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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBicycle Advisory Committee - Minutes - 06/27/2022 BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING –REGULAR June 27, 2022, 6:00 p.m. Remote Meeting via Zoom 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Jordan Williams Vice-Chair: Dave Dixon Staff Liaison: Cortney Geary 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Williams called the meeting to order at 6:04 PM. 2. ROLL CALL (INTRODUCTIONS) BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: CITY STAFF PRESENT: Lauren Nagle Amy Gage Amanda Otamendi Rachel Ruhlen Dashielle Bubar-Hall Jordan Williams, Chair, At Large Member Dave Dixon, Vice Chair, Bike Fort Collins Mike Weber, Land Conservation and Stewardship Board Ed Peyronnin, Colorado State University Campus Bicycle Advisory Committee Tim Anderson, Fort Collins Bike Co-op Whitney Allison, At Large Member David Hansen, Colorado State University Jason Miller, Air Quality Advisory Board Kevin Krause, Natural Resources Advisory Board Todd Dangerfield, Downtown Development Authority Rob Owens, Transportation Board ABSENT: Jonathan Crozier, Poudre School District Katherine Chu, At Large Member David Kovach, Senior Advisory Board PUBLIC PRESENT: None BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 2 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Williams stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 2022 Peyronnin made a motion, seconded by Anderson, to approve the minutes of the May 2022 meeting as written. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Dixon commented on a Coloradoan article on traffic signal timing. Geary stated she would email the article to members. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Annual Bike/Ped Counts Report – Lauren Nagle (Active Modes Specialist, FC Moves), Amy Gage (Planning Technician, FC Moves) Lauren Nagle, FC Moves Active Modes Specialist, stated these counts are completed to better understand traveler behavior, to document trends, to justify investments in bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and to generate data to support planning and project prioritization. She outlined the items that are counted and noted only cyclists are counted at intersections, not pedestrians. She discussed the 2021 count dates. Amy Gage, FC Moves Planning Technician, showed a map displaying intersection and trail count locations noting there are areas in town that have lower numbers of count stations. She stated input is being sought regarding locations in the future to ensure a better distribution of sites given some will need to be eliminated in order to add others. Chair Williams suggested the Fossil Creek Trail area is a major gap. Gage concurred and also noted there are other methods of obtaining count data that are implemented when a major infrastructure change or addition occurs. Additionally, she noted the count trend lines do differ from the automated counter trend lines and that will be discussed. Dixon asked why new locations cannot be added. Gage replied that is related to volunteer capacity as there has been a decrease in the number of volunteers. Additionally, she stated something will need to be given up, such as tracking directionality, in order to add pedestrian counts at intersections. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 3 Krause asked if there might be an opportunity to set up video cameras at locations and have volunteers do the counts remotely. Gage replied that has been discussed and was also suggested by the Transportation Board. Gage provided the raw count data from 2021 and discussed the limitations of the counts, including the fact that the data is highly influenced by environmental conditions as the counts only occur two days per year. She described the trend line data for the manual counts and the automatic counters throughout town. Gage specifically cited data points that can only be derived from the manual count, including helmet use, which decreased on the streets in 2021, and E-bike usage. Nagle noted manual counts are no longer the gold standard for obtaining these types of data, particularly given volunteer capacity decreases and the fact that it is not a flexible format. Gage discussed other count methods being used to help model transportation patterns and usage trends, including eco-counters, six of which are in place in Fort Collins, pneumatic tube counters which are mobile, infrared counters that are used by the Trails Department, mounted street cameras, and possibly utilizing Traffic Operations cameras to obtain data. She also noted other cities utilized Bluetooth data and app data from apps such as Strava. Additionally, she noted more subjective data can be obtained from travel diaries. Chair Williams commented , Larimer County Natural Resources received a grant to purchase app data. Nagle discussed the expectations for the future of the project and stated the counts will again occur in September of this year. b. E-Bikes on Paved Trails Evaluation – Amanda Otamendi (Intern, FC Moves) Amanda Otamendi, FC Moves Intern, discussed the definition of E-bikes and their classifications and detailed the allowed uses of E-bikes in Fort Collins. She discussed the use of intercept surveys on trails in March and stated the purpose of the evaluation was to obtain a sample of opinions from trail users regarding E- bikes and other electronic devices, to monitor cyclists’ speeds and trail behavior, and to understand the perceptions toward traditional bikes and E-bikes. Otamendi detailed the data points gathered as part of the paved trails evaluation and discussed the limitations to the study. She discussed future recommendations to continue monitoring safety instances or concerns, to add certain trail locations to future evaluations, consider pop-up education events or placement of courtesy speed signs in certain areas, and to repeat the evaluation every two to five years. