Bicycling & Shared Path Advisory Committee

Meeting Minutes Salem Bicycling Advisory Committee Tuesday, June 18, 2019 6:30 p.m. City Hall Annex, 98 Washington Street First Floor Conference Room Members Present: Eric Papetti (Chair), Joe O’Neil, Jayne O’Leary, Kylie Sullivan, Michael Williamson, Josh Gillis Members Absent: Richard Frank, Michael Jaros, Ray Swartz Also Present: Tom Devine, Senior Planner Call Meeting to Order Papetti calls the meeting to order. Bike Share Update Devine is not present to provide this update, so the Committee tables the item until the next meeting. Bike Master Plan Implementation Update: Review of Draft Preliminary Project Designs Documents referenced: • Toole Design Group Memorandum Re: Jefferson Avenue & Margin Street Preliminary Design Assessment – DRAFT; from Lydia Hausle and Preston Buehrer, to Tom Devine and David Kucharsky; 6/18/2019. • Toole Design Group Memorandum Re: Bridge Street Neck Preliminary Design Assessment – DRAFT; from Lydia Hausle and Preston Buehrer, to Tom Devine and David Kucharsky; 6/18/2019. • Toole Design Group Memorandum Re: North Street Preliminary Design Assessment – DRAFT; from Lydia Hausle and Preston Buehrer, to Tom Devine and David Kucharsky; 6/18/2019. • Toole Design Group Memorandum Re: Fort Avenue Preliminary Design Assessment – DRAFT; from Lydia Hausle and Preston Buehrer, to Tom Devine and David Kucharsky; 6/18/2019. The Committee reviews the draft preliminary design memos. Jefferson Ave. and Margin Street - The group concurred with the recommendations generally, but with the following comments: 1 • Northern segment - Could Toole look closer at roadway dimensions and proposed designs to see if removing all on-street parking (vs. just one side) is actually necessary for this whole section to get separated bike lanes? • Middle segment - If necessary as the project develops, members recommend prioritizing a separated bike lane on the southbound direction, since Lawrence Street and Ocean Ave. West is available as an alternate route going northbound. • Southern segment - If necessary, prioritize separated bike lane on northbound side, since that is uphill towards the bridge. • The Committee is enthusiastic about the planned connection at Bertuccio Ave. • The group suggests fixing or reactivating the old traffic signal at Wilson Ave. Bridge St. Neck • Southern section - The Committee is supportive of the separated bike lanes near the bypass road, understanding that space is very constrained on other parts of this section. • Middle section o The Committee did not understand the rationale behind Alternative 1 - it takes up the same amount of space as a parking-protected bike lane, why put riders next to the moving cars? o The group would prefer to think of this the same way as North St. - separated bike lane on both sides where we can get it (which, given the on-street parking, it could be a challenge), and a separated bike lane on just one side (a modified Alternative 1) where we can't. o Members would prioritize a separated bike lane in northbound direction if necessary, since the Ayube bike path is easier to access as an alternative going southbound. • Northern section – The group is supportive of Toole recommendation. North Street – The Committee is supportive of the Toole recommendation to pursue a mix of alternatives. • If necessary to prioritize, members would recommend prioritizing a separated bike lane in the northbound direction. A direct neighborhood route is available southbound on Buffum St. from Symonds St. to Commercial St. as an alternative, but northbound neighborhood routes are indirect/circuitous. • Consider how to join up with the new bike lane on the North St. Bridge. Could we stripe southbound section, south of Mason St., to keep North St. constrained to one lane until well onto the bridge? This may reduce the tendency of people to drag race after passing Mason St., and reduce crossing distances for drivers and cyclists coming out of the North St. dog- leg. Fort Ave. • The group was not satisfied with the alternatives presented, and would like to see an additional one which conceptualizes this as an extension of the Collins Cove Pathway & extension - a two-way protected lane on the eastern side of the street, with enough separation and protection to make it appropriate for young kids to ride to the Willows alone. 2 • The opportunities on the southern segment here seem minimal. Consider looking at a different segment as the "southern section" of this corridor - Derby St. between Webb St. and Memorial Drive, since that will connect to the path extension, and adjacency to the power plant may offer additional opportunities. • The group wanted to know what the final site plan for Footprint is, and what elements were going to be done in the future and thus still up for discussion and integration into a longer- term vision for this corridor. Update on July Adaptive Bicycle Demonstration Devine is not present to provide this update, so the Committee tables the item until the next meeting. Update on of Bicycle Benefits Program Rollout Devine is not present to provide this update, so the Committee tables the item until the next meeting. Update on Potential E-Scooter Pilot Program Papetti notes that the pilot has been approved by City Council. O’Leary says she went to the Planning Department to look at the scooter. She is skeptical about the device and including them in traffic before our bike infrastructure is built out. The group is curious about the staffing logistics for the scooter program. Papetti states that Brookline’s 150 scooters in he first month logged 30,000 trips. The group discusses geofencing that will be planned and implemented for Salem’s scooter program. Papetti says his experience with geofencing is that it is never very accurate. He is also concerned about road conditions, including cobblestone surfaces. It will be about a month before the scooters go live. Miscellaneous Updates Papetti mentions that the final striping the Lafayette Street, Loring Ave., and West Ave. intersection with green paint is imminent. This will be Salem’s first green bike paint. Papetti expects to see a plan before it is installed. Sullivan has been involved in a discussion with the Mayor and City Staff regarding potential pop-up bike lanes. The subject is on the agenda for the upcoming Traffic & Parking Commission meeting. Papetti provides an update on the Bridge St. MassWorks project. The City has met with DEP officials, who have not changed their opinion on flood compensation. Some redesign needs to happen and a portion of the separated bike lanes will be brought down to street level. 3 Papetti updates the group on the Boston Street project. A preliminary design was presented previously to the Committee with sidewalk level bike lanes along the length. The best case scenario is for construction in 2025 or 2016 with MPO funding. The City may repave a segment of the roadway in the meantime. Papetti states that Peabody is continuing work on their bikeway with plans to extend to Peabody Center and then a riverwalk to the Salem line. This would leave one small gap between Salem and Peabody’s planned path networks. Meeting Minutes O’Neil motions and Williamson seconds to approve the February 19, 2019 minutes and all vote in favor. Adjourn O’Neil motions to adjourn at 8:23 p.m., Williamson seconds, and all vote in favor. Approved by the Bicycling Advisory Committee on October 2, 2019. 4