Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, March 12, 2018 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. 777 E. Waterman, Building 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Conference Room Wichita, Kansas 67202 Agenda Item Time Description 1. 5:30 pm Call to Order Jack Brown, Chairperson 2. 5:31 pm Approve Previous Meeting Notes Jack Brown, Chairperson, approval of the minutes. 3. 5:35 pm Public Comments 4. 5:45 pm 1st Street Bike Lane and Delano Path Update Paul Gunzelman, Assistant City Engineer, will provide an update on the construction and 1st Street Bike Lane in Old Town; and an update on the Delano Path designs. 5. 6:00 pm Delano Neighborhood Plan 2018 Matt Williams, Associate Planner, will present information about the draft Delano Neighborhood Plan 2018. 6. 6:15 pm Wichita Capital Improvement Program Prioritization Scott Wadle, Interim Transit Director, will facilitate a discussion to identify the WBPAB preferred top priority factors for consideration of CIP projects. 7. 6:25 pm WBPAB Bylaws Updates Tom Lasater, Board Member, will provide an overview of possible changes to the WBPAB bylaws to conform to changes to the Municipal Code regarding Board Member terms. 8. 6:40 pm Board Member Project Reports Jack Brown, Chairperson 9. 6:55 pm Announcements Jack Brown, Chairperson 10. 7:10 pm Closing Thoughts Jack Brown, Chairperson Notice – City Council Members may attend this meeting.  Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, January 8, 2017 5:30 – 7 p.m. 777 E. Waterman, Bldg. 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Wichita, KS 67202 Meeting Notes Members Present: Maxine Bostic, Jack Brown, Jane Byrnes, Russell Fox, Tom Lasater, Christopher Parisho, George Theoharis, Tyler Stutzman Members Absent: Elizabeth Allah, Barry Carroll, Jerry Jones City Staff: Scott Wadle, Interim Transit Director, Paul Gunzleman, Public Works &Utilities, Mark Manning, Finance Department Guests: Aimee Basham, Alan Kailer, Clayton Pearson Item Description 1. Call to Order: Jack Brown, Chairperson, welcomed guests and called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm 2. Approve Previous Meeting Notes: By consensus, the board approved the December 11, 2018 meeting notes. 3. Public Comments: There were no comments. 4. City of Wichita Advisory Board Membership Changes: Scott Wadle, Interim Transit Director, facilitated a brief discussion of the proposed changes regarding board membership criteria. Scott laid out the rationale for the changes from the City’s perspective. Jane Byrnes asked a question regarding the dates for renewal on advisory boards? There was also some discussion that the ordinance specifies that the City would appoint a recording secretary for each advisory board. There appears to be little interest in encouraging the City to do so. George Theoharis specifically advocated that the board make a public point of ignoring the stipulation. Finally, it was determined that staff from the Law Department will need to clarify the ordinance in light of actual practices. 5. Wichita Capital Improvement Program: Mark Manning, Finance Department, outlined the likely calendar for the CIP process: January to March is the time for input from various advisory boards. According to Mark, May to June would be a time for public engagement with the tentative decisions being made; August is when the CIP would likely receive final approval from the City Council. According to Mark, there is much that could potentially complicate the thinking which goes into determining what to include in the CIP, such as whether any possible improvements to Century II might require a funding scheme completely separate from the City’s CIP. Due to another meeting commitment, Mark had to leave after his brief statements. The board thanked Mark for his informative comments. Paul Gunzleman, Public Works & Utilities, and Scott Wadle continued to direct the discussion about the CIP processes and the whole range of past CIP projects, prioritized bicycle and pedestrian projects, such as the proposed connections between Delano, McLean, the Big Ditch, and the Chisholm Trail were some of 1  several topics of discussion. The question was asked whether the board should consider the connections between the Prairie Sunset Trail and Delano to be considered as one project? Is there is a need to hire a consultant to look at the possibility of the use of the K&O railroad along Friends University and under I-235 as one possible source? What is needed for a bridge crossing at Cowskin Creek at Air Capital Park? What is the dimension of the side path being constructed along the Hoover bikeway? What about the proposed signal crossing light at 2nd Street at the Canal Route? Scott then guided the BPAB members and others through the Prioritization Assistance Tool, and the members collective reviewed the results for 27 possible projects. On the basis of the information provided through the prioritization process as well as the expressed interested of the group, Jack Brown proposed re-emphasizing the same 10 Priority Bikeways projects from 2017, dropping only the portion of the Redbud Path recommendation that will be completed (K-96 to 159th St.) in 2019. It was discussed whether it would be helpful to drop that part of our list of priorities, since there is still work to be done on the Redbud Path. Paul assured the board that the money for construction was already appropriated. The remainder of the work on the Redbud Path would still be completed even if it were not on the re- prioritization list. George Theoharis suggested it might be worth focusing specifically on fewer sites that have more cyclists, such as eliminating the Mt. Vernon and South Central proposal? Jack Brown strongly argued that it, along with all the others, should be recommended. Tyler Stutzman suggested that the language used in recommending work on the Prairie Sunset Trail explicitly mention the proposed bridge over Cowskin Creek as a distinct component. Jack Brown also suggested that the tie votes between items #2 and #3 and #5 and #6 be eliminated. Jane Byrnes urged that the final recommendation include strong words of gratitude for the work that has been done thus far on the Redbud Path. Jane Byrnes also suggested and that the board also ask for more money for pedestrian crossings and intersections. George Theoharis supported Jane Byrnes in that regard, urging that the board specify $300,000 for crossing improvements. After considerable discussion, Tyler Stutzman moved [Maxine Bostic] that the board recommend resubmitting the same list of prioritized bikeways, with the aforementioned changes in language. Motion carried 8-0. Jack Brown, Chairperson, will draft a letter to be forwarded to the City Council with the board’s recommendations. 