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HomeMy WebLinkAboutActive Modes Advisory Board - MINUTES - 02/10/2025 ACTIVE MODES ADVISORY BOARD TYPE OF MEETING –REGULAR February 10, 2025 6:00 p.m. Online via Zoom or In Person at 281 North College 2 /1 0 /2025 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Henderson called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL Bruce Henderson, Chair Kevin Krause, Vice Chair Tim Han Wallace Jacobson Cameron Phillips Kat Steele Kristina Vrouwen velder Jared Hanson CITY STAFF PRESENT: Lauren Nagle Rachel Ruhlen DK Kemp ABSENT: None PUBLIC PRESENT: Mario Biendarra Jimmy Gilman 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Henderson outlined the published agenda. 4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION Mario (no last name provided) stated he recently moved to Fort Collins and is interested in getting involved with local government. He commended the City’s bike trail infrastructure. ACTIVE MODES ADVISORY BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2 /1 0 /2025 – MINUTES Page 2 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – DECEMBER 2024 Krause made a motion, seconded by Han, to approve the minutes of the December 2024 meeting. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Joint Meeting with Transportation Board Steele stated it was interesting to see the differing priorities between the two Boards. Han commented on the overlap and similarities between the two Boards’ long- range, overarching goals. Members discussed the benefits of looking at ways for the Boards to collaborate. Vrouwenvelder concurred the meeting was useful and stated there are parallel priorities between the Boards. Hanson stated it was interesting to hear about some parts and processes of local government with which he was not particularly familiar. He concurred there are many areas of possible collaboration. Chair Henderson noted the Boards agreed to periodically meet, though there was no specific schedule outlined. He asked what might be an impetus for a future meeting. Steele suggested discussing annual work plans. Vrouwenvelder stated it would also make sense to have a conversation when the Boards are providing feedback on the budget. Han suggested certain topics could benefit from letters being sent from both Boards to Council. Ruhlen noted staff will also keep up with topics and can bring forth anything that may be valuable for joint Board communication. Chair Henderson noted he will be meeting regularly with Chair Peyronnin and commented on comparing the raw joint meeting minutes with the work plan and summarizing that information in a document. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Which Wheels Go Where – Rachel Ruhlen, DK Kemp Rachel Ruhlen, FC Moves, noted she sent the community engagement summary to the Board and stated she would be requesting a formal recommendation in the summer prior to Council consideration of the item. ACTIVE MODES ADVISORY BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2 /1 0 /2025 – MINUTES Page 3 Ruhlen stated the Which Wheels Go Where project has been done concurrently with the Strategic Trails Plan update and includes new micromobility definitions: human powered vehicle, lightweight electric vehicl e under 20 mph, and low power scooter or ‘out of class’ electric vehicle. Ruhlen discussed the questionnaire outreach and design and summarized the answers to questions about concerns and demographics. Additionally, Ruhlen noted discussions were held with Fort Collins Police, CSU Police, and Park Rangers, and Fort Collins Police has concerns that allowing skateboards on streets will result in many severe crashes. She also noted that if speed limits are established on paved trails, that will lead to an expectation that there will be patrols and enforcement, and there are limited resources for doing that; therefore, Police are recommending a safety education approach. DK Kemp, Parks Department Trails Planner, stated there is currently only one Park R anger that responds to calls on 46 miles of trail, though there are four Park Ranger positions. He noted Rangers cannot chase or detain individuals who may be riding an inappropriate device. He discussed the ‘authority of the resource,’ which is a method of educating community members that transfers the authority from a Ranger to a community member to think or behave in a certain way in areas such as trails, parks, and natural resources, that have their own requirements. Ruhlen stated CSU Police expressed the need for an appropriate citation that could be used for careless riding on streets and sidewalks for all types of vehicles. She noted the careless and reckless riding citation only applies to bicycles, E-bikes, and E-scooters, and is not applicable for all facilities. Ruhlen stated Boulder has allowed skateboards on streets since 2021 and Boulder Police have not seen an increase in crashes of any kind involving skateboards. She outlined the current regulations for human -powered and lightweight electric vehicles on sidewalks, in crosswalks, on streets, and in bike lanes. Members discussed the advantages and dangers of allowing various types of vehicles on streets. Kemp commented on other municipalities changing bike lanes to mobility lanes for use by many types of vehi cles. Ruhlen discussed the staff exploration of allowing all human -powered and lightweight electric vehicles on paved trails and multi -use paths. Kemp stated he is aware of two crashes on paved trails over the past couple of years that have resulted in severe injury, though he noted there are likely many that go unreported, and there are many reports of close calls. He commented on the lack of courtesy and etiquette among trail users and noted there has been some discussion of the