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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBicycle Advisory Committee - Minutes - 08/28/2019 BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING –REGULAR August 28, 2018, 6:00 p.m. Conference Room A, 281 North College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 8/28/2019 – 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: Aaron Buckley, Chair, Fort Collins Bike Co-op Todd Dangerfield, Downtown Development Authority Marcia Patton-Mallory, At Large Member Mike Tupa, Parks and Recreation Board Mike Webber, Land Conservation and Stewardship Board Bob Mann, Natural Resources Advisory Board Karl Ayers, Transportation Board Chris Hunt, Poudre School District Becky Cramer, At Large Member Sylvia Cranmer, Colorado State University ABSENT: Kelly McDonnell, Bike Fort Collins Alan Beatty, Senior Advisory Board Suzanne Bassinger PUBLIC PRESENT: Stephen Beckley Ann Butler 3. AGENDA REVIEW BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8/28/2019 – MINUTES Page 2 There were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Stephen Beckley, Fort Collins Cycling Club, introduced himself. Ann Butler introduced herself as a frequent pedestrian user of the trail system. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JULY 2019 Cranmer made a motion, seconded by Patton-Mallory, to adopt the minutes as amended to reflect the appropriate meeting chair. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Park Planning Development and Trail Update – Suzanne Bassinger Suzanne Bassinger, Park Planning and Development Engineer, provided an update on current city and regional trail plans. She stated the Trails Master Plan was approved in 2013. Bassinger discussed a focus on grade-separated crossings, of which 38 exist and about 30 remain to be constructed. Regarding regional trails, Bassinger detailed the 2003 Front Range Trail Project envisioned by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She stated 300 miles of the proposed 800 miles are currently complete. She also discussed the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization's 2013 Regional Bicycle Plan and partnership with CDOT. All of the aforementioned plans aid in completing the Poudre River Trail bikeway. Bassinger detailed the 2 miles of trails still needed from the Environmental Learning Center to the Harmony Transfer Station for which Fort Collins is responsible. She noted trails do not have access to eminent domain action. She discussed the GOCO grant application for which Fort Collins is among the top contenders. Bassinger discussed the Spring Creek Trail connection and Lincoln Middle School trail spur and soft path. Cramer asked if there will be signalization at the Taft Hill crossing for the soft path. Greegor replied there will be a flashing beacon crossing. Bassinger discussed projects currently in development review that have a regional trail in the vicinity. She stated most developers have been willing to dedicate trail right-of-way. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8/28/2019 – MINUTES Page 3 b. Back-In Angled Parking Pilot Project – Tessa Greegor Greegor showed a video from Austin, Texas about back-in angled parking. She stated this strategy was recommended in the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan as a strategy for the city to pilot. Boardmembers discussed the safety aspects of back-in parking versus nose-in parking. Greegor stated this one-year pilot is proposed for Howes Street between Maple and Laporte as Howes Street is a primary bicycle corridor and is due for street maintenance in September so re-striping can occur. Additionally, parking on the street is not time limited and many of the same people park there each day. Cramer asked if this would be on both sides of the street. Greegor replied in the negative stating it would only be on the west side of the block and would convert about 20 stalls to back-in angled parking. Ayers asked what type of signage will be installed. Greegor showed an illustration of the sign noting it would direct people to the City's website to provide feedback. Cranmer asked if any communities have implemented the program then rescinded it. Greegor replied in the affirmative stating it was rescinded in Grand Junction. Greegor stated area employees and residents will be preemptively educated and parking or bicycle ambassadors will be out the week the parking gets installed. Greegor stated she will be meeting with City Manager Atteberry to ensure management approval and paving and re-striping is scheduled for September. Cramer asked if the pilot project could incorporate moving the bike lane internal to be buffered by parked cars. Greegor replied that has been discussed but staff is still working to find the right location for that style of bike lane. She stated this project does not really allow enough space for that option. Patton-Mallory asked about piloting back-in parking on Jackson Street by City Park. Greegor replied that would be a good place to consider in the future. Buckley asked if staff is concerned there is not enough of this type of parking available in the Howes location to encourage people to use it. Greegor replied it is heavily used parking in a high demand area. c. 2019-2020 BAC Work Plan – All Patton-Mallory commended the document as being able to provide flexibility to be responsive to specific items while also including the breadth of items the Committee typically addresses. Patton-Mallory suggested the possible inclusion of evaluation of E-bikes and E- BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8/28/2019 – MINUTES Page 4 scooters. Sizemore stated the budgeting process will be a major focus for the Transportation Board Master Plan. Chair Buckley suggested some of the items seem reactive rather than proactive. Cranmer asked about coordination of this Work Plan with the Transportation Board Work Plan. Ayers replied the Transportation Board wants the BAC Work Plan and any items that coincide should be called out, though there is no need for points to match necessarily. Chair Buckley suggested the possibility of assigning topics to months so as to generally assure items are captured. Patton-Mallory asked about the status of bulb outs being a hazard to bicyclists per concerns brought up by a resident. Boardmembers discussed the issue and Chair Buckley noted they are designed to calm traffic and make pedestrians more visible in the crossing. Ayers stated the Committee should respond to concerns of citizens who specifically seek out input from the Committee whether it becomes an agenda item or not. Boardmembers discussed whether they have any responsibility to follow up. Cranmer noted there is only one citizen who has brought up the concern. Cramer made a motion that this discussion reflects the Committee's formal response to the citizen with concerns about the bulb outs, and including information from a staff email that explains the engineering reasons behind the bulb out construction. Cranmer asked if there is a protocol for responding to citizens who speak. Cramer suggested that protocol be part of the Work Plan. Boardmembers discussed encouraging citizens to report concerns through Access Fort Collins in order to receive responses from appropriate staff. In the specific case of the bulb outs, Patton-Mallory stated she is satisfied with the staff response and does not believe it is a major concern. Boardmembers discussed observations they made of various bulb outs. (**Secretary's Note: No formal action was taken on Cramer's motion) Chair Buckley stated he would like to receive an update on the Prospect and I-25 interchange and would like to discuss trail widening in constricted areas and protected bike lanes. Sizemore stated the Committee may need to make a motion regarding the Work Plan in order for it to get to the Transportation Board in time to be included with its Work Plan. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8/28/2019 – MINUTES Page 5 Patton-Mallory made a motion, seconded by Ayers, to submit the Work Plan to the Transportation Board as amended to reflect 2020 rather than 2018. The motion was adopted unanimously. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Chair Buckley reported on last weekend's sale at the Bike Co-op and announced an upcoming bike tuning clinic. Mann reported on the last Natural Resources Advisory Board meeting which was attended by Councilmember Pignataro. He stated the Board discussed metro districts and opportunities for the City to be a bit more aggressive in terms of regulations. He also noted Council did pass a resolution related to a climate emergency. Cramer commented on the work at Vine and Lancer Drive noting there is a large utility pole in front of the pedestrian blinker that inhibits its visibility. Webber reported on the Land Conservation and Stewardship Board's focus on the Foothills Management Plan, on which staff is seeking input. He stated the Board also discussed the Montava development and possibility that some portion of it will be a partnership with Natural Areas to include a soft surface connection to the existing trails. Cranmer reported on the incoming CSU class and stated CSU just submitted its Bike Friendly University application for platinum status. She discussed the Rams Ride Right program and September Bike to Breakfast Wednesdays. She stated the campus BAC will be entering its first float into the Homecoming parade. Dangerfield reported on the Opera Galleria atrium renovations which will occur this fall. Patton-Mallory reported on an NPR story about cities helping cyclists be safe. Tupa reported on the recent Parks and Recreation Board meeting during which the Linden Street redevelopment, E-scooters, and the climate resolution were discussed. He commented on the negative aspects of E-scooters. Hunt reported Poudre School District students are riding extensively and safely. Ayers questioned why scooters are seemingly left in the middle of sidewalks whereas rental bikes are often placed on racks or out of the way. Boardmembers discussed the age difference of riders and types of riders. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Transportation Board Report Ayers reported on the recent Transportation Board meeting during which the Board heard a presentation on the proposed county transportation/transit tax and held an open discussion with Transfort staff. He also stated there is now an E-ticket app for BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 8/28/2019 – MINUTES Page 6 Transfort, announced a call for volunteers for the September bike and pedestrian counts, and announced Google Maps now shows transit congestion. b. Staff Liaison Report Greegor stated volunteers are still needed for bike counts on September 10th and 14th. She discussed the Vine Drive improvements. Ayers asked about Shields and Magnolia. Greegor replied that project will likely be pushed back to the spring due to the need for combining it with utility work. Cramer commented the bike and pedestrian morning counts may need to shift a half hour as school start times have shifted. c. Call for Agenda Items None. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM by unanimous consent.