6. Board Member Project Reports: Due to time constraints, there were no reports. 7. Announcements: Due to time constraints, there were no announcements. 8. Closing Thoughts: Due to time constraints, there were no comments. Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm. The next meeting of the board will be held on Monday, February 12th, 2018 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted, Russell Fox, Board Member 2  Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, February 12, 2018 5:30 – 7 p.m. 777 E. Waterman, Building 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Conference Room Meeting Notes Members Present: Elizabeth Ablah, Maxine Bostic, Jack Brown, Jane Byrnes, Russell Fox, Jerry Jones, Tom Lasater, Christopher Parisho & George Theoharis Members Absent: Barry Carroll & Tyler Stutzman City Staff: Scott Wadle, Interim Transit Director, Paul Gunzelman, Wichita City Engineering Division Public Works Guests: Greg Mahoney, Clayton Pearson, Julianne Walker Item Description 1. Call to Order: Jack Brown, Chairperson, welcomed guests and called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm 2. Approve Previous Meeting Notes: By consensus, the board deferred approving the January and February meeting notes until the March meeting. 3. Public Comments: Clayton Pearson asked a question about whether board members had access to any information about bike or pedestrian routes that are particularly used by underprivileged populations? Mr. Pearson felt that if there are areas of the city where poorer people, handicapped people, people with health problems, have either particularly benefited from or are in particular need of alternative transportation options it would be useful information. The board pointed out that current bike and pedestrian count data is quantitative not qualitative. The board said it would make an inquiry with city staff to determine if the type of information Mr. Pearson was interested in was available through any studies or research unknown to the board. 4. Wichita Capital Improvement Program Recommendation Letter: Paul Gunzelman updated the board on the work of the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Committee. The board reviewed a draft letter of CIP bicycle and pedestrian projects slated for the 2019 CIP with Mr. Gunzelman. There were questions regarding the cost increases on the Redbud Path and the bridge over the Cowskin Creek. The Delano neighborhood projects are proceeding in phases, with construction slotted to begin in 2019. There is a need to collect better information from and communicate better with KDOT regarding the fate of the bridge over the Big Ditch, and whether the existing underpass through the Kellogg and I-235 interchange will be sufficient, or whether a tunnel will need to be constructed in order to maintain the continuity with the Prairie Sunset Trail. After much discussion, Jerry Jones recommended giving approval of the CIP Recommendation Letter as presently written, and Maxine Bostic seconded that motion, which then passed unanimously. 5. Wichita Capital Improvement Program Prioritization: Paul Gunzelman lead a discussion about the process of selecting and prioritizing CIP recommendations using data driven information. Currently the board is using the GIS Prioritization tool which takes into account various factors such as proximity to schools, employment centers, consistency with the 1  bicycle master plan and connectivity to existing pathways. Paul also recommended re- opening the public meeting process. The board agreed and indicated that at our January 2018 meeting we discussed this option. The board has asked staff to establish a community engagement process sometime later this year. Board member Elizabeth Ablah pointed out that data about bicycle and pedestrian injuries and deaths had not been available when the original Master Bicycle and Pedestrian Plans were developed and new data should be considered in prioritizing projects. 6. WBPAB Bylaws Updates: It was suggested that the new city ordinance regarding boards and commissions should be compared to the board’s bylaws in an effort to determine if updates are needed in the bylaws to make them consistent with the ordinance. Tom Lasater, board member, was identified as a good candidate to provide the review. Maxine Bostic and Christopher Parisho both volunteered to serve on a subcommittee to assist Tom as necessary. 7. Board Member Project Reports: Russell Fox gave an update on the developments on Tyler in front of Wilbur Middle School. Chris Parisho reported on a need to look closely at Hamilton Middle School, where the bike lane alongside the street that connects to the school is frequently being used for office parking. Elizabeth Ablah shared a report from individuals at The Lord’s Diner that the bike lanes along 1st and 2nd streets have greatly improved safety conditions. Jerry Jones observed that traffic levels at 9th and McLean might be used to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists in that area. Legislative Agenda Updates: Jack Brown reported that a bill involving the requiring of reflective pedals was in committee in the state legislature and seemed to be moving forward. Jane Byrnes reported on the formation of a 27-member committee focused on protecting and promoting the proper use of KDOT funds and noted that all of the members of that committee were supporters of or employees of various automotive industries, without any representation from those interested in transportation alternatives. There is also a bill moving forward involving “distracted drivers,” which would amend the current state statute regarding texting, and whether police can enforce such rules even in the absence of an accident. Alan Kailer, member of the public, indicated that he had provided testimony to the Kansas Legislative Committee regarding the distracted driver bill. 8. Announcements: Jane Byrnes mentioned a free webinar on walkability on Tuesday, February 27th, and also that Bike Walk Wichita is drafting a walkability audit that they hope to use to gain better information from residents about walking conditions in their neighborhoods. Russell Fox reminded everyone that planning for the 2nd annual Open Streets ICT was underway, and the committee is looking for volunteers. 9. Closing Thoughts: There were no closing thoughts. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm. The next meeting of the board will be held on Monday, March 12th, 2018 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted, Dr. Russell Arben Fox & Jack Brown, Board Members 2