Advisory Bike/Walk Taskforce

City of Norwalk Norwalk Bike/Walk Taskforce Meeting Minutes October 3, 2016, 6:00pm Health Department, 2nd Floor Library 137 East Avenue, Norwalk CT 06851 Attendees: Kaitlin Latham, Gunnar Waldman, Tim Callahan, Nancy Rosett, Colin Grotheer, Kevin Kane, Jim Carter, Peter Libre, Mike Heslin, Josh Yu (e3think), John Debowski (e3think) 1. The September 6, 2016 minutes were unanimously approved. 2. Lane markings on East Avenue were discussed. Nancy Rosett provided a timeline of the paving/striping in this area, noting that the portion of East Ave between Cannon St and Route 1 was not striped with 10’ lanes as was promised and confirmed. CTDOT staff determined onsite that 10’ lanes wouldn’t work in this area and decided, without contacting Norwalk’s DPW, to stripe them as they were before. The group agreed to the following: a. Kevin Kane will contact Kevin Tedesco from CTDOT. b. A letter to CTDOT will be drafted by Peter Libre, Jud Aley, Nancy Rosett and Tim Callahan on behalf of the Mayor (and sent with the Mayor’s approval) to: i. Request CTDOT fixes and pays for the striping error ii. Request a quarterly meeting with CTDOT to improve ongoing communication about striping projects and plans in Norwalk (and eventually the surrounding areas) c. Nancy Rosett will invite the Mayor and Bob Duff to discuss this matter. 3. E3Think met with GGP and they are willing to fund part of the pilot bike share program, assuming there is local support for it. The Taskforce agreed to write a letter of support for the privately funded pilot program. The pilot program will include the following: a. 6 kiosks with 40 total bikes b. Local community engagement event c. Hack-a-thon sponsored by Sono 2.0 for community building and awareness of pilot d. Public information sessions to engage community in conversation about the pilot e. Grant writing assistance to improve access, enhance lighting, and fix pathways under the I-95 overpass along Crescent St. The proposed enhancements in this area will align with current NRVT plans. 4. Minutes from the previous Taskforce/DPW meeting were discussed. The next meeting with DPW will be on Friday, October 21 at 8am in the DPW conference room. 5. Kaitlin Latham shared that the City of Norwalk and Mayor Rilling were honored at the Mayor’s Challenge Summit in D.C. as award winners for creating connected and accessible networks. The master bike plan and NorWALKer program were recognized. Norwalk was among approximately 245 U.S. cities to participate in the Mayor’s Challenge program and among only 14 winning cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach, and Louisville. 6. Kaitlin Latham shared that the Health Department is teaming up with Mayor Rilling for a community walk event in Silvermine on Saturday, October 22 at 8am. Walkers should meet at Silvermine School by 8am to join. More information/flyer to follow. The Health Department is also teaming up with the Norwalk Public Library for a fun Pokémon Go event at Veteran’s Park on Friday, October 28 from 4-6pm. The Health Department’s NorWALKer maps have been edited to show where gyms and Pokémon can be found along the routes. More information/flyer to follow. 7. Tim Callahan shared highlights from Zagster’s bike share presentation. This subscription-based model requires an annual fee for maintenance and upkeep of the program. A credit card is required to use this bike share program. The present members agreed to ask for other cities’ experience with both the Zagster and e3think bike shares to better understand the programs. 8. Nancy Rosett urged members to start thinking about the strategic plan – what needs to be done, and what can be added to the plan for 2017. Members suggested adding the bike share, PR, and bicycle education into the plan. This will be discussed more at the November meeting. 9. Jim Carter shared that a NRVT public hearing will occur within the next 30 days. Jim will send information about the hearing to the Taskforce.