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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-10-18 Bicycle & Pedestrian_PACKETCITY OF ASHLAND BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION Agenda Thursday, October 181h, 2007 @ 5:15 P.M. Siskiyou Room @ 51 Winburn Way Community Development & Engineering Services Building CALL TO ORDER II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: September 20th, 2007 III. PUBLIC FORUM - Business from the audience not included on the agenda. (Limited to 5 minutes per speaker and 15 minutes total.) IV. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS Subcommittee & Liaison Reports V. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION On -Going Discussion of Commission Goals Bicycle Safety Education North Main Transportation Commission Car Free Day & Car Free living — 2007 & Beyond... Holiday Schedules — Do the Nov. 15 & Dec. 20 meetings fit everyone's schedule? New Business Agenda Items for Next Month V. ADJOURNMENT Upcoming Meetings Next Regular Meeting - Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 5:15 P.M. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator's office at (541) 488-6002 (TTY phone number 1- 800-735-2900). Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). City of Ashland Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission Membership Roster (Updated October e, 2007) 1. 4.30.2008 Steve Ryan 657 C Street 951-1409 resolutionvideoavahoo.com 2. 4.30.2008 David Young 747 Oak Street 488-4188 Chair dyoung@ieffnet.org 3. 430.2009 Julia Sommer 1158 Village Sq. Dr. 552-1942 Vice Chair luliasommer@vahoo.com 4. 4.30.2009 Selene Aitken 446 Helman Street 482-7567 Secretary seleneaitken@vahoo.com 5. 4.30.2010 Michael Church 2669 Takelma Way 488-2245 mickchurch@.Qmail.com 6. 4.30.2010 Matthew Seiler 264 Walker Avenue 973-8953 or 482-2111 x345 Mseiler74@hotmail.com 7. 4.30.2010 Jim Olney 361 Wiley Street 482-1057 oineyit@mind.net 8. 4.30.2010 Tom Burnham 1344 Apple Way 482-4467 tb1937@charter.net 9. City Council David Chapman 390 Orchard St 488-0152 Liaison davidchai)man@ashlandhome.net RVTD Liaison Steve Maluk 3200 Crater Lake Ave 608-2411 TDM Planner Medford, OR 97504 s.maluk@rvtd.org Planning Staff Liaison Derek Severson 51 Winburn Wy. 552.2040 Associate Planner seversod@ashland.or.us Traffic Safety Liaison Colin Swales 461 Allison St 488-0939 colinswales@qmail.com Youth Liaison (SOU) Vacant Youth Liaison (AHS) Vacant (The nine voting members are shown in bold. Four constitutes a quorum per AMC 2.22.030) Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission September 20th, 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, TDMPlanner(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 staffmg 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 I aft 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 attached chart.) New Business Bill Hymans 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: Regular Meeting — November 151h, 2007 at 5:15 p.m. 2007-0920 Bike & Ped minutes Page 2 of2 BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION FY 2007-2008 BUDGET UPDATE October 18t", 2007 PROGRAM FUNDS 13,300.00 COMMISSION FUND: 750.00 $750 in Commission Funds available in addition to the $3,300 in Program Funds. These are set aside for subscriptions, conference attendance, etc. CAROLE WHEELDON CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND: $2 000 BIKE SWAP FUNDS $8,181.92 (as of 10/10/07) Funds generated from the Bike Swap are under the control and management of the Ashland Parks Foundation, a private non-profit affiliated with the Parks Department. The Foundation has indicated a willingness to allow the Commission to make recommendations for the expenditure of these funds; staff would strongly recommend that any motions for the use of these funds be framed as recommendations to the Ashland Parks Foundation in order to avoid any confusion about the status of these funds or the Bicvcle & Pedestrian Commission's role in managing them under Oregon state budget law. REMINDER: The Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission does not have the budgetary authority to appropriate funds, and cannot enter into contracts for services. Requests to fund outside organizations should be directed to make application for funding to the City Council through the annual budget process. CITY OF ASHLAND Memo DATE: 9/25/2007 TO: Rachel Teige, Recreation Superintendent FROM: Derek Severson, Associate Planner RE: Helmets, Lights & Pedometers Rachel, The Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission has purchased some bicycle lights (front and rear) and pedometers for distribution through the Parks office in a similar fashion to the current helmet distribution program, as we discussed earlier. The plan was that these could be distributed to the public at cost, and the funds generated utilized to purchase additional items to replenish the stock. I've verified with Finance that funds can go through the Parks Foundation as they do with other bicycle safety -related programs. The costs for the items are listed below: ITEM COST 79 5-LED Bicycle Head Lights (Retail $6.49) $3.75 (Source: Ashland Street Bicycles) 36 3-LED Bicycle Tail Lights (Retail $14.99) $8.25 (Source: United Bic cle Parts) 50 Omron Digital Pedometers (Retail $9.95) $9.30 (Source: onlinefitness.com) We'll be following up with some promotional efforts to make people aware of their availability and to promote the pedometers as a means to encourage walking, so there will probably be a write-up in the City Source and hopefully in the Tidings. I'll copy you on whatever is sent out in case you want to include something similar in the seasonal Parks brochure. Thanks, Derek DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Planning Division TEL: 541-552-2040 20 E. 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O 0 c CL W cum 'n •'� X U a 0)L_ a) CD > m,>.c �2 a)cn c — C > = _ (D a } } } } N N N � I a) a� co 2 c 0) � Qcu ca a co M W L L co C 3 C O C 0 Y O Mn U cn E in 0 H N N N N N On -Going Discussion of Commission Goals BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION PRIMARY GOALS 2007-2008 Continue (& Expand) EducationEfforts Commissioners Description Young, Sommer, Olney, Burnham, Chapman ontinue to offer bicycle safety education classes in shland schools through on -going partnerships with the icycle Transportation Alliance, Parks Foundation, and raffic Safety Commission. _ ike Swa . .__ W W - . Seiler, Sommer inue to promote Car Free Da (& car free living) Young nd community outreach efforts (recruit youth liaisons evelo partnershi s with the schoolsSommer, [nd Seiler, Young r utilize the media — Daily Tidings, Tribune, City ce, radio, TV Olney, Burnham ontinue and Expand Safe Routes to School efforts for all shland schools. Infrastructure Linkages & Connections Commissioners Description Church (?), Ryan artner in the upcoming Transportation System Plan (TSP) pdate to identify current facilities in place and needs for ew facilities to address needed connections. Burnham Nork to enhance existing maps of bicycle facilities and trail stems. Olney ,ontinue to identify and develop connectivity needs djacent to all Ashland Schools as part of Safe Routes to 'chool efforts. Sommer, Chapman, Olney _ onsider ways to provide improved bicycle and pedestrian acilities from the downtown north to the city limits along North Main Street. To Explore the Benefits of a "Transportation Commission" Commissioners Descri tion Ryan, Seiler, Young, Burnham, Olney This could entail combining the Traffic Safety and Bicycle (Ryan to act as liaison to Traffic Safety) & Pedestrian Commissions to gain staff efficiencies, and broaden the focus of each Commission to better address transit while still retaining the current areas of interest of each Commission. Subcommittees: Ordinance Review: Burnham & Young (Others???) North Main Street Walkability/Bikeability: Sommer & Chapman (Severson & Swales) Bicycle Safety Education BTA School Program (Annual request for program support will be e-mailed separately before the meeting.) Adult Bicycle Safety Education (Bicycle safety instructor William Heimann asked last month for time on the agenda to discuss adult bicycle safety education.) North Main Street Derek Severson - Bike Vane on N, Main in Ashland Page t From: "Eric Dittmer" <Dittmer@sou.edu> To: <eryca. s. m ccarti n @od ot. state. or. us> Date: 9/10/07 11:59:22 AM Subject: Bike lane on N. Main in Ashland Eryca: I'm checking on the possibility of painting a bike lane and/or fog line on N. Main (99) heading SE into Ashland. The fog line and shoulder width is great from Butler Ford to the RR overpass. There seems to be adequate width to continuing the existing striped line starting at about Scholfield Dr. into town as far width of the rt. lane allows. If not, can you call it a "Fog line"? There is a fog line going NW out of town which is also nice to have, believe me! I'm in contact with Ashland Planning and Public Works and the Bike Commission as we work together to promote bicycling and sustainability in Ashland. Thank you for you help here! Eric Dittmer CC: <olsonj@ashland.or.us>, <seversond@ashland.or.us>, "Tom Marvin" <marvin@sou.edu> Derek Severson - Re: Fwd-. Bike lane on N. Main in Ashland Page 1 From: Paula Brown To: Derek Severson; Jim Olson; Karl Johnson Date: 10/1/07 9:51:59 AM Subject: Re: Fwd: Bike lane on N. Main in Ashland keeping you in the loop >>> "Tom Marvin" <marvin@sou.edu> 09/27/07 5:30 PM >>> This is excellent Eric (et al) -- keep the wheel rollin'! Tom >>> Eric Dittmer 09/27/07 2:58 PM >>> Paula: Wow! I'm there! I'll keep you posted - Thanks! E >>> "Paula Brown" <Paula(a)ashland.or.us> 9/27/2007 2:48 PM >>> I'm fine with it one of these days Ashland should take that section, reduce the travel lanes and have a real shared shoulder if nothing else and stripe it as a bike lane good luck with ODOT Paula >>> "Eric Dittmer" <Dittmer(a)sou.edu> 09/27/07 1:26 PM >>> Paula: What are your thoughts about a white line for bikes along N. Main? It doesn't have to be standard = a "fog" line would be OK. ODOT' seems is supportive, provided there is no group wanting a standard bike lane or nothing. I've connected with the Ashland Bike Committee and plan to be on their agenda next month. FYI Eric Car Free Day & Car Free Living A debriefing on the Car Free Day 2007 event Discussion of the future of Car Free Day in Ashland Transportation Commission Discussion Some historical perspective... CITY OF -AS H LAN D DRAFT Memo DATE: October 29, 2003 TO: Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission Traffic Safety Commission FROM: John McLaughlin, Director of Community Development Paula Brown, Director of Public Works RE: Combining the two commissions into a single Transportation Commission Recommendation Staff recommends that the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and the Traffic Safety Commission be combined and asks for support from the Commissions prior to presenting the recommendation to the Mayor and Council. Background For more than two years there has been discussion about combining the Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission (BPC) into a single entity. In February of 2003 the staff liaisons and two members from each of the two commissions met to discuss a possible merger into a single Transportation Safety Commission. At the time there was general agreement between the two groups to move ahead and yet the momentum waned as other issues rose on the priority list. Reasons to combine: Over the past two years there has been significant turnover in members on the BPC (I I people have been appointed and resigned prior to completing the three year term) compared to a much lower turnover of members on the Traffic Safety Commission (4 people have been appointed who resigned prior to completing the three year term). The BPC is primarily an advocacy group charged with promoting the use of non -automotive transportation. It is difficult for people in an advocacy role to maintain enthusiasm and commitment over a long period of time, as there is no means to measure progress. Staff feels this may be the reason there is such a high degree of turnover on the BPC. It is important that volunteers have a mix of duties in addition to education and advocacy. People need to have applicable actions that can be measured, the opportunity to show tangible successes and to have input on issues and concerns raised by the public. The TSC is primarily an advisory group to Public Works on non -routine traffic engineering problems and actions that require public hearings. They have actual problems that they can take action on and thus have a sense of measurable accomplishments. While the commission is charged with producing Public Works and Community Development Tel: 541488-6002 20 East Main Street Fax: 541.488-5311=, Ashland, Oregon 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900IF www.ashland.or.us AflAchmenf -I and promoting traffic safety education programs that element often overlaps with the BBC and can take a back seat to the action issues. Combining the two commissions provides a balance of perspectives, education and action. A single commission that would be an advocacy group as well as an advisory group for all modes of transportation and transportation safety. In addition, the combination of the two groups greatly improves the efficiency and use of staff time. Often both commissions review the same or similar issues such as miscellaneous concrete projects, downtown pedestrian safety, sidewalk improvements and more. By combining commissions, staff is preparing information once as well as working simultaneously on both planning and engineering. Currently, staff liaisons from each commission find themselves both working on similar issues and duplicating efforts. Attached is additional background information including a memo sent to the Traffic Safety Commission by Jim Olsen, Engineering Services Manager and staff liaison to the Commission, a list of the power and duties of each commission, and an e-mail from Keith Masssie to Jim Olsen dated February 10, 2003. Staff feels that a single commission will be stronger and more effective than the two separate commissions. Memo Date: February 19, 20 q% From: James H. Olson v To: Traffic Safety Co mission CITY OF -AS H LAN D Re: COMBINING TRAFFIC SAFETY AND BIKE & PEDESTRIAN COMMISSIONS Last week the staff liaisons and two members of the Bike & Ped and Traffic Safety Commissions met to discuss a possible merger of the two commissions into a single Transportation Safety Commission. The combining of the two commissions is a dialog that has been going on for over a year and the various meetings have identified the following pros and cons: PROS: The staff workload could be spread over a broader labor pool In consideration of citizen requests and in project reviews the combined commission would guarantee that the bicycle point of view would be equally considered - The merger would bring planning and engineering concerns closer together - The merger could eliminate the duplication of efforts which both commissions now experience - The merger would reduce meeting times for some members - The number of actual monthly meetings would be reduced which would free up City meeting facilities CONS: - There is some concern that the merger may increase the workload and require longer meeting times - Some members of the two commissions would be required to step-down as the new combined commission would most likely have only 9 members - There is concern that the advocacy role of the bike and pedestrian commission may be lost or lessened with a merger - Sub -committees may be required to deal with specific issues such as advocating bike issues - To ensure that the bicycle perspective is preserved it would be necessary to stipulate a required bicycle affiliation for some members. The merger obviously warrants further discussion by the commissions both individually and jointly. It is suggested that we discuss this proposal at the February 27th meeting and then meet jointly with the Bike and Pedestrian commission to finalize a course of action. ENGINEERING DIVISION Tel:5411488-W7 POE. Main Street Fax 541148&M35-29DO Ashland OR 97520 TTY: 8001735-2900 www.ashland.orms Chapter 2.26 TRANSPORTATION SAFETY COMMISSION . Sections: 2.26.010 Established —Membership. 2.26.020 Term — Vacancies. 2.26.030 Quorum — Rules and Regulations. 2.26.040 Powers and duties — Generally. 2.26.050 Reports. 2.26.060 Compensation. 2.26.010 Established— Membership. There is established a Transportation Safety Commission which shall consist of nine voting members and twelve non -voting ex offici members including the City Administrator, Director of Public Works, Chief of Police, City Attorney, Fire Chief, Municipal Judge, Superintendent of Schools, Planning Director, Southern Oregon University, Oregon Department of Transportation, Rogue Valley Transportation District and Jackson County. The voting members shall consist of one member from the City Council and eight members from the community at large; all of whom shall be appointed by the Mayor, with confirmation by the City Council. One member shall be appointed who is an active member of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance or other recognized bicycle club or program. Chair shall be elected from among the eight citizen members of the Commission. The Director of Public Works shall serve as Secretary to the Commission. 2.26,020 Term Vacancies. The term of the voting members shall be for three year's, expiring on April 30 of each year. Any vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the Mayor, with confirmation by the City Council, for the unexpired portion of the term. Any Commissioner who is absent from four or more meetings in a year shall be considered no longer active and the position vacant. 