Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, April 14, 2014 5:30 – 7:30 P.M. 777 E. Waterman, Building 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Conference Room Agenda Item Time Description 1. 5:30 pm Call to Order Jack Brown, Chairperson 2. 5:31 pm Volunteer for Meeting Notes Jack Brown, Chairperson 3. 5:33 pm Provide Project Tracking Reports by Board Members Jack Brown, Chairperson 4. 5:40pm Approve March Meeting Notes Jack Brown, Chairperson 5. 5:50 pm Northern Flyer TIGER Grant Application Letter of Support Council Member Pete Meitzner 6. 6:10 Kansas University School of Medicine CDC Health Impact Assessment Grant Letter of Support Elizabeth Ablah, KU School of Medicine 7. 6:30 pm Priority Bikeways Public Involvement Process Scott Wadle, Planning Department 8. 7:00 pm Planning Level Bikeway Maintenance Estimate Scott Wadle, Planning Department 9. 7:15 pm Vote for WBPAB Officers • Vice-Chairperson • Secretary Jack Brown, Chairperson 10. 7:25 pm Closing Thoughts Jack Brown, Chairperson 11. 7:30 pm Public Comments Jack Brown, Chairperson Notice – City Council Members may attend this meeting.  Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, March 10, 2014 5:30 – 7:30 P.M. 777 E. Waterman, Building 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Conference Room Members Present: Jack Brown, Maxine Bostic, Barry Carroll, Jerry Jones, Tom Lasater, Anna Mosher, George Theoharis, Tyler Stutzman Members Absent: Alex Umberger, David Bell, Ryan Hollingshead City Staff: Scott Wadle, MAPD; Aaron Henning, PW&U Street Maintenance Guests: Janet Wiele MEETING NOTES Item Description 1. Jack Brown, Chairperson, called the meeting to order and welcomed board members, staff and a member from the public. 2. Barry Carroll volunteered to record the minutes. 3. Tom Lasater moved [Anna Mosher] to approve of the February 10, 2014 minutes. Motion carried. 4. Project Tracking Reports by Board Members: • Barry reported on the 1st & 2nd Bikeways [public meetings will be scheduled]. • Anna reported on the proposed ‘River Vista Apartment Project’ [public meetings have been rescheduled for the Delano Neighborhood Association & Wichita Park Board]. • Maxine reported on the ‘Redbud Trail’ [the City will advertise and bid by the end of April]. • George agreed to track the Mt. Vernon Bike Lanes. • Anna will track the Delano Brownfield project. • Jerry will track the Routine Accommodation Policy. • Tom will track the Douglas Design project. 5. Aaron Henning, PW&U Street Maintenance Engineer, was invited to address the board. Aaron showed a PowerPoint presentation that outlined the various maintenance tasks completed by the City. According to Aaron, the City maintains approximately 5,000 mile of City streets. There was considerable discussion around the sweeping schedule for bike lanes. Aaron noted the Park Department was responsible for bike path sweeping, trash pick-up and signage; and that there is no formal written agreement about which department is responsible for what elements of bicycle facility maintenance. Jerry suggested that perhaps a ‘public/private partnership’ could help with the maintenance of bike lanes. According to Jerry, a cost estimate per mile for bike lane sweeping would be needed. Aaron suggested that the maintenance estimates contained within the Wichita Bicycle Master Plan might be a good starting point for creating an estimate 1  for bicycle facility maintenance costs. After a wide ranging discussion, Aaron offered to follow up on future inquiries from the board as needed. The board thanked Aaron for his informative presentation and issued an ‘open invitation’ to future meetings. 6. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Bylaws: Barry & Tom asked for any additional feedback on the bylaws. The bylaws were amended to read ‘no less than two thirds majority’ is needed to amend the bylaws. Tom moved [Anna] to approve the final version of the bylaws with the suggested amendments. Motion carried. Scott will forward the bylaws for official signatures. 7. Kansas Health Foundation Healthy Living Grant Application, Scott Wadle, Planning Department, reported that a grant is being developed for $100,000. A letter of intent has been forward and the grant is due on March 28th. After a brief discussion, Barry moved [Maxine] to recommend approval of the submission of a Kansas Health Foundation Healthy Living Grant by the City Council; for projects to help:  create a bicycle wayfinding system, and  enhance street safety through education. . Motion carried. 8. Jack Brown reported that Elizabeth Ablah, KU School of Medicine –Wichita, was unable to attend due to an illness. According to Jack, Elizabeth will not pursue that Kansas Health Foundation Recognition Grant Application due in March, but a CDC grant instead. The purpose of the CDC grant would be to fund an evaluation of the impacts, especially health impacts of the built environment. No action was needed. 