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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBicycle Advisory Committee - Minutes - 07/27/2020 BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING –REGULAR July 27, 2020, 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting via Zoom 7 /27/2020 –MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Aaron Buckley Vice-Chair: Marcia Patton-Mallory Staff Liaison: Tessa Greegor 970-416-2471 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Buckley called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: CITY STAFF PRESENT: Nicole Hahn Aaron Buckley, Chair, Fort Collins Bike Co-op Jerry Gavaldon, Transportation Board Marcia Patton-Mallory, At Large Member Jason Miller, Air Quality Advisory Board Mike Weber, Land Conservation and Stewardship Board Kevin Krause, Natural Resources Advisory Board Dave Dickson, Bike Fort Collins Ed Peyronnin, Colorado State University Campus Bicycle Advisory Committee Mike Tupa, Parks and Recreation Board Greg Wells, Senior Advisory Board ABSENT: Todd Dangerfield, Downtown Development Authority Becky Cramer, At Large Member Amanda Mansfield Tracey Lipfert Tessa Greegor Kevin Borchand PUBLIC PRESENT: Kenny Bearden Stephen Beckley 3. AGENDA REVIEW BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7 /27/2020 –MINUTES Page 2 There were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Kenny Bearden, Overland Mountain Bike Association Executive Director, discussed the Parks and Recreation Board Master Plan stating he appreciates the outreach efforts to stakeholders. He expressed support for the holistic approach in assessing public lands collectively but remained concerned that bike parks and mountain bike courses have been separated into two distinct categories as they are essentially the same topic. He expressed concern with the absence of addressing natural surface trails in the Plan. He stated the Association does not believe the majority of community members are looking for more paved surfaces in parks and open spaces. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JANUARY 2020 Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Patton-Mallory, to adopt the January 2020 minutes as written. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Timberline Widening Project Update – Nicole Hahn Nicole Hahn, Engineering Department Capital Projects Group, stated this project involves the widening of a section of South Timberline Road between Trilby Road to Stetson Creek to its 4-lane cross-section. She discussed the area noting there is a great deal of school traffic and congestion-related crashes. She stated the goals of the project are to reduce congestion and improve safety. She noted there will be a raised separated bike lane on new segments; however, the existing bike lane infrastructure will remain to aid in the budget of the project. She stated a great deal of right-of-way will need to be purchased. Hahn outlined the timeline of the project stating it is currently in the design phase moving into right-of-way acquisition. The initial rounds of Boards and Commissions meetings is currently occurring and final design will occur following public outreach over the next few months. She stated construction is set to begin in the spring of 2021. Hahn outlined the design alternative process and key design elements including dual left-turn lanes from Trilby to Timberline. Dickson asked about the forecasted increase in vehicle trips. Hahn replied she does not know the exact projections, but stated the roadway has become somewhat regional; therefore, the project has been funded by a CDOT grant. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7 /27/2020 –MINUTES Page 3 Gavaldon asked about the length of the section to be widened. Hahn replied it is about 1.25 miles. Gavaldon asked about the projected cost of the project. Hahn replied it is $5.3 million. She noted the project has had some cost savings through the use of existing infrastructure. Gavaldon asked how much money was received from the state grant. Hahn replied that was $2.9 million, which will be used toward construction. She noted a fair amount of the City's share will be funded through the Transportation Capital Expansion Fees. Gavaldon asked if there have been any unwilling right-of-way sellers. Hahn replied there have been some unenthusiastic parties and staff has worked through some design solutions to decrease the needed right-of way in some areas. Hahn discussed the longer left-turn stacking lane for Bacon Elementary. Peyronnin asked where this ties into the Power Line Trail. Hahn replied the City received some grant funding for a grade-separated crossing for the railroad and to build a trail that connects to Timberline. Stephen Beckley asked if there is a plan for protected bike lanes similar to those on Mulberry. Hahn replied the goal of the design is to fit protected bike lanes in as many sections as possible. She noted the maintenance of those bike lanes is a primary consideration. Gavaldon stated a protected bike lane should not be utilized unless there is a better- defined maintenance plan. He expressed disappointment in the maintenance of existing protected bike lanes. Hahn discussed the difficulties in maintaining the separated bike lane on Mulberry but noted the curb-protected bike lane near Tavelli Elementary seems to be working well. Gavaldon asked if there is an operations and maintenance budget for the bike lane maintenance. Hahn replied data has been collected from the Mulberry project for necessary costs. Krause asked if more protected intersections were considered at Zephyr. Hahn replied those were considered; however, safety concerns were raised from some team members about using a protected intersection because of traffic volumes. She noted there is a wide sidewalk which can be used as a crossing option. b. E-Scoters and Bike Share Program Update – Amanda Mansfield and Tracey Lipfert BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7 /27/2020 –MINUTES Page 4 Amanda Mansfield, FC Moves Transportation Planner, discussed the regulations of the E-scooter program and temporary suspension of the program earlier this year due to the COVID crisis. She stated the Bird contract with the City was extended to allow for more data to be collected and for the Bird 2 scooters to be launched. Additionally, the City agreed to a fleet manager model and a $0.20 per ride payment to the City model. Mansfield discussed the history of the Bike Share Program and stated the program terminated on May 27th due to the COVID crisis. Mansfield discussed the request for information released by the City for an E- scooter and bike share program and stated five submittals were reviewed at the end of last month. She stated submittals planned to offer E-bikes, bikes, and E-scooters with various financing and geo-fencing models. Submittals also discussed accessibility and various parking models. Mansfield stated an optimal program would not depend on financial support from the City, and would have the option to integrate multiple modes. Mansfield stated staff will