Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, July 8, 2019 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 777 E. Waterman, Bldg. 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Wichita, KS 67202 Meeting Notes Members present: Elizabeth Ablah, Jack Brown, Maxine Bostic, Jane Byrnes, Barry Carroll, Tom Lasater, Marcia Schroeder, Christopher Parisho, Tyler Stutzman & George Theoharis Members Absent: Russell Fox City Staff: Michael Tann, Transit Director, Mark Manning & Elizabeth Goltry, Finance Department Guests: District V City Council member Bryan Frye, Dave & Sharon Hewitt, Nathaniel Richardson, Casey Boothinghouse & Andlen Swan, Rick Sroufe, Donna Carrell, Bob Moore, Annette Graham, Alan Kailer, Justin Smith, William Phullis, Vincent Hancock, Michael Rosales, Ashleigh Demereck Item Description 1. Call to Order: Jack Brown, Chairperson, welcomed board members, City staff, guests and called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm. 2. Approve Previous Meeting Notes: To be approved at the August 12 meeting. 3. Public Comments: There were no comments from the public. 4. Wichita Capital Improvement (CIP) Program Update: Mark Manning, Finance Department, reported that he had taken a new position within the Finance Department, thanked the board for their input over the years regarding bike and ped improvements to the City of Wichita. Mr. Manning then introduced Elizabeth Goltry, Finance Department, who will be the new contact person for the board regarding the CIP and general operating budgets. . Ms. Goltry provided the board with an overview of the current proposed City of Wichita Capital Improvement Plan and distributed a handout summarizing the schedule and current status of the CIP process. The City Council will review the proposed CIP and Operating Budgets on July 23, August 6 and adopt the both budgets on August 13th. The Finance Department scored all 200 proposed CIP projects. It was reported that there will be an increase in funding for street maintenance and more flexibility in sidewalk replacement. Ms. Goltry reported that there is approximately 3.7% of the CIP arterial projects designated for bike/walk projects. The board thanked Ms. Goltry for her handout and informative presentation. 5. Wichita Street Tree Planting and Priorities: Jack Brown, Chairperson, shared information about his inquiries related to street tree plantings and landscaping by the City of Wichita. Jack reported that within the Planning Department there is a City of Wichita Ordinance that addresses tree planting associated with development projects. Mr. Brown also mentioned that a “Downtown Wichita Streetscape Guidelines were developed in 2010. After a brief discussion, it was agreed to invite a MAPD and other appropriate staff members to a future meeting to discuss tree and landscaping plans for downtown Wichita. 1 6. Project Designs & Construction: Listed below is a status report on the following projects.  Hoover Road Multi-use Pathway: Right-of-way acquisition continues; a for the pathway. A traffic signal at Zoo Blvd. that will aid crossing from the Sedgwick County Park to the Hoover Road Multi-Use Pathway will be acted on by the City Council at their next meeting.  Chisholm Trail/Delano Paths: 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 for this project. There has been discussion by city staff and the community for a more bike/ped friendly design along Douglas. Planning is being done to obtain more public input into the design development process.  Downtown Signals Upgrade Project: This is a multi-year project that will upgrade 100 signals. City staff continues to work through funding on the KDOT fiber optic project which will support the pedestrian crosswalk push buttons. Once the fiber optics are funded staff will proceed with developing a bid package for installation of the signals. The CIP includes $500k per year with an estimated total cost of $4 million to complete the project in the Central Business District, completion will take some time given these cost estimates.  Redbud Multi-Use Pathway: K-96 Eastward to 159th: Right of way acquisition continues and construction may be delayed until early 2020;  Waco / Douglas to Central: Plans and funding are in hand and ready to bid. Some utility relocation needed, The project will convert four lanes to two lanes, construction should start late summer/early fall 2020.  17th Street-Canal Route to Broadway: The project will utilize on-street bike lanes, construction to begin in 2020.  West Street: A 10’ path on the west side of West St. between Irving and Kellogg is to be constructed. This will provide the proposed Prairie Sunset Trail a means of safely crossing West St by utilizing the new signal at Kellogg that has been improved to include a bike/ped crossing on the south leg of the intersection. Right of way acquisition and utility work should be completed by the end of July or early August. Construction should start by late fall or early winter. The bridge crossing I-235 & the Big Ditch is still unknown. Regarding project tracking, Lee Carmichael, Public Works, has communicated that he will update the ‘project tracking spread sheet. Upon receiving the update, projects will be ‘assigned’ for various board members; members will then routinely contact the City staff assigned to the projects and provide updates to the board. 7. Project Updates: Michael Tann, Transit Director, provided board members with al written report entitled ‘Parking and Multi-Modal Report’ for the board’s review. Listed below is a summary of the various projects:  Project Website: Staff is working on developing a a website for the all of the various multi-modal projects the Transit Department is involved in. The website would include the following projects: The following is a summary of a written report developed by staff:  Neighborhood Bicycling & Walking Route Plans: A plan has been drafted for review;  Bicycle Counting Project: The counters will be installed by City crews;  Crash Review Best Practices : Staff will meet with the Law Department to obtain information for the board about review of bike/ped crash data;  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; 2   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. Alan Kailer inquired about the ‘crash data’ being secured from the Police Department. Elizabeth Ablah reported that a graduate student is developing a database over a 10-year horizon. Elizabeth reported that each crash will have ‘variables’ associated with it [time of day, weather, speed, etc.]. 8. Board Member Project Reports:  The 9th Street resurfacing project nearing completion. The project includes a multi- use side pathway from Hillside to Minnesota.  The City Council passed the scooter ordinance; Zagster will have a ‘pilot agreement.’ 9. Announcements: There were no announcements. 10. Closing Thoughts:  Jane Byrnes reported that the vast majority of the Operating and CIP Budgets were designated for ‘car projects;’ 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 volunteers repainted crosswalks about local schools; 18% of nationwide deaths are associated with pedestrians and cyclists; approximately 1% of federal funds are earmarked for biking/walking projects; Jane thanked the board for listening to her comments.  George Theoharis thanked the members from the scooter community for their advocacy. As a result, the City Council ‘pulled’ the proposed ordinance and made modification that were more acceptable. George encouraged the young adults to stay engaged in the political process. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8 pm. The next meeting of the board will be held on August 12th, 2019 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted. 😊 Barry Carroll, Board Secretary 3