Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting

APPROVED September 18, 2018 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) Meeting Minutes Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2018 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: City Council Chambers, 400 South Vine Street, Urbana, IL Members Present: Bill Brown (Chair), Leonardo Covis, Kara Dudek, Jeff Marino, Craig Shonkwiler, Nancy Westcott and Lily Wilcock Staff Present: Kevin Garcia Members Absent: Audrey Ishii, Susan Jones Members Late Arrival: Annie Adams, Cynthia Hoyle Others Present: None 1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM Bill Brown called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Roll call was taken. A quorum of members was present. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Nancy Westcott moved to approve the agenda; Lily Wilcock seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes from the May 15, 2018 meeting were presented for approval as amended. Jeff Marino moved to approve the minutes; Leonardo Covis seconded the motion; and the motion was unanimously approved by voice vote. 4. PUBLIC INPUT There was no public input. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. KRT-Weaver Park Connectivity Study – Champaign County Regional Planning Commission Gabe Lewis, Planner from the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission provided an update on the Kickapoo Rail Trail (KRT)-Weaver Park Connectivity Study. Mr. Lewis informed the Commission that the draft report had been completed and presented at a joint meeting of the Urbana Park District Board, Champaign County Forest Preserve Board, City of Urbana and the Citizens Advisory Board. He said that the report had seven chapters and was available at https://ccrpc.org/documents/weaver-park-east-urbana- Page 1  APPROVED September 18, 2018 kickapoo-rail-trail-connectivity-study/. He explained that three major goals as defined by the KRT-Weaver Park Connectivity Study Steering Committee were: 1. Connect the KRT to Weaver Park 2. Develop a primary trailhead at Weaver Park 3. Improve East Urbana bike and pedestrian access Mr. Lewis mentioned the ten benefits of the KRT-Weaver Park Project as identified in the report and the location of nine possible connectors between the KRT and Weaver Park. Mr. Lewis said that list of proposed connectors were developed from two public meetings held specifically to discuss the KRT-Weaver Park connectivity and from other public meetings where future connectivity infrastructure was suggested. He said that for the next part of the study, each proposed corridor was evaluated using the Bike Sidepath Suitability Measure and the 2017 Champaign-Urbana Pedestrian Crossing Enhancement Guidelines to determine the opportunities and constraints of each. The Baker’s Lane via the abandoned rail option had the most opportunities, followed by the Smith Road via the abandoned rail option. Next, Mr. Lewis said that the report looked at the locations to see if they met all of the three major goals defined by the steering committee. Four of the locations met all three goals (Main Street with the addition of a sidepath on the south side, Smith Road via the abandoned rail, Baker’s Lane via the abandoned rail, and Pfeffer Road corridor from the East Urbana Industrial Park, west to Main Street. At the most recent public meeting held in May 2018, those present selected the Baker’s Lane via the abandoned rail as the preferred option to connect the KRT to Weaver Park. Some developments connected to the KRT-Weaver Park Connectivity Study are:  The Urbana Park District opened a vehicle parking lot to allow people with cars to park their vehicles and then ride or walk the KRT. The Park District would be developing trailhead facilities for Weaver Park.  The City of Urbana, Champaign County Forest Preserve District and the Champaign County Regional Planning District would be installing bicycle wayfinding signage on Main Street and possibly the KRT once the Bicycle Wayfinding Signage Project had been approved.  The Urbana KRT Connectivity Partnership (City of Urbana, Champaign County Forest Preserve District, Urbana Park District and Carle) would continue to explore funding options to study the feasibility of the KRT connection continuing to Lincoln Avenue and including Downtown Urbana and Carle campus. Ms. Hoyle stated that she preferred a connection that went directly to downtown Urbana. She expressed concern that the Baker’s Lane connection did not provide a straight route to the downtown area. She suggested installing a sidepath on Main Street as an option to connect the KRT to Weaver Park. Ms. Adams explained a frustrating bike riding experience she had and said that she enjoyed using the Lierman Avenue sidepath. She encouraged the City to consider the construction of all of the proposed paths on a phased basis. Page 2  APPROVED September 18, 2018 Chair Brown expressed a preference for Pfeffer Road. A member asked if the costs were discussed as part of the study. Mr. Lewis said that the costs were not part of the discussion. Chair Brown asked if the remaining rail system was utilized. Mr. Lewis said that the existing rail system provided service to Dart and Emulsicoat. Chair Brown asked what the specific benefit of the Baker’s Lane option would be. Mr. Lewis said that the Baker’s Lane option would provide sidewalks for Scottswood residents to access the Prairie Campus. Ms. Adams suggested placing the bike trail along the existing railroad infrastructure as was done in Madison, Wisconsin. She recommended asking the University