take this topic to a Council work session on October 27th to discuss issues with geo-fencing, the upcoming Bird 2 scooters which should be here by the end of summer, safety issues, general community perception, ridership numbers, community benefits, and the request for information submittals. She stated the plan is to begin the new program in 2021 that may include electric-assist bicycles. She requested input from the Committee on how the bike share and E- scooter programs have functioned and what should be part of a future program. Patton-Mallory commented on seeing a fair number of Pace bicycles on trails but not many scooters. She stated the bikes appeared to be used more broadly across the city with more concentrated E-scooter use around Old Town and the CSU campus. Gavaldon asked if ridership data will be able to be available as part of the next program. Mansfield replied that is the expectation and she will be discussing progress made on that front with the City Attorney's Office. Gavaldon stated he would like data sharing to be part of the future request for information. Tracey Lipfert, FC Moves Active Modes Specialist, discussed the comprehensive E- scooter curriculum that has been developed by FC Moves staff. She provided a quiz related to E-scooter use to the Committee members. She noted it is not recommended to ask users to use hand signals while moving as the scooters are somewhat unstable. c. Parks and Recreation Master Plan – Request for Input – All Greegor stated she would like to receive Committee input particularly on the draft BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7 /27/2020 –MINUTES Page 5 vision statement and goals of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. She noted she and Chair Buckley are part of the technical advisory committee for the Plan. Greegor discussed the public participation process noting the Master Plan will ultimately include an update to level of service standards, a policy framework, and design guidelines. She discussed the draft vision statement and statistically valid survey conducted to gain input on priorities. Greegor detailed the policy framework for the Plan and stated there are eleven goals as part of the Plan with associated action items. Patton-Mallory expressed concern families with children were not properly reached with the output efforts and survey responses seem to reflect that. She suggested more families be targeted as part of future efforts. Patton-Mallory asked what is meant by 'innovation' and suggested examples be given regarding the life cycles of various facilities. She also asked about the 41% figure. Gavaldon asked how diversity was addressed in the outreach process. Greegor replied a number of pop-up events occurred as well as the survey. She stated she would follow-up with additional details. Tupa asked about bicycle access to recreation facilities and whether there are national standards for bicycle access times. Chair Buckley discussed formalizing non-designated social trails and stated that will affect equitability. Krause agreed and discussed the known benefits of access to nature by all. Regarding the vision statement, he suggested it could include some regional focus. Tupa agreed and stated trails are a significant part of the city and should be included in the Plan. Patton-Mallory asked about the statement that outdoor and indoor recreation facilities are not integrated and stated that is not her observation. d. Low-Stress Bike Network Promotion – Tessa Greegor Greegor discussed the efforts of staff over the past few months to promote the City's low-stress bike network given trail congestion that has occurred during the pandemic. She noted the programming budget has been impacted by COVID and detailed the new virtual programming initiatives which include digital route maps and educational resources. Greegor stated the City has received a $20,000 grant from People for Bikes that will be used for low-stress network enhancements, primarily focused on wayfinding. She stated the signage will soon be bilingual and she discussed the new stencils BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7 /27/2020 –MINUTES Page 6 that will be used on the bikeways. In addition to wayfinding and online promotions, Greegor stated capital projects are still moving forward. She discussed low-stress crossings and street enhancements that are planned for this year. She also discussed the planned "Shift your Ride" event and modified Open Streets events. Patton-Mallory stated the Poudre Heritage Area has been actively working with teachers to develop educational sections along the Poudre River Trail in Fort Collins and Greeley. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Chair Buckley stated the Fort Collins Bike Co-op is quite busy and he discussed CSU's plan for a structured return to having most classes in person beginning in August. Dickson stated Safe Routes to School programming is being examined for fall and stated there is an opportunity to get children on bikes and walking to school given the low number of students who will be bussed. Weschler stated the last Campus Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting included a tour of on-campus infrastructure improvements. Miller stated the Air Quality Advisory Board is working on its work plan and budget requests for the remainder of the year. Patton-Mallory stated she has noticed more people on battery-operated devices on paved trails. Tupa reported the Parks and Recreation Board has been discussing employee furloughs and reduction in cash-earning activities and sales tax due to COVID. Weber reported the Land Conservation and Stewardship Board has discussed issues with budget and land acquisition. He noted the Glade Reservoir project may take up some of the Natural Areas land by the Poudre River which could affect trails. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Transportation Board Report Gavaldon reported the recent Transportation Board meeting had an agenda similar to this one and many of the same questions and concerns were raised. He also noted the Board has a new member. He expressed concern about the lack of maintenance on protected bike lanes. b. Staff Liaison Report Greegor stated bicycle and pedestrian counts are still planned for the week of BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7 /27/2020 –MINUTES Page 7 September 15th, but it will likely be scaled down. She also noted some minor Code amendments will likely go before Council to update aspects of the Bicycle Advisory Committee code to be more flexible with how the Committee is currently operating and its various representatives. c. Call for Agenda Items Gavaldon stated he would like construction at Remington and Prospect to be discussed noting the area is quite constrained. Greegor replied she will provide additional information but noted the Mason Trail is likely the safest alternative route. Stephen Beckley stated he has not seen street sweeping occur on Overland Trail since it was last chip sealed. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:09 PM by unanimous consent.