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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBicycle Advisory Committee - Minutes - 06/28/2021 BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING –REGULAR June 28, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Hybrid Meeting, 281 North College and via Zoom 6 /2 8 /2021 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Jordan Williams Vice-Chair: Jerry Gavaldon Staff Liaison: Cortney Geary 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Williams called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: CITY STAFF PRESENT: Jordan Williams, Chair, At Large Member Jerry Gavaldon, Vice Chair, Transportation Board Mike Tupa, Parks and Recreation Board Mike Webber, Land Conservation and Stewardship Board Whitney Allison, At Large Member Dave Dixon, Bike Fort Collins Ed Peyronnin, Colorado State University Campus Bicycle Advisory Committee Todd Dangerfield, Downtown Development Authority Kevin Krause, Natural Resources Advisory Board Katherine Chu, At Large Member ABSENT: Greg Wells, Senior Advisory Board Rick Arneson, Bike Fort Collins Ben Mayer, Poudre School District Jason Miller, Air Quality Advisory Board Cortney Geary PUBLIC PRESENT: David “DK” Kemp BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 8 /2021 – MINUTES Page 2 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Williams reviewed the agenda. Gavaldon expressed concern an item to discuss the budget is not on the agenda. Geary replied she gave a presentation to the BAC in May, similar to Aaron Iverson’s before the Transportation Board, and stated she would provide information on how input can be provided at this point. Gavaldon stated he was hoping the Committee could have a discussion about the budget items in order to provide input to the Transportation Board. Chair Williams stated there should be room on the next agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 2021 Chu made a motion, seconded by Dangerfield, to approve the minutes of the May 2021 meeting as written. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Active Modes Plan Update Geary stated staff is completing consultant interviews the week of July 12th and work on the plan will move forward after that contract is finalized. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Platinum Bike City Spotlight – Vision Zero and Safety Stop Perspective – David “DK” Kemp, Senior Transportation Planner, City of Boulder David “DK” Kemp discussed his history in Fort Collins, followed by Davis, California, and now in Boulder. He discussed the Vision Zero program and its goal to prevent and eliminate fatal and severe injury crashes. He detailed Boulder’s goals of improving travel comfort and security and having transparent data. He discussed the Safe Streets Report created as part of the traffic crash analysis and noted the Vision Zero organization is a good national resource. Kemp discussed policy changes made in Boulder, including slowing neighborhood speed limits from 25 to 20 miles per hour, the Heads Up Boulder safety education campaign, mid-block crossings, and dismount zones. He discussed the use of capital projects and street construction to ensure safety for vulnerable users. Regarding Safety Stop, Kemp noted the topic has come up many times in Colorado. He stated the topic has always been controversial and will bring tension between cyclists and motorists. He stated there is not much interest among the Boulder Transportation Board members to pursue Safety Stop as they believe it should BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 8 /2021 – MINUTES Page 3 happen at the state level. Allison asked about reaching motorists directly about Vision Zero. Kemp replied advertising is the typical outreach method, either directly or through employers. Allison suggested there should be requirements for drivers to take a safety education classes as a type of diversion program should they cause a crash. Kemp discussed the Bicycle Safety Driver course, developed in Fort Collins, which is now being used statewide. He commented on the vulnerable user law which has increased the penalty for at-fault drivers who have caused a crash with a vulnerable user. Gavaldon commented on education being key for both drivers and cyclists. He stated penalties for cyclists should also exist. Kemp commented on Fort Collins traffic crash analysis data and the importance of creating campaigns around addressing those populations who may be overrepresented in crashes. Dangerfield asked about the effectiveness of the sliding scale of fines indicating tickets being issued for speeding for cyclists. Kemp replied the Heads Up program has ordinances around requirements, and the state law requires motorists to yield to individuals in crosswalks. He stated Boulder has been more successful with education than enforcement. Gavaldon commended Kemp on the legacy he left in Fort Collins. Chair Williams commended the residential speed limit changes in Boulder. He asked about Safety Stop data and expectations. Kemp noted the importance of consistency for motorists and stated there are challenges with the law from a safety perspective. He stated it will be interesting to see how the law works in Portland, Oregon. b. Bike Fort Collins Update – Dave Dixon, Bike Fort Collins Dave Dixon, Bike Fort Collins, discussed the intent of Bike Fort Collins to maintain a fluid list of intersecitons and road facilities that represent opportunities for improving the bicycle experience for everyone in Fort Collins. He outlined three such opportunities: Riverside Avenue between Prospect and Mountain, Kechter Road between Timberline and Ziegler, and the Mulberry Bike Lane between City Park Avenue and Bryan along Sheldon Lake. Regarding the Riverside segment, Dixon showed a video of the experience of a cyclist riding westbound. He noted the area is not very bike-friendly, but is well signed with indicators bikes may use the full lane. He stated there is an opportunity to put Riverside on a road diet and incentivize cycling into the downtown area by bike. Gavaldon commented on the dangers of truck traffic at Mulberry and Riverside. