Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-09-20 Bicycle & Pedestrian_MIN Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission th September 20, 2007 Regular Minutes Roll Call: Chair David Young, Matthew Seiler, Steve Ryan, Tom Burnham, Jim Olney, Vice Chair Julia Sommer, Secretary Selene Aitken (absent), and Mick Church (absent), Council Liaison: David Chapman Staff: Derek Severson, Associate Planner Steve McLennan, Police Officer(absent) RVTD liaisons: Steve Maluk, TDM Planner(absent) High school liaison: Vacant SOU liaison: Vacant Call to Order Young called the meeting to order at 5:18 p.m. Approval of Minutes – August 2007 Olney/Seiler m/s to accept the minutes of the August 2007 meeting as presented/amended. Voice vote: All AYES. Motion passed. Public Forum Egon Dubois noted that there would be a community bike ride from the Plaza to Evo’s and on to Heartsong Chai on Car Free Day, with riders to meet on the Plaza at 9:00 a.m. He also expressed concern that a portion of the paving on the Central Ashland Bikepath (CAB) near Clay Street is falling into the creek, reducing the shoulder area. He questioned the duration of the closure of the Greenway, and suggested that some temporary signage was needed on Eagle Mill Road to warn motorists of increased bicycle traffic on the road during the closure. Finally, Dubois suggested that the city look at installing cameras in strategic locations, and announcing their presence with signage, as a deterrent to bicycle theft and vandalism. Introduction of New Member Steve Ryan was introduced to the other Commissioners. He noted that he is an SOU student and also serves on an advisory workgroup with the Rogue Valley Transit District (RVTD). Subcommittee & Liaison Reports Seiler discussed Car Free Day, noting details of the street closure, the need to post no parking signage the day of the event, the public address system, and the fact that Jeff Golden would not be emceeing the event as previously planned. Members were encouraged to attend the event, even if they would not have time to help with tabling. Olney noted that meetings of the Jackson County Bicycle Advisory Commission have been suspended indefinitely, and would resume when there is specific business to be addressed. He noted that there were several staff resignations and retirements at the County that might effect staffing and support for the commission. Burnham noted that Siskiyou Velo had raised roughly $9,000 from their Mountain Lakes Challenge, and that this was available to promote cycling locally. He suggested that the commission could bring forth funding requests, as could local schools. Severson suggested that the BTA might be interested in requesting support for their on-going bicycle safety education efforts in local schools. Wheeldon Memorial Severson noted that he and Olney had met on site with friends and family of Carole Wheeldon, city staff, and members of the Public Arts Commission to discuss the memorial. He explained that the Public Arts Commission had a placeholder approved by Council in 2003 to place a public art piece at the center of the median island because it was a gateway location to the core of the downtown. He went on to note that from that discussion, all had agreed that the bench or benches, shade tree and plaque could be placed elsewhere on the site (to the southeast of the previously planned location) to take advantage of the grade change on the median, the nesting effect created by the landscaping, and the view of the downtown and surrounding mountains and allow both the art installation and the memorial to complement one another. It was agreed that staff would work with Don Todt in the Parks Department 2007-0920 Bike & Ped minutes Page 1 of 2 to determine an appropriate tree for this new location. Cherries, mimosas, basswood, sour gum, and Chinese fringe were all discussed, with the intent that the tree be of a small enough stature that none of the adjacent trees are adversely impacted and that the tree provide a low, canopying effect over the bench(es). Midge Thierolf, a friend of the Wheeldon family, indicated that she would approach an acquaintance to see about getting some local wood that could be used for a bench and doing some design work, with the hope that the bench could be assembled by the Parks Department at a reasonable cost. It was also suggested that a poem that Wheeldon associated with completion of the Siskiyou Boulevard redesign project could be included somehow in the memorial , either on the plaque or the bench. It was indicated that the hope would be to have drawings done, a tree selected, and everything in place by the end of the year. Work Plan Development/Goal Setting Follow-Up Members began this discussion by discussing the third item having to do with exploring the benefits of a Transportation Commission. The history of this issue was explained, and it was noted that previous discussions had focused on the idea of combining the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and Traffic Safety Commission while attempting to broaden the focus of the newly formed commission to encompass broader transportation issues, including parking and transit. There was discussion of disconnects within the current process, and it was emphasized that transportation planning must be integrated into the land use process. Members emphasized the need to maintain the focus of both commissions, likely through effective subcommittees; gaining efficiencies in staffing; addressing overlaps between the two commissions; maintaining the political standing and representation of cyclists and pedestrians; and broadening the focus away from an auto-centered view to one emphasizing multimodal equity. In a straw poll, Seiler, Young, Burnham, Ryan, and Olney were in favor of pursuing this further, while Sommer and Chapman were not favorable. Chapman indicated that he saw pro’s and con’s and hadn’t decided, while Sommer noted that she had attempted to move this forward previously to no avail and was not interested in fighting the same battle again. Members indicated that they would like to look at examples of how this may have been addressed in other communities including Portland and Santa Cruz, and it was suggested that a first step in moving this goal forward would be to send someone to monthly Traffic Safety Commission meetings. Ryan indicated that he would be willing to attend these meetings, and Severson indicated that he would send him a hardcopy of the Traffic Safety packet for next Thursday’s meeting. Members discussed the goals and sub-goals of “continuing and expanding educational efforts” and “infrastructure linkages and connections” and indicated their individual interests and willingness to commit their time to each one. (See chart included in packets.) New Business William Heimann asked that a discussion of adult bicycle safety education be included on next month’s agenda. Agenda Items for Next Month Budget discussion; Bicycle Safety Education Programs (adult and children); Combining Commissions; Car Free Day and Car Free Living (event post mortem and discussion of the future); On-Going Goal Discussion; Eric Dittmer/North Main Street Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:45 p.m. Upcoming Meetings: th Regular Meeting – November 15, 2007 at 5:15 p.m. 2007-0920 Bike & Ped minutes Page 2 of 2