Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting
Regular MeetingUrbana, IL · April 19, 2022
Minutes
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC)
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: City Council Chambers, 400 South Vine Street, Urbana, IL 61801
Members Present: Bill Brown, Annie Adams, Kara Dudek, Cynthia Hoyle, Audrey Ishii, Susan Jones, Jeff
Marino, Bruce Michelson, Nancy Westcott, John Zeman
Late Arrival:
Staff Present: Carol Mitten
Others Present:
Members Absent: Sarthak Prasad
1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, AND DECLARATION OF QUORUM
2. ADDITIONS TO AGENDA
a. Upcoming IDOT Project on East University Avenue- Audrey Ishii
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING (March 15, 2022)
Bruce Michelson moved to approve the March meeting minutes as amended. Susan Jones seconded the
motion. The motion carried unanimously by a voice vote.
4. PUBLIC INPUT
Members of Champaign County Bikes, Charlie Smyth, Chair, and Jeff Yockey, vice-chair, discussed the
University Avenue IDOT Project and their support for bike and pedestrian infrastructure along University
Avenue.
5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. BPAC Goals 2023- Kara Dudek
Kara Dudek compiled, created, and presented the final draft of BPAC goals for FY2023. The goals included 5
themes: Research and Planning, Evaluation and Response, Culture and Communication, Equity, and
Applications. Annie will evolve the communication plan with an air table in the next 90 days
Cynthia Hoyle motioned to approve the goals, Bruce Michelson seconded the motion. The motion carried
unanimously by a voice vote.
b. BPAC Participation in Bike Month- Cynthia Hoyle
Cynthia Hoyle updated BPAC on some previously discussed topics. She then requested input from BPAC
members on their participation during Bike Month. Those details will be communicated to Bridget Broihahn,
the communication specialist at the City of Urbana.
Annie Adams furthered the idea and discussion for the social media campaign thru the City’s social media.
Kara Dudek suggested members doing individual interviews and matching t-shirts that specify BPAC.
Bruce Michelson suggested a table at the market to help register bikes.
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John Zeman mentioned that Bridget Broihahn is looking for content for an upcoming newsletter.
Bill Brown suggested creating an informational brochure or hand out. Cynthia Hoyle added that they should
include information on the Bike Master Plan, Pedestrian Master Plan, Wayfinding plan and Vision Zero with
links or QR codes.
Annie Adams will work on the branding for BPAC and getting the brochures together.
Cynthia Hoyle discussed several upcoming bike events:
a. Bike to School day at UMS and UHS and will send out volunteer links to members.
b. The Ride of Silence on May 18, 2022, starting at I Hotel
c. Earth day Bike Ride April 22, 2022, starting at Common ground coop
d. Mother’s Day Bike Ride May 8, 2022, 2 p.m.
e. Full Flower Moon Bike Ride May 18, 2022, beginning at Meadowbrook Park
John Zeman will check about the promotional budget for the Commission.
6. REPORTS OF CITY OFFICIALS AND STAFF AND REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
a. Equity and Quality of Life Project- Carol Mitten
Discussed submissions from the City survey and how they were scored, she provided a few examples of high
scoring projects and the differences between capital and operational issues.
b. Lincoln Avenue Corridor Study- John Zeman
The Study will be in coordination with Regional Planning Commission (RPC) starting January 2023, Florida
Avenue to Green Street, safety grant to pay for study hopefully or city will if not. High safety concern
intersections
c. Bicycle Friendly Community Application-Collaboration with RPC
RPC has started with data collection needed for the application.
d. University Avenue from Maple Street to I74, meeting scheduled between IDOT and City
7. NEW BUSINESS
a. Florida Avenue Corridor Study and Grant Application- John Zeman
RPC has recently updated the corridor website and their concluding analysis and recommendations for future
improvements which include intersection analysis.
John shared the RAISE grant application with the commission with additional details and links. The grant has
been submitted through the efforts of Mass Transit District (MTD) and could award up to 11 million dollars.
The intersections analysis scope included the area from Wright Street to Lincoln Avenue including
intersections at Lincoln Avenue and Orchard Street as well as Race Street and Vine Street. Future plans include
a shared use path from Lincoln Avenue to Race Street and all new traffic signals as well as bus cut outs for
MTD to pull safely off the main road. Several traffic scenarios were analyzed to alleviate traffic including a
roundabout option that was turned down.
Annie Adams expressed her concerns about bicyclist safety still being a concern after the proposed changes
and why she believes a roundabout would alleviate those concerns.
Cynthia Hoyle needed clarification on the RPC’s study analysis and recommendations found on their Florida
Avenue Corridor website, she will be submitting questions on their website.
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Bill Brown discussed the crosswalks indicated at Carle Avenue and Orchard Street as well as signal technology
for detection of pedestrians and bikes.