2.26.030 Ouorum — Rules and regulations. Five voting members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. The Commission may make rules and regulations for its government and procedure, consistent with the laws of the state and the City Charter and ordinances, and shall meet monthly, at least ten times per year. 2.26.040 Powers and duties - - Generally. The powers and duties of the Transportation Safety Commission shall be as follows: A. To develop and coordinate transportation safety programs; B. To recommend traffic safety priorities and actions for the City; C. To hear public comment and advise Public Works on non -routine traffic engineering problems and actions which require public hearings; D. To advise the City Council and the City Administrator regarding bike and pedestrian and official traffic safety activities; G:Npub-wrks'eng\deptadmin\TRAF\TSC%Bike and Ped Combining Charter Draft.doc Section 2.22.040 BICYCLE/PEDESRIAN — Powers and Duties Generally The primary purpose of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission shall be to advocate the equal opportunity to use non -automotive forms of travel and to ensure the development of bicycle and pedestrian facilities into a well -designed, integrated transportation network for all Ashland citizens. In doing so, the powers, duties and responsibilities of the commission shall be as follows: A. To promote bicycling and walking in Ashland. B. To review and make recommendations on the long-range transportation plans as related to bicycle and pedestrian issues of the city. C. To promote bicycle safety programs. D. To serve in a liaison capacity between the city and Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee in developing the statewide bicycle and pedestrian program, and in meeting the goals of the State of Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. E. To serve in a liaison capacity between the city and the Jackson County Bicycle Committee in developing overall coordinated plans for bicycle facilities and bicycle safety programs. F. On a yearly basis, to review and make recommendations on transportation projects as related to bicycle and pedestrian issues in the city. G. To review and recommend transportation project prioritization and funding as related to bicycle and pedestrian issues in the city. H. To advise the planning commission in the administration of the site review process with respect to bicycle and pedestrian facilities and parking. I. To assist in the implementation of the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan. J. To develop and recommend to the city council and planning commission adoption of ordinances and policies for the planning and maintenance of bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the city. K. To advise the city administrator and city departments regarding bicycle and pedestrian issues in the city. Section 2.26.040 Powers and duties Generally. The powers and duties of the Traffic Safety Commission shall be as follows: A. To develop and coordinate traffic safety programs; B. To recommend traffic safety priorities and actions for the City; C. To hear public comment and advise Public Works on non -routine traffic engineering problems and actions which require pubic hearings; D. To advise the City Council and the City Administrator in the implementation of official traffic safety activities; E. To coordinate common safety concerns with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and other Commissions; F. To promote public acceptance of official City traffic programs, traffic law enforcement, and traffic engineering needs; G. To produce and present safety education programs to the public; and H. To cooperate with the public and private school systems in promoting traffic safety education program. � -S .nun UIZO.Uu - DIr WrCU at 1 IdiIIL; Odluty liulIII nlwSlunS rage 1 From: "Keith Massie" <MassieKJ@jacksoncounty.org> To: <olsonj@ashland.or.us> Date: 2/10/03 10:58AM Subject: Bike/Ped & Traffic Safety Commissions In thinking about how to best go about considering the possibility of merging the two commissions, I have some concerns I'd like heard. They are as follows: 1. Increased workload. I feel the TSC's workload is at a very doable level, and there are some projects that we have postponed, so adding more projects is not wise. 2. The TSC does consider bikes and peds and this point would argue for a merger. 3. If there was to be a merger of the commissions, then I'd like to see one member added to the TSC and this person would always represent the bicycle community. I feel that the TSC already does a very good job of representing the pedestrians (the sidewalk projects for example) so I'm less concerned about adding a ped member. 4. 1 don't want the TSC to become an advocacy group for more bike paths. I personally feel the city needs more, but the TSC needs a broader focus. 5. I'd like this issue brought before both commissions for further discussion, albeit with some recommendations from the group meeting today. Thanks for you time. Keith Massie TSC Commissioner I�� . c Wvv? i , �1 �Pi✓ l � Vet I t Z S� I Ll Ccc cc — Vte v --� 4-v" o F OLCCc, s /s L.- c �s S Coat-4y kc. uv\ / plc4u,-t po 1 \ `mil / eck �tctoty o c ct p wv bc&L Vkcxo, �,� �pP�-h V-e s T20 l cy 15 u. vtS S� 54WO- all mod-eS 60 -e 4L)v pvc �r cA i — w�a ti�w4-es l pc(OCR �s ". VACL w1e a\O 112 -?. Transportation Commission Discussion Santa Cruz Example Santa Cruz City Transportation Commission Meeting Agenda and Minutes Mission: • To receive complaints pertaining to traffic and transportation patterns. • To review, monitor and suggest recommendations for City transportation matters including, but not limited to: automotive, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic within the City. • To review additional transportation matters such as, Transportation System Management, Travel Demand Management and other related issues. • To review and suggest recommendations for placement and enforcement of warning, regulatory and guide signs on City streets. • To make recommendations regarding the allocation of funds for capital expenditures related to roadway and transportation improvements. • To perform such other duties as may be referred to the Commission by the City Council. Meetings: Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month in January, March, May, July, September, and November at 7:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 809 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA. Membership: The Commission consists of seven members who are appointed by the City Council. More Information: Bylaws of the Santa Cruz City Transportation Commission Staff Contact: Christophe J. Schneiter Assistant Director of Public Works 809 Center Street Santa Cruz, CA. 95060 (831)420-5422 FAX: (831) 420-5161 e-mail: pw-transportation-co mmission (a-)_ci.santa-cruz.ca.us Additional Information: Commission Openings Meetinq Information Meeting Agendas & Minutes: Agendas & Minutes are presented in PDF format. To view PDF files, download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Agenda and Minutes: 2007 12006 12005 12004 12003 12002 2007•.s anr Minutes s w^ r k IIItateAgllejil',t(.IIIiis HYI0/4i7 09/2 i/07 �,,...Agenda: liff.. Ac:tlloja jil;eailulla 1'/fiau)IIIu;R.es Action Action: 09/12/07 This meeting has been cancel le(I. y 017/11/07 � This mecting has been c ancc,tl cd.. 0f09/0 s meeting li ,, 0 /i4/07 gen(la: L. i Action: V 12-122 Bicycle/Pedestrian Subcommittee: ] inI'tcs v"ii tcs: ' df The Bicycle/Pedestrian Subcommittee advises the City Transportation Commission on issues regarding bicycle and pedestrian transportation. The subcommittee meets bi-monthly and the public is welcome to attend. Meetings: Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month in February, April, June, August, October and December at 4:00 p.m. in Public Works Conference Room, 809 Center Street, Room 205, Santa Cruz, CA. Membership: The Subcommittee consists of members who are appointed by the City Transportation Commission. The public is welcome. Staff Contact: Cheryl Schmitt Bicylce/Pedestrian Coordinator 809 Center Street Santa Cruz, CA. 95060 (831)420-5187 FAX: (831) 420-5161 e-mail: pw-bicycle-pedestrian(aa-)ci.santa-cruz.ca.us Agenda and Minutes: 2007 12006 12005 12004 12003 12002 Back to Advisory Bodies Back to Santa Cruz City Home Page Report Website Problems ( Broken Links, Page Not Found, etc.)To: webmaster(a�ci.santa-cruz.ca. us The City Transportation Commission Welcomes 1T0 4You to this Meeting and Invites Your Participation. Chair John Carlos Garza Deanna Sessums Scott Wedge Ian McFadden Norman Ploss Wally Brondstatter Constance Gabriel -Wilson Staff: Christophe J. Schneiter, Laura Waldren Visit the City's Web Site at www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us with links including City Advisory Body Meeting Agendas and Minutes, advisory body information and the Santa Cruz Municipal Code. The City of Santa Cruz does not discriminate against persons with disabilities. Out of consideration for people with chemical sensitivities, we ask that you attend fragrance free. Upon request, the agenda can be provided in a format to accommodate special needs. Additionally, if you wish to attend this public meeting and will require assistance such as an interpreter for American Sign Language, Spanish, or other special equipment, please call the Public Works Department at (831) 420-5160 at least three days in advance so that we can arrange for such special assistance. The Cal -Relay system number: 1-800-735- 2922. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL AID YOU IN UNDERSTANDING THE PROCEDURES BY WHICH THE CITY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION CONDUCTS ITS BUSINESS: Please contact City staff prior to the meeting if you have questions about agenda items. The public input period is best used to present your views on an issue. '±• SUGGESTIONS FOR SPEAKERS AT MEETINGS Prepare your comments beforehand for the most efficient use of your time; avoid repetition. If you are speaking about an item on the agenda, stay on the issue being considered by the advisory body. Relax — there's no need to be nervous. The City Transportation Commission truly wants to hear your comments and ideas. It does not expect a "professional" presentation. ❖ ORAL COMMUNICATIONS If you wish to speak to the City Transportation Commission about an item not on the agenda, you should do so under "Oral Communications." ■ A maximum of 15 minutes will be set aside for members of the public to address the advisory body on any item not on the agenda. ■ Presentations will ordinarily be limited to three minutes. ■ Priority will be given to individuals who did not speak at the previous meeting's Oral Communications. ■ Individuals may not speak more than once during Oral Communications. ■ All speakers must address the entire body, and will not be permitted to engage in dialogue. ■ The advisory body may not take action on oral communications, but may direct that the issue discussed be agendized for a future meeting. Speakers are requested to sign the sheet placed near the speaker's stand so that their names may be accurately recorded in the Minutes of the meeting. P:\I\PWAD\490-80\CTC Agenda Addendum Revised: 6/23/06 8:30 a.m. AL CONSENT AGENDA All items appearing on the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine and will be acted upon in one motion. Specific items may be removed by members of the City Transportation Commission or public for separate consideration and discussion. ❖ GENERAL MEETING CONDUCT While the advisory body is in session, all persons shall preserve order and decorum. Any person making personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks, or becoming boisterous or otherwise disrupting the meeting shall be barred by the presiding officer from further attendance at said meeting unless permission for continued attendance is granted by a majority vote of the advisory body. Every member of the public and every CTC member desiring to speak shall address the presiding officer, and upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall confine comments to the question under debate, avoiding all indecorous language and references to personalities and abiding by the following rules of civil debate: a) We may disagree, but we will be respectful of one another. b) All comments will be directed to the issue at hand. c) Personal attacks should be avoided. ❖ ORDER OF BUSINESS Advisory bodies normally follow the same procedure in the discussion of any item. In the case of a public hearing, the procedure may be more formal, whereas in the discussion of an item under the heading "Discussion Items," the discussion may be less formal: ■ The Chair announces the item. ■ Staff presents the staff report and answers immediate member questions. ■ In the case of a public hearing, the applicant or appellant makes a presentation. ■ The presiding officer concludes the public input; the advisory body deliberates and takes action. ❖ ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chair or Members may make announcements of general interest to other Members or members of the public. These announcements may include, but not be limited to meeting schedule information, meetings of general community interest, or other general information. No written material will be presented, no recommendations will be made, and no actions may be taken, although the City Transportation Commission may direct staff to report back with regard to an item that is the subject of an item for future discussion at a regular or special meeting. ❖ INFORMATION ITEMS Information Items may be provided on an agenda. No action will be taken on Information Items; however, CTC members may request that Information Items be placed on a future agenda for discussion and action. Public comment will be welcome on any Information Item. Time limits will be established by the Chair. ❖ COMMITTEE REPORTS Any member of CTC sitting on a subcommittee, or another advisory body, may provide a brief oral report as an update. A summary of such report will be presented in the minutes, if no written material is presented. No action will be taken unless properly agendized. Public comment will be welcome on any oral report. Time limits will be established by the Chair. COMMUNICATIONS TO COUNCIL All resolutions and recommendations adopted by the CTC and addressed to the City Council shall be delivered to the Mayor as soon as possible, and at least by the next Mayor's Department Head agenda review meeting. If the action requests Council action, the item will be placed on a future City Council agenda, or a reply will be sent back to the advisory body with an appropriate response at the discretion of the Mayor, with a copy to the Councilmembers. (Council Policy 5.14) P:\i\PwAD\490-80\CTC Agenda Addendum Revised: 6/23/06 8:30 a.m. A L City Transportation Commission Bylaws Article I - NAME AND/OR AUTHORITY The Name of this organization shall be the Santa Cruz City Transportation Commission of the City of Santa Cruz, California; hereinafter referred to as the Commission, or the Advisory Body. Article II - PURPOSE Established by Ordinance 87-10 in 1987, the seven -member City Transportation Commission is generally responsible for advising Council in matters pertaining to transportation as defined in this ordinance (Section 2.40.131). Its duties include advising Council on the adoption, amendment or repeal of ordinances, resolutions, or requirements pertaining to, but not limited to, automotive, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic within the City. It makes recommendations to Council regarding the allocation of funds for capital expenditures related to roadway and transportation improvements. Article III - DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESThe City Transportation Commission shall have the ability, as vested by the City Council, and be required to: • Recommend to the City Council, after public input, the adoption, amendment or repeal of ordinances, resolutions, or requirements pertaining to, but not limited to, automotive, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic within the City; • Make recommendations concerning proposed placement and enforcement of warning, regulatory, and guide signs on city streets; • Undertake studies in the area of Transportation System Management, Travel Demand Management, and other related issues; • Act in an advisory capacity to the City Council in all matters pertaining to transportation issues within the City of Santa Cruz; • Receive complaints pertaining to traffic and transportation patterns; • Review and make recommendations to the City Council pertaining to the allocation of funds for capital expenditures related to roadway and transportation improvements; • Review, monitor, and make long-range recommendations concerning the transportation sections of all environmental impact reports of development projects during the public review period, limited to environmental impact reports where traffic is identified as a potentially significant adverse impacts; • Hear and decide matters relating to transportation; and • Perform other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the City Council. Article IV - MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Membership The City Transportation Commission shall consist of seven (7) City Transportation Commission members, hereinafter referred to as members. Membership, term of office, and procedures for removal of members and the filling of vacancies shall be as established by City Ordinance or by the City Council Section 2. Qualifications Commission members shall be a resident of the City of Santa Cruz. Section 3. Application for Membership Prospective members shall file an application in the office of the City Clerk. Section 4. Direct Appointments/Method of Appointment Each member of City Council shall appoint one member to the City Transportation Commission. Section 5. Good Standing and Reporting of Absences Absences will be identified as "with notification" and "without notification." An absence is considered as "with notification" if the member notifies the Staff or the Chair prior to a regular or special meeting. If there has been no prior notification, the absence is considered "without notification." Each member is allowed three absences with notification or two absences without notification per calendar year. Should a member exceed the allowed absences from regular and special meetings, Staff shall notify the City Clerk. Excessive absences shall result in termination of membership. A leave of absence, approved by the City Council according to Council Policy is not subject to termination. Section 6. Termination After three meetings following appointment to the Advisory Body, each member shall be subject to removal by motion of any Councilmember, adopted by at least four affirmative votes. (A termination may also take place without a motion at any time by the Councilmember who appointed the member. (Optional for direct appointments) Section 7. Ex-Officio Membership "Optional" The City Transportation Commission may find that, because of the complexity of its work, it is desirable to add member(s) at -large to the Advisory Body to serve as non -voting ex-officio members to lend other opinions or expertise to the work of the Advisory Body. The City Council will authorize the Chair of the Advisory Body to nominate member(s)-at-large for Council approval to be non -voting ex-officio members for a determined period of time. Article V - TERM OF OFFICE Section 1. Term Unless the appointing Councilmember prescribes a shorter term at the time of the appointment, the term of office for each member shall end with the term of the appointing Councilmember or after serving a four-year term. A member may be appointed to complete an unexpired term. A Member may continue to serve until his/her successor has been appointed. Section 2. Membership Year A membership year shall be from January 1 st to January 1 st of the following year. Section 3. Length of Term A member shall not serve more than two consecutive full four-year terms. Upon completion of a member's eighth consecutive year of service, that member will be ineligible for reappointment for a period of two years. Members who have six years or less at the time their term expires are eligible for reappointment. Section 4. Dual Service No member shall be eligible to serve on two Advisory Bodies unless one is established for less than 13 months. Article VI - OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS Section 1. Officers Officers of the Advisory Body shall consist of a Chair and Vice Chair. Section 2. Election of Officers As soon as is practicable following the first day of January of every year, there shall be elected from among the membership of the Advisory Body a Chair and Vice Chair. Section 3. Term of Office The term of office for the Chair and Vice Chair is one calendar year. Officers may not serve in the same position for more than two consecutive years. Section 4. Nominations The Chair will open the floor to nominations. Any member may nominate a candidate from the membership for the position of Chair or Vice Chair; nominations need not be seconded. A member may withdraw his/her name if placed in nomination, announcing that, if elected, s/he would not be able to serve; but s/he shall not withdraw in favor of another member. Once the nominations are complete, the Chair will ask for a motion to close the nominations; a second of, and vote on, the motion is required. The Chair then declares that it has been moved and seconded that the nominations