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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-11-15 Bicycle & Pedestrian_MIN Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission th November 15, 2007 Regular Minutes Roll Call: Chair David Young, Vice Chair Julia Sommer, Matthew Seiler, Tom Burnham, Steve Ryan, Mick Church, and Jim Olney (late) Council Liaison: David Chapman Staff: Derek Severson, Associate Planner Steve McLennan, Police Officer Rachel Teige, Recreation Superintendent RVTD liaisons: Steve Maluk, TDM Planner (absent) High school liaison: Vacant SOU liaison: Vacant Call to Order Chair Young called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. th Approval of Minutes - October 18, 2007 It was noted that the word “reigns” should be changed to “reins” in the last sentence on page 3. It was also suggested that the minutes clarify Eric Dittmer’s identity in the North Main discussion on Page 3. Church/Chapman m/s to approve the October minutes as amended. Voice vote: All AYES. Motion passed. Public Forum Huelz Gutcheon spoke regarding bicycling on sidewalks in the downtown, and suggested that for purposes of clarity and a more positive message the wording of the signs near Brothers restaurant and the Jackson County Library be changes from “No Bicycles on Sidewalk” to “No Bicycling on Sidewalk.” He noted that he would be taking this th suggestion to the Traffic Safety Commission on December 6. Subcommittee & Liaison Reports Chapman explained that the subcommittee (Chapman, Church and Bill Heimann) for adult bicycle safety education th had met since last time, and they have arranged to hold an adult safety class on March 8 through Parks & Recreation. It was noted that the cost would be either $25 or $40 for the full-day class, and that the fees would go to pay for the cost of conducting the class, with any remaining funds going back to bicycle education. It was also noted that Judge Turner was interested in looking at the content of the class and would likely be interested in using it as a diversion option on some tickets. Chapman indicated that an adult bicycle safety class for law enforcement officers was also being considered, and that a League of American Bicyclists adult/instructors class may be held in the area early in the coming year. Ryan provided an update on the October Traffic Safety Commission meeting. Young provided an update on the Interchange Area Management Plan (IAMP) meetings. Bike Swap Coordination/Logistics Recreation Superintendent Rachel Teige explained that the Parks Department was seeking to hire an event coordinator for the Bike Swap for an amount not to exceed $900, and that the hope was that this amount could be paid out of Bike Swap funds. It was clarified that this would position would include handling the receipts for the event, and that Parks would handle the recruitment and selection of the person to be hired. Teige noted that Parks was still supportive of the event and the same resources would be available for promotion of the event; she explained that the intention was to free up Parks staff time as had been done with other events. She emphasized that the time involved with this event was considerable. Burnham/Chapman m/s to recommend that up to $900 in Bike Swap bicycle safety education funds be expended to employ an event coordinator for the Bike Swap, as requested by the Parks Department. Discussion: Members questioned whether a vote on this issue needed to wait until after a decision on the request for support from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, and it was also noted that it might be possible 2007-1115 Bike & Ped minutes Page 1 of 4 to find a volunteer to fill the position rather than hiring someone. It was noted that there has historically been some difficulty with volunteers handling money. Severson suggested that the Swap might be something that could be taken over by, or further assistance obtained from the B.T.A. He suggested that they might have the staffing and promotional resources to carry off a larger event. It was generally agreed that this might be possible in the future, but that for next year’s Swap to be conducted a coordinator would need to be hired within the next month. Voice vote: All AYES. Motion passed. Oak Street Fog-Line Request John Fisher-Smith/945 Oak Street noted that he had measured the street width from Hersey to Nevada and that it was 40 feet from curb to curb, with the neck-downs reducing this width to just over 24 feet. He indicated that based on the city’s Street Standards handbook he felt a fog-line could be installed between parked cars and the travel lane in order to delineate a small area for cyclists. Severson noted that city data for this street section indicated that the width was only 32-38 feet; he explained that a fog-line was something typically placed at the edge of pavement, and placement of a line between the parked cars and the travel lane would create a de facto bike lane. He questioned whether there was adequate width available to create a functional bike lane. Chapman noted that if there was indeed 40 feet of right of way available, it would be a similar width to Walker where three-foot bike lanes were able to be installed. Burnham expressed concern that installing a fog-line represented a band-aid approach, and indicated that he would rather see the city do whatever needed to be done to install bike lanes. He suggested that if removing parking on one side of the street was necessary to create bike lanes that should be considered. Seiler questioned whether the area resulting from the proposed fog-line would be sufficient for cyclists traveling at any sort of speed. It was also noted that the curve in front of the salmon-colored house at 767 Oak Street combines with on-street parking to create a hazard by limiting visibility, and it was suggested that the on-street parking in this vicinity be removed. Severson indicated that he would convey this request to Traffic Safety for consideration. Severson suggested that he could ask Engineering to verify the roadway width and ask Traffic Safety to further consider the idea of a bike lane if adequate width was in fact available. BTA Funding Request Severson provided background on the request and the Commission’s partnership with the B.T.A., noting that the request as submitted was for more than the Commission could fund with the resources directly and indirectly available. He suggested that Commissioners might want to exclude classes proposed for Talent Elementary School from the request as the school is outside Ashland and full support for these classes is being sought from the City of Talent. He stated that in Staff’s view, the maximum amount of the request which should be considered would be $10,400 split between the Commission’s program funds, the Traffic Safety Commission and the Bike Swap funds and he noted that he had provided a recommended motion to indicate the split between these funding sources to make clear that support would be tied to the number of classes actually conducted and that made clear that the Commission was only recommending and requesting support from Traffic Safety and the Parks Foundation. Burnham questioned why support was not being sought from the Schools directly given the amount of funds available to them through the recent levy. Young noted that the levy was to carry on existing programs for a larger number of students, and suggested that there was not a surplus available. Severson noted that the classes are something that the Commission and BTA are seeking to put in place in the Schools, and asking for payment would