8. Upcoming Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Project on East University Avenue-
Audrey Ishii
Audrey Ishii prepared a presentation to discuss the IDOT project on University Avenue and BPAC’s input.
IDOT specified “Bicycle Travel Generators” must be within project vicinity (1.2 miles) to justify any facility
such as sidewalk or bike lane. Many employers, shopping areas or other destinations were missed on the initial
IDOT assessment that would have satisfied the travel generators criteria.
The Bike and Pedestrian Master Plans along this route need to be focused on the equity of the working class
that live within this corridor. The speed limit and lack of adequate crossings makes it unsafe for all travelers.
9. ANNOUNCEMENTS
a. Cynthia Hoyle has been appointed the President of Ride Illinois
b. Kara Dudek announced the Urbana Park Districts event “Earth Day for Everyone” at Meadowbrook
Park Saturday April 23, 2022.
c. Jeff Yockey announced a Kickapoo Rail Trail celebration in Oakwood on Sunday April 24, 2022.
10. FUTURE TOPICS
a. University Avenue Corridor
b. BPAC Goals- Old Business
c. Crash Data
d. Student review and study report for the Bicycle Master Plan
11. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
***
Respectfully submitted,
Lorri Brooks, Recording Secretary
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Agenda
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN
ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
DATE: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
TIME: 7 :00 P.M.
PLACE: City Council Chambers, 400 South Vine Street, Urbana, IL 61801
**A G E N D A**
Chair: Bill Brown
1. Call to Order, Roll Call & Declaration of Quorum
2. Additions to Agenda
3. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meetings (March 2022)
4. Public Input
5. Unfinished Business
a. BPAC Goals 2023- Kara Dudek
b. BPAC Participation in Bike Month- Cynthia Hoyle
6. Reports of City Officials, and Staff and Reports of Committees
7. New Business
a. Florida Avenue Corridor Study and Grant Application. – John Zeman
8. Announcements
9. Future Topics
10. Adjournment
PUBLIC INPUT
The City of Urbana welcomes Public Input during open meetings of the City Council, the City Council’s
Committee of the Whole, City Boards and Commissions, and other City‐sponsored meetings. Our goal is
to foster respect for the meeting process, and respect for all people participating as members of the
public body, city staff, and the general public. The City is required to conduct all business during public
meetings. The presiding officer is responsible for conducting those meetings in an orderly and efficient
manner.
Public Input will be taken in the following ways:
Email Input
Public comments must be received prior to the closing of the meeting record (at the time of
adjournment unless otherwise noted) at the following: blstiehl@urbanaillinois.us. The subject line of the
email must include the words “PUBLIC INPUT” and the meeting date. Emailed public comments labeled
as such will be incorporated into the public meeting record, with personal identifying information
redacted. Copies of emails will be posted after the meeting minutes have been approved.
Written Input
Any member of the public may submit their comments addressed to the members of the public body in
writing. If a person wishes their written comments to be included in the record of Public Input for the
meeting, the writing should so state. Written comments must be received prior to the closing of the
meeting record (at the time of adjournment unless otherwise noted).
Verbal Input
Protocol for Public Input is one of respect for the process of addressing the business of the City. Obscene
or profane language, or other conduct that threatens to impede the orderly progress of the business
conducted at the meeting is unacceptable.
Public comment shall be limited to no more than four (4) minutes per person. The Public Input portion
of the meeting shall total no more than one (1) hour, unless otherwise shortened or extended by
majority vote of the public body members present. The presiding officer or the city clerk or their
designee, shall monitor each speaker's use of time and shall notify the speaker when the allotted time
has expired. A person may participate and provide Public Input once during a meeting and may not cede
time to another person, or split their time if Public Input is held at two (2) or more different times during
a meeting. The presiding officer may give priority to those persons who indicate they wish to speak on
an agenda item upon which a vote will be taken.
The presiding officer or public body members shall not enter into a dialogue with citizens. Questions
from the public body members shall be for clarification purposes only. Public Input shall not be used as a
time for problem solving or reacting to comments made but, rather, for hearing citizens for
informational purposes only.
In order to maintain the efficient and orderly conduct and progress of the public meeting, the presiding
officer of the meeting shall have the authority to raise a point of order and provide a verbal warning to a
speaker who engages in the conduct or behavior proscribed under “Verbal Input”. Any member of the
public body participating in the meeting may also raise a point of order with the presiding officer and
request that they provide a verbal warning to a speaker. If the speaker refuses to cease such conduct or
behavior after being warned by the presiding officer, the presiding officer shall have the authority to
mute the speaker’s microphone and/or video presence at the meeting. The presiding officer will inform
the speaker that they may send the remainder of their remarks via e‐mail to the public body for
inclusion in the meeting record.
Accommodation
If an accommodation is needed to participate in a City meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s
Office at least 48 hours in advance so that special arrangements can be made using one of the
following methods:
Phone: 217.384.2366
Email: CityClerk@urbanaillinois.us
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