Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Contact: Michelle Swanson Meeting Minutes (360) 753-8575 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Wednesday, May 22, 2013 6:15 PM Council Chambers 1. Call to Order and Roll Call Present: 6- Co-Chair Anne Fritzel, Committee Member Brad Archbold, Committee Member Kris Fransen, Committee Member Christina Lock, Co-Chair Clark Gilman, and Committee Member Brittany Yunker Excused: 5 - Committee Member Scott Clifthorne, Committee Member Jesse Dwyer, Committee Member Joe Ford, Committee Member Robert Kam, and Committee Member Gail Wootan 2. Approval of Agenda The agenda was approved as presented. 3. Approval of Minutes 3a. 13-0422 Approve April 24, 2013, BPAC meeting minutes. The minutes were approved as presented. 4. Public Comment Mr. Peter Guttchen asked for BPAC's support for the 26th Avenue pathways project proposal. He also asked for approval of sharrows on Puget Street and switching the stop signs at the intersection of Puget and Ethridge. He suggested that the sidewalk program prioritization criteria be reviewed and include input from neighborhood associations. Mr. Guttchen submitted a 2008 report prepared by the Northeast Neighborhood Association called "Closing the Gaps - Building Places for People on Olympia's Neighborhood Streets" and suggested it be used as a guide for creating interim pedestrian facilities until sidewalks can be built. Mr. Jack Horton also spoke in support of switching the stop signs at the intersection of Puget and Ethridge and the installation of sharrows on Puget Street to encourage cyclists to use Puget as an alternative to Bethel. He announced a public hearing on June 4 to discuss the condemnation of property for the "Bridging the Gap" project that will cross Pacific Avenue and link the northern route of the Chehalis Western Trail to the Woodard Trail. City of Olympia Page 1 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes May 22, 2013 Committee 5. Announcements Co-Chair Gilman asked if anyone knew what the Thurston County Bike Initiative was. He has seen signs on buses advertising it. Co-chair Fritzel thought it might be a bike route finding App. They will both look into it further. 6. Business Items 6a. 13-0413 Neighborhood Pathways Program Senior Planner Sophie Stimson shared an update describing the three projects to be funded (Puget Street, Scammell Avenue and Woodard Avenue) for a total of approximately $140,000. This includes $25,000 to use to explore the feasibility of the 16th Avenue and Center and Miller pathways. There was discussion about the 26th Avenue project, as well as some discussion about the process and lessons learned from this first year of the program. The report was received. 6b. 13-0414 Bike Parking Code Ms. Stimson shared that CP&D Line of Business Director Tom Hill is planning to attend the September meeting to update the Committee on bicycle parking code enforcement. The report was received. 6c. 13-0415 Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) - BPAC Review and Comment Committee members were asked to send Ms. Stimson any comments that would be included in BPAC's letter to Council on the CFP. Ms. Stimson shared comments received from Co-Chair Fritzel and Committee Member Yunker, as well as a draft of last year's letter. It was suggested the CFP letter include some of the project ideas that emerged from the Neighborhood Pathways Program applications. The Committee discussed how funds could be carved out for bike boulevards and other low-cost facility improvements. Staff will draft a white paper clarifying procedures for bike boulevards, as well as one for sharrows. These markings and designations are low-cost ways to improve the bicycle network. The Committee decided to continue the CFP discussion at the July meeting. The recommendation was received. 6d. 13-0423 Bicycle Safety Education Programs This agenda item is in response to a question raised last year by Councilmember Cooper about bike helmet ordinances. Staff will draft a white paper on helmet ordinances for the Committee's review. Ms. Stimson requested that this paper be a lower priority than the bike boulevards and sharrows. The Committee agreed. City of Olympia Page 2 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Meeting Minutes May 22, 2013 Committee The discussion was completed. 7. Housekeeping The next meeting is scheduled for July 24, 2013. 8. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned. City of Olympia Page 3