provide an excuse for the schools to say no. Sommer suggested that support from the schools might be a possibility, but she indicated that it seemed unlikely that school support could be gained to fund programs during the current fiscal year. Church suggested that the motion recommended by staff was acceptable as submitted, and he recognized that offering classes in Ashland schools was perhaps the most important accomplishment of the Commission. Ryan expressed concern with expending such a large proportion of the Commission budget midway through the year. Sommer suggested that if $2500 in Commission program funds were used and the overall amount of support reduced to $10,000 it would leave an additional $400 for unforeseen expenses during the remainder of the year. Severson noted that most Commissions do not have funds available beyond their $750 in commission funds, and that the annual $3,300 has historically been available to this Commission to support bicycle safety education 2007-1115 Bike & Ped minutes Page 2 of 4 programs. He emphasized that the motion recommended did not involve the $750 in commission funds, which would continue to be available to fund conference attendance, memberships, and subscriptions. He added that he felt the Bike Swap represented a unique opportunity to realize, at least to a degree, the long held vision of making the bicycle safety education program self-sustaining. Sommer/Olney m/s to provide Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission program funds in an amount not to exceed $2,500, to request that the Traffic Safety Commission partially match this support in amount not to exceed $1,500, and to recommend that the Parks Foundation provide an amount not to exceed $6,000 from Bike Swap funds, to support the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in conducting bicycle and pedestrian safety education classes in Ashland Schools during the 2007-2008 fiscal year, with the total combined reimbursement from these three sources not to exceed $10,000 and to be determined at a rate of $400 per bicycle safety education class taught in Ashland schools during the current fiscal year and $100 per pedestrian safety education class taught in Ashland schools during the current fiscal year. Payment would be made first from the Bike Swap funds, then from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission program funds, and lastly from Traffic Safety Commission funds, as needed based on the total number of classes offered in Ashland schools during the 2007-2008 fiscal year, with the BTA to provide a detailed breakdown of the number, type, date and location of all classes actually taught during the current fiscal year no later than June 23, 2008. Discussion: Members suggested that the BTA look into possible financial support for their programs directly from the schools. It was also strongly recommended that the BTA consider seeking financial support for their programs through the City budget process as the magnitude of the request now significantly exceeds the funds directly available to the Commission. It was also suggested that the possibility of a larger role for the BTA in promoting and conducting the annual Bike Swap be considered. Severson indicated that he would convey these suggestions to the BTA. Voice vote: All AYES. North Main Street Fog-Line (Follow-Up from Last Month) Severson noted that the Commission’s support for the requested fog-line on the southbound lanes of North Main Street had been conveyed to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and that after measuring lanes they had indicated that it was not feasible. He stated that Staff are in on-going discussions with ODOT and suggested that these discussions be allowed to run their course. He suggested that this item be postponed until next month’s agenda. Transportation Commission (Follow-Up from Last Month) Chapman explained the background of his motion to create a Transportation Commission, noting that it rose out of a Council discussion of recommendations by the Public Works Director. He pointed out the need to better address transit, and noted that in recent discussion of the powers and duties of the Planning Commission there had been some indication that they did not want to be responsible for transportation planning. Members emphasized the need for an integration of land use and transportation planning. Severson suggested that members should be considering issues such as the membership of the Commission, and how to preserve the current role of advocating for bicyclists and pedestrians. He questioned whether members thought it advisable to ask the Mayor to hold off on reappointing a replacement for Aitken until the make-up of this Commission was determined; he explained that right now there were nine members on both the Bicycle and Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Commissions and appointing someone now only to remove them if and when the commissions combine could be problematic. Members agreed that reappointment should wait until the make-up of the Transportation Commission was determined. After discussion, the general consensus was that members would like to see Staff’s recommendations on the creation of a Commission and react to those recommendations rather than trying to detail their own preferences in advance. Glennview Street (Follow-Up from Last Month) Members questioned the intent behind this item. Severson noted that it had been proposed by Colin Swales; he further explained that Swales had provided information on the creation of a mixed facility standard prepared by another community and was suggesting it for Glenview Street. He noted that the concept would be for a low-speed street facility where pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles were combined within a shared travel area. Severson noted that Glenview in many ways functioned as a mixed facility now, but that the materials presented would suggest other improvement such as pedestrian refuge areas on both sides of the street and limited signage. He indicated that he was unsure of Swales’ intent, and questioned whether it was specific to Glenview Street or if it was more broadly looking to add a mixed facility standard to Ashland’s Street Standards. He indicated that he could 2007-1115 Bike & Ped minutes Page 3 of 4 follow-up with Swales as to his intent. Ryan noted that Swales had presented this information to the Traffic Safety Commission as well. New Business Ryan noted that he had concerns with dealing with water leaks which create icy sidewalks. It was noted that City policy is that property owners are responsible for ice removal on sidewalks adjacent to their property, and that any areas of concern could be reported to Public Works. Agenda Items for Next Month Severson noted that there may be a land-use action with a bicycle-related component on next month’s agenda, and questioned whether members would be in attendance. After brief discussion, it appeared that a quorum would be available and that only Olney and Seiler planned to be absent. It was noted that Car Free Day/Car Free Living were to be a discussion item in January. Other items identified for the December agenda were to follow up on the North Main fog-line, Oak Street bike lanes, and Glenview Street mixed facility requests and to review recommendations for the creation of a Transportation Commission. Burnham asked that there be a discussion of speed limits on the Central Ashland Bikepath. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Upcoming Meetings: th Regular Meeting – December 20, 2007 at 5:15 p.m. 2007-1115 Bike & Ped minutes Page 4 of 4