Council Study Session

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL, IN SPECIAL MEETING FOR A STUDY SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 29 2022, AT 6:00 P.M., GILBERT PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING FACILITY, ATLAS AUDITORIUM, 6860 SOUTH POWER ROAD, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Brigette Peterson, Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes, Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Laurin Hendrix, Yung Koprowski, Scott September, and Kathy Tilque COUNCIL ABSENT:None STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Patrick Banger, Town Clerk Chaveli Herrera, Town Attorney Chris Payne, Transportation Planning Supervisor Stephanie Bubenheim, and Transportation Planning Manager Chris Bridges CALL TO ORDER OF SPECIAL MEETING Mayor Peterson called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. AGENDA ITEM 1. Discussion and presentation on Micromobility Update. Transportation Planning Supervisor Bubenheim presented a Gilbert Micromobility Update, stating the pilot program began approximately two years. She said the initial core of the pilot program was regarding the Bird electric scooters but noted micromobility was more than that; she said it also covered electric bicycles, both docked or dock-less. She defined micromobility as transportation over short distances provided by lightweight, usually single-person vehicles such as bicycles or scooters. She said the pilot program was created in 2019 with the intent to enable the private companies to provide a new service after scooters were left in Gilbert, to learn more about the technology and business model, assess safety risks, and identify needed changes based on data and performance. She said the current options for the Council to consider were to continue the program and extend it to gather more data; eliminate the pilot program and make it permanent, which would require updating the program and Municipal Code language; or end the program, which would also remove the partnership of the companies working with Gilbert. She noted ending the program would also require changes to the Municipal Code regarding micromobility requirements that covered more than just rented scooters. Supervisor Bubenheim provided a timeline of the pilot program history beginning in 2018 when the companies Bird and Lime began their operations in Gilbert, causing the Council to give direction to pursue the pilot program options. She summarized resident surveys, the creation of pilot program rules and Municipal Code changes, temporary license agreements in 2019, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the program in 2020. She noted that due to 2020, there was a request to extend the program and get more data in 2021. She highlighted the pilot program general provisions including the fleet size limitations, speed restrictions, obstruction considerations, and parking and spacing regulations. She highlighted Municipal Code operating provisions for rented and privately-owned areas and defined both permissible and prohibited areas for operation. She also discussed ridership locations, slow speed zones from the Bird app, and no ride/no parking zones with notifications from the app. She provided data with ridership per month with Bird, stating the average trip duration was 21 minutes, the average length of a ride was 2.2 miles, and there were 21,566 rides with Bird in 2021. She compared figures from 2020, 2021, and 2022 and the number of rides per day. She also discussed crashes and complaints, stating there were a total of 19 complaints, 20 reported crashes involving a motorized scooter, and 2 that were reported involving a rental device since 2019. She discussed community comparisons and summarized prevailing similaries including operating fees, parking requirements, performance fines for violations, data reporting, and that most allow operations in their entire city or town. She noted the prevailing differences among communities was the fleet size limits, that Gilbert required sidewalk usage while most allowed riding in bike lanes, the free structures and parking rules varied, and that there were age restrictions in most other areas. She stated the staff recommendation was to revise the Municipal Code language to allow devices to be ridden within bikes lines for consistency with neighboring jurisdictions and with treating micromobility devices like bicycles, sharing a chart to compare neighboring cities. Lastly, Supervisor Bubenheim stated the staff recommendation was to eliminate the pilot program and to make the program permanent by updating the program and Municipal Code, which would require Council approval. She noted higher participation numbers and lower reported incidents, as well as crossing among other jurisdictions or cities. She highlighted some areas of the pilot program which would need to be explored if the program became permanent, including the fee structure, and the need to explore the future of micromobility as a whole. Councilmember Koprowski noted Bird scooters having a maximum speed limit of 15 miles per hour, then expressed concern about the recommendation to allow them to be used in bike lines and the speed differential of vehicles going 40 miles per hour or greater. Supervisor Bubenheim stated