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 4 Dixon asked how this information is going to be disseminated to the public and stated Bike Fort Collins would assist. Geary replied there is information on the E- bike web page and information has also been sent out on social media. Otamendi requested input on repeating the evaluation every two to five years and on eliminating the intercept survey. Anderson suggested doing the evaluation every two years and reevaluating after that. Chair Williams concurred. Krause also concurred and stated five years seems too long. Chair Williams noted uses could change dramatically in five years and he stated there may be a push to look at a micro-mobility policy change. He suggested another survey should be coupled with a change of use, or consideration of a change of use. Anderson asked how long Zagster lasted in Fort Collins and about the outlook for Spin. Ruhlen replied Zagster lasted four years and Spin is on a one-year contract renewable up to five years. Peyronnin stated the population of E-bikes is likely to increase; therefore, this evaluation should occur sooner than every three years. He also suggested it is likely E-bikes will become part of the overall counts. Weber commented on Natural Areas opposing E-bikes and other electronic devices, and noted that as more E-devices come out, there will likely be a call to have some data on how many riders would be displaced if the prohibition in natural areas continues. He stated it is important the data is consistent. Krause concurred with Weber and stated that while the data points from this evaluation are interesting, the conversation is no longer related to whether E- bikes are acceptable. He rescinded his original statement that this exact evaluation should be repeated and suggested the counts should instead be integrated with the other counts. Dangerfield commented on the perceived fear around E-bikes and asked if there is crash data related specifically to E-bikes on trails as compared to traditional bikes. He asked about the main goal of the counts. Geary replied there is a general lack of crash data on trails as the crash data that exists comes from police reports, which only include crashes involving automobiles. She noted staff has made connections with UC Health to look at injuries involving bikes and pedestrians; however, those intake procedures do not include crash location information. Rachel Ruhlen, FC Moves Transportation Planner, replied the evaluation originally occurred because of the fear around E-bikes. She concurred people are now used to them and having them on paved trails is no longer questioned; therefore, concerns are shifting to issues with other E-devices in natural areas BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 5 and other things. She concurred having data that informs policy change is important and noted dropping the intercept survey could allow for additional data collection. Chair Williams noted the issue of E-bike safety and crashes was also discussed at last month’s meeting and stated as they are used more frequently, the hope is that the crash data collection will improve. Geary thanked Otamendi for her work on this project. Hansen suggested data counts on soft trails could also be beneficial. c. SPIN E-microbility Program Update – Rachel Ruhlen (Transportation Planner, FC Moves) Rachel Ruhlen, FC Moves Transportation Planner, provided an update on the Spin program noting nearly 250,000 trips among 30,000 unique riders since the program’s inception last July. She stated about 90% of those trips were taken on scooters and 10% on bikes. She showed a heat map of trip locations. Ruhlen noted the contract renewal process is underway and stated there are some changes being negotiated for year two, including 24-hour service, an increase in the number of bikes to 400 from 200, and allowing an increase in E- bike speed from 15 to 20 miles per hour, though the speed governor will remain at 15 miles per hour on paved trails. She stated E-scooters will remain at 15 miles per hour and will continue to not be allowed on paved trails with the exception of the Mason Trail. Additionally, Spin will be introducing some class II E-bikes. Ruhlen requested input on positive aspects of E-scooters. Members commented on the scooters replacing other modes of transportation, including vehicles, and allowing for connectivity to transit. Ruhlen discussed current regulations regarding parking of bikes and E-bikes, noting any parking space can be used for those devices if they are owned; however, shared mobility devices cannot be legally parked in parking spaces. She noted there are parking issues in certain areas with very narrow sidewalks, which is currently the only place the devices can be parked despite the fact that the devices are supposed to be ridden on the roadway. She stated designated parking on the road could be implemented without a Code change and incentives could be provided for riders who park in designated areas. She stated she would research the effectiveness of those parking areas in other cities. Ruhlen requested input regarding a Code change that would allow shared mobility devices to park on roadways. Chair Williams stated people may get frustrated when a scooter or bike is taking BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 6 up a full car parking space. Dangerfield asked who should be contacted if Spin scooters or bikes are improperly parked. Ruhlen replied there is contact information on the City’s web page and any complaints received by FC Moves get forwarded to