be closed, and the members proceed to the election. Section 5. Voting Voting may be by voice vote or by roll call vote. The candidate who receives a majority of the votes is then declared to be legally elected to fill the office of Chair, and will immediately chair the remainder of the meeting. The same procedure is followed for the election of Vice Chair. Section 6. Vacancy of an Officer Should a vacancy occur, for any reason, in the office of Chair or Vice Chair prior to the next annual election, a special election shall be held to fill the vacant office from among the membership. That member shall serve until a new appointment has been made. Section 7. Removal of Elected Officers The Chair or Vice Chair may be removed by a majority vote of the full Advisory Body at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Advisory Body, when all appointed members are present, or at a special meeting convened for that purpose at which a quorum is present. Any officer removed ceases to hold the office once the vote has been tallied and announced. If the Chair is removed, the Vice Chair shall become the new Chair. An election for the Vice Chair shall then be agendized for the next meeting. Section 8. Duties of the Chair The Chair shall preside at all regular meetings and may call special meetings. The Chair shall decide upon all points of order and procedure during the meeting; his/her decision shall be final unless overruled by a vote of the Advisory Body, in compliance with Article IX, Section 2, "General Conduct of Meetings." The Chair may not make motions, but may second motions on the floor. The Chair acts as primary contact for staff and shall represent the Advisory Body before City Council whenever the Advisory Body or Council considers it necessary. The Chair and staff shall jointly set the meeting agenda. Section 9. Duties of the Vice Chair The Vice Chair shall assume all duties of the Chair in the absence or disability of the Chair. Section 10. Duties of the Acting Chair In case of absence of both the Chair and the Vice Chair from any meeting, an Acting Chair shall be elected from among the members present, to serve only during the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair. Article VII - STAFF SUPPORT Section 1. Staff Staff support and assistance is provided, but advisory bodies do not have supervisory authority over City employees. While they may work closely with advisory bodies, staff members remain responsible to their immediate supervisors and ultimately to the City Manager and Council. The Director of Public Works shall designate appropriate staff to act as staff person(s) to assist and support the Advisory Body. Staff shall attend all regular and special Advisory Body meetings. Staff shall be responsible for coordination of such reports, studies, and recommendations as are necessary to assist the Advisory Body in the conduct of its business according to City Council policy and the Brown Act. Staff may enlist the assistance of other departments as required. Staff shall be responsible for all public notification regarding all regular and special Advisory Body meetings. Staff shall record the minutes of the meetings in accordance with the guidelines established in the "Preparation of Minutes" section of the City Councilmembers' Handbook, shall supervise volunteers and interns, shall work closely with the Chair between meetings, shall make recommendations, prepare reports and proposals to the Advisory Body, may represent the Advisory Body at other meetings, presentations, and other public functions as requested, and shall perform administrative tasks. Staff shall be responsible for the maintenance of proper records and files pertaining to Advisory Body business. Staff shall receive and record all exhibits, petitions, documents, or other materials presented to the Advisory Body in support of, or in opposition to, any question before the Advisory Body. Staff shall sign all notices prepared in connection with Advisory Body business, shall attest to all records of actions, transmittals, and referrals as may be necessary or required by law, and shall be responsible for compliance with all Brown Act postings and noticing requirements. Section 2. Staff Relationship to the Advisory Body Given limited staff resources, the Chair or individual members shall not make separate requests of staff without approval of the Advisory Body. If a member has a research or report request, it shall be brought to the Advisory Body for discussion, consideration, and recommendation prior to making the request of staff. If not approved by the Advisory Body, the individual member shall be responsible for his/her own research or report. Staff and the Chair shall jointly set the meeting agenda. Article VIII - MEETINGS Section 1. Time and Location of Meetings The Advisory Body will hold its regular meeting on the second Wednesday of the following months: January, March, May, July, September and November, which shall begin at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers and will adjourn no later than 10:00 p.m., unless the Chair, with concurrence of the Advisory Body, extends the time of adjournment. If the scheduled date for a regular meeting falls on a holiday, such meeting shall be rescheduled in accordance with Council policy. Section 2. Cancellation If a majority of the membership deems it necessary or desirable, a scheduled regular meeting may be cancelled or rescheduled upon giving notice, unless a public hearing has previously been noticed. Section 3. Special Meetings The Chair of the Advisory Body, staff, or a majority of the membership of the Advisory Body may call a special meeting. Notice of such meeting shall state the purpose or the business to be transacted during such special meeting. No other business may be transacted at such special meeting other than as stated in the notice. Oral Communications are not required at special meetings as long as a statement appears on the agenda identifying that there will be no Oral Communications, but that members of the public will have the opportunity to address the Advisory Body on item(s) on the agenda. Article IX - CONDUCT OF MEETINGS Section 1. Compliance with the Brown Act and Council Policies All regular, special, and adjourned meetings of the Advisory Body shall be open meetings to which the public and the press shall be admitted in compliance with the Brown Act. Meetings will be held at City facilities that are accessible to persons with disabilities. Section 2. General Conduct of Meetings Points of order and conduct, including those not addressed by these Bylaws, shall be settled by the Chair, unless overruled by a majority vote of the Advisory Body. Points of order and conduct shall comply with the Brown Act, these Bylaws, and the City Councilmembers' Handbook. The Chair will consult with staff as necessary. Unresolved issues shall be referred to the City Attorney and continued to a future meeting. Section 3. How Items Are Placed on the Agenda A request to have an item placed for consideration on a future agenda may be made by staff, any Advisory Body member or a member of the public. The Chair and staff will consider the validity (within the approved scope of work) and urgency of the request and determine when and if that item should be placed on an Advisory Body agenda. Issues can be referred to an advisory body by the City Council and may have time sensitive deadlines. The items must comply with the procedures in Article XII, Section 1, "Agenda Reports to Advisory Body." Section 4. Quorum A quorum of the City Transportation Commission shall consist of four (4) members, whether or not there are vacancies on the Advisory Body. Section 5. Absence of a Quorum In the absence of a quorum at any meeting, such meeting shall be adjourned to the next regular meeting date by the Chair, Vice Chair, or staff. A meeting may be declared adjourned for lack of a quorum after a 15-minute period has elapsed from the scheduled time of the start of the meeting. A meeting may also be declared adjourned in advance, if absence notifications received by staff provided for lack of a quorum. Adjournment may be declared by any member or staff. Section 6. Agenda The Chair and staff shall jointly set the meeting agenda and its format shall conform to the template set by Council Policy. Section 7. Order of Business The Chair or a majority vote of the Advisory Body may change the order of business. Article X - MOTIONS Section 1. Call for Motion Upon conclusion of preliminary discussion, any member other than the Chair may place a motion on the floor. The motion shall contain the proposed action. Section 2. Seconding a Motion The Chair shall receive all motions and shall call for a second to each motion. The Chair may second a motion. Section 3. Lack of a Second If, after a reasonable time, no second has been made, the motion shall be declared dead for lack of a second, and the Chair shall state this. This shall not be considered an action of the Advisory Body and shall not be included in the minutes. Section 4. Discussion/Debate After a motion has been made and seconded, the Chair shall call for a discussion of the question. All discussion shall be limited to the motion on the floor. At the close of the discussion, the Chair shall put the matter to a vote. Section 5. Time Limits on Discussion/Debate The Chair may, at his/her discretion, limit debate of any motion; except that each member shall have the opportunity to speak. Section 6. Amending a Motion A motion to amend may be made by any member to revise a motion on the floor; but it cannot be a freestanding motion on its own, nor can it substitute for a main motion. The motion to amend must be voted upon, unless the maker and the second accept it as a friendly amendment, and, if it passes, it then becomes part of the main motion. Section 7. Withdrawing a Motion Any motion may be withdrawn by the maker and the second and shall not be included in the meeting minutes. Section 8. Motion to Table A motion to table may be made to suspend consideration of an item that appears on a meeting agenda for reasons of urgency or to end an unproductive discussion. A motion to table is not in order when another member has the floor. A motion to table requires a second, is not debatable, is not amendable, requires a majority vote for passage, and, if adopted, cannot be reconsidered at the meeting at which it is adopted. Members will refrain from using a motion to table as a means of capriciously limiting debate among members, to suppress a minority of the Advisory Body, or to avoid public input on an agenda item under consideration by the Advisory Body. Section 9. Results of Voting The Chair shall state the results of each vote, e.g., "The motion passes by a vote of five to two." Article XI - VOTING Section 1. Statements of Disqualification Section 607 of the City Charter states that "...All members present at any meeting must vote unless disqualified, in which case the disqualification shall be publicly declared and a record thereof made." No member may abstain from voting on any item, except on the approval of the minutes, when that member was absent. The City of Santa Cruz has adopted a Conflict of Interest Code, and Section 8 of that Code states that "no person shall make or participate in a governmental decision which s/he knows or has reason to know will have a reasonably foreseeable material financial effect distinguishable from its effect on the public generally." Any member who has a disqualifying interest on a particular matter shall do all of the following: 1. Publicly identify the financial interest that gives rise to the conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest in detail sufficient to be understood by the public, except that disclosure of the exact street address of a residence is not required; 2, Recuse himself or herself from discussing and voting on the mater, or otherwise acting in violation of government code Section 87100; 3. Leave the room until after the discussion, vote, and any other disposition of the matter is concluded unless the matter has been placed on the portion of the agenda reserved for uncontested matters; 4. Notwithstanding paragraph 3, a public official may speak on the issue during the time that the general public speaks on the issue. Any question regarding conflicts of interest shall be referred to the City Attorney. Section 2. Voice Vote All questions shall be resolved by voice vote. Each member shall vote "Aye" or "No" and the vote shall be so entered into the minutes, noting the vote of each member. A member may state the reasons for his or her vote, which reasons shall also be entered into the minutes of the meeting. All members including the Chair shall vote on all matters, except where s/he has a disqualifying interest. Section 3. Roll Call Vote Any member may request a roll call vote, either before or immediately after a voice vote. A roll call vote shall be taken without further discussion. The Advisory Body staff shall call the roll and each member shall state his/her vote for the record. Section 4. Sealed Ballot Votes No Advisory Body shall take a sealed ballot vote in open session. Section 5. Adoption of Adoption of a motion shall be made by a simple majority of the members present, except as otherwise provided. The Chair shall restate the vote for the record, e.g., "The motion is approved by a vote of five to two." Section 6. Tie Votes Tie votes will be resolved as follows: Statement of Disqualification: A tie vote resulting from a Statement of Disqualification of one or more members, with no members absent and no vacancies on the Advisory Body, shall constitute a defeat of the motion. Absence: A tie vote during the absence of one or more members, or when there is a vacancy on the Advisory Body, shall cause the item to be automatically continued to the next meeting; except that, as to matters on which action must be taken on a date prior to the next meeting, a tie vote shall constitute a denial of the requested action. Successive Tie Vote: A tie vote at the next meeting on a matter that has been continued as a result of a tie vote shall constitute a denial of the appeal or defeat of the motion. Article XII - REPORTS Section 1. Agenda Reports to Advisory Body All agenda items require a written report. Written reports serve as the analysis, detail, history, and justification for each agenda item. Reports shall include recommendation(s) and background. If a report is initiated by an Advisory Body member, a draft of that report shall be provided to staff for formatting at least 10 business days prior to the meeting. Staff shall then format reports to be consistent with content, style, and formatting of City Council agenda reports. Items initiated by a committee shall be processed in the same manner. Draft reports not submitted in a timely manner shall be placed on a future agenda. Section 2. Committee Reports Committee reports may be verbal or written and may be accompanied by written documentation. Section 3. Preparation of Advisory Body -Generated City Council Agenda Reports All resolutions and recommendations adopted by the Advisory Body and addressed to the City Council shall be delivered to the Mayor as soon as possible. If the action requests City Council action, the item shall be placed on a future City Council agenda. Agenda reports to the City Council from the Advisory Body shall be written reports consistent with content, style, and formatting of City Council agenda reports. Additionally, the agenda report shall include a section called analysis, which includes the pros, cons, and foreseeable consequences of the recommendation(s). In the event that staff and the Advisory Body disagree, an analysis of both recommendations shall be included. Article XIII - RECORD KEEPING Section 1. Maintenance of Records All records shall be maintained according to the City of Santa Cruz Records Retention Schedule. Section 2. Action Agenda Action agendas are required for Advisory Bodies with direct City Council appointments. An action agenda is an unofficial record of the meeting and shall consist of attendance; motion maker and seconder of the motion; and an actual tally of the votes for all actions taken. The action agenda shall be made available to the Advisory Body, the City Clerk, and Staff within four working days of the meeting. Section 3. Minutes Action -only minutes will be produced for all Advisory Body meetings in the same format as that used for City Council meetings. Advisory Body members who want a particular comment included in the minutes must state "for the record" before making such comment. Minutes shall be reviewed, corrected as appropriate, and or amended and approved by the Advisory Body at a subsequent meeting. Subcommittee reports presented orally in a meeting shall be summarized in the minutes. Section 4. Audio and Video Recording of Meetings Proceedings for all Advisory Body meetings shall be recorded on audiotapes whenever possible. The audiotapes shall be retained for one year pursuant to the City of Santa Cruz Records Retention Schedule. As appropriate and/or when requested by the Advisory Body or City Council, a meeting of the Advisory Body may be video recorded or televised. Members of the public have the right to make recordings of a meeting without disrupting the proceedings under any circumstances. Article XIV - COMMITTEES Section 1. Ad Hoc Committees Ad hoc committees are established by an Advisory Body to gather information or deliberate on issues deemed necessary to carrying out the functions and purpose of the Advisory Body. Ad hoc committees generally serve only a limited or single purpose, are not perpetual, and are dissolved once their specific task is completed. An ad hoc committee shall be less than six months in term and shall have fewer members than a simple majority of the membership of the appointing Advisory Body. Ad hoc committees shall bring back information to the Advisory Body in either oral or written form. Following ad hoc committee input, the Advisory Body shall then discuss, deliberate, and make recommendations on the designated issue, thereby providing the public with the opportunity to participate in the decision -making process. This shall take place in the presence of a quorum of the Advisory Body at a properly noticed public meeting. Ad hoc committees shall not be subject to the Brown Act. City staff shall not be required to be present at ad hoc committee meetings. All ad hoc committees shall provide a final report to the Advisory Body in lieu of minutes. Section 2. Standing Committees Standing committees are bodies established to gather information or deliberate on issues deemed necessary to carrying out the functions and purpose of the Advisory Body. Standing committees are ongoing in nature and are created to deal with issues and make decisions on behalf of the Advisory Body. The public has a right to participate in this process. Standing committees are subject to the Brown Act and staff will provide only such support as to ensure such compliance. Section 3. Staff Support to Committees City staff shall normally not be required to attend or provide support for standing or ad hoc committee meetings, unless directed by the department head. All ad hoc committees shall provide a final report to the Advisory Body in lieu of minutes. All standing committees shall provide reports, no less than quarterly, to the Advisory Body. Section 4. Appointments The Chair of the Advisory Body may designate or solicit participation for standing and ad hoc committees. Section 5. Committee Meetings All standing or ad hoc committee meetings shall be held upon call of the Committee Chair. Article XV - AMENDMENTS A majority of the full membership of the Advisory Body may amend these bylaws, subject to the approval of the City Council. Article XVI - ADOPTION OF BYLAWS Immediately upon favorable vote of not less than five -sevenths (5/7) of the full membership of the City Transportation Commission of the City of Santa Cruz and approval of the City Council, these Bylaws shall be in full force and effect. Any and all previously adopted bylaws are hereby superseded. These Bylaws shall not be considered or construed as superseding any ordinance or directive of the City Council of the City of Santa Cruz, nor shall they preclude the preparation and adoption of further procedural manuals and policies by which the Advisory Body may direct its activities. ADOPTED, APPROVED AND AMENDED THIS 23 DAY OF MARCH, 1993 Approved: Peter Beckmann CHAIR of the City Transportation Commission Attest: Christophe J. Schneiter Secretary to the City Transportation Commission Attest: Leslie Cook City Clerk Revised: 7/8/2003 Back to Santa Cruz City Transportation Commission Back to Advisory Bodies Back to Santa Cruz City Home Page Report Website Problems ( Broken Links, Page Not Found, etc.)To: Webmasteraci.santa-cruz.ca.us Miscellaneous/informational Derek Severson I. CALL TO ORDER 7:00 PM Planning Department APPROVAL OF MINUTES August 23, 2007 II. