Bicycling & Shared Path Advisory Committee

Meeting Minutes Salem Bicycling Advisory Committee Tuesday, December 18, 2018, 6:30 p.m. City Hall Annex, 98 Washington Street First Floor Conference Room Members Present: Joe O’Neil (Chair), Dan Shuman, Richard Frank, Eric Papetti, Michael Williamson, Jayne O’Leary, Ray Swartz Members Absent: Kylie Sullivan, Michael Jaros Also Present: Tom Devine, Senior Planner Call Meeting to Order O’Neil calls the meeting to order. Bicycle Master Plan Update: Selection of recommended infrastructure projects for preliminary design and budgeting Devine presents Toole Design Group’s proposal to conduct preliminary design and cost estimates for infrastructure projects recommended by the Bike Master Plan. Toole provided a list of 15 or 16 suggested projects and budgeted for 8 that the City can select to start with. This work would get these projects to a place where we could seek local capital improvement program funds or apply for grant funding. Devine says he has coordinated with the Director of Traffic & Parking and Assistant City Engineer to determine which projects are ideal to do at this time. Mainly they vetted projects to avoid conflicts with other City work and also to make sure there are no overlapping efforts with other initiatives. Papetti shared his prioritization of the projects. He states that the main goal should be to get more bikes on the street. Some projects, like extending the route from the Canal Street path to Bridge Street, is essentially a bike project, as opposed to Derby Street, which needs a lot of general work and can include bike components. The Appleton St./Liberty Hill Ave. project is a Safe Routes to School project that Toole is already doing, so it doesn’t need to be done through this scope. Members discuss projects on the list. The group notes that Toole’s scope includes peer review of the Highland Ave. project. Devine states that besides recommending infrastructure projects, the Bike Plan sets a framework for choosing the right bike infrastructure based on a roadway’s automobile speed and volume, which will be important for Highland Ave. Papetti asks about the group’s thoughts on Essex Street, between North Street and Boston Street. Williamson says there would be a benefit to adding a two-way option for bikes between North and Washington Streets. O’Neil wonders if we should look at areas rather than individual streets, since this area is really part of a first ring of the street network outside downtown, like Congress Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. Papetti suggests that the projects we choose should be sketched out so they look like a network. Devine points to Toole’s map of the total 15 or 16 projects. 1 Papetti suggests the scope of the streets for some of the projects should be changed, especially for Derby Street and North Street. Williamson notes the important of the connection to Dove Ave. via Jefferson Ave. because Dove Ave. leads to Old Road and further connections. Swartz suggests that North Street should be a priority. Turning left out of side streets and be very challenging. Papetti notes that Swampscott has a project to make improvements at the Swampscott Mall in Vinnin Square. Williamson suggests Fort Ave. would be a great project if it is completely separated. Devine will share the final list with the Committee. Bike Share Update: Selection of dock locations for spring 2019 expansion Members discussed options for locating six additional hubs. They discussed whether to prioritize even geographic distribution versus clustering in dense areas. Members suggested that with the off-station docking option, formal hubs should be placed at origins, since rides can end off- station at virtually any destination. One suggestion is to locate stations at all the neighborhood parks, since they are distributed throughout the city. Devine shares Frank’s PowerPoint presentation to support the discussion. Members suggest consideration of the following locations: • Bridge Street Neck • Webb and Collins Street at Collins Cove • Derby Wharf • Salem Common • Salem State University • The new Canal Street bike path • Winter Island • North Shore Medical Center • Boston Street • Castle Hill • Olde Salem Greens golf course • Community Life Center • Gallows Hill Park • Palmer Cove Park • Forest River Park Devine states that the Hospital has expressed concern about promoting bike activity on their campus. He suggests that the Hospital and surrounding neighborhood could be served by a station off the campus. The group suggests that Devine obtain the latest data from Zagster to inform selection of the hub locations, as well as recommendations from Zagster for specific locations. The discussion will continue at the next meeting. 2 Bike Parking Guidelines – Review of revised draft Devine provides an overview of the process to date. He says he intends to add graphics to show suggested rack types and dimensions. Frank suggests that “basic” should be placed in front of the word “amenity” when describing bike parking. Papetti wants to ensure that consideration is given to non-standard bikes, like cargo bikes, as he has seen in Copenhagen. Shuman motions and Williamson seconds to approve the guidelines, and all vote in favor. 2018 Moving Together Conference Summary Devine states that he had spoken at an earlier meeting about the conference that he and Papetti both attended, but Eric wasn’t present at the meeting to discuss. Papetti says a takeaway is that a lot of great things are happening in the state and the state is handing out funding for it. He hopes that Salem can keep up with this trend. Miscellaneous Updates The Committee discusses the parking that has been allowed within the south side of Harmony Grove Road within the bike lane for the opening of the ATG recreational marijuana store. Members express frustration with this arrangement and Devine agrees to update the Committee prior to the next meeting on efforts to find an alternative solution. Review of 2019 Meeting Schedule Devine presents a proposed meeting schedule for 2019 and the Committee approves. Meeting minutes—October 16, 2018 Williams requests striking his statement regarding a bike parking ordinance versus guidelines because the statement is unclear. O’Neil asks for the spelling of his name to be corrected. Eric motions and Swartz seconds to approve with edits and all vote in favor. Adjourn Papetti motions and O’Neil seconds to adjourn at 8:16 pm and all vote in favor. Approved by the Bicycling Advisory Committee on April 30, 2019. 3