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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-12-20 Bicycle & Pedestrian_MIN Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission th December 20, 2007 Regular Minutes Roll Call: Vice Chair Julia Sommer, Tom Burnham, Steve Ryan and Mick Church Chair David Young (absent), Matthew Seiler (absent), Jim Olney (absent) Council Liaison: David Chapman Staff: Derek Severson, Associate Planner Steve McLennan, Police Officer RVTD liaisons: Steve Maluk, TDM Planner (absent) High school liaison: Vacant SOU liaison: Vacant Call to Order Vice Chair Sommer called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. th Approval of Minutes – November 15, 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 None. Public Hearing – Planning Action #2007-01941/Bellview School Bicycle Parking Variance Severson spoke briefly about procedural elements for dealing with land-use actions which are handled through a quasi-judicial hearing process at the Planning Commission. He explained rules regarding ex parte contact and conflict of interest and noted that Chair David Young was not in attendance because as an employee of the Ashland School District he was excluded from participating in the hearing by state and city regulations. Severson also advised Councilor Chapman that because he may have to hear this item in the future if it were to be appealed to Council, he may wish to remove himself to avoid future challenges of bias. Chapman exited the meeting. Public hearing opened at 5:23 Severson explained the request, and noted that this item was before the Commission because the application involves a request for a Variance to the required number of bicycle parking spaces and Section 2.22.040 of the Municipal Code empowers this Commission “To advise the Planning Commission in the administration of the Site Review process with respect to bicycle and pedestrian facilities and parking”. David Wilkerson of Ogden Roemer Wilkerson Architects, the applicants, explained the request and noted that the reasons for the Variance request were two-fold: the population of the school includes many younger students for whom bicycling is not necessarily a viable alternative, and the geographic area served by the school includes areas so far out that they do not lend themselves to bicycling, including parts of Dead Indian Memorial Road, the Greensprings and the Colestine Valley. He suggested that these areas were too remote for school children to safely bike to school. He added that the present state of some of the streets was not the best for bicycling as well, but recognized that these facilities would be improved over time and were not a basis in the request. Juli Dichiro, Superintendent of Schools, pointed out that the district has recently retrofitted all buses with special mufflers and uses a green diesel fuel that has earned them recognition from the Department of Environmental Quality for reducing emissions. She stated that the schools strongly encourage buses over cars as the greenest vehicle option for getting to school. She reiterated Wilkerson’s point about the geographic area served and noted that for some students walking is not an option either. She emphasized that the school was happy with the recent improvements of Tolman Creek Road but noted that there were at most only 5-10 bikes in the bike racks. 2007-1220 Bike & Ped minutes Page 1 of 5 Burnham questioned why the Variance was being requested, and Wilkerson responded that the parking requirement also called for all spaces to be covered. He explained that this would involve additional space and sitework requirements, and that there would be additional costs for racks and their covering if the standard number of spaces were installed. He noted that the cover required for 60 bicycle spaces would be the equivalent of a three-car garage, or roughly 20 by 60 feet and would create an attractive nuisance if only a few bikes were using the space. He stated that this structure would be cost prohibitive, and would drive reductions elsewhere in the project. He emphasized that the school could not see spending money on something that had little likelihood of being used. He suggested that fourth and fifth graders were the primary riders. Wilkerson clarified for Church that the cost of the bicycle parking installation to fully address the required 68 covered spaces was likely in the $30,000 to $50,0000 range when the location and sitework were considered in light of prevailing wage requirements. Egon Dubois, Bicycle Safety Instructor for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, questioned whether the planning began with the assumption of providing only 33 spaces or first explored the possibility of installing the required 68 spaces. He expressed concerns that bikes are required to navigate the mix of queuing parent vehicles. He stated that there is a history of discouraging bicycling at the school, and suggested that the new school should be built for the future rather than the past. He agreed that buses may be the safest and most friendly vehicle choice for students, but suggested that they are far from the healthiest for the students. He stated that it would