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION A. PUBLIC FORUM B. REVIEW OF TRAFFIC REQUESTS/PROJECTS PENDING/ACTION REQUIRED 1. Parking Issues on Prospect Street 2. Request; for Traffic Control Sign at Terra and Nezla 3. Pedestrian/ Vehicle' Conflicts on Granite Street and Grandview Drive 4. Bike and Pedestrian Issues a. Agenda for September 20th meeting b. Minutes from August 16th meeting 5. Agenda Items for Next Month C. Follow —Up on Previous Traffic Actions D. Traffic Safety Education 1. ACTS Oregon Traffic Safety Annual Meeting, October 15-16, 2007, Bend E. Development Review 1. Planning Action Status Report 2. Planning Commission Agenda 3. Hearings Board Agenda G. Capital Projects Update — See Memo H. Other - Miscellaneous Communications - ACTS Mini -Grant Final Submission - Concerned Families for ATV Safety - Utility Billing Inserts Regarding Traffic Safety III. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS - Traffic Safety Connection IV. ADJOURN NEXT MEETING: OCTOBER 25, 2007 Please call Dawn @ 488-5347 if you will be unable to attend �. L � J 1 in this meeting, Please contact the City Administrato?.'s of 1-800-735-290o), Notification 4. hoursprior arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting ♦ ! ADA Title G:\pub-wrks\eng\dept-admin\TRAF\AGENDAS\2007\September 27 07.doc Memo Date: June 19, 2007 From: James H. Olson To: Traffic Safety Commission CITY OF -ASH LAN D Re: CAPITAL PROJECTS UPDATE & DEVELOPMENT REVIEW (TRANSPORTATION) The following capital projects are ongoing or will be started this summer. If you would like additional information on any of these projects, please let me know as quickly as possible and I will provide it at the next meeting: 1. Clover Lane Extension (95% complete) 2. North Ashland Bikepath (project postponed) 3. Railroad Crossing Improvements @ Hersey/Laurel and Glenn Street (to start in 2008) 4. C Street / Eureka Street Improvement (2008) 5. Miscellaneous Concrete Project (curb repair on B St., Second and Fourth) (start summer 2007) 6. Oak Street Rail Crossing Improvement (Fall 2007) 7. East Main Street Railroad Crossing Improvement (Construction to begin in Summer, 2007) 8. Plaza Avenue LID (delayed for six months) 9. Schofield Street LID (Spring 2008) 10. Siskiyou Boulevard Resurfacing (Walker to I5 (in progress) 11. `A' Street Reconstruction (Oak Street to First Street — start in Summer, 2007) The following subdivisions are under construction or will soon be started. 1. Bud's Dairy Subdivision (east side of Clay Street, extension of Crocker Avenue) (complete) 2. Falcon Heights Subdivision (extension of Rogue Place) (complete) 3. Meadowbrook Park Subdivision (south of Nevada, west of N. Mountain Av) (98% complete) 4. Park Ridge Subdivision Ph II (south of Hersey Street, west of Starflower Street) (Complete) 5. Quinn Subdivision (off N. Mountain Av. between Meadowbrook Park Subdivision and Plum Ridge Subdivision) (complete) 6. Hamilton Place Subdivision (east side of Tolman Creek Road) (complete) 7. Mountain Heights Subdivision (off Nevada)(complete) 8. Barclay Square Condo (north side of Ashland St. adjacent to McDonalds)(complete) 9. Carrington Court Subdivision (954 B Street) (complete) 10. Mountain Pines Subdivision (Prospect Street) (complete) 11. Westwood Subdivision (off Orchard Street) (complete) 12. Julian Square II (N Mountain Av improvements south of Fair Oaks Drive) (98% complete) 13. Fordyce Street Co -housing (75% complete) 14. Three Redwoods Subdivision — between Oregon and Winsor (complete) 15. Helman Springs Subdivision — Otis Street (begin summer 2007) 16. Terrace Court Subdivision — 1849 Siskiyou By (begin summer 2007) 17. Willowbrook Subdivision — 380 Clay Street (begin summer 2007) 18. Matisse Cottages Subdivision — Mountain Av (begin summer 2007) ENGINEERING DIVISION Tel:541/488-5347 As l Main Street Fax: 800/488-2900 Ashland OR 97520 TTY: SOOn35-2900 www ashland onus a New Directions in Traffic Calming Old School: Traffic Calming as Punishment Getting drivers to slow down and yield to pedestrians has always been a challenge in residential and commercial business districts, especially when paved with conventional asphalt. The quick municipal fix to residential traffic calming often is posting three- or four-way stop signs at intersec- tions. A slightly more committed approach involves inflicting some pain on the driver (and passengers) by installing jaw - jarring speed bumps. Sometimes a kinder approach is taken by installing lower and longer speed humps. When painted, alert drivers notice the humps and slow down. Non -painted bumps and humps surprise the driver like a slap in the face. A more systemic calming approach is blocking the end of a residential street with a guard rail or planter to redirect traffic. This is often applied in older neighborhoods with a grid road pattern to discourage drivers from cutting through a neighborhood. They take another street, hopefully a more traveled one. Unfortunately, those living on streets adjacent to the blockage have to change their travel routes as well. Like squeezing a water -filled balloon, traffic gets displaced from one street to another, thereby increasing traffic on streets with limited capacity. Receiving residential streets now have to deal with more traffic within what was once a balanced platform for pedestrian activities, cyclists, skateboarders, street games, etc. All of these calming approaches are single purpose, i.e., slow down vehicle speed and redirect traffic by inflicting driver pain and inconvenience. OldSchooh Usuallyan afterthought, asphaltspeedbumpsand stop signs calm tratftcbypunishing the driver. Residential Streets as Living Rooms Since the late 1970s the Dutch pioneered innovative approaches to slowing down drivers. Their early design philosophy began in the historic university town of Delft. The invention was called a woonerfor a living street (plural: woonerven). A Delft city planner, Mr. Grotenhuis, began implementing the idea of exchanging the roles of the driver Continued on p. 14 Figures 1 and 2. Conceived in the late 1970s, the Dutch woonerf orliving streetcreated more playspace forneighborhood kids. iv Interlocking Concrete Pavement Magazine I August 2007 �e N ewDirectionsinTrafficCaImingcontinuedfromp.12 and pedestrian. See Figures 1 and 2. This was in response to where most Dutch kids play —min the street —because side and backyard space are practically non- existent. On most streets, pedestrians and especially chil- dren are intimidated Figure 3. A portion ofJava Streetin Amsterdam withouttrafficcalmingmeasures. by passing cars. Working with resi- dents in low-rise multi -family neighborhoods, Mr. Grotenhuis began devising ways to slow down cars by introducing obstacles that defined play areas in the streets. Street obstacles included grouping parked cars, play- ground equipment, bollards, trees and small speed humps. The intention was to give drivers a feeling of being an intruder. Instead of the pedestrian being intimidated by the drivers, the driver receives intimidation from pedestrian activities in recon- figured street spaces. Practically all of the woonerven included interlocking concrete pavements since they are a standard sur- face throughout The Netherlands. Woonerven grew in the Netherlands in the 1980s and Dutch government studies showed that pedestrian accidents were reduced. Like much of The Netherlands, many paver streets are below sea level. Therefore, the soil subgrade settles and requires raising the base 6 to 12 in. (150 to 300 mm) every five to ten years. Concrete pavers are removed, additional base and bedding sand installed, the same pavers Javastraat, Amsterdam: Vehicle Speed Mix in Percent for Asphalt and Concrete Pavers Esm"Ohmneox r" N .dF I A MI M ♦R 01�40 .Kn t0.� fi-i0 00-96 ad -AO Z1. speed = h) figure 5. Figure 4. An adjacentsection ofJava Streetwith concrete pa vers and othertraffic calming devices. are reinstated. This regular maintenance cycle and modular, precast paving, curbs and drainage enabled reconfigura- tion to woonerven. This traffic calming approach spread to Germany, France and other European countries each adapt- ing it to local neighborhood settings, as well applying it to some business districts, and most projects using interlocking concrete pavement. The woonerf in The Netherlands implanted the notion that traffic calming should be influenced by existing neighborhood and vehicular patterns. Design was informed by the "urban fabric" e.g., front yard spaces, housing density, the location of driveways and walks to houses, landscaping and trees, pave- ment types, pedestrian views (or lack of them), driver percep- tion while moving through a neighborhood, vehicle noise, on/off street parking, accessibility for disabled persons, signs, lighting, street cleaning/snow removal, fire/emergency access to name a few. All of these concerns inform the living room design and all play roles in increasing safety. Its essentially a design approach where social behavior directs traffic behavior. In the mid-1980s, The Dutch government intro- duced a program called the 30 kph Zone to help reduce vehicle speeds on busier streets with mixed residential and commercial uses. This program consists of a tool box of ways to reduce road or lane widths, introduce (nonjawjarring) speed humps, trees, bollards and signs to reduce vehicle speeds to about 20 mph. Interlocking concrete pavements played a key role in providing surfaces to help slow traffic. A recent 30 kph project example in a busy Amsterdam street demonstrates the positive impact of interlocking concrete pavement in reducing vehicle speeds. Amsterdam's urban designer Jan Stigter mea- sured vehicle speeds on Java Street part of which was Continuedonp. 16 14 Interlocking Concrete Pavement Magazine I August 20 47 NewDirectionsinTrafficCaImingcontinuedf.,u asphalt and then surfaced with interlocking concrete pave- ment. Figure 3 shows an adjacent portion of Java Street paved in asphalt. Figure 4 shows the adjacent area converted from asphalt to interlocking concrete pavement. In Figure 5, Mr. Stigter summarizes the reduction in vehicle speeds using inter- locking concrete pavement The diagram indicates a reversal in the percentage of slower vehicle speeds after introducing interlocking concrete pavement. Ignoring the Essentials Like the 30 kph program, cataloging of traffic calming devic- es was done by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration in the 1981 publication, Improving the Residential Street Environment as a resource for traffic engineers and neigh- borhood planners. The publication recognized the message Figure 6. No curb, justa change in surface from asphaltto pavers indicates the vehicle path towarda roundaboutintersection in central Drachten, The Netherlands. The lackofsignsandotherdistractions forces drivers to pay attention tonotjustother vehicles, but actually viewwhat's around them andreactaccordingly. Figure 7. Closerinto the roundabout a driveryields to bicyclists. Note the lack ofhigh curbs and use ofa small elevation change at the bike/pedestrian path and the road. lt'sjust high enough and ofa different color for the driver to see where to drive. from woonerven that American neighborhood traffic plan- ning should account for social and environmental factors. While there's no mention of the role of concrete pavers in slowing traffic, the 1999 Institute of Traffic Engineers/FHWA publication called Traffic Calming: State ofthe Practice lists textured pavements as a traffic calming tool. However, there's no information on its effects or how it works with other tools to make more sociable residential streets. Even with other U.S. resources like Donald Appleyard's classic book, Livable Streets, most traffic calming efforts in North America are small, incremental changes in existing asphalt roads in response to resident complaints about speed, noise and lack of safety. Very few projects seemed to address the social behavior of neighbors and drivers, nor things beyond the sidewalk that influence the street, let alone how segmental paving might contribute to safer places. Traffic Calming as Slow Dancing The newest approach to Dutch traffic calming is taken by 60-year old traffic engineer Hans Mondemian, from Drachten in the northern part of The Netherlands. Featured in 2004 Wired magazine article, 15 years of traffic engineer- ing led him to discover that less is more. He has demon- strated that fewer signs, traffic lights, warning stripes, etc., actually improve safety. When there are traffic control devic- es, they are saying to the driver "it's okay to drive as fast as you want." They are also saying that pedestrian and driver functions are mostly incompatible and should be separated. Mr. Monderman believes these should be mixed in many situations. According to Wikipedia, "His most famous approach has been labeled designing for negotiation, which he openly admits works better in some places than others. At busy urban intersections with slow traffic, he has found that it is often safer and more effective to get road users to focus on looking at one another instead of traffic control devices. Rather than crosswalks, signs, lights, etc., he designs the road to make it easier for users to see and negotiate with one another. His goal is to enhance the oonspicuity and predictability of users, empowering them to coop- erate with one another." -Wikipedia at http.-11en.wikJpedia.org/ wiki/Hans Monderman Perhaps proof of his effectiveness is that Mr. Monderman has designed many roads and intersections to slow traffic and there have been no fatal accidents. He contends that roads are networks for meeting, and not merely a means to get Continuedon p. 18 16 Interlocking Concrete Pavement Magazine I August 2007 IN cco is L Q c N v ' c rn 5 c a 0 O 0 rn C 0) 00 to C U 7 21 N f0 p V 0 z C @ C 0 C O L 0 0 0} p 0 U 0 U CU (D vi m •� > c Q >, > m � rn (U L y 0 c0 0 Cn O .N ra) c C (0 CQ -0 Y En ` O (n .0 0 C N C Y C a C: C 0 r0j O C -0� cu a •O 0 U 0 in CM O Y 0 Cn N 0 YO a c N Y C 7 ��p .m C m U �p '0 L O U rn m �O U 0 c cu ca .0 a rn � � c 3 cca -0 r c � -0 m co cu :. �, o c m .rn �" m a? 0 o rn O `� w vi N 0 cv (D W>- N O rn ,� C m crs c� O U c a 0 0 c C aj a) o a cco m O a o cn C E C " o '�L. c rn �' C Y U -°� 3 0 M L 7 E 0) f6 L— O O 2 0 O 3 Y O O U Y C Y L N a a. L 3 . cis a) m 0 N 0 C O D _� Cn to Y i C .�. C 3 C L p N N p O CO 30 M L 0 U 0 C O C t Z CO �j 0 Y O N O N 0 _0 N Vai (D Y CU .0 V) Y C YO _FE C f6 C Cn �0 0 w +0. f9 L (6 C . 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C N N V M rn ° a p> 0 C CJ 'C 0 a) C a aa) 2 � L E �p 3 � sn ✓ 'q ✓ tl •� �u�r�ir �,'✓ ....... %ad7a e Na x✓� r�, �`� .. fh, �d ri.,, ,<..b.. ,wci 4�U,. „rLZ.afo, ✓ .,�.wi �; d,,, �, i�, � �lii�,�,.µfb.� 'a `� urur�'a�ry Trim Trees and Shrubs Ashland property owners are reminded to keep their trees and bushes trimmed and clear of sidewalks. Tree limbs should be trimmed to 14 feet above street and 8 feet above sidewalks. Corners are required to have a "vision clear- ance triangle" extending 25 feet back on both streets and clear between 2 112feet and 8 feet off the ground. For more information call, Dean Walker, Code Com- pliance Specialist 552-2424. THE CITIZEN'S SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY OF ASHLAND Traffic Calrnuig Most of us have witnessed a driver traveling well over the need limit on our neighborhood streets. We may have even thought, "I wish the police could see this." The safety of our streets is a primary concern to residents, the driving public and the city. Occasionally we must be reminded of our responsibility to drive safely and within speed limits. Traffic enforcement is one of the Three Es of traffic calming (along with engineering and education) and is one focus of our police depart- ment. Traffic enforcement consists of more than issuing traffic citations, it is also an important ,.gee Trafc Calming, Page 2) Ashland Green and Solar Tour Saturday, October 13, 2007 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p. m. Find out how solar energy can be used to power and heat your home and water, and how homes can be more energy efficient, healthier and better for the environment. Partici- pants will visit homes with solar electric, solar hot water, solar swim- ming pool heat, solar space heat, increased energy efficiency, healthier indoor air, and reduced environmen- tal impacts. Learn about current technologies and financial incentive programs to implement them. The tour will begin at 9:00 AM at the Ashland Civic Center, 1175 East Main Street. All tour partici- pants will travel by buses to four home sites, with a bring -your -own lunch stop along the way and return around 3:00 PM. Pre -registration for the tour is required and limited to 100 people over age 12. Register for $6.00 at the North Mountain Park Nature (See Ashland Green and Solar Tour, Page 2) 65 Ashland Green and Solar Tour Continued from Page 1 Center, at the Ashland Parks Department Office, or online at http://activenet3.active.com/ ashlandparks October is Energy Awareness Month. The Ashland tour is one of hundreds of events planned throughout the state and across the country to raise awareness of energy conservation and clean, renewable energy. The City of Ashland and Home Power Maga- zine sponsor the tour. We look forward to seeing you on the tour! Questions? Larry Giardina, Conservation Analyst, City of Ashland, giardin@ashland.or.us 552-2065 or Hoe Schwartz, CEO and Technical Editor, Home Power Magazine, joe.schwartz@homepower.com, 944-0780. C,, %5almon 1� Traffic Calming Continued fi-om Page 1 education tool which must be a part of any traffic calming plan. Citizens should report offensive traffic action to the Ashland Police Department (APD) and include, if possible the license number of the speeding vehicle. While APD cannot issue a citation, they will send a letter to the owner of the vehicle suggesting that closer attention be paid to traveling within the speed limit. To further assist in controlling neighborhood speeding the APD has recently acquired, through a generous grant from the Alliance for Community Traffic Safety in Oregon (ACTS Oregon), a traffic analyzer that, when placed in a residential street, will continuously measure the speed, type of traffic, (truck, passenger car, etc.), time of day, direction and even the volume of traffic. The purpose is to pin point neighborhoods with demon- strated speeding concerns. It will help the police department de mine when speeding is most preva- lent and when enforcement will be