Bicycle and Pedestrian Sub-Committee

City Hall City of Harrisonburg 409 South Main Street Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Meeting Minutes - Final Bicycle and Pedestrian Sub-Committee Marci Frederick Jessica Pyle Benjamin Craig Jenny Toth Dudley Bonsal Monday, March 22, 2021 6:00 PM Virtual 1. Welcome and Introductions The Bicycle & Pedestrian Subcommittee meeting on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 6:00pm was held using a GoToMeeting. The meeting was not held in person due to the state of emergency related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Subcommittee members attended by calling in using a phone or joining by audio/video on a computer. Information allowing members of the public to watch the meeting live was provided in the agenda and posted on the City website in the week prior to the meeting. Due to technical difficulties, the meeting was not streamed live but the recording was posted to the City webpage following the meeting. Members of the public were given the opportunity to provide comments on the items discussed by phone or e-mail prior to the meeting. Mr. zumFelde opened the meeting and asked everyone to introduce themselves, so that all members knew who was on the call. Those present were the following. Subcommittee members: Marci Frederick, Jessica Pyle, Dudley Bonsal, Ben Craig Staff: Tom Hartman (Public Works), Erin Yancey (Public Works), Jakob zumFelde (Public Works) Other attendees: Kyle Lawrence (Transportation Safety & Advisory Commission chair) 2. Election of Subcommittee Chair Mr. Bonsal volunteered to become Chair of the Subcommittee, Mr. Craig seconded the motion, and all members voted in favor. City of Harrisonburg Page 1 Printed on 5/18/2021 Bicycle and Pedestrian Meeting Minutes - Final March 22, 2021 Sub-Committee 3. Follow up items · N. Liberty reconfiguration between Rock St and Gay St Mr. zumFelde said that efforts were continuing regarding planning the reconfiguration of this block that had been discussed at a previous meeting. He said that one change is necessary, due to complications associated with the railroad crossing. The extended space for pedestrians between Noll Dr and the railroad tracks will no longer be constructed with concrete, and Public Works will instead create the space with pavement markings. · Chicago Ave & Waterman Dr intersection Mr. zumFelde said that staff still plan to slightly reduce the size of the island in order to improve viewing angle for vehicles approaching this intersection, as this concern was discussed at a previous meeting. He said that this will be completed when the asphalt plants are open, with crosswalks added following this change. · Port Republic Rd intersection with Bluestone Dr/Hillside Ave Mr. zumFelde said that information about this study is currently available and a survey related to this effort is currently open. · Garbers Church Rd Shared Use Path Naming Mr. zumFelde said that staff are still going through this process . · Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Applications submitted Ms. Yancey said that staff submitted a project to construct sidewalk on Commerce Dr, connecting Washington St to N. Main St. Staff have learned that this project is proposed for funding through CDBG. · Safe Routes to Schools and Walk Zones Mr. zumFelde said that Public Works staff have created new Safe Routes to School maps for use by students walking to the City Schools. He said that these maps also show the existing or future walk zones for each school. He said that the Thomas Harrison Middle School walk zone began that day, and that other walk zones will begin in the future. City of Harrisonburg Page 2 Printed on 5/18/2021 Bicycle and Pedestrian Meeting Minutes - Final March 22, 2021 Sub-Committee 4. Potential 2021 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant applications Mr. zumFelde said that staff have identified a few potential locations for TAP applications, although City budget constraints may preclude submission of an application. Mr. Lawrence asked what the funding limits are for the TAP grant program. Mr. Hartman said that there is $2,000,000 for each construction district each TAP funding round, with our construction district (the Staunton District) covering a large number of counties and localities. With this in mind, the City sees $500,000 as the likely maximum cost for a project to be competitive. Mr. Hartman added that the grant does require a 20% local match. Mr. zumFelde said that this means that the City would be required to provide $100,000 toward a $500,000 project. Mr. zumFelde showed the locations being considered on the map. He indicated that addition of sidewalk on the east side of Reservoir St between Hawkins and Franklin would extend the benefits of the previously completed Safe Routes to Schools project and allow Franklin St and the adjacent streets to be included in the Spotswood Elementary walk zone. He then said that sidewalks along Central Ave, primarily the west side of Central Ave between South Ave and Southampton Dr, was a second location that staff saw as a potential TAP grant. These sidewalks would improve safety for children walking to school and would likely allow for the expansion of the Keister Elementary walk zone. Mr. zumFelde said that the third project that staff are looking at is the Bluestone Trail extension, with the segment along Beery Rd between Stone Spring Rd and Wellness Dr being potentially feasible as a TAP grant application. Mr. zumFelde asked if anyone on the Subcommittee had any suggestions for other projects. Mr. Bonsal asked about the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and whether projects being in that Plan indicates that there is funding proposed for implementation of that plan. Mr. zumFelde said that there is no consistent dedicated funding for implementation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, so staff pursue any funding that becomes available and is sufficient to complete segments proposed in the Plan. Mr. Lawrence asked how staff use the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, and the prioritization included in the Plan, to identify potential projects. Ms. Yancey and Mr. zumFelde said that they have reviewed the prioritization in the Plan, but many of the projects are quite large or have challenges that don’t make them feasible for grant programs such as TAP. Additionally, Ms. Yancey said that priorities can City of Harrisonburg Page 3 Printed on 5/18/2021 Bicycle and Pedestrian Meeting Minutes - Final March 22, 2021 Sub-Committee change over time, with a desire to improve safe access to schools being one of the primary priorities at this time. Mr. Lawrence noted that unlike the Transportation Safety & Advisory Commission, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee has a Plan that can help guide their efforts, so he suggested that it could be helpful for Subcommittee members to review the Plan more or for staff to provide additional information about how the Plan is used. Ms. Yancey said that staff could provide additional information at a future meeting. 5. Mt. Clinton Pike Improvements Project Ms. Yancey indicated on the map what improvements will be constructed along Mt. Clinton Pike. She said that the primary improvement is the construction of a shared use path along the north side of Mt. Clinton Pike between Virginia Ave and Park Rd. To facilitate connection with the Park Rd bike lanes, the project will consolidate the vehicle lanes on Park Rd and provide shared use paths on both sides of Park Rd between Mt. Clinton Pike and the bike lanes. Additionally, there will be a crosswalk across Mt. Clinton Pike between Park Rd and Chicago Ave, with a pedestrian island to increase safety. Sidewalk will also be constructed between this crosswalk and the existing sidewalk east of Chicago Ave. Ms. Yancey said that the City has also been awarded funding from the Preservation Trust Fund, through the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, to fund construction of the Northend Greenway between Virginia Ave and the railroad tracks. Mr. Lawrence and Ms. Frederick noted that many people either don’t know that the current Northend Greenway exists or don’t find it easy to access, so they commended the City in pursuing the path extension to ensure improved safe access to the existing path. 6. Project Updates - see attachment Mr. Hartman said that the contractor for the Garbers Church Rd shared use path is getting ready for construction. Mr. Lawrence asked about the cost of the Audible Pedestrian Signals (APS) upgrades. Mr. Hartman said that the cost is around $450,000. He also noted that the new signals allow waving a hand instead of pressing the button to activate the pedestrian signal. City of Harrisonburg Page 4 Printed on 5/18/2021 Bicycle and Pedestrian Meeting Minutes - Final March 22, 2021 Sub-Committee Mr. zumFelde noted that the Harrisonburg Downtown Master Plan has a webpage with information and an opportunity to provide input. Adjournment City of Harrisonburg Page 5 Printed on 5/18/2021