9. Streets Safety Brochures: Scott Wadle, Planning Department, reviewed a draft brochure that outlined City Ordinances and State statutes pertaining to biking and walking. After a brief discussion, it was suggested that the following be added to the brochure: a) clarification about the legality of cyclists riding two abreast; and b) to add the advisability of cyclists wearing bike helmets. The board members were very supportive of this public education brochure, no formal action was taken. 10. Closing Thoughts: • Jack stated that he would invite the Chief of Police or his designee to a future board meeting on April 14, 2014. • Barry informed the board that a ‘Bike Beautiful’ event would be held on March 27th @7 pm on 524 S. Commerce Street in the Fisch Haus Studios. The event focus on the latest bike apparel for women cyclists. • Jerry explained that City Council Member Janet Miller appreciated the personal contact and update on the WBPAB activities. Jerry suggested that this was a good strategy to keep the Manager, Mayor and City Council members apprised of the board’s activities. • George suggested that the board members who have missed more than three meetings, without any notification, be removed. Scott will follow up and start the process for filling the vacancies. 11. Public Comments: Janet Wiele stated that she learned a great deal by attending the meeting. Ms. Wiele reported that she recently had a minor bicycle crash, due to sand on a sidewalk ramp. According to Ms. Wiele, her bike helmet kept her 2  from experiencing a possible head trauma. The board thank Ms. Wiele for her attendance and comments. There being no further business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 pm. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Monday, April 14, 2014 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted, Barry Carroll 3/12/14 3 April 15, 2014 The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Dear Secretary Foxx: The Wichita Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (WBPAB) enthusiastically encourages the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) to fund the City of Wichita 2014 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant application for the Northern Flyer Project. The WBPAB supports this project to support economic development through improved regional connectivity and expansion of transportation options. The Northern Flyer Project (a.k.a. Heartland Flyer Extension) supports the long-term national goals that have been established by the TIGER grant program. It is a multi-jurisdictional project, requiring the cooperation of the State of Kansas, State of Oklahoma and many local governments. The project will enhance regional connections by closing the 200 mile passenger rail service gap along the I-35 corridor - between Dallas, Texas and Newton, Kansas. This connection will enhance mobility and more prosperous economies from Chicago to San Antonio. In addition to supporting economic development through enhanced connectivity, the Northern Flyer project will also bring economic benefits through the expansion of transportation mode options. Increased transportation mode options can allow individuals greater freedom to reduce household transportation costs, by providing convenient alternatives to utilizing a motor vehicle. The ability to take a train can also increase productivity, by allowing travelers to focus on things other than driving. The WBPAB is especially excited about future pedestrian and bicycle connections associated with the Northern Flyer Project. The rail investments in Wichita can be maximized for economic development through the development/revitalization of adjacent districts focused on the most efficient urban forms of transportation – walking and bicycling. The adjacent districts can be integrated into the City of Wichita bicycle network (currently under development and recommended in the Wichita Bicycle Master Plan) and utilize the latest guidance from the Wichita Pedestrian Master Plan (draft coming this spring). The Northern Flyer Project meets the TIGER goals for significant regional and national impact and will be successful for generations. The WBPAB encourages you to fund the City of Wichita, Kansas, 2014 TIGER grant application for the Northern Flyer Project Sincerely, Jack Brown Wichita Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Chairperson Wichita Priority Bikeways Update Process – 2014 Recommended Action It is recommended that the Wichita Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board approve the proposed public consultation process to identify the next series of priority bikeways for design and construction by the City of