most effective. If you live on a street that you suspect has a high volume of speeding traffic you may request a traffic analysis by contacting Officer Steve MacLennan at 488- 2211 or 482-5211. He will meet with you and your neighbors to discuss traffic concerns. The traffi, analyzers can be installed in min- utes and can begin compiling traffi data immediately. The ADP will then share the results of the study with the neighborhood. The majority of speeding traffic is the result of drivers who momen. tarily lose track of their speed. With our busy schedules the need t, be mentally alert and aware of -fir driving is sometimes crowded by other thoughts and concerns. Sometimes, we just need a simple reminder that when we are behind the wheel our most important responsibility is to be a safe and concientious driver. Bear Creek Salmon Festival On Saturday, October 6 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., the North Mountain Park nature Center will host its. 4th annual Salmon Festival at North Mountain Park. The event is free and offers activities for all ages and information on how to help protect and enhance_ salmon habitat, including water and energy saving ideas. Learn about local salmon habitat conservation andrestoration efforts and observe wild salmon up close and personal with the :Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's 350 gallon salmon tank. Enjoy a wild salmon barbeque ($10/plate) and live entertainment from bands such as Montana Soul, the Prairie Chickens and the Rutendo Ma- rimba, Band. Native. American demonstrations will include traditional salmon cooking around an open fire, traditional uses of plants, drumming, storytelling and more! To learn more visit www.BearCreekSalmonFestival.org. 410.1 Page 1 of 1 Derek Severson - Glenview - shared street? ImVW � 0011 M'M'MMI'�M'W IWIIIIIIIIIII�� NNi�G�IWIwOWVI�flINVNI0INUUWP�INWW100�ONIDNOWVOVVO f7� From: "Colin Swales" <colinswales@gmail.com> To: "Derek Severson" <dereks@ashland.or.us> Date: 9/28/2007 7:47 AM Subject: Glenview - shared street? Derek, At the Traffic Safety meeting last night there was citizen concern expressed about pedestrian safety on Glenview St above Lithia Park. (Jim Olsen and Nancy Slocum have all the details) Suggestions from some commissioners ranged from closing the street to all vehicular traffic, additional signage, and education for pedestrians to stay at side of road. Personally I would like to explore the idea of designating it a "shared street". I have attached a paper dealing with a similar move by Langley, WA. Please could you share with the Bike Ped Commisisoners. thanks Colin file://C:\Documents and Settings\seversod\Local Settings\Temp\GW}00001.HTM 9/28/2007 Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman Shared -Use Streets — An Application of "Shared Space" to an American Small Town Submission Date: May 7, 2007 Word Count: 6,618 (including three figures) Authors: Celeste Gilman (corresponding author) IBI Group 506 Second Avenue, Suite 600 Seattle, Washington 98104 Phone: 206.521.9091 Fax: 206.521.9095 egilman@ibigroup.com Robert Gilman Mayor Pro Tern City of Langley 112 Second Street Langley, WA 98260 Phone: 360.221.6095 Fax: 360.221.6045 rgilman@context.org Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman N ABSTRACT Langley, Washington, a semi -rural town of 1,050 people, is expected to grow by 40 to 100 percent over the next 20 years. One of the town's biggest assets is its pedestrian - friendly character, which is currently supported by low traffic volumes. Anticipating this growth, the City is developing new street design standards to support all users and modes. One of the new street types is "shared -use," which mixes pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers in a low -speed environment that emphasizes the community function of the street. Several streets already operate in this way; by codifying standards, the benefits can be preserved and distributed to more areas. Precedent for shared -use streets comes from the European "shared space" movement, which differentiates between the traffic world (the highway) and the social world (streets within a town). Traffic -world features (traffic signals, lane markings, etc.) are removed within the town. Streets are instead designed as public spaces, providing strong contextual cues to drive slowly and carefully while implementing features that support safe and enjoyable use by walkers, bikers, and others. Shared space has a history of over 20 years, successfully demonstrating improvements in safety and livability. Adapting shared space to a semi -rural American setting requires a combination of place -sensitive solutions. Emerging designs encourage slow speeds through the use of innovative, community -based traffic calming elements on designated shared -use roadways. This paper represents proposed shared -use street design standards, which will be further refined throughout the planning and implementation process. Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman INTRODUCTION Langley, Washington is a small town on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle. It is already an unusually walkable town. This paper describes an initiative by Langley's city government to enhance that walkability and expand the "public space" character of its low traffic - volume streets. The town is located about four miles from the nearest highway. The city limits encompass approximately 640 acres within a 4.0 mile by 2.5 mile area. The historic core is laid out in a grid pattern of approximately 300 to 600 foot (91 to 183 meter) blocks. Primarily residential development has been constructed along the roads radiating from the town center. An aerial view of Langley is provided in Figure 1. FIGURE 1 Langley, Washington. The total population of the town is about 1,050 people. Langley is one of the designated urban growth areas for Island County. The town is expected to attract anywhere from 400 to 1,000 new residents over the next 20 years. With the concentrated grid pattern, and a central core of shops and services, Langley is the type of town where people walk to the post office and run into friends and neighbors along the way. Many people also walk for pleasure and exercise along the town's quiet country lanes. Currently, only a few streets in the town have sidewalks, or even asphalt walkways constructed as part of the roadway. Most streets are shared by pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars. Traffic volumes are sufficiently low that this arrangement has been successful. However, the anticipated growth in the town could jeopardize the current balance between modes. In anticipation of this issue, the town is in the process of developing a new set of street standards. These standards are being guided by Goal 2 and its Policy 1, which were added to the Transportation Element of Langley's Comprehensive Plan in 2006. "Goal 2: Design, regulate, and maintain Langley's roads Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman In and streets in a way that balances the needs of all uses and users, recognizes the streets' role as public spaces, retains Langley's small-town character, and minimizes impervious surfaces. Policy 1: The city should develop and implement a set of street types (designs and associated regulations) to achieve this goal that can be used in different parts of the city depending on traffic volumes, anticipated future use characteristics, and existing or planned surrounding land uses" (1). The intention of the new street standards is to meet the circulation needs of the community while also furthering social and environmental objectives by sensitively applying tailored solutions that meet the needs of a particular situation, rather than a one - size -fits -all approach. Some streets will warrant separate facilities for pedestrians, bicycles, and motorized vehicles, while on other streets it will be possible for all modes to continue to share the same roadway. The concept of complete streets, with separate facilities for different modes, has been well developed (even if there is a strong ongoing need for application of the concept to many existing streets). See for example, the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities. The merits of, and strategies for, developing complete streets will not be repeated here. This paper will focus on the concept and design of shared -use streets. Examples of Existing De Facto Shared -Use Streets in Langley While many of the residential streets in Langley are currently, in practice, already shared use, there are two streets that serve as inspiration for the effort to formalize shared -use streets. These two well -loved walking streets are Edgecliff Drive (about 1.5 miles/2.4 kilometers long and mostly 18 feet/5.5 meters wide) and Al Anderson Avenue (about 1.25 miles/2.0 kilometers long and between 18 and 22 feet/5.5 and 6.7 meters wide). The width of the street allows strolling pedestrians to group and regroup according to the flow of conversation, while also permitting them to easily get out of the way if vehicles need to pass. Both have 25 mile per hour (mph) speed limits (40 kilometers per hour (km/h)). Measured peak traffic volume is 52 vehicles per hour on Al Anderson. While data is not available for Edgecliff, it is likely similar. Both have 1- to 2- foot -wide (0.3 to 0.6 meter) gravel and grass shoulders. Edgecliff has homes with driveways all along its length. Al Anderson has long stretches without driveways and serves as a collector for other local access roads. Figure 2 shows a view of Al Anderson Avenue. Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman FIGURE 2 Al Anderson Avenue. Generalizing from the current characteristics of Edgecliff and Al Anderson, the starting point for the characteristics of shared -use streets is that they are relatively narrow, low traffic -volume, low speed streets that serve a variety of uses and users. BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES — AN OVERVIEW The initial motivation for shared -use streets comes from the social benefits of using streets as multipurpose public spaces, not just corridors for motor vehicles. The innovative Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman makes a distinction between the world of the highway (the traffic world) and the world of the settlement (the social world). In this European view, the traffic world is appropriately oriented to vehicles, speed, predictability, and uniformity. Correspondingly, the social world of public spaces in towns and cities is appropriately oriented to people, the variable pace of pedestrians, diversity, spontaneity, and the unpredictability that comes with these. In Monderman's view, vehicles find their place in the social world by accommodating to the social life of the street — the social life of the street should not be modified to accommodate vehicles. In these terms, shared -use streets are definitely part of the social world. As such, they are public spaces that connect the buildings on either side of the street, rather than dividing them. They are places for the kind of spontaneous interactions among neighbors that are vital to building the fabric of community. There are also other significant benefits that come primarily from the narrowness of the area devoted to circulation: • Reduced impervious surface serves the environmental goals of Low Impact Development by generating less stormwater runoff (2). Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman ti Less pavement width allows more efficient use of land, thus reducing housing costs. • Less cost for road construction (and eventual maintenance) also reduces housing costs and saves taxpayer funds. While so far there have been no significant accidents on Langley's de facto shared -use streets, the primary concern raised about shared -use streets has been about the safety of mixing multiple uses and users in the same space. The central design challenge in formalizing shared -use streets is to optimize the social, environmental, and economic benefits while minimizing the safety risks. PRECEDENT FOR SHARED -USE STREETS Beyond the informal sharing of streets between different modes in settings such as those described in Langley, there are examples of streets created with the explicit intention to mix pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers in a way that puts all modes on a more even footing. The concept of "shared space" has been gaining momentum in Europe, taking inspiration from pioneers such as Hans Monderman and Ben Hamilton-Baillie, a British urban planner and transport specialist who has been promoting shared space in the UK. Shared space recognizes that streets are the most accessible, pervasive, and numerous public spaces in communities and "strives towards a design and layout of public spaces where traffic, human exchange and other spatial functions are in balance" (3). Instead of being a monoculture of traffic, streets are reclaimed as a fully functioning ecosystem of human interaction, commerce, play, natural processes, and all modes of transportation. Vehicles are not banished, but the streets are designed foremost as public spaces, which cues drivers to act as civil, social beings rather than focused, speeding human -machine hybrids. Often the most striking feature of shared space streets is the lack of conventional signage and traffic control devices. This is coupled with an overall design treatment that creates streets and intersections that look more like plazas and pedestrian routes than roads. One of the main premises of shared space is that the instruments of traditional traffic engineering create a barrier that inhibits drivers' abilities to read contextual clues. Remove the devices that tell drivers they are in a predictable environment where everything will happen according to the signs, and drivers slow down and pay attention to what is happening around them. In this environment, the question of who has the right of way is negotiated through eye contact and social interaction between all road users. The first project using this approach to street design was constructed in Oudehaske, Netherlands in 1985. By creating a square -like quality through replacing the asphalt roadway with clinker bricks and emphasizing the village church and village pub through urban design, speed reductions of 50% were achieved for a roadway with an average daily traffic (ADT) count of 8,000 vehicles (4). Since then, a growing number of projects have been completed in the Netherlands and several other European countries. One of the best-known projects is the Laweiplein intersection in Drachten, Netherlands. This intersection handles approximately 22,000 vehicles per day (5). Traffic signals were removed and the intersection redesigned to more closely resemble a public plaza, featuring large fountains integrated into the corners of the intersection. The Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden (NHL) University of Applied Sciences conducted a comprehensive before and after evaluation of the Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman W intersection. They found significant safety improvements. In the nine years preceding the reconfiguration of the intersection in 2003, there were between four and 13 accidents per year, with a mean of 8.3 accidents. Four of those were serious accidents. In the two years following the redesign for which complete data is available (2004 and 2005), there was one accident per year — one damage only accident in 2004 and one non -serious injury accident in 2005 (6). Shared space has been tried and proven to provide both social and safety benefits in a variety of successful applications. Shared space has been applied to streets with ADT volumes of 3,000 to over 20,000 vehicles. It has been applied specifically at intersections and along whole corridors. At intersections, all modes mix freely. On some streets, all modes mix freely along the whole length of the street as well, while on others, distinct sidewalks are provided but the expectation is maintained that pedestrians could be in the roadway in any place at any time. However, these examples of shared space streets from Europe differ from the streets in Langley in several key ways. Most significantly they are streets in comparatively urban environments, with significant use by pedestrians and bicyclists. The streets in Langley are much more rural in character with low demand from all modes. One of the challenges of implementing shared -use streets in Langley will be maintaining the expectation that they are a "people place" when people are not always around. STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING SAFETY Langley's de -facto shared -use streets have so far been accident free and well loved, which shows that pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles can successfully mix in a low traffic volume, low speed environment. However, in formalizing the concept of shared -use streets it is necessary to look more closely at what makes them work and how they could be designed to work even better. Much of the guidance for the good design of shared -use streets can be gained by looking at what makes the current streets safe and how safety could be further enhanced. There are four primary safety factors: speed, visibility, attentiveness, and pedestrian escape. Speed Probably the most important factor in successfully mixing multiple uses and users is to keep everyone's speed relatively low. The critical question is: how low does it need to be? Research by Great Britain's Department of Transportation, and used in the United States by the Federal Highway Administration and others, shows that the probability of death in a pedestrian -car collision goes from 5% at 20 mph (32 km/h) to 45% at 30 mph (48 km/h), 85% at 40 mph (64 km/h), and 96% at 50 mph (80 km/h) (7). Figure 3 illustrates this relationship. Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman M U [Cf 4J V7 U U iL 4- 0 100 NMI NX 20 X 0 10 20 30 40 s0 Vehicle Speed (mph) FIGURE 3 Probability of Pedestrian Death Relative to Vehicle Speed. Obviously, the slower the speed, the safer the street. However, setting the speed limit too low runs the risk of frustrating and alienating drivers, especially during those times when there are no other users on the street. Nevertheless, the difference between 20 mph and 25 mph (32 to 40 km/h) is significant. Twenty miles per hour seems to be a "sweet spot' for the maximum speed on shared -use streets. This correlates well with 20 mph School Zones. It is also the lowest allowable speed limit under the Revised Code of Washington (8). It is important that cyclists stay below this speed as well. For successful implementation, it is important that this speed limit be designed into the roadway and not just regulated through signage. An objective of the street design is to not only ensure drivers stay within the speed limit, but to create an environment that makes it feel natural to even drive below the speed limit. The street should be designed to actually feel unsafe at speeds approaching and above 20 mph (32 km/h). Shared space recognizes the reality of risk compensation and capitalizes on it by creating places that are made safer by feeling less safe. "When a situation feels unsafe, people are more alert and there are fewer accidents" (3). Drivers slow down and all road users keep sharply aware of what is happening around them. A successful design will encourage drivers and 61 Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman 9 bicyclists to go slowly while creating an environment that is comfortable for pedestrians. A balance must be struck between encouraging walking through prioritizing the social life of the street, without giving pedestrians a false sense of security. Design Strategies Design strategies for encouraging slow speeds consist of physical constraints and psychological cues. Key physical constraints include roadway width and curves. The faster a car is traveling, the greater the lane width required for comfortable and safe travel. Correspondingly, the narrower the lane, the greater the pressure on the driver to drive slowly. Shared -use streets should have a paved width that corresponds to the minimum width that still allows two cars to pass safely at slow speeds. A width of 18 feet (5.5 meters) seems to strike a good balance. This allows 9 feet (2.7 meters) per car when two vehicles pass, which is wider than the typical parking lane width (7 feet/2.1 meters) but narrower than typical travel lanes (11 feet/ 3.4 meters) (9). Curves do affect driving speed, but are more difficult to add to an existing road. Curves should be considered a positive feature and curvature can be accentuated to reduce the "runway" effect of long, straight stretches of road. Psychological cues will be dealt with later in the section on attentiveness. Visibility Along with ensuring slow speeds, maintaining good visibility is critical to achieving a safe facility. Sight distances should allow drivers ample time to react even if they are exceeding the speed limit. However, care should be taken when designing for ample sight distance to not send a cue to drivers that it is acceptable and safe to drive above the speed limit. Design Strategies Minimum sight distances on shared -use streets should be approximately 125 feet (38 meters). This distance is based on a driver perception time of 2 seconds and a coefficient of friction of 0.4 for a vehicle traveling at 25 mph (40 km/h). While it is impractical to set a maximum sight distance, longer is not necessarily better. Shorter sight distances reinforce the message that the street is an unpredictable environment and one should drive slowly and with care. The greatest challenge regarding visibility is visibility at night. Many of the candidate shared -use streets in Langley do not currently have streetlights. Consideration should be given to providing some level of lighting. This could potentially be provided by pedestrian -scaled solar -powered lights. Another potential tool for increasing visibility is to provide flashing red or yellow lights to area residents that can be clipped to clothing and worn while walking. In Sweden, where it can be dark for around 20 hours per day in the winter, people typically wear plastic reflectors, routinely carrying them in their pockets and then taking them out when they go walking. Attentiveness Speed and visibility deal more with the external conditions, while attentiveness addresses a driver's internal ability to notice and avoid a potential conflict with other road users. The role of inattentiveness in collisions is hard to quantify accurately, since it is an Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman 10 internal state and most drivers involved in a collision do not want to admit to being inattentive. However, research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute published in 2006 found that 65 percent of near crashes and almost 80 percent of crashes involve driver inattention (10). While attentiveness is an internal state, the environment can encourage attentiveness or subtly suggest that it is unnecessary. This concept is central to shared space and the idea of "mental speed bumps" put forth by David Engwicht. A social inventor and street philosopher from Australia, David Engwicht has identified three mental speed bumps: intrigue, uncertainty, and humor (11). These "speed bumps" engage drivers with the environment around them, causing them to drive more slowly, attentively, and courteously. Design Strategies Encouraging attentiveness involves both negative and positive strategies. The first strategy is to avoid sending signals that attentiveness is not required. The second strategy is to engage drivers with the environment around them. As the experience of shared space shows, signs and standard traffic engineering devices can act as a barrier between drivers and their environment. These devices should be minimized. There should be no lane markings. Lane markings imply a regulated roadway to drivers. They are a cue that it is safe to go faster and that there will be minimal unexpected occurrences (such as pedestrians on the roadway). This is the opposite of the message that the design of shared -use streets should convey. The shared space approach is to have no regulatory signs whatsoever. It may be appropriate to have one 20 mph speed limit sign at the entrance to each shared -use street to provide people with a clear understanding of speed expectations. The speed limit could be painted on the roadway rather than posted on a standard speed limit sign. Graz, Austria has a citywide 30 km/h (18.6 mph) speed limit on all streets except a few major streets (where the speed limit is 50 km/h(31 mph)) (12). They paint the speed limit in large letters on the street at the entrance to each 30 km/h zone. Engaging drivers with the environment around them can be done through using "mental speed bumps" and by creating an environment that is human scale and speaks to the social use of the space. The first opportunity to implement these objectives is to provide a distinctive gateway at the entrances to shared -use streets. Ideally, this should be a creative element developed with the local neighbors actively participating in the design and implementation. A creative, grassroots approach can help develop a sense of neighborhood identity and pride. The roadway can be painted at the entrance to the shared -use streets zone by the neighbors, similar to an intersection repair, as pioneered by the City Repair Project in Portland, Oregon (13). A gateway arch or banners could also be built as a neighborhood project. Engaging the creativity of the neighbors helps generate commitment to shared -use streets among residents, and the physical results are likely to be more intriguing and humorous than a more formal effort would produce. The community activity is a way of claiming the street as community space, and it leaves a lasting reminder to visitors and residents that they are guests in that community space when they are using the street. Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman 11 Intersections along the shared -use street are another opportunity for creative and engaging treatments. The crossroads of two streets is a natural miniature square or plaza. Where two shared -use streets intersect, this function can be fully supported. Neighbor initiated amenities can be provided at the corners of an intersection, such as benches, tea stations, chalk board drawing stations, and community bookshelves (13). A mural can be painted on the intersection to claim it as a "place" and not just a space to pass through. Intersections are demanding of road users, requiring navigation of a safe route through multiple potentially conflicting movements of other users. Enhancing the intersection with art and amenities reinforces the message to expect the unexpected and travel slowly and with caution. Where a shared -use street intersects a complete street, the other street typology proposed for Langley, the gateway treatments discussed previously provide a clear delineation of the two zones. One aspect that needs to be treated with additional care is the transition for pedestrians. Pedestrians will go from being able to occupy a significant portion of the width of the roadway to being channeled onto sidewalks along the edge of the roadway. The sidewalks need to ramp down to the shared -use street, providing accessibility for pedestrians in wheelchairs and providing a smooth transition. This ramping needs to be done in such a way as to not increase the perceived turning radius of the corner. Materials with different colors and textures, as well as paint, can be used to differentiate the ramped sidewalk from the road surface. One of the challenges of the de facto shared -use streets examples in Langley provided earlier is the fact that they are both relatively long, straight streets. To minimize the effect of "being on the open road," where it is easy to look far into the distance and pick up speed while driving, a finer -grain definition should be brought to the street, creating the impression of a series of rooms rather than a long corridor. Street trees can be planted along the side of the shared -use streets, with a different species every few hundred feet. The trees will literally give the sense of a room, providing walls and ceiling to the street, while the varying species will give distinction to different sections of the street. Trees also help keep speeds low by increasing the "visual friction" of the street. The final recommendation for increasing attentiveness is to encourage property owners to use the edge of their property (and/or the adjacent right-of-way that is set aside for potential future expansion but is not currently used as part of the street) for interesting installations, such as gardens, art, lemonade stands, or benches. This may seem counterintuitive — encouraging driver attentiveness by giving drivers, and others, interesting features to look at — but intriguing drivers, signaling to them that they should expect the unexpected, and introducing humor encourages more attention to the environment and slower speeds. Interesting installations along the street edge enhance the pedestrian environment and remind drivers that they are guests in a community space. Pedestrian Escape With low traffic volumes, slow speeds, adequate visibility, and an environment that encourages driver attentiveness, pedestrians and cars should be able to comfortably share the same roadway most of the time. However, there may be times when two cars are passing, a driver does not seem to be sufficiently attentive, or an approaching car is moving uncomfortably fast, that a pedestrian may feel more comfortable temporarily stepping off of the roadway. The focus on speed, visibility, and attentiveness is about Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman 12 managing driver behavior to minimize the risk to other road users. Providing an easy route of escape for pedestrians gives them a fallback that is in their own control if the other measures to assure safety do not seem adequate in a particular situation. Design Strategies Beyond the road surface there should be a strip of unpaved shoulder that provides a refuge area for pedestrians who want to step off the road surface when cars pass. This shoulder could be low grass or other material. Two of the challenges for this portion of the street will be to ensure that this area does not increase the perceived width of the road and to ensure that neither drivers nor pedestrians view this as a segregated facility that pedestrians should use instead of the roadway. Parallel parking is a valuable tool for traffic calming and buffering pedestrians from the roadway when separate pedestrian facilities are provided. However, on the shared -use streets discussed here, on -street parking would present an obstruction and a hazard. Having cars parked along the side of the road would block the path of pedestrians to the shoulder in the situation when passing vehicles made it feel uncomfortable to be on the roadway. In the highly unlikely situation of a vehicle leaving the roadway and endangering a pedestrian, the street trees proposed earlier may provide a level of physical barrier between the vehicle and pedestrian. SHARED -USE STREET DESIGN SUMMARY Recognizing that shared -use streets are an appropriate solution for a particular situation, and that changing situations may call for different solutions, adequate city right-of-way should be secured and maintained to allow for future street expansion. A right-of-way of approximately 56 feet (17 meters) should comfortably accommodate future potential demand for sidewalks, planting strip/natural stormwater infrastructure, parking, and vehicle travel lanes (9). Within that right-of-way, the following elements are proposed for shared -use streets: • Narrow paved roadway (18 feet/5.5 meters wide) • Level grass shoulders available for pedestrians to step off the road temporarily (5 feet/1.5 meters wide on each side) • Creative gateway treatment • Creative intersection treatments • Street trees of varying species • Pedestrian scale street lights • Minimum sight distances of 125 feet (38 meters) • No on -street parking • Signage limited to one 20 mph sign (free-standing or painted on the roadway) at the shared -use street entrance Natural stormwater management can also be a part of the initial shared -use street design. With an 18-foot roadway and approximately 5 feet of shoulder on each side, there would be approximately 28 feet (8.5 meters) of right-of-way not dedicated to transportation functions within the 56-foot (17 meter) right-of-way. Part of this width could be used for natural stormwater management. Depending on the character of the Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman 13 surrounding soils, this area could provide the functions of detention, retention, infiltration, bio-filtration, and/or interception. IMPLEMENTATION In many ways, what makes a street a shared -use street has more to do with the way people use it than what it looks like. Therefore, the social aspects of implementation are particularly critical. The City may initiate designation of a street as a shared -use street, but the residents along that street should be involved in the process. At a minimum, an informational pamphlet should be sent to each household and a public meeting held. Better yet, it could be a requirement for implementation that 50% of the households sign a petition in favor of the new designation. The better people understand the concept, and the more they are invested in supporting it, the more successful shared -use streets will be. There are also opportunities for local residents to be involved in the design and physical implementation of the shared -use street, such as gateway treatments, interesting amenities along the street, and creating and maintaining landscaped natural stormwater treatment facilities. Implementation of the physical improvements need not happen all at once. The new speed limit can be implemented first, following public education and approval of the shared -use street designation. Artistic gateways and intersection painting can occur as there is community interest and commitment to design and implement the projects. Modification to existing roadways, such as reducing street width and installing level grass shoulders, can be implemented as funding becomes available and if concerns have been raised over the existing conditions. One aspect of implementation is the phased implementation of the full shared -use street design recommendations, but the ongoing evolution of the street should also be considered. It is anticipated that shared -use streets are most suitable at very low traffic volumes. For non -motorized road users to have a relaxed experience, there should be extended stretches when no vehicles pass. Translating this qualitative criterion into a quantitative threshold, vehicles should pass no more frequently than an average of one vehicle every 30 seconds. In other words, peak traffic volumes should be no more than 120 vehicles per hour. A recent traffic count on Al Anderson Avenue found traffic volumes of 52 vehicles per hour between 4PM and 6PM. This traffic volume threshold may be adjusted upwards if it is found that pedestrians continue to feel comfortable sharing the roadway even with higher traffic volumes following the shared -use street improvements. Traffic volumes on most streets in Langley that would be suitable shared - use streets are largely a function of the catchment area of households that use that street to travel to other destinations and the trip making patterns of those households (including mode split). It is not a given that increasing the number of households must increase vehicle traffic by a set and steady rate. If transportation demand management is paired with increases in density, more growth can occur before the threshold for effective functioning of shared -use streets is exceeded. As the city grows, some streets that functioned as shared -use streets may eventually warrant separate facilities for pedestrians. The experience from Europe shows that streets can be claimed foremost as social spaces with much higher traffic volumes than those in Langley. However, over a certain threshold, which is a combination of traffic volume and speed (as well as relative pedestrian volumes), it is safer and more Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman 14 comfortable for pedestrians to have sidewalks. In this scenario, sidewalks are provided as a courtesy, but the expectation remains that pedestrians are free to enter the roadway at any point, not just at intersections. The City of Langley may consider requiring a development fee that goes into a fund for future sidewalks and other multimodal facilities. The City can also encourage minimal car use through a variety of means to support the continued successful sharing of the street by multiple modes. A continual evolutionary process is anticipated, from the current de facto shared - use streets, through implementation of recommended measures to maintain and enhance the shared -use function of those streets as the city grows, and potentially to street designs that more closely mirror the European shared space streets. By establishing the intention to enhance the community, ecological, and economic functions of Langley's streets as the city grows, and bringing resources to bear to implement that intention, it is hoped that the changes brought by development can be harnessed to increase quality of life rather than erode it. CONCLUSION Langley is pursuing the development of shared -use streets based on the belief that they hold the promise for improved community, environmental, and economic performance compared to conventional street -use approaches. The development and implementation of shared -use streets is still in the early stages. Having streets that are shared by pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles is not a new concept. However, prioritizing non -motorized modes and the community function of the street is not yet established practice. Part of the implementation of shared -use streets should be an ongoing process of assessment and refinement. Questions such as the following should be asked on a periodic basis. Are the streets more or less safe? Are more or fewer people walking? What are the community reactions? As Langley implements shared -use streets it is hoped that the success of shared space projects in Europe can be replicated in this American setting and that lessons from Langley can serve as a model for other American communities. Celeste Gilman and Robert Gilman REFERENCES 15 (1) City of Langley. City of Langley Comprehensive Plan. December 20, 2006, pp. 150. (2) Hinman, C. Low Impact Development: Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound. Puget Sound Action Team, Washington State University Pierce County Extension, Olympia, Washington, January 2005 (revised May 2005). (3) Keuning Instituut, Senza Communicatie. Shared Space: Room for Everyone, A new vision for public spaces. Shared Space, European Union, North Sea Programme, Leeuwarden, Netherlands, June 2005, pp. 10, 45. (4) Shared Space website. European Union and North Sea Programme, Shared Space, Hans Monderman, Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Oudehaske, www.shared- space.org/default. asp?ObjectID=18429. Accessed April 2007. (5) Shared Space website. European Union and North Sea Programme, Shared Space, Hans Monderman, Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Drachten, www.shared- space. org/default.asp?ObjectID=18436. Accessed April 2007. (6) Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden. The Laweiplein: Evaluation of the reconstruction of a square with roundabout. Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden. Leeuwarden, Netherlands, January 2007, pp. 26. (7) U.K. Department of Transportation, Killing Speed and Saving Lives, London, 1987. (8) Washington State Legislature. Revised Code of Washington, Title 46, Chapter 46.61, Section 46.61.415, apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.61.415. Accessed March 2007. (9) Metro. Green Streets: Innovative Solutions for Stormwater and Stream Crossings. Metro, Portland, Oregon, First Edition, June 2002, pp. 104-105. (10) Dingus, T. A., Klauer, S. G., Neale, V. L., Petersen, A., Lee, S. E., Sudweeks, J., Perez, M. A., Hankey, J., Ramsey, D., Gupta, S., Bucher, C., Doerzaph, Z. R., Jermeland, J., and Knipling, R. R. The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, Phase II - Results of the 100-Car Field Experiment. Performed by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Blacksburg, VA, Sponsored by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C., April 2006, DOT HS 810 593- April 2006, pp. xxiii. (11) Engwicht, D. Mental Speed Bumps: The smarter way to tame traffic. Envirobook, Annandale, NSW, Australia, 2005, (12) Sammer, G. A general 30 km/h speed limit in the city: a model project in Graz, Austria. In The Greening of Urban Transport, Edition II, edited by Tolley, R. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, West Sussex, England, 1997, pp. 386. (13) The City Repair Project. Portland, Oregon. Intersection Repair, www.cityrepair.org/wiki.php/projects/ir/main, March 2, 2006. Accessed April 2007. Ashland Daily Tidings :: Online Edition:: Print Article Page 1 of 1 PRINT I CLOSE WINDOW September 27, 2007 SOU student hit on boulevard By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Michael Emmert was crossing Siskiyou Boulevard on his way to his second day of classes at Southern Oregon University when his semester, and his hip, were altered by a Toyota SUV. The SUV struck Emmert as he was crossing near Palm Street, causing him to roll on top of the hood and back onto the road before he was taken to Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford. He suffered a broken hip and other injuries, and will be in the hospital for an extended stay. "It's important, especially in a college town, that drivers pay particular attention to cross walks," Deputy Police Chief Rich Walsh said this morning. "That area is highly travelled by SOU students." Another car stopped for Emmert at the cross walk, leading police to believe the SUV driver was at fault. Because they have not been able to attain a statement from Emmert yet, charges are still pending but Walsh said the 17-year-old SUV driver will likely be charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian at a cross walk. "We're still waiting to interview [Emmert] because he wasn't lucid enough at the scene of the accident to talk," Walsh said. He added that police believe the driver was obeying the speed limit, which is 30 miles per hour. Officer Steve MacLennan said, while in this instance the driver was at fault, it is not uncommon for the pedestrian to cause the accident. "The pedestrian has an equal responsibility to make sure road is clear," he said, noting that often students are in a rush to get to class. "You have to stop, look and make sure you are able to cross safely without causing an accident." Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 226 or bplain@dailytidings.com. To post a comment on this story, go to www.dailytidings.com. © 2007 DailyTidings.com Page: http://www.dailytidings.com/2007/0927/stories/0927_car_accident.php http://www.dailytidings.com/print_article.php?pagename=/2007/0927/stories/0927 car ac... 9/27/2007 Connecting Oregon's Community Traffic Safety Advocates Successes in Sweden The Governor's Highway Safety Association (GHSA) Annual Meeting will be arriving in Portland September 22nd. This year the conference theme is, "Looking Beyond Our Borders." Another conference that ventured across the Atlantic was Lifesavers. This past spring in Chicago one of the sessions included speakers from various countries that discussed their traffic issues and resolutions. The session was titled "International Perspectives in Highway Safety: Good Practices from Around the World." One speaker in particular stood out from the rest —Roger Johansson Chief Strategist, Swedish Road Administration Bicyclist Safety Mini -Grants Available in January ACTS Oregon will be managing the Bicyclist Safety Mini -Grants this year. Applications for the Mini Grants should be available in January. Projects that have been successfully funded include bike safety classes, outreach programs to low- income youth, and helmet distribution programs. Watch for more information in upcoming issues of the Traffic Safety Connection or contact Kate Murphy at katem@actsoregon.org or 503-643-5620, 800-772-1315. Volume 5, Number 9 His presentation began by stating that Sweden has been the safest country in the world for the past fifteen years. At least for the last ten years this has been due in part to a program called "Vision Zero." Sweden's goal or vision is to have zero crash related fatalities. This program was the first time that the Swedish government had been interested in traffic safety. Sweden felt that the amount of death that was occurring on the roadways was an ethical issue that needed immediate attention. Sweden feels that road use is not voluntary. It is a requirement no matter the type of transportation that one utilizes the road system to get from place to place. If such a requirement exists then it should also be a requirement to support a level of safety. Sweden provided support with a unique approach. The road administration felt that most countries blame the victim or the user for crashes that occur on roadways. They also felt that rules for using the road should be created by the designers or engineers. They understand the structures better then anyone else. One component of the road system that Sweden has chosen to target is crosswalks. The road administration views crosswalks in speed zones thirty-five miles an hour or more as death traps. The majority of pedestrian fatalities occur within crosswalks due to the sense of entitlement that a pedestrian feels. Painted lines connecting a road user from one corner to the next will not stop a vehicle that is unaware that someone is crossing the street. Therefore Sweden has eliminated crosswalks in areas where speeds can be deadly to a pedestrian. This process is known as segregation of road users. The general idea is to not place road users in situations of deadly competition. This philosophy has helped Sweden to dramatically lower their fatality rate. This was just one of many sessions that were available at the 2007 Lifesaver's conference. To view other tracks visit www.lifesaversconference.org. You will also find that Lifesavers will be in Portland April 13-15, 2008! Stay tuned for more information! ACTS Oregon Community Traffic Safety and Child Passenger Safety Training The Amazing Race" for Oregon Safety October 15-16, 2007 Riverhouse Hotel & Conference Center, Bend *All traffic safety laws apply, courteous driving encouraged, no speeding, no road rage, no crashing. This meeting begins with the ACTS Oregon Annual Meeting Luncheon sponsored by State Farm Insurance. Everyone is invited to join the ACTS Oregon board, staff and members for lunch. Following the luncheon, training designed for child passenger safety (CPS) technicians and community traffic safety committee and commission members will be offered. All traffic safety professionals and advocates are welcome. CPS Technicians will be able to earn 6 CEU credits. Workshops include: • Crash Injury Mechanisms & Restraint Technologies including Pedestrian Crash Research Findings • A Strategy for Reducing the Impact of DUII in Portland, OR • Overview of Drug Impairment Recognition Programs and the Mobile DUII Processing Center —Children in Crashes & Child Restraint Misuses • CPS Technician Re -Certification • Successful Fitting Stations and Distribution Programs: How They Are Organized and Sustained • Strategies for Prevention of CPS Technician Burn Out • Working Locally to Build a Community Coalition Early registration discount by 9/19/07 ACTS Oregon members $20.00 Non Member is $50.00 More information visit: www.actsoregon.org or call 503-643-6520, 800-772-1315. Traffic Safety Connection • September,,..,,...,,,,. ........................ For information call 503-643-5620 or 1-800-772-1315...... . ............ . . .. _...,.........._ I ACTS Oregon STAFF Ruth Harshfield Executive Director ruthh@actsoregon.org Gayle Watts Child Passenger Safety Program Coordinator gaylew@actsoregon.org Sandy Holt Child Passenger Safety Technician Coordinator sandyh@actsoregon.org Kate Murphy Community Traffic Safety Coordinator katem@actsoregon.org Tory Brixey Administrative Assistant safety@actsoregon.org BOARD MEMBERS Tony Tirico, President Bend ttirico@ci. bend. or. us Lucie Drum, Secretary Portland lucie_drum@amr-ems. corn Daniel Marcisz, Treasurer Medford MarcisDE@jacksoncounty.org Mark Alexander Ontario malexander@ontariooregon.org Larry Christianson McMinnville dejaceo@msn.com Tammy Franks Hillsboro TFranks@LHS.ORG Stephen J. Manning Keizer stephen687@earthlink.net John Naccarato Oregon City johnnac@co.clackamas.or.us Mike Stupfel Salem Michael.Stupfel@state. or. us Beth Wemple Portland BWEMPLE@kittelson.com tive Efforts with eaverton Police Keep Local Ids Safe when Traveling l important step to take to ensure that children being transported in the safest manner issible is to attend a child safety seat check up ent. A check up event Is an opportunity for ople who transport children to have their child Araints checked for proper fit and installation. ents that occur in the same place and time ch month'are referred to as a "fitting station." wing a consistent location where parents can In on having their restraints checked is a valuable asset to a community. In April Jennifer Donavan was broad sided by another vehicle on Southwest Taylors Ferry Road in Portland. The red Jeep she was riding in with her daughter was suddenly on its side, a crumpled mass of metal and shattered glass. Just one month before the crash, Jennifer Donavan had taken her child seat to the fitting station in Beaverton. Detective Pam Judge told her that the seat was installed in the car improperly. Pam worked with Jennifer to be sure the seat was installed correctly. After the crash, Lucia was found inside the Jeep by firefighters uninjured and still strapped in her properly installed car seat. The message they are sending to other parents is to get their car seats checked for proper installation. Beaverton Police also offered their services at the fitting station coordinated by ACTS Oregon Child Safety Seat Resource Center at Kuni Cadillac. This fitting station is held the second Thursday of every month from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Officers and volunteers from Beaverton Police Department have helped make this event a success as well. ACTS Oregon wants to thank the Beaverton Police Department for their dedication and ongoing support for child passenger safety. Ahhh...Fair Season ... It's Over! Fair season can be one of the most exhausting, yet rewarding, times of the year. Fairs can be a great opportunity to get your traffic safety message out to the public. The trick seems to be however to find a way to make your message stand out amongst a very busy environment. Patty McMillan of Clackamas County Safe Communities was incredibly successful in promoting their safety messages. Patty coordinates a safety street at the Clackamas County Fair. There are several safety partners that fill the street, including Operation Lifesaver, Poison Control, Oregon Burn Center, Think First, Clackamas County Marine Unit, Canby Police Department, C-COM, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention, American Medical Response, Laidlaw Bus Service, Clackamas Fire Co-op, Oregon Impact, ACTS Oregon and Clackamas County Safe Communities. One of the incredible successes she had this year was at the driving course. The driving course is a station for children eight and younger. The participants were weighed and measured in order to educate parents on Oregon's new child passenger safety law that requires children under the age eight or shorter than 49" to use a booster seat. Next the children were given a sticker that indicated whether they were candidates for booster seats or not. Then they were fitted to a pedal car. After ensuring that seatbelts were on, the kids made their way through a traffic course. Parents followed along with a script that described the many traffic elements encountered during the course. The driving course saw over two thousand children! What a great success! '111' Graphic Design by Melissa Gannon ACTS Oregon would like to recognize all the hardworking traffic safety advocates who worked at their local fair this year! " 2 a� Traffic Safety Connection •September ............................ ...... Oic:k on www.actsoregoa n.org for Traffic Safety Bn ormation in Oregon ,, .,.. ,....._......... . Lincoln City Child Passenger Safety Technician Class The Lincoln City Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician Class went off without a hitch. Thank you to both the Lincoln City Police Department and Lincoln City Fire for hosting and providing beautiful weather. There were ten students from across Oregon who attended this class representing various agencies. DUI Fatalities Have Stagnated In 2005, 13,582 fatalities nationwide occurred in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator who had a .08 or above Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). In 2006 there were 13,470 fatalities. Nicole Nason, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator, feels that this is not a big enough decrease and more needs to be done in order to get the numbers to drop. Ms. Nason is encouraging judges and prosecutors to increase the use of ignition interlock as part of the penalty enforced for repeat drunk driving offenders. There are approximately 1.5 million Building Safer Communities Mini -Grantees An example of a successful project comes from Albany. Sometimes it helps to see what is going on in other communities in order to stir up ideas for upcoming grants. The City of Albany chose to use their grant funds to purchase a trailer. The trailer provides a safe and efficient way to store and transport a bicycle fleet with related equipment to various locations where bicycle education classes are taught. Jim Lawrence is a local volunteer who has been working on the trailer to enhance its functionality. Some of the work on the trailer includes adding storage nets to hold all the helmets, shelving, tool storage, and a solar powered alarm system. This project directly enhances bicycle and traffic safety education for community residents. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance works with the greater Albany school district to provide classes though the bike education program. The program works with fifth grade students in hopes that younger siblings and adults involved with the students will reap the benefits of education as well. With the help of the trailer more children in the Albany school district can be served. ACTS Oregon thanks Jim Lawrence and the City of Albany for all their hard work. Traffic Safety Connection • September ................................. Congratulations to Oregon's newest technicians! Claire Davis —Birth to Three/Healthy Start in Lane County; Wendy Hays —Clackamas County Social Services; Gil Datan—Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siusla; Kevin Litten—Lincoln City Police Department; Jeff Cranford —McMinnville Fire Department; Leah Stiles —Mid Columbia Bus Company; Shannon Anastasiadis—Multnomah County Health Department; Jodi Beck & Jane McArtor—Wallowa County Health Department and Andrea Tyler —Wallowa Valley Together Project. Thank you, Instructors Jeff Oliver —Lake Oswego Police, Lucie Drum —American Medical Response and Doris Girt —Vancouver Police, along with CPS Technician Assistant Kristi Dirks, Hood River Police for working together so well to teach the revised curriculum! arrests each year of impaired drivers, a third of these are repeat offenders. Ignition interlocks prevent people who have alcohol in their system from driving a car. An operator breathes into an interlock device to determine BAC. If there is measurable alcohol in the blood, the vehicle does not start. In almost every state, except Alabama, Hawaii, Maine, South Dakota and Vermont, judges can order interlocks for drunk driving offenders. Interlocks are currently used in approximately 100,000 driving while intoxicated (DWI) cases each year, only about 20 percent of the cases for which they could be used. This implies that responsible drivers are not being protected. Traffic safety could be greatly increased if the use of this technology were expanded. For more information on interlocks visit, www. nhtsa. dot.gou. Press Releases: NHTSA Urges Increased Use of Ignition Interlocks for Repeat Drunk Driving Offenders (8/22/07) or http.//www. madd. org/activism/ 0,1056, 7604, OO. html. i4 1 # 1 - r i Supporting Traffic Safety in Communities Your membership supports the ACTS Oregon Mission —to reduce fatalities, injuries and the severity of injuries resulting from vehicle crashes throughout Oregon —and opens the door to traffic safety resources, newsletters and the soon to be available "members -only" section on the ACTS Oregon web site. Annual membership in ACTS Oregon runs from October through September. Please consider joining today. Please Check Membership Type (annual dues) Individual Membership Categories ❑ $25.00 Individual Level (one-time annual charge) ❑ $120.00 Contributing Level ❑ One-time annual charge ❑ Check enclosed ❑ Invoice please ❑ Automatic checking deduction *— $ 1 0/mo ❑ $240.00 Sustaining Level ❑ One-time annual charge ❑ Check enclosed ❑ Invoice please ❑ Automatic checking deduction*—$20/mo ❑ $500.00 Lifetime Member Group Membership Categories ❑ $100.00 Committee or Business with less than 15 members or employees El Check enclosed F1 Invoice please ❑ $200.00 Committee or Business with 15 or more members or employees ❑ Check enclosed ❑ Invoice please ❑ $750.00 Lifetime Member ❑ Check enclosed ❑ Invoice please Please mail checks to: ACTS Oregon 8059 SW Cirrus Drive LA� Beaverton, OR 97008 t S or fax to: 503-643-5680. OREGON THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORTI' .Click on www^w.ch,lidsaf+etyseat.org for clinks schedded in Oregon ................. ... .... . .......5 Check U Clinics and Fitting Child I������ y p g Stations Please check www.childsafetyseat.org under Child Passenger Safety/Calendar for current list, specific dates, locations and times. Date City 09/15/2007 Madras 09/15/2007 Salem 09/15/2007 Troutdale 09/17/2007 Burns 09/17/2007 Warrenton 09/19/2007 Corvallis 09/19/2007 McMinnville 09/20/2007 Bend 09/20/2007 La Grande 09/22/2007 Portland 09/22/2007 Roseburg 09/27/2007 La Grande 09/29/2007 Beaverton 10/03/2007 McMinnville Location Address Time Jefferson County Fire 765 S Adams Drive 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. District #1 Riverfont Park 200 Water Street NE 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Saturn 3265 Sundial 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Ruel Teague Motors 82 S Harney Hwy 20 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Coryell's Crossing 326 Marlin Avenue 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Fire Department 400 NW Harrison Street 8:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Fire Department 175 E 1st Street 12:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Fire Department 1212 SW Simpson 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Fire Department 1806 Cove Avenue 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Fire Department 2915 SE 13th Place 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. 