Bicycling & Shared Path Advisory Committee

Name: Bicycling & Shared Path Advisory Committee — Salem, MA
Start: 2025-01-08
End: 2025-01-08
Location: Salem, MA

Regular Meeting

Salem, MA · January 8, 2025

Agenda Minutes

Minutes

Meeting Minutes Salem Bicycling & Shared Path Advisory Committee Wednesday, January 8, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. City Hall Annex 1st Floor Meeting Room & Via Remote Participation Members Present: John Wathne (Chair), Emmylou Manwill, Kevin Jordan, Cat Seiferth, Annie Wolf, Connor Ryan, Charlie Heaps Members Absent: Josh Nagle, Walter Morrell, Matt Caruso, Paul Carson Also Present: Tom Devine, Senior Planner Call Meeting to Order Wathne calls the meeting to order. Public Comment Wathne opens the meeting to public comment and there is none. Staff Update Devine provides the following updates: • Kevin Jordan is attending his first meeting as a newly appointment member. • Paul Carson has resigned from the Committee. There are multiple qualified applicants for the vacancy. • Devine shares an article about transportation and accessibility that a member had provided. • Habanero Cycles will have staff at the February 8 Repair Café at the Community Life Center. • The North Shore Bicycle Collaborative is encouraging people to attend an upcoming walk audit training. Devine will email details to the group. MassDOT Bridge Street Project – Request for Support Letter Devine explains that MassDOT is preparing a US DOT RAISE grant application to fund the project’s construction and seeks a support letter from the Bike Committee. The Committee notes that they have significant concerns about the project and may not be comfortable issuing a support letter. They wonder if a letter could express support contingent upon these concerns being addressed. Devine states that a support letter is only useful if it is a clean statement of support. He says issuing no letter is better than a 1 support letter that includes criticism. He suggests that a separate comment letter should express their concerns to be considered during the design process, and a grant support letter should support the project in general and overall. Devine will consult with the Transportation Director about a path forward on this. Safe Street for All Action Plan Devine tells the Committee that there will be a virtual public forum on January 30 at 6pm. Bike Share Data and Program Updates Devine notes that he had sent the monthly ridership data to the Committee by email. Manwill reports that there has only been a single bike for some time at the Dalton Parkway station. Devine will report this to Bluebikes. Event Planning Nagle had begun coordinating discussion of event planning, but is absent from tonight’s meeting. The group chooses to table the item to the next meeting. Bike Passes for Commuter Rail Manwill states that she does not know of an actual pass for bikes on the Commuter Rail, but the group is interested in advocating for a more open MBTA policy for bikes on the Commuter Rail. Wolf wishes to do some research and talk to MassBike. Wathne will talk to Amtrak conductors. The group wishes to keep this on next month’s agenda for continued discussion. Bike Parking Ordinance Wolf, Seiferth, and Manwill had volunteered to work on the draft ordinance with Councilor Cohen. They hope to meet with him shortly to begin their collaboration. Salem/Marblehead Lead Mills Path Project Document reviewed: Unlabeled and undated sketch of planned improvements at the intersection of Marblehead and Salem Bike Paths with Lafayette Street. Devine describes the project and shows the plan. Marblehead initiated a project to upgrade the path though the Lead Mills Conservation Area. The project will also improve protection of public utility lines beneath the path. It includes reconstruction of the path’s two bridges. Only a small portion of the project area is within Salem. The plan shows an improved connection between the path on the eastern side of Lafayette St. and the crosswalk. 2 Wathne continues to advocate for removal of the constricting bollards at the bridges. Devine states that they will be removed when this project is constructed, but acknowledges it makes sense to remove them now. Meeting Minutes The group identifies a typo in the 8/7/2024 meeting minutes. Heaps motions, Seiferth seconds, and all vote in favor to approve the 8/7/2024 meeting minutes with edits. Adjourn Manwill motions, Heaps seconds, and all vote in favor to adjourn at 7:55pm. *** Approved by the Bicycling & Shared Path Advisory Committee on 5/7/2025. 3

Agenda

City of Salem BICYCLING & SHARED PATH ADVISORY COMMITTEE NOTICE OF MEETING Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the Bicycling & Shared Path Advisory Committee will be held on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. in person at the City Hall Annex, 98 Washington Street, First Floor Medium Conference Room and via remote participation in accordance with a Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023. In-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted and the public may also participate, listen and/or view this meeting while in progress via the remote participation platform Zoom, through any one of the following ways: Watching the Public Meeting Remotely: • Follow this direct link or go to: https://zoom.us/ and enter meeting ID 846 0671 7817 prompted. • Participants can dial toll-free 877-853-5257 and enter meeting ID 846 0671 7817 when prompted. Providing Public Comment Remotely During the Meeting Members of the public attending this meeting virtually will be allowed to make comments during the portion of the hearing designated for each agenda item. Members of the public will be asked to use the virtual “Raise Hand” function in Zoom to indicate that they would like to provide comment. • Dial *9 on your phone’s dial pad to raise your hand if you are using the toll-free phone number. • Click the “raise hand” button if you are using the Zoom application on your computer or phone. For each agenda item, the moderator will identify attendees with raised hands by their screenname or the last 3 digits of their telephone number and will then unmute them. The moderator will then request that the attendee unmute their device to provide their full name, address, and comment for the record. The moderator will go down the list of attendees in the order presented by the Zoom application. Providing Public Comment Before the Meeting Members of the public can alternatively email their comment no later than three hours before the start of the meeting to: tdevine@salem.com Familiarizing Yourself with Zoom We encourage members of the public to install and familiarize themselves with Zoom in advance of the meeting. If you plan on providing public comment and are logging into this meeting via the Zoom application, please test your speakers and microphone ahead of time. If we have trouble 98 Washington Street  Salem, Massachusetts 01970  978-619-5685  salem.com hearing you when you speak, we will move on to the next person and try to return to you later in the list. If this happens, we recommend that you call the toll-free number to access the meeting and provide your comment. The Zoom meeting will open 15 minutes before the start of the meeting to allow participants to connect and practice with the audio and raise hand functions. MEETING AGENDA 1. Call Meeting to Order 2. Public Comment 3. Staff Update 4. Discussion of Bicycling Infrastructure & Initiatives a. MassDOT Bridge Street Project – Request for Support Letter b. Safe Routes for All Action Plan c. Bikeshare Data and Program Updates d. Event Planning e. Bike Passes for Commuter Rail f. Bike Parking Ordinance g. Salem/Marblehead Lead Mills Path Project 5. Other Business a. Meeting Minutes 6. Adjourn Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law, Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30A Sections 18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033 98 Washington Street  Salem, Massachusetts 01970  978-619-5685  salem.com

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