Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, June 10, 2019 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 777 E. Waterman, Bldg. 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Wichita, KS 67202 Meeting Notes Members present: Maxine Bostic, Jane Byrnes, Barry Carroll, Russell Fox, Tom Lasater, Marcia Schroeder, Tyler Stutzman & George Theoharis Members Absent: Elizabeth Ablah, Jack Brown, Christopher Parisho City Staff: Scott Wadle, Senior Management Analyst, Lee Carmichael, Public Works, Mary Hunt, MAPD Guests: Doug Ballard, Dave & Sharon Hewitt, Nathaniel Richardson, Casey Boothinghouse & Andlen Swan Item Description 1. Call to Order: Barry Carroll, Board Secretary, welcomed board members, City staff, guests and called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm. 2. Approve Previous Meeting Notes: The board approved the May 13, 2019 meeting notes. 3. Public Comments: There were no comments from the public. 4. Project Designs & Construction: Lee Carmichael, Public Works, made the following comments:  Hoover Road Shared-Use Pathway: Right-of-way acquisition is needed regarding completion of the pathway along Hoover from Zoo northward, however the traffic signal at Zoo Blvd.and Hoover that will facilitate connection from the Sedgwick County Park to the Hoover Multiuse pathway is moving forward,  Chisholm Trail Pathways: Design Consultants are working on a design from the Ark River westward to South Seneca; the board will consider the consultants’ design at a future meeting;  Douglas Avenue – Washington to Grove: A more ‘holistic’ approach is being considered; a more bike/ped friendly design could add up to 10% increases for businesses along Douglas; more public meetings will be held;  Downtown Signals Upgrade Project: This is a multi-year project that will upgrade 100 signals; staff will be able to adjust timing remotely as needed;  Redbud: K-96 Eastward to 159th: Construction may now begin in early 2020;  Waco / Douglas to Central: The project will convert four lanes to two lanes, with a turn lane and on-street bike lanes; construction could begin in the fall;  17th Street-Canal Route to Broadway: There will be bike lanes; construction in 2020;  Maple Street: The street is slated for repaving in late spring or summer; traffic signals are being synchronized from McLean to 119th that will facilitate traffic flow.  West Street: The intersection will be upgraded; 10’ path along Irving Street westward. 5. Places for People Presentation: Mary Hunt, Principle Planner, MAPD, provided information on the Places for People Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan. According to Ms. Hunt, the plan will: a) put people first; b) promote equity in resource allocations; c) have provisions for community input; d) zoning code was review; e) possible formation of a ‘Land Bank’ that 1  could eventually put abandoned properties for sale and back upon the tax role; and f) the City Council has approved the plan; g) the Sedgwick County Commissioners will consider at a future meeting. George Theoharis expressed concerns; Russell Fox stated that this was a plan and no specific changes were being made to the zoning code. 6. Wichita-Valley Center Floodway Levee: Following a brief discussion, Tyler Stutzman moved [Russell Fox] to request information from the City’s Law Department about the ‘recreational use’ stipulation along the levee from the Sedgwick County Park to the proposed Crystal Prairie Lake Park near 53rd Street North. Motion carried 9-0. It was noted that other communities in Kansas and other states have multi-use paths along levees. This item will appear on future agendas. 7. 9th & McLean Boulevard: Jack Brown asked the board to revisit the feasibility of constructing a crosswalk at this location. This proposed crosswalk is suggested within the City’s Master Bicycle Plan. There are several challenges regarding this proposal: high speed of motorists and lack of ‘line of sight’ by motorists due to a curve on McLean. Marcia Schroeder stated that she was contacted by a resident of the high-rise apartment complex; the resident would like to safely cross McLean to the east. Scott Wadle will contact potential consultants in an effort to possibly complete a comprehensive study of the area in question 8. Scooters: Scott Wadle provided the board and guests with an overview of the project. The City Council is scheduled to consider the second reading of the proposed ordinance on June 11, 2019. Nathaniel Richardson and Casey Boothinghouse expressed concerns with parts of the proposed ordinance prohibit scooters on arterial streets with 40 mph speed limits and also on adjacent sidewalks. The board thanked the scooter advocates for their comments and suggested that they contact their City Council representative. 9. Project Updates: Scott Wadle reported on the following:  Project Website: Scott stated that a website would be created for the projects;  Neighborhood Bicycling & Walking Route Plans: A plan has been drafted for review;  Bicycle Counting Project: The counters will be installed by City crews;  Crash Best Practices for Advisory Boards: Scott will meet with the Law Department;  People First Neighborhoods – 1600 N Park Place: A report has been drafted;  Bicycle Wayfinding Improvements: The project is on ‘hold’ for now;  Senior Walking Routes: A report has been drafted;  Pedestrian Wayfinding Improvements: A report has been drafted;  Broadway Safety Corridor Projects: Bike lanes may be removed from the project;  Douglas Improvements: Plan are moving forward. 10. Open Streets Update: There was a report on the ‘Open Streets’ event in in the NOMAR District. 21st Street was closed from Broadway on the east to Woodland Park on the west. It was estimated that 10,000 cyclists, pedestrians, skaters, vendors and area residents were in attendance. Clayton Pearson noted that the density per mile was approximately the same as previous Open Streets events along Douglas Avenues. It was noted that the Douglas Avenue Open Streets event will be held on Sunday, September 22 nd. Board members were encouraged to participate. 11. Board Member Project Reports:  9th Street Project: Barry Carroll reported that the project is nearing completion; and  127th Street: Tom Lasater noted that improvements to 127th Street between 13th & 21st have been completed and are very bikeable and walkable. 12. Announcements  Bike Valet for Riverfest: Barry Carroll reported that approximately 300 bikes were parked in the Bike Valet during Riverfest. 13. Closing Thoughts:  Jane Byrnes reiterated that WAMPO webcasts are held monthly; she would like for the City to have a ‘broader focus’ on low income cyclists and pedestrians; she is a proponent of ‘walkability;’ she reported that Elizabeth Ablah and KU student 2  volunteers repainted crosswalks about Kensler Elementary; Wichita has a low ranking [per ‘Places for Bikes’]; Jane thanked the board for listening to her comments. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8 pm. The next meeting of the board will be held on July 8th, 2019 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted. 😊 Barry Carroll, Board Secretary 3