13th Place & Powell Fire Department 801 NW Garden Valley 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Enter off Estelle Street between Fred Meyer and Fire Department Fire Department 1806 Cove Avenue 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Police Department 4755 SW Griffith Drive 8:45 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Fire Department 175 E 1st Street 12:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Portland Public Schools FREE GDL Workshop Schedule 2007/2008 Graduated Driver's Licensing Workshops help youth develop safe driving behavior and parents discover how to best support young drivers. Before your child gets behind the wheel attend a workshop together! October 8th 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Roosevelt High School October 15th 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Riverdale High School November 5th 7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. Lincoln High School December 3rd 7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. Madison High School FREE WORKSHOPS A series of free workshops, presented by Dr. Mojie Takallou of the University of Portland, on Highway Safety and Traffic Law Enforcement will again be offered in various locations throughout Oregon. You can get more information on these workshops at: http://0rgs. up. edu/highwaysafety/. All public agencies and their employees are encouraged to attend. Interested in hosting a workshop? Please contact Jamie Strohecker at stroheck@up.edu or 503-943-7292. She will be happy to assist you in arranging a free workshop in your area for you and your employees. Traffic Safety Connection • September ........ ......... .....Click can wwwxhildsafetyseat,org for clinics scheduled in Oregon ................................ ..........4 Building a Better Bike Lane - WSJ.com Page 1 of 6 Wsi I , will yrmlirn N L IN E May 4, 2007 Building a Better Bike Lane FOR IM T FOR pF.INTING �F JOUM. sponsored b y " `fi L.sdleo lnnor•t�on » Bike -friendly cities in Europe are launching a new attack on car culture. Can the U.S. catch up? By NANCY KEATES Mqv 4, 2007 DOW JONES REPRINTS {R , This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation -ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit: www.djrepdnts.com. COPENHAGEN -- No one wears bike helmets here. They're afraid • See a sample reprint in PDF they'll mess up their hair. "I have a big head and I would look silly," format. Mayor Klaus Bondam says. • Order a reprint of this article now. People bike while pregnant, carrying two cups of coffee, smoking, Start a FREE eating bananas. At the airport, there are parking spaces for bikes. In trial of the Online Journal the emergency room at Frederiksberg Hospital on weekends, half the biking accidents are from people riding drunk. Doctors say the Subscribe to drunk riders tend to run into poles. The Print Journal Lu;(""#' SEE APHOTO H ►: Flat, compact and temperate, the Netherlands and Free US Quotes: t: Symbol Denmark have long r Name 011 been havens for bikers. r ti s u In Amsterdam, 40% of commuters get to work Get 6 IkE . E-Mail by topic by bike. In Copenhagen, Check Out our Mobile & more than a third of Wireless Services workers pedal to their DIGEST OF EARNINGS offices. But as concern 0ck on the image to see different models of Dutch- Details of the latest corporate bikesstyle and ere to boy them about global warming intensifies -- the earnings reported for FREE. European Union is already under emissions caps and tougher restrictions are expected -- the two cities are leading a fresh assault on car culture. A major thrust is a host of aggressive new measures designed to shift bike commuting into higher gear, including increased prison time for bike thieves and the construction of new parking facilities that can hold up to 10,000 bikes. The rest of Europe is paying close attention. Officials from London, Munich and Zurich (plus a handful from the U.S.) have visited Amsterdam's transportation department for advice on developing bicycle -friendly infrastructure and policies. Norway aims to raise bicycle traffic to at least 8% of all travel by 2015 -- double its current level -- while Sweden hopes to move from 12% to 16% by 2010. This summer, Paris will put thousands of low-cost rental bikes throughout the city to cut traffic, reduce pollution and improve parking. http://online.wsj.com/article email/article_print/SB117823466296891497-1MyQjAxMD... 10/12/2007 Building a Better Bike Lane - WSJ.com Page 2 of 6 The city of Copenhagen plans to double its spending on biking infrastructure over the next three years, and Denmark is about to unveil a plan to increase spending on bike lanes on 2,000 kilometers, or 1,240 miles, of roads. Amsterdam is undertaking an ambitious capital -improvement program that includes building a 10,000-bike parking garage at the main train station -- construction is expected to start by the end of next year. The city is also trying to boost public transportation usage, and plans to soon enforce stricter car -parking fines and increase parking fees to discourage people from driving. Worried that immigrants might push car use up, both cities have started training programs to teach non -natives how to ride bikes and are stepping up bike training of children in schools. There are bike -only bridges under consideration and efforts to make intersections more rider -friendly by putting in special mirrors. The policy goal is to have bicycle trips replace many short car trips, which account for 6% of total emissions from cars, according to a document adopted last month by the 1=0jor European Economic and Social Committee, an ev organization of transportation ministers from EU member A Dutch "football' mom countries. Another report published this year by the Dutch Cyclists' Association found that if all trips shorter than 7.5 kilometers in the Netherlands currently made by car were by bicycle, the country would reduce its carbon -dioxide emissions by 2.4 million tons. That's about one -eighth of the amount of emissions it would need to reduce to meet the Kyoto Protocol. Officials from some American cities have made pilgrimages to Amsterdam. But in the U.S., bike commuters face more challenges, including strong opposition from some small businesses, car owners and parking -garage owners to any proposals to remove parking, shrink driving lanes or reduce speed limits. Some argue that limiting car usage would hurt business. "We haven't made the tough decisions yet," says Sam Adams, city commissioner of Portland, Ore., who visited Amsterdam in 2005. There has been some movement. Last month, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a proposal to add a congestion charge on cars and increase the number of bicycle paths in the city. It would also require commercial buildings to have indoor parking facilities for bikes. Even in Amsterdam, not everyone is pro -biking. Higher -end shops have already moved out of the city center because of measures to decrease car traffic, says Geert-Pieter Wagenmakers, an adviser to Amsterdam's Chamber of Commerce, and now shops in the outer ring of the city are vulnerable. Bikes parked all over the sidewalk are bad for business, he adds. Still, the new measures in Amsterdam and Copenhagen add to an infrastructure that has already made biking an integral part of life. People haul groceries in saddle bags or on handlebars and tote their children in multiple bike seats. Companies have indoor bike parking, changing rooms and on -site bikes for employees to take to meetings. Subways have bike cars and ramps next to the stairs. Riding a bike for some has more cachet than driving a Porsche. Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende sometimes rides to work, as do lawyers, CEOs (Lars Rebien Sorensen, chief executive of Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, is famous for his on -bike persona) and members of parliament, often with empty children's seats in back. Dutch Prince Maurits van http://online.wsj.com/article—email/article_print/SB I 17823466296891497-IMyQjAxMD... 10/12/2007 Building a Better Bike Lane - WSJ.com Page 3 of 6 Oranje is often seen riding around town. "It's a good way to keep in touch with people on the streets," says Tjeerd Herrema, deputy mayor of Amsterdam. Mr. Herrema's car and driver still make the trip sometimes -- to chauffeur his bag when he has too much work to carry. Jolanda Engelhamp let her husband keep her car when they split up a few years ago because it was becoming too expensive to park. Now the 47-year-old takes her second - grade son to school on the back of her bike. (It's a half- hour ride from home.) Outside the school in Amsterdam, harried moms drop off children, checking backpacks and coats; men in suits pull up, with children's seats in back, steering while talking on their cellphones. It's a typical drop-off scene, only without cars. Traft in Copenhagen For Khilma van der Klugt, a 38-year-old bookkeeper, biking is more about health and convenience than concern for the environment. Her two older children ride their own bikes on the 25-minute commute to school while she ferries the four -year - old twins in a big box attached to the front of her bike. Biking gives her children exercise and fresh air in the morning, which helps them concentrate, she says. "It gets all their energy out." She owns a car, but she only uses it when the weather is really bad or she's feeling especially lazy. Caroline Vonk, a 38-year-old government official, leaves home by bike at 8 a.m. and drops off her two children at a day-care center. By 8:15, she's on her way to work, stopping to drop clothes at the dry cleaner or to buy some rolls for lunch. On the way home, she makes a quick stop at a shop, picks up the children and is home by 5:55. "It is a pleasant way to clear my head," she says. Teaching Newcomers The programs for non -natives target those who view biking as a lower form of transportation than cars. "If they don't start cycling it will hurt," says Marjolein de Lange, who heads Amsterdam's pro -bicycle union Fietsersbond and has worked with local councils to set up classes for immigrant women. On a recent Sunday afternoon, 23 women -- many in head -scarves -- gathered at a recreational center north of Amsterdam to follow seven Fietsersbond volunteers to learn to navigate through traffic. The three-hour event cost €3 (about $4) and included practice weaving in and out of orange cones and over blocks of wood. It ended with all of the women gathering in a park for cake and lemonade. Though she faltered at times, Rosie Soemer, a 36-year- old mother of two who came to the Netherlands from it Suriname, was sold. It is so much easier to go Bikes at the AmeteMam train station. everywhere by bike," she says. Learning to ride was her ConOuction there begins n on a "ion ire husband's idea: He bought her a bicycle for her birthday a few months earlier and has been spending his lunch hour teaching her in a park. "It helps me if she can get around better," says her husband, Sam Soemer. "And it's safer than a car." Amsterdam and Copenhagen are generally safer for bikers than the U.S. because high car taxes http://online.wsj.com/article—email/article_print/SB 117823466296891497-1MyQjAxMD... 10/12/2007 Building a Better Bike Lane - WSJ.com Page 4 of 6 and gasoline prices tend to keep sport -utility vehicles off the road. In Denmark, the tax for buying a new car is as high as 180%. Drivers must be over 18 to get a license, and the tests are so hard that most people fail the first few times. Both cities have worked to train truck drivers to look out for bikers when they turn right at intersections, and changed mirrors on vehicles and at traffic corners so they're positioned for viewing cyclists. As bike lanes become more crowded, new measures have been added to address bike safety. A recent survey found that people in Denmark felt less safe biking, though the risk of getting killed in a bike accident there has fallen by almost half. (The number of bicyclists killed fell to 31 in 2006 from 53 in 2004, and the number seriously injured dropped to 567 from 726 in that period.) According to one emergency room's statistics, the primary reason for accidents is people being hit by car doors opening; second is cars making right-hand turns and hitting bikers at intersections; third is bike -on -bike crashes. Bike -riding police officers now routinely fine cyclists in Amsterdam who don't have lights at night. Parking for 10,000 Amsterdam is also working to improve the lack of parking. The city built five bike -parking garages over the past five years and plans a new one every year, including one with 10,000 spaces at the central railroad station. (While there's room for 2,000 bikes now, there are often close to 4,000 bikes there.) But even garages aren't enough. Bikers usually want to park right outside wherever they're going -- they don't like parking and walking. Combating theft is an important plank in developing a bike -friendly culture. In 2003, the city created the Amsterdam Bicycle Recovery Center, a large warehouse where illegally parked bikes are taken. (Its acronym in Dutch is AFAC.) Every bike that goes through AFAC is first checked against a list of stolen bikes. After three months, unclaimed models are registered, engraved with a serial number and sold to a second-hand shop. At any one time, the center has about 6,000 bikes neatly arranged by day of confiscation, out of an estimated total of 600,000 bikes in the city. How AFAC will encourage bike riding in Amsterdam is a somewhat perverse logic, because it means some 200 bikes are confiscated by city officials a day compared to a handful before it existed. The thinking is that the more bikes that are confiscated, the more bikes can be registered and the better the government can trace stolen bikes. The less nervous people are that their bikes will be stolen, the more likely they are to ride. "Is your bike gone? Check AFAC first," is the center's slogan. Remco Keyzer did just that on a recent Monday morning. The music teacher had parked his bike outside the central station before heading to a class and returned to find it gone. "I can be mad, but that really wouldn't help me," he says. Sometimes people ride away without paying the required fee. Bruno Brand, who helps people find their bikes at AFAC, says people get mad, but he explains it is the local police, not him, who confiscated the bike. Within the past four years, the city increased the fine for buying or selling a bike in the street. Punishment for stealing a bike is now up to three months in jail. Danish and Dutch officials say their countries might have been more congested if protests in the 1970s and 1980s had not sparked the impetus for building bicycle -lane networks. The arguments for more biking were mostly about health and congestion -- only in the past year has the environment started to be a factor. Proponents of better infrastructure point to China as an example: In Beijing, where the economy has boomed, 30.3% of people commuted to work on http://online.wsj.com/article email/article_print/SB117823466296891497-1MyQjAxMD... 10/12/2007 Building a Better Bike Lane - WSJ.com Page 5 of 6 bikes in 2005, down 8.2% from 2000, according to a survey by the Beijing Transportation Development Research Center and Beijing Municipal Committee of Communication. Now, the Dansk Cyklist Forbund, the Danish Cyclist's Federation, says that to make progress it can't be too confrontational and must recognize that many bikers also have cars. "Our goal is the right means of transportation for the right trips," says director Jens Loft Rasmussen. In comparison, the rules of the American road can take some adjustment, as Cheryl AndristPlourde has found when she visits her parents in Columbus, Ohio. Last summer, the Amsterdam resident enrolled her 8-year-old daughter in a camp close to her parents' house. The plan was for her daughter, who biked to school every day back home, to walk to camp. But her daughter whined about the 10-minute walk -- all the other kids drove, she said -- and the streets were too busy for her to bike. By the third day, Ms. AndristPlourde was driving her daughter to the camp. Bike -Friendly Cities in the U.S. A number of towns have recently focused on making roads more accessible to bicycles. Here are some of the top spots chosen by the Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign from the League of American Bicyclists, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. CITY % OF ARTERIAL ROADS WITH BIKE LANES % OF COMMUTERS WHO BIKE COMMENTS Boulder, 97% 21 % Boulder has spent an average 15% of its Colo. transportation budget on building and maintaining bicycle traffic over the past five years. The goal is to create a system that's "equitable for all users," with no hierarchy among pedestrians, cars and bikes, says Marni Ratzel, who runs the city's program. Chicago 11 % 1-2% Mayor Richard Michael Daley bikes to work, setting the example for this city, which released an ambitious new bike plan last year. The goal: making all of Chicago's streets safe and convenient for cycling. Davis, 95% 17% Mostly flat and temperate, this town's logo is Calif. a bicycle; it has more bikes than cars and is the only place to earn platinum status on Bicycle Friendly Community's list of top cities. The city is about to build a $1.7 million bike -only tunnel under a major road. Madison, About 37% 3.2% There are 32 miles of bike lanes, 35 miles of Wisc. bike paths and more than 100 miles of signed bike routes. On University Avenue, the major street in the downtown and University of Wisconsin campus area, there can be over 10,000 bicyclists a day -- plus 30,000 cars. Palo Alto, 13% 5.7% Along with the bike lanes on roads, the city Calif. also has nine miles of bike paths. In 2004 it spent about $5 million on a rail line under - crossing and $1.5 million on a 0.8-mile bike path. Portland, 28% 5.4% Though there are lots of hills and rain, this Ore. city has 163 miles of bike lanes. All but two http://online.wsj.com/article—email/article_print/SB 117823466296891497-1MyQjAxMD... 10/12/2007 Building a Better Bike Lane - WSJ.com Page 6 of 6 bridges accommodate bicyclists. There's still a long way to go: The city still has 38 miles of bike lanes left in order to achieve its master plan. But in some neighborhoods bike commuters are as high as 9%. San About 4% 2.1 % In November 2003, San Francisco voters Francisco approved a half -cent sales tax measure, estimated to total $2.6 billion over 30 years. Of that, $56 million (a little more than 2%) will go to bike -related projects. Write to Nancy Keates at nancy.keates@wsj.com2 URL for this article: hftp://online.wsj.com/article/SB1 17823466296891497.html Hyperlinks in this Article: (1) OpenWin ('/article/SB 117822275911091236.html','wsjpopup','760','524','off,true,0,0,true); void (");return false; (2) mailto:nancy.keates@wsj.com Copyright 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non -personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. 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