Wichita. Background On January 9, 2009, the Wichita City Council adopted the Wichita Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan (PROS Plan) as an amendment to the Wichita-Sedgwick County Comprehensive Plan. The PROS Plan includes a listing of the top priority pathways for the City (Attachment A). On July 18, 2011, the Wichita Board of Park Commissioners voted to endorse an updated priority pathways listing (Attachment B). On February 5, 2013, the Wichita City Council indorsed the Wichita Bicycle Master Plan (Bicycle Plan). The Bicycle Plan is a guide for future actions by the City to make bicycling easier, safer, and more convenient. Included within the plan is a listing of the Top 10 Recommended Priority On-Street and Side Path Bicycle Facilities and the Top Priority Off-Street (Shared Use Path) Bicycle Facility (Attachment C). Since the endorsement of the Wichita Bicycle Master Plan, the City of Wichita has utilized the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) years 2013 and 2015 Bicycle Enhancement line item of $500,000 every other year to secure additional non-City funding to design and construct bicycle facilities. As a result, all or a portion of the recommended bikeways for nine of the Top 10 Recommended Priority On-Street and Side Path Bicycle Facilities, and one mile of the Top Priority Off-Street (Shared Use Path) Bicycle Facility have funding for design and construction. Analysis The City of Wichita CIP and the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO) Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) are both long-term capital investment planning documents. They provide the majority of funding for the design and construction of bicycle facilities in Wichita. The City CIP plans for capital investments out 10-years and the WAMPO TIP has a planning horizon of four years. Having a list of priority bicycle facility projects helps the City of Wichita to plan for their design and construction in the CIP. It also helps the City to prepare applications to WAMPO (and other organizations). Having a list of additional priority bikeways in addition to, or as a replacement, for the bikeways identified in the Bicycle Master Plan could help the City to plan for future bikeway investments and funding applications. The Wichita Bicycle Master Plan recommends that the Park Department be the lead City department to implement the shared-use paths recommended in the plan. City guidance for priority shared-use paths is provided by three different documents: the Bicycle Plan, PROS Plan, and the Park Board endorsed an updated priority pathways listing. All three documents currently recommend different paths as the top priority for the City to develop. Hosting another prioritization process could provide an opportunity to update and coordinate the lists. It is proposed that the City utilize a public engagement process similar to the open house format used to collect feedback on the priority bicycle facilities for the Bicycle Plan and add an additional online survey. Below is a listing of the proposed steps for the process. 1. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board identifies approximately 12 – 15 potential priority on-street and sidepath bikeways. The board may also choose to recommend potential priority shared-use path facilities for consideration by the Park Board. 2. The Park Board identifies potential priority shared-use pathways. 3. Announcements about the upcoming open house event and the launch of the online voting survey are made at the Bike Month kick-off event. 4. The City hosts a public open house event for people to provide input about the priority bicycle facilities and to learn about the accomplishments implementing the Bicycle Plan in 2013. 5. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board uses the public input collected to develop and endorse a list of priority on-street and side path facilities. The list is fiscally constrained based on estimates for available funding. The board may also choose to recommend potential the priority shared-use path(s). 6. The Park Board uses the public input (and Bike Ped Board input if applicable) to develop and endorse a list of priority shared-use path facilities. The list is fiscally constrained based on estimates for available funding. Attachment A Attachment B Priority Pathways Listing Approved by the Wichita Park Board July 18, 2011 1. Delano neighborhood pathway north of Douglas 2. K-96 to Harry 3. Arkansas to Haysville – from Watson to Haysville along the river corridor 4. South Central neighborhood – East river bank to Herman Hill Park 5. Redbud A continue existing trial to K-96 6. Redbud B K-96 to county line 7. Connect west trail to Prairie Sunset Trail through Goddard Attachment C Wichita Bicycle Master Plan Recommended Priority Bicycle Facilities