Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting

Meeting Minutes Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) Date: Tuesday, October 15, 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, Cynthia Hoyle, Audrey Ishii, Amelia Neptune, Nadine Schmitz Staff Present: Brad Bennett, Rebecca Bird Members Absent: Michelle Guerra, Susan Jones 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM Bowersox-Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and roll call was taken verbally. There was a quorum present. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Bennett moved to approve the agenda; Hoyle seconded, and the agenda was approved. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING Bennett moved to approve the minutes; Schmitz seconded, and the minutes were approved. 4. PUBLIC INPUT A member of the public sent an email to Karie Brown-Tess to report an issue with a traffic signal that did not recognize bicyclists, however the signal is located in the City of Champaign. Bennett said he would forward the information to the appropriate personnel in Champaign. 5. OLD BUSINESS a) Bike Master Plan Update – Rebecca Bird Bird reported that the steering committee had met during the previous month She presented maps of the areas in which the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission had conducted bicycle counts. Bird also presented the response locations from the bicycle and pedestrian survey that concluded in September, as well as a June 2013 map of Urbana’s existing bicycle infrastructure. She reported that the map is in the process of being updated to include newly installed infrastructure. Bird also reminded BPAC members of the Bicycle Planning Workshop for elected and appointed officials, which would take place on October 22, 2013 at the Urbana Civic Center. Bowersox Johnson inquired about a timeline for the public input sessions; Bird said that the first public input meeting would possibly take place in January or February of 2014. b) Boneyard Creek Improvements Project Update – Brad Bennett Bennett reported that the resurfacing and striping on Broadway Avenue between Water Street and University Avenue is complete. He also reported that Norfolk Southern will be replacing the signal crossings at the railroad tracks; those signals will now be equipped with audible warnings. Norfolk Southern will also be replacing the railroad track surfacing. c) Main Street Bike Lanes Project Update – Brad Bennett Bennett reported that the asphalt had been milled off and resurfacing would begin in the next day or two. He estimated that the resurfacing and pavement markings on Main Street between Vine Street and Cedar Street would be complete in one to two weeks. He reported that resurfacing on Main Street east of Maple Street would begin the following week. Bennett reported that there would be a public input meeting for the Florida Avenue and Philo Road Traffic Signal Improvements Project on October 24, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. at Thomas Paine Elementary School. Bennett also reported that bike racks at the Urbana City Building would be replaced and upgraded. Bird inquired about the installation of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) signs; Bennett said that the signs had been installed on Florida Avenue, Kinch Street, and Fairview Avenue, and that bike route signs would be installed next. He said that the SRTS bike racks had arrived and would be installed during the next school holiday. 6. NEW BUSINESS a) Slideshow of Bicycle Infrastructure – Cynthia Hoyle Cynthia Hoyle presented educational information and photographs of bicycle infrastructure in Boulder, Colorado, where she attended a conference for the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. She discussed issues such as crash rates in Boulder, the similarity of Boulder’s bicycle/pedestrian community to that of Champaign-Urbana, and Boulder’s methods for gathering community feedback about the bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure. 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS • Neptune announced that a campus bicycle census count would take place on October 23, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. She said volunteers were needed to help count parked bikes on the University of Illinois campus. • Hoyle announced that a Traffic Skills 101 class would take place on October 26, 2013, and said that requests for more information could be directed to her via email. • Hoyle gave a brief update on the SPLASH afterschool program at Urbana Middle School. She announced that the program would be hosting both a bike rodeo and a bike ride, and that those interested in volunteering at either event should contact her via email. 8. FUTURE TOPICS Bowersox-Johnson said that the next meeting would be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2013. Hoyle said she would like BPAC to discuss becoming a Pedestrian-Friendly Community at some point in the future. Neptune recommended that BPAC examine a Walkability Study prepared by the City of Champaign; Bowersox-Johnson suggested inviting those planners involved to give a presentation on the study at a future BPAC meeting. Hoyle also suggested the Bennett provide photos of Urbana’s recently installed bicycle infrastructure improvements at the next BPAC meeting. 9. ADJOURNMENT Bowersox-Johnson adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m. *** Femi Fletcher-Washington, Recording Secretary