be wise to prepare for more bicyclists, and noted that the Bicycle Transportation Alliance would be teaching bicycle safety education classes in the school in the spring. He also asked the School to consider providing some skateboard racks, which have been installed at other schools and which are made locally. Wilkerson clarified that the applicants were trying to limit the number of access points to the school, and would be splitting the entrances so there was one entry for bus riders, one for those dropped off by parents, and one for bicycles. He noted that the use of overhangs around the building had been considered as a way to provide covered parking, but indicated that most of the planned covered areas are to be dedicated to student circulation. DiChiro noted that they were trying to control the entries for security reasons, and added that the need to limit the traffic on the Siskiyou frontage to buses only was a requirement of ODOT. Tatiana Bredekin, parent of a Bellview student, noted that her child biked to school at Bellview for all six years. She noted that there are at least 20 bikes on the racks at Bellview when the weather is good, and that she has seen International Walk and Bike to School Day event draw 50 students including 30-40 on bikes in the past. She added that the type and placement of the current racks is far from encouraging. Bredekin suggested that the City and the School District are currently paying to conduct a “Be a Fit Kid” program at Bellview where a teacher must oversee students going around the track, and she recommended bicycling to school as a more practical, free approach to create lifelong healthy habits and address the childhood obesity epidemic. She stated that in her experience, younger children are more likely to ride and tend to stop as they get older. She concluded with a reminder that Ashland is a Bicycle Friendly Community and that we need to encourage bicycling, especially for children. Kat Smith, Bicycle Safety Instructor for the Rogue Valley Transportation District and Bicycle Transportation Alliance, noted that she will be teaching a two-week bicycle safety education program at Bellview in the spring. She clarified that the school had been unwilling to host these programs in the past, but that the program was being allowed now with the recent improvements on Tolman Creek Road. She stated that bicycle advocacy relies heavily on the “If you build it, they will come” approach, and suggested that this applied to the bike parking here as well. Lisa Bach, parent of Bellview and Middle School students, noted that her children have ridden to school at Bellview since the first grade and that her middle school age son is comfortable riding on Siskiyou with the recent improvements. She emphasized that first grade is not too young for children to ride bicycles to school. She suggested that there will be new developments in the area to increase the number of students for whom cycling is a viable choice, and that there will be street improvements associated with these developments to improve the cycling environment. Peter Bach, Ashland Middle School Student who attended Bellview last year, noted that he rode his bike to Bellview beginning with his first day in first grade. He added that with the recent improvements to Siskiyou Boulevard he finds it to be as safe as the bike path, and faster. He stated that from a student’s perspective, the type and placement of the racks of Bellview were not encouraging for cyclists, and he noted that people also lock their bikes to the 2007-1220 Bike & Ped minutes Page 2 of 5 fences and teachers keep their bikes in the halls outside their classrooms. He suggested that the Middle School also needs additional bicycle parking. Wilkerson clarified for Commissioners that the school has approximately 300 students now, and that while enrollments are actually forecast to decline the proposed school was designed to accommodate 340 students. Severson noted that from a staff perspective, the requirement for only one bicycle parking space per five students is specifically intended to address the demographic and geographic concerns raised by the applicants. He explained that based on information provided by the applicants, of the 340 students who will be attending the school, bicycling will likely be a viable alternative for 163 (or 48 percent of the student body) while bicycle parking is required for only 20 percent of the student body, with 68 spaces. Additional bicycle parking demand from school staff is also absorbed within the “one space per five students” requirement. Overall, Staff does not believe that the application demonstrates either that there are site-specific circumstances necessitating a Variance or that providing less than the required number of spaces will be beneficial or further the intention of the Comprehensive Plan, which recognizes a lack of bicycle parking as a barrier to encouraging bicycling and which includes as a goal that the City “require secure, sheltered bicycle parking in… institutions” like schools. Dichiro clarified for Commissioners that the present bus ridership was at 65 students; she stated that she didn’t have a breakdown of how many of these riders