staff had discussed that concern, but said it was more about the consistency of regulating the devices much like bicycles, which were allowed in bicycle lanes, and noted that the devices were also still allowed on sidewalks. Councilmember Koprowski noted that other jurisdictions had age restrictions and asked if Gilbert staff was recommending similar age restrictions. Supervisor Bubenheim stated staff had not considered those options yet but could look into age restriction options, such as a minimum 16 or 18 years of age requirement. Councilmember Koprowski noted prior data presented to the Council that indicated high school students were using the devices; she asked staff to take that into consideration and not limit use for people who may need the option. Councilmember Koprowski asked if any of the Municipal Code changes that would relate to making the pilot program permanent would apply to privately-owned devices, or would those be addressed separately. Supervisor Bubenheim stated anything that was in the pilot program or the permanent program would be specifically for the private companies that rent the devices, that anything that was covered under privately-owned would be covered in the Municipal Code. Councilmember Tilque said she wondered if the Town had received data regarding accidents from cities who allowed these devices to be used in bike lanes. She said the fact that Gilbert had such a low number of accidents and the devices were not currently allowed in bike lanes may be a data point to consider before a decision was made. She also discussed the option to limit the total number of devices within a community and asked if it was per company or amongst all companies. Supervisor Bubenheim said some jurisdictions had a limit per company, but Gilbert could do a maximum number of devices in general and then it could be navigated per company if needed, adding the Town could also set a maximum number of companies as well. Councilmember Tilque stated in the current case, Bird had been the company that had worked with Gilbert and provided the data for the pilot program; adding she would like to restrict the total number in the community and then have a conversation about the total number of companies if needed. Supervisor Bubenheim stated the Town had reached out to other cities that allowed usage in the bike lanes to request data, but said it was difficult to get data on the subject. She said as a whole, micromobility was currently difficult to track. Councilmember Tilque stated she preferred not allowing usage in the bike lanes, stating if you looked at the areas that were being used, there was plenty of areas for them to not be out on the main street. Vice Mayor Yentes stated she did not know if the total number of devices was self- regulating due to the cost of the companies’ assets and data on demand. She asked if companies took those devices out of circulation during the summer months. Supervisor Bubenheim noted that Bird had a representative present who could comment if needed, but said there was a threshold for how many devices were getting rented and there did add more based on months with cooler temperatures. Vice Mayor Yentes asked if the data could be presented in a different way, versus just the simple dashboard metrics that focused on averages. Mayor Peterson stated she loved consistency and liked the idea of being consistent with other communities, but the accidents regarding bike lines gave her pause. She said she would like to see data before deciding. She noted people were free to do what they would like, but said she was curious to see data regarding accidents. Mayor Peterson thanked Supervisor Bubenheim for the presentation. Supervisor Bubenheim noted the Town had a very good partnership with Bird, then said she did not get Council feedback regarding making it a permanent program. Councilmember Koprowski stated she would support transitioning the pilot program into a permanent program with reconsideration of allowing scooters only in bike lines on roadways of 35 miles per hour or less. Councilmember Tilque stated she was willing to take a look at that position with more data on crashes and bike lanes. Councilmember Anderson indicated he agreed. Mayor Peterson stated she thought it was time to transition from the pilot program and was interested in seeing how to move forward, noting she would most likely consider limiting the number of companies and the number of scooters. She also thanked Bird for their relationship with Gilbert in regard to the pilot program. Mayor Peterson acknowledged Transportation Planning Manager Bridges, noting he would be ending his employment with Gilbert and wished him well. Manager Bridges thanked the Mayor and Council and discussed his time with Gilbert, adding it was not an easy decision to leave but he would now be working close to his residence. ADJOURN Mayor Peterson adjourned the meeting at 6:36 p.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Brigette Peterson, Mayor Chaveli Herrera, MMC, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Study Session of the Town Council of the Town of Gilbert held on the 29th day of March, 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this __________ day of ______________, 2022. ___________________________________ Chaveli Herrera, MMC, Town Clerk