of Illinois Rail Transportation and Engineering Center to participate in planning an option. Mr. Shonkwiler stated that the scope of the current plan did not include costing out each option. He said that later, when grant applications were completed, staff would begin to review costs. He stated that the study was looking more for opportunities than for specific plans. He said that Baker’s Lane would be significantly less than Main Street and it would work as a connecting route. Ms. Adams thought a design similar to Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project (MCORE) would work on the Main Street route. Mr. Shonkwiler said that design would not work on Main Street under the current complete streets policy. Chair Brown mentioned that bicyclists could ride on sidewalks except in downtown Urbana. Mr. Shonkwiler said that bicyclists riding on sidewalks were required to call out or ring their bell when approaching pedestrians. Mr. Marino asked if the Commission should vote on a preferred route. Mr. Shonkwiler said that no action was required; the presentation was for information purposes only and that it would go to the Committee of the Whole. Chair Brown said that he did not think that it would be easy to agree on one plan. Ms. Hoyle moved that the KRT-Weaver Park Connectivity Study was a good plan and that the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC)would decide on an option at a later date and that BPAC would recommend to City Council that they accepted the study and also that more than one alternative be considered for implementation. Page 3  APPROVED September 18, 2018 Nancy Westcott seconded the motion. Mr. Shonkwiler abstained since he served on the steering committee and he was a staff member. The motion was approved by unanimous vote. b. Pedestrian Master Plan Update – Champaign County Regional Planning Commission Gabe Lewis explained that the purpose of the Pedestrian Master Plan was to provide recommendations for improvements in the City’s infrastructure (Engineering) and improvements in non-infrastructure (Education and Enforcement). Mr. Lewis listed the local resources and national pedestrian plans references while preparing the plan. He said the plan would review existing pedestrian facilities (sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks and pedestrian signals) to assess their condition and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) scores; acknowledge the existence of the brick sidewalks within the City’s jurisdiction; explore the feasibility of new facilities (e.g., sidewalks on the south side of Florida Avenue between Race Street and Lincoln Avenue); estimate the costs for implementing improvements; and develop priorities for implementing the plan. He stated that the plan would be presented to the City Council later this summer. Mr. Lewis reviewed some of the suggestions from the plan, e.g. applying for a Walk Friendly Community designation, increasing school zone speed limit enforcement, developing a sidewalk snow removal ordinance and hiring a regional bicycle coordinator. He said that the next steps in preparing the Pedestrian Master Plan were to prepare the recommendations and implementation schedule. Mr. Marino asked if the zoning ordinance could be changed to reduce auto-oriented developments and encourage pedestrian traffic. Ms. Hoyle listed several considerations that she felt should be explored, such as including equity in the plan. She added that Vision Zero should be incorporated into the plan. She suggested that tactical urbanism be added to allow streets to be altered or closed to people in vehicles to see if conditions improved in those areas. She advocated for the involvement of senior residents to provide safe opportunities for the elderly to move more freely within the community. c. Bicycle Wayfinding Plan Update – Champaign County Regional Planning Commission Gabe Lewis discussed the process for developing the bicycle wayfinding signage, which included looking at national standards for bicycle wayfinding. His emphasis was on signage that helping with decision-making, turning and confirmation of route destinations. Mr. Lewis stated that on-street bicycle wayfinding signage followed standards established in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD); he said off- street or trail wayfinding signage allowed flexible language. He noted that the Greenways and Trails logo had been incorporated for use on the signs and that the signs included the name of the route and the distance and approximate time to travel to various locations along the route. He showed the Commission different versions of the signage. Ms. Adams stated that she did not like the off-street signage and suggested that she could provide a better design. She felt that using one color for the signage was the best solution. She expressed her dislike of the Greenways and Trails logo used on the off-street signage since it was not easy to read. Ms. Hoyle expressed a preference for the blue and burgundy signs, but did not like the brown signage. Page 4  APPROVED September 18, 2018 Ms. Adams said that after listening to Ms. Hoyle, she changed her mind. She expressed a preference for the rounded top on the prototypes presented. She specifically like the signage shown on the upper left of the screen. Mr. Shonkwiler suggested using the Greenways and Trails logo from the street view signage for all of the signs on the Greenways and Trails route. Mr. Lewis showed how wayfinding signage would look for different routes and jurisdictions. Mr. Shonkwiler asked Ms. Adams if she liked the on-street