Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting

Meeting Minutes Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: City Council Chambers, City of Urbana, 400 South Vine Street, Urbana, IL Members Present: Brandon Bowersox-Johnson, Karie Brown-Tess, Susan Jones, Amelia Neptune, Nadine Schmitz Staff Present: Brad Bennett, Rebecca Bird Members Absent: Michelle Guerra, Audrey Ishii 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM Bowersox-Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. and roll call was taken verbally. There was a quorum present. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Hoyle moved to approve the agenda; Neptune seconded. Motion carried. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING Bennett moved to approve the minutes; Schmitz seconded. Bowersox-Johnson noted that the date on the minutes should read “April 16, 2013” With that correction, the minutes were approved. 4. PUBLIC INPUT Urbana City Council member Bill Brown addressed the Commission regarding bike lanes. He expressed appreciation for Urbana’s bike infrastructure. He expressed concern about parked cars next to bike lanes and the loss of on-street parking on Broadway Avenue where the bike lanes are proposed to be installed. He also suggested that in the next Bicycle Master Plan, the of loss of on-street parking be weighted more heavily in evaluating proposed bike lane locations and that aldermen be alerted so they can address the issue in their respective wards before the bike lane designs are done. He also spoke regarding the benefits of bike boulevards and about biking safely with children. 5. OLD BUSINESS a) Bike Master Plan Update – Rebecca Bird Bird reported that a Travel Mode Choice survey had been made available for Urbana residents. She reported that the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) was in the process of reviewing documents relevant to the Bicycle Master Plan. She said the steering committee would meet the following week to review goals and objectives, and CCRPC would be working on an evaluation of existing conditions as well as a travel demand analysis. She said a total of four public input meetings will take place beginning in January or February of 2014. Comments from those meetings would then be incorporated into the plan draft. b) Bicycle Enforcement Program – Rebecca Bird Bird reported that 48 of 49 ticketed bicyclists had opted to take the class, and that the class went well. She reported that, in an effort to coordinate with similar programs offered by the City of Champaign and the University of Illinois, the City of Urbana would no longer offer the class, but would instead give  offenders the option of taking the League of Illinois Bicyclists’ online quiz. She said the Urbana Police Department would begin writing tickets under this new program option on October 1, 2013. She reported that police patrols would be taking place to target offending bicyclists; these details will be announced in press releases and in the Daily Illini. Neptune said that the University of Illinois is in the process of updating its bicycle code; enforcement under the new code will begin in the spring. c) Washington Street Resurfacing Project Update – Brad Bennett Bennett presented photographs of the Washington Street bike lane pavement markings. Hoyle said she had received feedback from the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, who expressed concern that the bike lanes weren’t buffered from motor vehicle traffic. She said she had also received feedback that there is insufficient room in the bike lanes to safely use a recumbent trike when larger vehicles pass. Bennett pointed out that additional markings had been added to the intersection of Washington Street and Cottage Grove Avenue to make clearer the shared bike/right turn lane. d) Lanore/Adams/Fairlawn Multi-Use Path Update – Brad Bennett Bennett presented photographs of the finished path and reported that a ribbon-cutting had been scheduled for Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. He said staff was considering placing a yield or stop sign for bicyclists and pedestrians at the end of the path at the Fairlawn Drive/Adams Street intersection. e) SRTS Grant Bike Facilities Project Update – Brad Bennett Bennett presented photographs of the various bike lanes and routes that have been installed. He said bike rack pads had been poured; bike racks and signage will be installed upon delivery. The Commission discussed public education opportunities regarding the new infrastructure. Bennett reported that there are several bike lanes which are still awaiting street resurfacing, including Broadway Avenue and Main Street. He reported that the Boneyard Multi-Use path is scheduled for completion in 2014. 6. NEW BUSINESS a) Broadway Avenue Bike Lane Update – Brad Bennett Bennett presented information on the proposed bike lanes on Broadway Avenue. He said that parking demand was still being studied, and he invited comment from the Commission. He pointed out that resurfacing was not scheduled to begin until spring of 2014. b) Pavement Marking Project – Brad Bennett Bennett reported that, because of the State’s financial problems, the City is now responsible for maintenance of all the existing pavement markings on City Streets. He said the City would hire a contractor to perform the work due to the need for specialized equipment, and that some new bike lane markings may be added in addition to those repainted. The Commission discussed the possibility of adding bike lanes to Bradley Avenue and to Amber Lane, according to existing Bike Master Plan specifications. The Commission recommended having the Bike Master Plan Update re-evaluate whether Amber Lane is an appropriate location for bike lanes. 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS • Bird announced the Market at the Square Bike Rodeo at Lincoln Square Village on September 21, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. • Bird announced the Light the Night Event, taking place on September 12, 2013 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at both the Alma Mater and outside the Illinois Street Residence Hall.  • Bird announced that Champaign County Bikes had published new bicycle maps which are now available at many public locations and online. • Hoyle announced the Walk-N-Roll to School event on September 6, 2013 for balanced-calendar schools and on October 9, 2013 for all other elementary schools in Champaign and Urbana. • Hoyle announced the BOLTAGE program at Urbana Middle School. She reported that a solar-powered counter had been purchased as part of the SRTS grant, and that student participants received a micro chipped card which counts each bike trip they make to school. The program will be expanded to include student pedestrians this school year. • Hoyle announced the SPLASH Bicycle Riding and Safety Afterschool Course held every Wednesday from September 18, 2013 through October 23, 2013 at Urbana Middle School. • Bird announced the Urbana Police Department’s bike giveaway on September 19, 2013 at 704 S. Glover Avenue, Urbana. • Neptune announced a ribbon cutting for the Grainger Crosswalk on September 12, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. 8. FUTURE TOPICS Bowersox-Johnson said that the next meeting would be held on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. 9. ADJOURNMENT Bowersox-Johnson adjourned the meeting at 8:20 p.m. *** Femi Fletcher-Washington, Recording Secretary