Spin. Allison asked about the possibility of the devices blocking bike lanes. Ruhlen replied the Code language would state the devices could be parked at any location where parking is allowed; therefore, parking in bike lanes should not be an issue. She noted Spin has been extremely responsive in relocating bikes or scooters when requested. Ruhlen noted allowing for parking on roadways would help alleviate the devices blocking sidewalks from the perspective of visually impaired and mobility challenged individuals. Members commented on visual clutter and ways to ensure people would utilize designated parking boxes/spaces if installed. Krause stated he would accept visual clutter in order to prioritize sidewalk safety while still maintaining the program. Hansen discussed CSU’s parking requirements and the use of signage to indicate the devices should be parked in designated bike parking spaces. He stated he was unsure if there is actual data on compliance however. He suggested there could be better education around being cognizant of proper parking. Owens agreed with the Code change allowing parking access on streets. He also supported having designated parking spaces with an incentive for using them. Peyronnin questioned whether requiring street parking might be better than just allowing it. Ruhlen replied there are good reasons to get the parking off the sidewalks and requiring street parking could be considered. Ruhlen outlined the second potential Code change related to toy vehicles such as skateboards, E-skateboards, one-wheels, and roller skates on roads. She noted E-scooters are specifically defined by state law as not being toy vehicles. Ruhlen stated toy vehicles are currently only allowed to be operated on sidewalks whether or not they have a motor and she commented on the resulting fragmented network and pedestrian conflicts for users of these types of devices. Peyronnin commented he would have concerns with allowing toy vehicles on roads given potential conflicts with cyclists. Krause stated he would support the change to help with conflicts on sidewalks. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 7 Owens concurred with Krause and stated streets should be available for all transportation options. Chair Williams also agreed but suggested there should be definite rules rather than allowing users to decide. Miller stated general public education efforts would be important with this change. Peyronnin asked if Ruhlen would present before the Campus Bicycle Committee. Ruhlen replied she will be attending the July meeting. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Peyronnin reported on the recent Campus Bicycle Committee meeting during which members discussed the new safety stop law. He stated the Committee will be doing a campus infrastructure meeting in July. Krause reported the Natural Resources Advisory Board discussed potential policy updates around solar sizing and the waste pickup and hauling contract initiative. Dixon reported on Bike to Work Day and the recent Bike Prom event. He stated Bike Fort Collins is working with the County on equity initiatives in mobile home communities. Additionally, he noted Bike Fort Collins will be seeking a new community relations coordinator. Hansen reported CSU is about to embark on some infrastructure work, including a second bike and pedestrian roundabout and several separated bike and pedestrian trails. He suggested a presentation before this Committee regarding the improvements at a future meeting. Weber reported on the recent Land Conservation and Stewardship Board meetings. Miller reported on the recent Air Quality Advisory Board meeting and noted this will be his last Committee meeting. Allison discussed her experience bicycling in San Jose and their use of bike passing zones. Chair Williams announced he has accepted a new job with the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. Owens reported on Bike to Work Day and asked if road closures for the event have ever been considered. Geary replied she was unsure if that has ever been considered; however, she stated she would pass on the suggestion. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Transportation Board Report Owens reported he was unable to attend the last Transportation Board meeting. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 7 /2022 – MINUTES Page 8 b. Staff Liaison Report • FC Moves New Offices Geary reported FC Moves has moved to 200 West Mountain • Pitkin Advisory Bike Lanes Geary reported on delays with the Pitkin Advisory Bike Lane project due to supply chain issues on the Utilities side of the project. She stated it is currently anticipated the road will be reopened with advisory bike lane striping on September 2nd. • Shift Your Ride Geary reported on efforts to make the Shift Your Ride initiative more regional with a North Front Range MPO partnership. • Harmony Road Green Paint Removal Geary confirmed green paint was removed from Harmony Road between Corbett and Ziegler at the direction of then City Manager Darin Atteberry as the paint did not last very long and was in the full length of the bike lane which is not the current use of the paint. She stated the road is slated for repaving which could provide the opportunity to reapply green paint to current standards. • Remington Street Eco-Display Geary confirmed the Remington eco-display counter is working properly. Geary reported on the success of Bike to Work Day and stated she would be interested in receiving input regarding where a bike passing zone would be recommended. c. Future Agenda Items Chair Williams stated the Committee will be discussing the Active Modes Plan, the budget process, and Bike to Work Day next month. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:03 PM by unanimous consent.