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 8 /2021 – MINUTES Page 4 Dixon noted the proposed road diet would essentially dedicate the entire right lane to bicycle traffic. Gavaldon suggested the possibility of doing a pilot project in the area. Peyronnin commented on the traffic on the trails at that section and noted offloading some of the bike traffic onto Riverside could be a benefit. Dixon commented on the need for heavy public engagement and ample traffic counts. He stated he would be leery of implementing a pilot project until adequate research is conducted. Geary stated there is support from Traffic Operations for considering this possibility following additional research and funding. She noted it was recommended as part of the 2014 Bike Plan. Tupa commented on the purpose of the design of Riverside to efficiently get traffic from Prospect to downtown. Regarding the Kechter Road segment, Dixon noted its importance as an entrance into Twin Silo Park as well as an east-west commuter corridor. He noted the segment does not currently have good continuous bike lanes and he showed videos of biking the corridor. Gavaldon commented on Kechter being used as a shortcut to Costco and he agreed it is a dangerous section. He stated the root of the issue relates to how Fort Collins development results in a patchwork of connections and bike lanes. Geary stated she has discussed this with Aaron Iverson who indicated the Code currently says that developers may be required to make off-site transportation improvements. She stated the Active Modes Plan could provide an opportunity for ensuring consistent application of the complete connection requirement for all modes. Gavaldon stated developers often use modifications of standard to get out of having to make those off-site improvements and stated the City needs to better encourage developers to make those improvements. Tupa stated this section should be low-priority as there are no north-south trails that connect the neighborhoods to it and there are other planned projects on area trails that will create the connections. Regarding the Mulberry bike lane between City Park Avenue and Bryan Avenue, Dixon stated potential conflicts with parked cars and debris impeding the bike lane have been reported. He discussed observations of the area made during a recent RAT ride and showed a video from the perspective of a cyclist. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 8 /2021 – MINUTES Page 5 Gavaldon commented on the poor markings and lack of maintenance along the bike lane. Members discussed the need for additional markings in the bike lane and possible other solutions related to parking. Geary stated she would discuss the vegetation overgrowth with the Parks Department and noted there may be some changes with the parking related to the City Park refresh. She noted the Streets Department has been traditionally underfunded with regard to bike lane maintenance. Gavaldon noted the Transportation Board expressed support for restoring those funds as part of the upcoming budget process and he suggested the Committee express the same support through the Transportation Board. Members agreed to make that known to the Transportation Board. Gavaldon suggested a discussion of Laporte Avenue and Taft Hill Road. Dixon replied that may be part of the new bridge work but stated it could be placed on the list. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS a. Farewell and Thanks to Aaron Buckley Chair Williams reported Aaron Buckley has moved. Dixon reported on the recent Bike to Work Day and on work on Spanish-speaking bicycle resource materials focusing on safe routes to schools and other destinations. Krause reported on increasing levels of bicycle ridership and stated he would like to focus on short-term solutions to issues. Dangerfield reported on dismount zone issues in Old Town and stated he has seen more emphasis on infrastructure and installation rather than education and safety, which may need to be reintroduced. Geary commented on bicycle education funding proposed in the upcoming budget. Gavaldon commented on the need to provide additional education around cycling on campus. Tupa reported the Parks and Recreation Board discussed control of hammocks and slack lines at parks. Peyronnin reported on a recent campus riding tour. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /2 8 /2021 – MINUTES Page 6 9. OTHER BUSINESS b. Transportation Board Report Gavaldon reported the Board’s Chair and Vice Chair recently met with the Council liaison, Emily Gorgol. Additionally, the Board received a presentation from Aaron Fodge on CSU’s Vision Zero effort and Kyle Lambrect reported on the transportation capital project prioritization study, which he suggested the Committee may want to hear as well. He stated the Board also discussed the budget process and offers. Geary and Chair Williams discussed the proposed new schedule for the Committee to have a joint meeting with the Transportation Board in January and move the other three meetings that conflict with Super Issue meetings to the third Monday. Gavaldon made a motion to adopt the proposed calendar. The motion was adopted unanimously. c. Staff Liaison Report Geary reported on the development of a knowledge-sharing partnership with a city in the Netherlands. She also stated there is an upcoming open house for the West Elizabeth enhanced travel corridor. She reported on the recent Bike to Work Day participation numbers. d. Future Agenda Items • Fort Collins Police Department bike safety presentation • FC Moves history and perspective on safety stop legislation efforts 10. ADJOURNMENT Dixon made a motion, seconded by Dangerfield to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:07 PM by unanimous consent.