were from the outlying geographic areas. She noted that school staff consisted of 13 teachers and two specialists. Wilkerson questioned the basis of the 1 space per 5 students parking requirement, and noted that the school was providing a staff shower which was intended to encourage cycling as well as earning credits for LEED certification. Wilkerson concluded that the proposal was intended to encourage cycling by providing 33 bicycle parking spaces while responding to the realities of the population and geographic area served by Bellview School. He urged commissioners to focus on the same criteria that would be considered by the Planning Commission as they framed their recommendation. He reiterated that the unique or unusual circumstance had to do with the populations and geographic area served and the location of the school relative to higher order streets, and suggested that there would be no negative impact to neighboring properties. Public hearing closed at 6:15 p.m. Burnham noted that the Commission is charged with encouraging cycling and seeing that adequate facilities to do so are provided. He emphasized that this included providing bicycle racks and safer routes. He noted that demographics can change, and added that he was a substitute bus driver for Bellview School at one time and felt that it was inefficient to send a full sized school bus all the way up the Greensprings for a very few students residing there. He indicated that he would like more detail on the demographic distribution of students, but added that he lives relatively close to the school and often sees bicycling and skateboarding students. Church noted that the school is intended to serve the needs of the school district for at least 50-60 years, and added that while it is unknown if the school population will increase he feels it is very likely that there will be an increase in walkers and bicyclists as gas prices increase. He suggested that the design proposed is largely automobile- oriented, and noted that he has seen the impact that the automobile-focused private school on Clay Street has had on the surrounding neighborhood. He concluded that in terms of policy, he did not believe it was wise to allow a Variance that would have the possible effect of discouraging bicycling. Ryan stated that he did not believe the applicants had demonstrated a unique or unusual circumstance relating to the site, and added that if the parking standard was faulty it should be addressed legislatively separately from individual planning applications. He suggested that granting the Variance could have the effect of encouraging students not to bicycle, and he felt that downward pressure of this nature was counter to the second Variance criteria. He indicated that he was concerned with the zero sum mentality behind the cost justification for not providing the required bicycle parking, and concluded that the request did not meet the approval criteria for a Variance in his view. Sommer indicated that she felt that 33 spaces was too little bicycle parking for the school. She emphasized the need to address parents, staff and visitors in addition to students. She added that as gas prices increase, there will be an increased need for localization and this may alter the geographic trends being encountered now by the school. 2007-1220 Bike & Ped minutes Page 3 of 5 Church suggested that the Commission focus on the Variance being requested rather than attempting to determine some middle ground number of appropriate bicycle parking spaces. Ryan/Church m/s to recommend that the Planning Commission deny the requested Variance to the required number of bicycle parking spaces. Discussion: Sommer emphasized that the Planning Commission should be aware that required bicycle parking is intended to serve not only the students, but also teachers, teaching assistants, library staff, parents and other visitors. Church noted that the overall site planning for this project is very automobile-oriented, and expressed concern that bicycling and walking to school can be discouraged if these uses are marginalized through the site design. He expressed particular concern that students arriving by bicycle would have to navigate through what the applicants themselves indicated would be a significant amount of queuing parent traffic in the north parking lot in order to reach the proposed bicycle parking location, and suggested that better site planning was necessary to provide safe access to the required bicycle parking for students arriving by bicycle. Voice vote: All AYES. Motion passed. Chapman returned. Subcommittee & Liaison Reports Severson noted that there was an upcoming League of American Bicyclists training coming in February to Eugene. He also noted that there was an upcoming transportation conference in Corvallis, and stated that he had received a membership application and complementary newsletter from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals that the Commission could consider funding with Commission funds. Chapman noted that there is also a fall conference put on by the Alliance for Community Traffic Safety that could be considered, and Dubois indicated that he would e-mail information on a Car