Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, April 9, 2018 5:30 – 7 p.m. 777 E. Waterman, Bldg. 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Wichita, KS 67202 Meeting Notes Members Present: Elizabeth Allah, Maxine Bostic, Jack Brown, Jane Byrnes, Barry Carroll, Russell Fox, Tom Lasater, Christopher Parisho, Marcia Schroeder, George Theoharis & Tyler Stutzman Members Absent: None City Staff: Scott Wadle, Interim Transit Director, Karen Sublett, City Clerk Guests: Vincent Hancock, Alan Kailer, Clayton Pearson, Chole Parisho, Patrick Wiesner Item Description 1. Call to Order: Jack Brown, Chairperson, welcomed guests and called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm. The Chairperson then welcomed the newest member of the board, Marcia Schroeder, who is an appointee from District VI. 2. Swearing-In Ceremony: At the invitation of the Chairperson, Karen Sublett, City Clerk, swore in new and returning board members. Following the ceremony, board members expressed their appreciation to Ms. Sublett. 3. Approve Previous Meeting Notes: By consensus, the board approved the March 2018 meeting notes. 4. Public Comments:  Patrick Wiesner, 551 Westshore Drive, explained that he was a member of the Hidden Lakes HOA consisting of approximately 60 homes. This area was annexed into the city, according to Mr. Wiesner. There is a low water bridge that needs repair and is considered unsafe for motorized vehicles. Mr. Wiesner suggested that this area would be conducive to bicycle and pedestrian traffic however. Jack Brown suggested that the Traffic Engineer should be asked to review the area and provide a follow up report to the board. Board members will confer with the City Engineer and discuss at future meetings. The board members thanked Mr. Wiesner for his interest in biking and walking. 4. Walkability Audits: Kim Neufeld, Executive Director of Bike Walk Wichita, Inc. [BWW], reported on an inititative to develop an online Walkability Audit app, that when completed, can be downloaded on cell phones. Bike Walk Wichita has also secured funding and will award $100 stipends to neighborhood groups and individuals who are willing to conduct audits. Ms. Neufeld noted that the app is being developed and will ‘go live’ in April. In addition, BWW will develop an online app that will provide information on both historical and architectural structures for use in walking tours. According to Ms. Neufeld, the app will be developed during the summer. The board thanked Ms. Neufeld for her informative presentation. 1 5. Bike Share ICT: Scott Wadle provided background information on Bike Share ICT. According to Scott, since May 2017, there have been approximately 9,600 rides on bike share bikes! Becky Tuttle, Health ICT, provided a handout that indicated that there are 105 bikes currently in service at 21 sites. Ms. Tuttle reported that 100 bikes [and racks] will be added to the system this spring/summer! The #1 location for bike share rides is near the ‘Pop Up Park’ along Douglas and #2 site is the Sedgwick County Park. In closing, Ms. Tuttle reported that Wichita has a higher number of riders per capita than most other cities in the nation. The board thanked Ms. Tuttle for her efforts on behalf of Bike Share ICT. 6. ‘Places for People’ Project: Graham Smith and Clara Schlichting, consultants with the Places for People Project, explained that the City is currently attempting to identify three (3) demonstration ‘walkable designation’ projects. The ‘Central Improvement Plan’ encompasses an area of 62 square miles. There is an urban advisory committee that is providing input into the proposed plan. There will be a public meeting regarding the proposed plan on April 16, 2018 in the Evergreen Library from 5:30 -7 pm. Board members and the public were encouraged to attend. The board members thanked Graham Smith and Clara Schlichting for their informative presentation. 7. Wichita General Operating Budget: Scott Wadle noted that the City Council will likely approve the General Operating Budget in August 2018. At the next meeting, board members will review their budget recommendations submitted in 2017. The board will likely make 2018 budget recommendations at their May or June meeting. 8. Safe Streets ICT: Scott Wadle informed the board that the ‘Safe Streets ICT’ education campaign will kick off in April 2018. According to Scott, the $50,000 education campaign will use all forms of media [printed material, social media and billboards] to provide information to the general public. Scott encouraged members to be aware of the upcoming ‘Safe Street ICT’ campaign. 9. Health ICT Projects: Scott Wadle provided a brief overview of the Health ICT federally funded grant that is administered by the Sedgwick County Medical Society. Scott also noted that the City was awarded five (5) small planning grants from WAMPO. The five projects are: 1) Priority Safety Corridor Planning Project; 2) Marked Crosswalk Policy Project Overview; 3) Senior Walking Route Planning Project; 4) Complete Streets/Multi-Modal Policy Implementation Tools Project; 5) Bicycle & Pedestrian Neighborhood Circulation Planning Project. This funding will help advance the objectives and projects identified in the Master Bike and Ped Plans as well, according to Scott. 7. WBPAB Bylaws Updates: Tom Laster reviewed the new city ordinance regarding advisory boards and possible impacts for the board’s bylaws. According to Tom, there will be some minor changes to the numbering citations, etc. The recent change in the election cycle, prompted the needed updates. The City’s Legal Department will review the revised bylaws and comment. The board members thanked Tom for his attention to detail and update. 8. Board Member Project Reports:  Douglas & Hydraulic Intersection: Completed with landscaping to be added  Central& Bitting Intersection: Completed with traffic signal & crosswalks  21st & Oliver Intersection: Completed with new turn lanes and crosswalks 2  Death of Motorized Bicycle at 31st & K-15: George Theoharis would like a report  Pedestrian Death on WSU’s Campus: A faculty member was killed at a crosswalk by a motorist. A recent bike/ped count was completed on campus.  Dog/Pet Information: George Theoharis reported that the Post Office will soon be mailing 180,000 flyers regarding ordinances relating to dogs.  Wichita Flag Bicycle Jersey: George Theoharis noted that he is seeing cyclists wearing jerseys with the Wichita Flag stencil around the City.  Project Tracking Listing: Paul Gunzleman recently provided members with an updated list of projects under development and ones that have been completed. Members are encouraged to continue to track the projects that have been assigned. 9. Announcements:  Redbud Trail in Butler County: Barry Carroll reported that crushed limestone is being laid on the trail that extends eastward from Andover. The trail will proceed easterly to East Kellogg. Upon completion, a ribbon cutting ceremony will likely be held in May during ‘Bike Month.’ 10. Closing Thoughts: There were no comments. Due no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8 pm. The next meeting of the board will be held on Monday, May 14th, 2018 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted, Barry Carroll, WBPAB Secretary 3