courtesy speed limit on trails being 15 miles per hour, though that is currently not codified. Kemp stated there is a recommendation in the ACTIVE MODES ADVISORY BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2 /1 0 /2025 – MINUTES Page 4 Strategic Trails Plan to launch a four-point approach looking at trail safety and signage. Han commented on Boulder and Golden having different speed limits for different parts of town posted on the trails. He stated that type of signage may lead to the perception of safety. Kemp commented on Fort Collins moving from a more rural interpretation of the trail system to a more urban use. Han suggested trail signage could be a source of education and could serve as reminders of proper trail etiquette. Vice Chair Krause commented on the importance of creating a trail culture of mutual respect. b. Shared E-bikes and E-scooters – Rachel Ruhlen Rachel Ruhlen, FC Moves, discussed the annual review of the S pin program and outlined significant events that occurred during year three, including S pin ’s merger with Bird and subsequent bankruptcy of Bird. Ruhlen noted there was a decrease in ridership in year three; however, the number of trips, miles, and riders is dramatically larger than any previous micro-mobility program in Fort Collins. Ruhlen commented on the community benefits of Spin , specifically noting that the mobile tours for the Safe Routes to School conference were heavily supported by Spin . She also outlined the positive climate impacts of the program and discussed the equity focus and Spin Access program, which is now part of GetFoCo, the City’s portal to access income-qualified benefits. Ruhlen discussed the Spin Adaptive program, which is a free service that delivers adaptive cycles to users per request. She also outlined the safety components, including the use of geofencing and speed governors as well as UL-certified batteries. In terms of next steps, Ruhlen discussed ways in which staff is attempting to increase ridership, including campus discount zones, requesting passes for frequent users, the use of Spin’s AI tool to assist with deployment, looking into creating parking options for the Old Town area, having free zones, and distributing promo codes for free rides. She also discussed another AI tool launched by Spin related to the end-of-ride photos. Ruhlen noted Spin operates on a one-year contract that is renewable for up to five years, and next year will be the fifth year. She outlined the request for proposal components and stated staff is seeking a longer-term contract to allow for additional community investment. ACTIVE MODES ADVISORY BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2 /1 0 /2025 – MINUTES Page 5 Ruhlen requested input from the Board in terms of goals for what we want and don’t want in shared micromobility. Vice Chair Krause asked about possible reasons for decreasing ridership and whether there is data indicating riders don’t return if they hit a geofenced area. Jimmy, Spin’s manager of government partnerships, stated there is frequently a spike in ridership at the beginning of a program and it is not uncommon to see a drop off in year two, though year three’s drop off has led to the need for reevaluation of some things, including pricing and utilizing the tool to help inform deployments. He also noted decreasing ridership could be due to private purchase of devices. Jimmy stated there are some reports of frustration with geofencing and stated some additional research could be done on trips that end due to geofencing. Ruhlen outlined the goals staff has outlined for Spin moving forward. Vrouwenvelder commented on difficulties in finding the devices in certain areas and stated this is public transportation and therefore perhaps deserves some investment similar to transit investments to help decrease costs. Jimmy noted more ride pass options are being provided to decrease costs for regular users. Vice Chair Krause commented on the importance of additional data sharing. Vrouwenvelder suggested it could be interesting to partner with CSU to give free rides for the first week of classes or for those who may not have other first and last mile options. Ruhlen noted the RFP was joint between the City and CSU and CSU has its own contract with Spin . She stated CSU constitutes about 60% of Spin ridership. Steele asked if there is a post-ride survey. Bruce replied in the affirmative and stated users are asked for ride ratings. Members discussed mode shift and reliability as being the most valuable goals and discussed the value of proper marketing. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Vice Chair Krause reported on the community process for the next steps for the former Hughes Stadium property. He noted he was selected as a community guide to engage different populations on the topic. Additionally, he stated there are upcoming spring youth cycling programs which need leaders. Vice Chair Krause noted there is an online survey related to the Hughes process on the City’s website. Steele commented on a Reddit post regarding Mulberry Max wanting to remove the sidewalk along its College Avenue frontage to install parking spaces and asked how ACTIVE MODES ADVISORY BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2 /1 0 /2025 – MINUTES Page 6 people are made aware of those types of proposals. Nagle briefly discussed the development review process and noted those items are listed on the City’s website. Han reported on the new King Soopers opening at Drake and College and noted the store has great bicycle parking facilities. 9. STAFF LIAISON REPORT a. Winter Bike to Work Day – February 14th b. Transportation Projects Fair – March 6th c. Council Six Month Agenda Planning Calendar 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent at 8:20 p.m.