signage shown in the upper left of the slide presentation. Ms. Hoyle answered that the signage in the upper left provided the most information in a concise manner. Mr. Shonkwiler asked about naming the bikeways. He acknowledged that it might take time, but that the naming would give significance to the routes and give them a unique association with the community. Ms. Hoyle did not want to do anything that might slow the process. Mr. Shonkwiler said that the naming could be done without hindering the process. Chair Brown asked if a map had been created. Mr. Lewis indicated that the map had not been completed. Ms. Adams stated that the public did not care about honorary street names. Mr. Covis asked if routes to Weaver Park and the KRT would be considered as two different destinations. Mr. Lewis stated they would be listed as two separate destinations. Chair Brown said that bicyclists would easily recognize the signs with rounded tops as informational signs. Ms. Dudek stated that the blue and green signage would complement the color palette used by the Urbana Park District. Chair Brown was concerned about the height of the signage and the possibility that bicyclists might hit the signs. Ms. Hoyle stated that there were signage guidelines that established standards to prevent sign placements where bicyclists would hit them. She mentioned that some local communities had signage that was not readable. Mr. Garcia asked if a rounded bottom was considered as a possible design for the wayfinding signs. Mr. Shonkwiler stated the design was too expensive. 6. NEW BUSINESS Page 5  APPROVED September 18, 2018 a. Bicycle Friendly Community Reapplication – Champaign County Regional Planning Commission Mr. Lewis discussed the chronology of the Bicycle Friendly Designation for the City of Urbana. He mentioned that agencies must reapply for the designation every four years. He noted that the reapplication for the Bicycle Friendly Community Designation for the City of Urbana would be due on August 9, 2018. He added that the determination of the award would be announced in November 2018. To gain some input, Mr. Lewis asked the Commission to answer two questions, “What is the most positive outcome of the community’s support for bicycling from 2014 to 2018?” and “How could bicycling be safer?” Outcomes Makes Urbana a more desirable place to live Improved safety—decrease in fatalities Raised recognition of bicycle program among other communities wanting to improve their facilities (locally and nationally) Created more tolerance for bicyclists among other roadway users Improve community’s health and well-being Provided opportunities for additional projects (e.g., KRT) to happen Empowered bicyclists Safer Bicycling Reduce speed limits on residential streets Adopt Vision Zero Provide more on-street facilities for bicyclists Design streets to slow vehicles Complete bicycle network Provide covered bicycle parking Encourage corporate participation—workplaces with showers and covered bicycle parking Hire a full-time bike coordinator for the City of Urbana Educate the travelling public so they know how to use bicycle facilities and to navigate around those using the bicycle facilities b. St. Joseph Speed Limit Reduction – Bill Brown Chair Brown summarized his discussion about the speed limit reduction in St. Joseph with the Mayor of St. Joseph. Mr. Brown stated that the primary reason for reducing the speed limit was to allow residents to use golf carts on city streets. He noted that the speed limit on U.S. Route 150, going through St. Joseph, had not been reduced, but there were areas designating where golf carts could cross Route 150. Chair Brown informed the Commission that the Champaign County Sheriff’s Department handled enforcement. He noted that the speed limit was not heavily enforced, but if a motorist were ticketed for travelling over 40 miles per hour in a 25 mile-an-hour zone, it would be a more serious violation. Page 6  APPROVED September 18, 2018 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS  MCORE – Mr. Shonkwiler reported that Project 1 of the Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project (MCORE) was open for two-way traffic. He stated that staff would assess signage for people who walk, bike and drive. He emphasized that the new treatments were experimental and could be removed if proven to cause confusion. He encouraged members to provide comments about the treatments. He stated that the City of Champaign was working on Projects 2 and 3 and preparing bid information for Project 4. He said that the City of Urbana is preparing for Project 5, which would improve Green Street from Busey Avenue to Race Street. He noted that Project 5 would include the addition of bike lanes, removal of on-street parking, replacement of all sidewalks and a few tree removals on Green Street. He said that Project 5 was the last stage of the MCORE Project.  September 20 – Light the Night  Dockless Bike Share – Mr. Garcia announced that the City of Urbana passed an ordinance allowing dockless bike share companies to conduct business in Urbana. He said that the City of Champaign would be the lead agency in accepting applications from companies wishing to participate. 8. FUTURE TOPICS a. Selected Crash Intersection Locations (SCIL) Report – Champaign County Regional Plan Commission b. Brick Sidewalk Repair Project – Brad Bennett c. Streets Closings for Pedestrian Events – Annie Adams d. Transportation Semantics – Kevin Garcia 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:06 p.m. *** Respectfully submitted, Barbara Stiehl Recording Secretary Page 7