day, and possibly two shuttles. Barnes noted that he has the event penciled in for one shuttle, and it might be possible to borrow another. Spear noted that when the event was “Bike to Work Day,” there used to be coffee and muffins at local coffee shops. She questioned whether this had worked well. Young stated that he thought it was unnecessary, but Spear noted that there needs to be some destination for people to go to. Young stated his vision was more about integrating new transportation methods into their lives than about providing a bike ride. Edwards suggested having information about health benefits, in the form of printed materials, available. Young asked Spear if she thought free refreshments would be a good thing. Spear stated that she did not necessarily feel that there needs to be refreshments, but there needs to be some place to check in. Edwards concurred that there needs to be some meeting place, and Young suggested the Plaza. Edwards suggested Garden Way park, or a more outdoorsy place. Morris suggested the Railroad Park. Young agreed that this would be a good place because it is adjacent to the bike path. Ashland Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission Minutes June 29, 2000 Page 2 of 4 Spear noted that at this point, it is not known for certain whether it will be possible to shut down Siskiyou Boulevard. Young noted that a lane closure will be a substantial undertaking, requiring the support of the Police Department. Discussed the need for signage and cones. Sawyer emphasized that the group needs to think boldly in planning this event, and suggested that someone on the commission needs to be on task and look into the lane closure. Young stated that he was willing to take this task on, and questioned whether Harris felt a presentation to the City Council was needed at this point. Harris stated that she would look into what official process would be involved in closing the lane. Young stated that he would also call the Police Department to gauge their feelings about the lane closure. It was noted that Triangle Park would be a good site for a fair, as it is adjacent to Siskiyou Boulevard. Morris suggested doing posters, signs and maps that indicate distances and minutes to downtown and to schools. Harris suggested a guided tour taking off from the Railroad Park, and also suggested a raffle to give away things related to walking, biking, and riding the bus. Young questioned what would be done with any money raised from the sale of raffle tickets. Harris stated that they did not necessarily have to require people to pay to participate in a raffle. Young suggested a couple of check-ins at strategically placed checkpoints would get a person a ticket for the raffle. Sawyer also suggested making tickets available to anyone who did not drive to the event. Spear suggested bicycle bells as a good promotional item. Sawyer suggested tube repair kits as another incentive. Young summarized the vision for “Car Free Day”: a lane closed on Siskiyou if possible, a small fair occurring at event headquarters in Triangle Park, exhibits from local bike shops, repairs available, a raffle, a shuttle on Siskiyou Boulevard, and a guided tour of existing bike paths. Young noted that there may be liability issues as this is a city-sponsored event, and suggested that staff look into whether waivers would be needed. Action Plan The following action items were identified:  Get permission to use Triangle Park.  Arrange for tables.  Determine exhibit materials.  Go to bike and pedestrian-related shops (including outdoor stores, travel shops) to look into arranging exhibits and reduced-price repairs  Check on liability issue involving guided tours  Determine and initiate necessary process for lane closure on Siskiyou Boulevard  Schedule presentation to City Council  Prepare presentation for Council  Publicity  Get map or representation of the new Siskiyou Boulevard design, if available  Map of bike lanes/paths (in newspaper to cut out?)  Designate a volunteer coordinator  Work on signage and banners Allocating Tasks Young asked if anyone was willing to serve as Event Coordinator. Young said he would rather not do it. Morris asked whether Young would reconsider, but he declined noting that he will be out of town a lot during the next two months. He suggested that the Coordinator did not necessarily have to be a person on the Commission. Ashland Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission Minutes June 29, 2000 Page 3 of 4 Discussed the available budget, noting that this year the commission has only $750. Harris noted that there may be additional funds available outside the amount budgeted to the commission, to cover items such as the shuttle rental. Morris said she would do the publicity. Young said he would check into the lane closure and reserving Triangle Park. Sawyer said he would contact local bike shops. Harris stated that she would prepare an event flyer, and that she would check into the maps, and noted that there is some difficulty in reducing a full-city map to 8.5 x 11 size. Discussed the possibility of printing a larger map in the newspaper. Barnes noted that he would look into signage for the buses, and check on getting some radio time. Spear stated that she would work on sign content. Edwards stated that she would help recruit volunteers and talk to the outdoor stores. Next Meeting Members agreed to have their tasks done by the next meeting on July 20th. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Ashland Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission Minutes June 29, 2000 Page 4 of 4