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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-09-21 Bicycle & Pedestrian_MIN Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission st September 21, 2006 Regular Minutes Roll Call: Tracy Harding, Arnold Bleicher, David Young, Chair Dylan Robbins , Selene Aitken , Jim Olney, Paul Rostykus (absent) Council Liaison: David Chapman (absent) Staff: Derek Severson, Associate Planner; Steve McLennan, Police Officer RVTD liaison: Paige West, RVTD/TDM Planner High school liaison: Vacant SOU liaison: Nathan Meyerson (absent) Call to Order Robbins called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. th Approval of Minutes – August 17, 2006 Harding/Aitken m/s to approve the minutes of August 17th, 2006 as presented. Voice vote: All AYES. Motion passed. Newly appointed commissioner Jim Olney was introduced to the Commission. Public Forum Madeline Hill of Mountain Meadows noted that they were looking at remodeling the five-year old Parkside IV condominiums, and were looking at some alterations to the approved bicycle parking arrangement. She explained that individual units had sheds which were intended to provide scooter parking, and that they were hoping these sheds could be used to provide required bicycle parking. She questioned whether they needed to provide all ten spaces required under their original planning approval, and noted that they had letters from architectural firms indicating that other communities did not require bicycle parking for this type of development. She added that the nearby clubhouse has bicycle parking in place for employees, and that they would still retain some spaces on site for guests. She also suggested that they would like to have alternative designs considered. Severson explained that he would need to look into the original approval and the details of the proposal, but that he could follow up with Hill as to her options. He also noted that alternative bicycle parking designs would have to be brought before the Commission for approval. An audience member asked that the City consider rubber sidewalks made from recycled tires. She noted her concern with run-off created by the use of concrete sidewalks, and added that the rubber sidewalks are tree-friendly, easier to maintain, and very durable. She provided a website reference (rubbersidewalks.com), and Severson indicated that he would pass this on to the Public Works/Engineering Division. He added that there was a current city standard that specified concrete, and that a change would likely require research through the Engineering Division and adoption of a new standard by the Council. Egon Dubois, bicycle safety instructor for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), noted that the Willow Wind th School would be conducting a bike-a-thon on September 30, and that 6-12 year olds would be riding laps to raise money for a barn on the school property. He noted that prizes were still needed, and that he would be contacting the Parks Department to see if they would be willing to provide helmets, ice rink tickets, etc. Dubois also raised the issue of signage along A Street at the intersections with Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Streets. He explained that he had brought this up months ago, and that he was still concerned that vehicles entering the alley behind the buildings along A Street are traveling at excessive speeds and are unaware that there might be pedestrians or cyclists in the alley area. He suggested that signage could be placed on the poles with existing “Creek to Crest” signage. Severson indicated that he may have failed to pass this along to Engineering and Traffic Safety Commission when it was last raised, but stated that he would follow-up with Jim Olson. 2006-0921 Bike & Ped minutes Page 1 of 4 Dubois noted that the stop sign at the intersection of B Street and Water Street had been removed during the street closure for the nearby bridge construction, and had never been replaced when the street reopened. He expressed concern that this created a hazard for motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Severson and MacLennan both indicated that they would follow up with Engineering, Traffic Safety and the Street Department. Budget Update Severson noted that a budget update memo had been provided in the packet materials, and that no new expenditures had occurred in the past month. Subcommittee & Liaison Reports Severson explained that the City Council wanted to conduct a survey of all members of all Commissions, and asked whether members wanted to discuss their responses tonight. Members indicated that they had received copies of the survey by mail. After discussion, it was agreed that members could prepare individual responses to the survey before next month’s meeting or simply consider responses for discussion at the next meeting. It was clarified that the survey were not required to be a consensus of the whole Commission, so individual responses could be compiled by staff, a group response prepared by the Commission as a whole, or individual members could respond confidentially on their own. Severson stated that he would include the survey as a discussion item for the next agenda. Car Free Day Members discussed event details and logistics, and asked that those who could assist with the event be on Oak Street by 1:00 p.m. West noted that the car free-themed movie hadn’t worked out with either the Varsity Theater or the Medford Parks Department. She stated that the hope was to screen a movie in May as part of Bike to Work Day/Week, and she noted that the winners of the next “Bike First” program would be announced in May as well. Young/Aitken m/s to reimburse Tracy Harding up to $100 for her expenses in screen printing T-Shirts and copying promotional materials for Car Free Day. Voice vote: All AYES with Harding abstaining. Motion passed. Int’l Walk/Bike Scooter to School Day/Week West provided background on the event, and noted that the primary focus of the week’s events would occur at 7:30 th a.m. on Wednesday, October 4 with volunteers leading groups of walking, biking and scootering kids to individual schools. She added that interested volunteers could contact the individual event coordinators for each school (Wendy Connor at Walker, Paul Rostykus at Helman, Tatiana Brendakin at Bellview, and Egon Dubois at Willow Wind). West pointed out that the Siskiyou School on Clay Street is expanding, and as part of that process is working with the Traffic Safety Commission to get school zone signage installed. Bear Creek Greenway Festival rd Members noted that the planned group ride to Blue Heron Park in Phoenix for the festival on September 23 had been cancelled due to construction-related closures along the greenway. Members indicated that leading a group ride along Highway 99 was not something they wanted to pursue. Robbins noted that the Ride the Rogue ride would be occurring on Saturday as well, and that he would be participating. West gave background on the Greenway event and the efforts being made to increase its exposure. West added that nd next year, the Greenway event and Car Free Day would fall on the same day, Saturday, September 22. She stated that she hoped for more coordination between the two events next year. 2006-0921 Bike & Ped minutes Page 2 of 4 Election of Officer(s) Young nominated Harding to serve as Vice Chair. Harding indicated her willingness to accept the nomination, and all members present unanimously supported her appointment. Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) Funding Request/Ideas for Use of Bike Swap Funds Severson gave background of the discussion that had occurred over the past two meetings, and noted that he had prepared a memo included in the packets outlining the issues. He noted that he had contacted the BTA and discussed the possibility of creating a self-sustaining Ashland based program separate from the BTA. He said that they had seemed willing to work with the Commission if this was the path chosen, and he noted that they told him of a similar situation in Bend where a private non-profit had formed to take the program over from the BTA there. He added that in that case, the BTA indicated that they had given the private non-profit the program bikes, provided instructor training, and given them grant funds to partially support the program. He concluded that while this seemed to be a possibility, it could not be handled through the Commission directly as the Commission cannot appropriate funds or enter into contracts on behalf of the City. He explained that to pursue this option, a private non-profit would have to be formed, or an existing non-profit such as the Parks Foundation found to take the program on. West noted that RVTD was an option for taking on the program if that was the route chosen. Dubois noted that he had some concerns with regard to liability insurance costs for a private start-up local program, and also noted that there would be a need for staffing to provide administrative support. He emphasized that both of these things are currently covered by the BTA. West stated that she would look into the cost of liability insurance. Severson gave details of the BTA funding request, and noted that at the staff level there were some concern that if the decision was made to break with BTA now, it would result in a cessation of programs this year and a break in the near ten-year momentum of success that the program has built. He recommended that some consideration be given to continuing with the BTA until an alternative can be worked out. He noted that the desire of the Commission had long been to develop a self-sustaining program, and he suggested that the Bike Swap presented a means to that end by providing a self-sustaining funding source. He emphasized that providing $1,500 in Program Funds from the Commission along with a $1,500 match from Traffic Safety and $5,000 from the Bike Swap funds held by the Parks Foundation would meet the full request of the BTA, and leave the Commission with some funds remaining for the rest of the fiscal year. Dubois noted that BTA had recently brought a second instructor to Ashland to enable the larger number of classes they were proposing. Young/Harding m/s to provide $1,500 in Commission Program funds to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance for conducting 21 bicycle safety education classes in Ashland Schools during the current fiscal year; to request that the Traffic Safety Commission match this $1,500 payment to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance for conducting 21 bicycle safety education classes in Ashland Schools during the current fiscal year, and to recommend that the Parks Foundation provide $5,000 in Bike Swap funds to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance for conducting 21 bicycle safety education classes in Ashland Schools during the current fiscal year. Discussion: Members discussed whether this would impact the Parks Department, and it was noted that it was likely not a concern because Parks-sponsored bicycle safety classes were not proposed for this fall and the Bike Swap in May would replenish these funds. Dubois clarified that 21 classes would likely mean that some students would get the class twice, but he suggested that this actually helped insure that the lessons translated into behavioral changes. Voice vote: All AYES. Motion passed. Prioritization & Timeline to Implement Bike Friendly Community Recommendations Members discussed the recommendations and how current and upcoming items for Walk/Bike/Scooter to School Day, the Bike Month activities discussed for May, etc. would serve to address these recommendations. Relative to educational efforts West noted that the Department of Motor Vehicles would be distributing information on how to drive around cyclists. She added that she had recently written an article that she would e-mail to members, and added that anyone interested could forward it to the Tidings, the City Source, or school papers. Dubois suggested distributing stickers that read something to the effect of “Bikes on the Road – Give Them a 2006-0921 Bike & Ped minutes Page 3 of 4 Brake!” Members discussed whether they could influence drivers’ education curriculum in order to teach drivers early on to be safer around cyclists on the road. Members suggested preparing flyers, and contacting AAA about incorporating these concerns in their educational efforts. Severson stated that he believed there may be an educational DVD through the League of American Bicyclists that focuses on motorist education, and stated that he would look into it. Harding noted that there are 2-3 citations a week which could be offered diversion programs through the Municipal Court. Drivers could go through a bicycle safety education course to make them more aware of issues rather than having to pay a ticket. Young suggested developing a speaker’s bureau that could give presentations before the Elks, Rotary and at Mountain Meadows, etc. Safe Routes to School Plan Development West noted that SAFETEA-LU funds would become available shortly for communities with adopted plans in place addressing the “Five E’s”. She suggested this would need to happen by the end of the year, and that grant funds would likely need to be applied for in November. It was noted that Traffic Safety had been made aware of this as well. West stated that staff time would likely need to be provided to participate in walk-about’s to identify safe routes needs around each school. Severson noted that many of the facilities needs are already addressed in the adopted Transportation System Plan; he added that staff has previously been directed not to undertake any projects that would require significant additional time commitments because staffing levels and work loads are such that it would entail abandoning existing projects that in place to address existing council goals and priorities. New Business Harding stated that she would like the Commission to consider developing a program to purchase and distribute pedometers as a way to encourage walking. She noted that the Commission efforts are often heavily weighted toward bicycles, and discussed the success of pedometer distribution programs for Shakespeare Festival employees and other acquaintances. She suggested that she could look for model program information. Harding noted that there would be an all-day hike on Mt. Ashland to view the timber sale/expansion area before cutting begins. West suggested looking at holiday meeting schedules next month to make sure members’ holiday plans don’t conflict with the meetings. Robbins noted that he would be out for the next meeting due to a planned bike tour of Tuscany. Agenda Items for Next Month Commissioner surveys, Car Free Day and Int’l Walk/Bike/Scooter to School Day de-briefings, discussion of purchasing pedometers for distribution, Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m. Upcoming Meetings: th 5:15 P.M. Thursday, October 19, 2006 – Regular Meeting in the Siskiyou Room 2006-0921 Bike & Ped minutes Page 4 of 4