Free Cities conference in Portland. Severson stated that he would include this information in next month’s packet for Commissioner review. Chapman pointed out bicycling- related classes being offered through the Parks Department. Severson noted that there would be a public workshop dealing with the Croman Mill site master planning process on th Wednesday, January 29 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Bellview Grange. Church and Burnham indicated they might attend, and Sommer suggested that a formal representative be designated at the next meeting. Central Ashland Bikepath Speed Limits Burnham/Ryan m/s to recommend that there be a posted speed limit of 12 miles per hour on the Central Ashland Bikepath (CAB). Discussion: MacLennan noted that typical radar can only detect speeds in the 15- 17 m.p.h. range, but he added that a laser can read speeds as low as 4 m.p.h. Burnham explained that he feels the path is often crowded and people have a tendency to ride too fast. MacLennan noted that traffic enforcement resources are limited, and he did not believe there would be staffing available for enforcement. Members questioned whether volunteer patrols would be helpful, but it was noted that they were unable to issue citations. Sommer pointed out that enforcement would be difficult, that bicycles typically don’t have speedometers, and that there would be a cost for installing signage. She suggested directing energies elsewhere. MacLennan stated that he would prefer regulations to address reckless behavior by those on the CAB. Ryan concurred, and Dubois suggested that while regulating speeds was a good idea requiring courtesy might be more effective. He also asked that bike path stop signs be replaced with full sized signs. . Voice vote: Burnham YES; Sommer, Church and Ryan, NO. Motion failed 3-1. Church questioned the possibility of installing stop signs for the cars at all CAB crossings. MacLennan indicated that this would be difficult due to visibility concerns in some areas and might lead to accidents. He emphasized that even if this were required, it would not relieve the bicyclists from their legally required due regard for safety prior to entering an intersection. Election of Officers - Secretary Members present asked that this item be tabled until next month, and asked that Severson verify when elections were last held to see if positions other than secretary be considered for election. Follow-Up Items from Last Month Severson noted that he believed Public Works staff was in on-going discussions with ODOT regarding the North Main Street fog-line request, and stated that he would follow-up and report back next month. 2007-1220 Bike & Ped minutes Page 4 of 5 Severson noted that he had discussed the Oak Street bike lane request with Jim Olson, and had been told that even with the 40 foot curb to curb pavement width there was not room to accommodate more than a 3-foot bike lane. He further explained that the Ashland standard called for a 6-foot bike lane and that the state requirements were that it be no less than 4-feet, and this width was likely to increase rather than decrease. After discussion, members suggested that the remaining alternative for Oak Street seemed to be the removal of on-street parking on one side to accommodate bike lanes, and Sommer suggested that members walk and bike this section of Oak over the next month and come to next month’s meeting ready to discuss this possibility. Severson noted that he and Olson and Paula Brown would be working to develop recommendations for the creation of the Transportation Commission during the first quarter of 2008, and he would report back as these recommendations developed. Severson noted that he had spoken to Colin Swales about the Glenview Street shared facility request, and that Colin’s intent was to keep this possibility on the radar screen and to begin consider signage, improvements and standards that would make such a facility functional. New Business Sommer noted that she would like to suggest that the ODOT grant discussed in the packet be used to fund extension of the CAB from the Railroad Park to Oak Street or on to the Dog Park. Members also mentioned extension of the CAB from Laurel Street out to Jackson Road, the bicycle training program, a bicycle connection to the Oak Knoll area, and extension of the CAB from Tolman to Crowson Road. Severson suggested that he would pass these along to Jim Olson and report back month; he clarified that the Public Works Department was still hopeful that this grant might enable installation of sidewalks on Laurel Street to Helman School, but that they were looking for some alternatives in the event that complications with the Railroad right-of-way made the Laurel Street sidewalks impractical. Agenda Items for Next Month Designation of Attendee for Croman Workshop; Election of Officers, Oak Street; Grant Opportunities; Car Free Day/Car Free Living; Transportation System Plan Draft Project List; Wheeldon Memorial Update; North Main Fog- Line Update; Transportation Commission?. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Upcoming Meetings: th Regular Meeting – January 17, 2007 at 5:15 p.m. 2007-1220 Bike & Ped minutes Page 5 of 5