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, November 15, 2021 6:00 PM City Hall Room 11 1. Welcome and Introductions The Bicycle & Pedestrian Subcommittee meeting on Monday, November 15, 2021 at 6:00pm was held at City Hall Room 11. The meeting was streamed live on the Public Works Facebook page. Members of the public were also 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. Those present were the following. Subcommittee members: Marci Frederick, Dudley Bonsal, Jessica Pyle, Ben Craig Staff: Tom Hartman (Public Works), Erin Yancey (Public Works), Jakob zumFelde (Public Works), Kelly Adams (Public Works) Other attendees: Kyle Lawrence (Transportation Safety & Advisory Commission chair), Chris Ferson 2. N. Liberty St between Rock St and Gay St Mr. zumFelde reminded the Subcommittee members that at the previous Subcommittee meeting there was discussion about returning N. Liberty St to two-way traffic, so that people biking could again go northbound on that block. He said that the concern was raised at that meeting about whether the right turn from Rock St onto Liberty St was legal at that location, as that has been the primary way that people biking have accessed Liberty St. He said that Public Works staff discussed with HPD staff and learned that the right turn from Rock St to go northbound on Liberty St is considered an City of Harrisonburg Page 1 Printed on 1/13/2022 Bicycle and Pedestrian Meeting Minutes - Final November 15, 2021 Sub-Committee illegal turn due to the configuration with Noll Dr. Given this, Mr. zumFelde said that staff have not identified any alternative for configuring Liberty St that is more appropriate than the current one-way configuration. He said that staff are continuing to pursue a reconfiguration of Gay St that would provide bike lanes and be an alternative route. Mr. Lawrence asked for confirmation that the road could have been reconfigured to two-way traffic without impacting the curb bumpouts that were constructed at the intersection of Liberty St & Gay St. Mr. Hartman confirmed that this is the case. Mr. Lawrence also noted continued concern that a movement that had not been explicitly indicated as illegal and had been safely used by people biking for many years - the right turn by bicyclists from Rock St onto Liberty St - is considered illegal. 3. Mt. Clinton Pike crosswalk at College Ave Mr. zumFelde showed an aerial image of the intersection of Mt. Clinton Pike and College Ave, near Eastern Mennonite University. He said that staff have heard safety concerns from residents about the crosswalk across Mt. Clinton Pike at this intersection, given the long length of the crosswalk and the speed of vehicles. He said that speed data from Mt. Clinton Pike shows 85th percentile speeds around or above 35mph even though Mt. Clinton Pike is a 25mph zone. He provided information about the nearby Mt. Clinton Pike improvements project that is planned for construction in 2023 and will include changes at the intersections of Chicago Ave and Park Rd. He then showed a concept for improvement of the crosswalk, to include a pedestrian island and striping for the vehicle lanes to avoid the pedestrian island. Ms. Pyle said that she finds crossing the intersection a bit scary on bike due to the speed of vehicles on Mt. Clinton Pike. She asked if rumble strips would be an appropriate measure to slow vehicles down in this vicinity. Mr. Hartman and Ms. Yancey said that staff could ask about experiences at other locations. Mr. Lawrence asked if there was any downside or staff concerns about the concept. Mr. Hartman said that turning movements, particularly by trucks and buses, will need to be considered for the installation of the pedestrian island. Mr. Lawrence noted that he would anticipate the pedestrian island to also work well with the speed radar sign to encourage lower speeds. Ms. Yancey and Mr. Hartman agreed. Mr. Bonsal noted that the measures would make sense to ensure that drivers see something that City of Harrisonburg Page 2 Printed on 1/13/2022 Bicycle and Pedestrian Meeting Minutes - Final November 15, 2021 Sub-Committee emphasizes the change in context between the County and the City. Mr. Ferson said that he thinks the lighting at the intersection is lacking. Mr. Hartman said that we can let Harrisonburg Electric Commission know that we have heard this concern, but the lighting is not meant to be safety lighting that clearly illuminates pedestrians. Ms. Frederick said that she wonders if changing the speed limit on Mt. Clinton Pike between Chicago Ave and Virginia Ave may help with speeding concerns on the adjacent segment of Mt. Clinton Pike. Ms. Pyle said that she has observed a wide variety of behavior from drivers at crosswalks, and she is concerned that it might be confusing to drivers to have a variety of treatments at crosswalks. Mr. Hartman and Mr. zumFelde said that staff work to determine the appropriate level of pedestrian treatment for crosswalks based on context and number of pedestrians. Mr. zumFelde then explained that staff are also considering a change to the segment of Mt. Clinton Pike between College Ave and Park Rd, to improve safety for all users. He showed the initial concept being discussed, which includes a westbound (uphill) bike lane, a marked median space between the vehicle travel lanes, and a parking lane on the south side of the road. Mr. Lawrence said that he would see the bike lane as likely to have significant use, given that it is essentially a continuation of the Northend Greenway. He noted that he thinks a wider bike lane, and particularly one that has a buffer or separation from the vehicle lane, would be beneficial to people biking. Mr. Hartman said that staff would have to look at the vehicle lane shift at the intersection with College Ave to determine whether there can be a buffer for the bike lane and keep the pedestrian island. There was additional discussion about buffered and protected bike lanes. 4. Project Updates - see attachment Mr. zumFelde and Mr. Hartman said that construction on the Dogwood Dr sidewalk will begin in 2021. Mr. zumFelde said that the Garbers Church Rd Shared Use Path has now been named the Friendly City Trail. Mr. Hartman said that additional efforts to create signs and wayfinding along the path are underway. 5. Announcements/Other Business City of Harrisonburg Page 3 Printed on 1/13/2022 Bicycle and Pedestrian Meeting Minutes - Final November 15, 2021 Sub-Committee Mr. Hartman said that the Downtown Master Plan effort is wrapping up and that an informational session will be held on Friday and information provided online. Mr. Lawrence asked about when the Bike/Ped Plan will be updated again. Mr. Hartman said that staff are working on multiple projects and have not discussed updates to the Plan yet. He anticipates that changes to the Plan would be less significant than the major re-write that was completed in 2017, but that the changes would probably be focused on the Project list. Mr. Lawrence asked about upcoming SMART SCALE applications, and in particular the Bluestone Trail extension. Mr. Hartman said that this is on the initial list of potential projects, although there is a long list and applications may not be submitted for all of the projects on the list. There was additional discussion about potential projects to be funded by money that the City is receiving through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). 6. Applications to Join the Subcommittee Mr. zumFelde said that TSAC could choose to expand the Subcommittee so that it could have 5-7 members, as opposed to the current 5 members. He said that staff have had to turn away approximately one applicant each year for the Subcommittee, and that staff would see benefit to having more members, given the variety of items that the Subcommittee addresses and the benefit of having a variety of perspectives. He added that this year, where only 1 position on the Subcommittee is open, would be a desirable time to make this change, if TSAC decides to do so. Ms. Pyle made a motion to support the change, Ms. Frederick seconded the motion, and all members were in support. Adjournment City of Harrisonburg Page 4 Printed on 1/13/2022