HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPAC-2007-01-11*DRAFT* Minutes
Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) Meeting
January 11, 2007, Thursday, 7pm, 2nd Conference Room, City Hall
Present: Kent Johnson (Chair), David Nutter, David Kay, Tim Logue, Carla Shafer, Dave
McElrath, Jan Zeserson
Several guests joined us for a presentation on the Bicycle Lift Trampe, which has been
running successfully in Trondheim, Norway, since 1994. It has been a tourist attraction
as well as a boon to local commuters. Monica Rolfsen, a native of Trondheim, showed a
video clip and power point presentation of this innovative step in sustainable urban
transportation, which inspired an active discussion about its suitability for Ithaca.
Rolfsen, a faculty member of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a
representative to the Trondheim City Council, is spending her sabbatical year at Cornell.
In Trondheim, the Trampe Lift is on a hill steeper and longer than upper Buffalo Street,
but the Trondheim lift is approximately 425 ft long whereas Buffalo St. from Aurora to
Stewart is about 1,500 ft and all the way up to College Ave is more than 2,500 ft.
For more details, go to www.trampe.no
The second half of our meeting was devoted to a continuation of last month's discussion
of our goals and objectives. We are at a turning point in defining our priorities as an
advisory committee: Kent has officially resigned as Chair, due to conflict of interest as a
city employee; we have vacancies to fill with new members; and current members have
expressed a desire to focus in one direction or another. We will continue this discussion
next month at our regular meeting, Thursday, February 8, 7pm, and we strongly urge
attendance by ALL current members and anyone who has submitted or is considering
submitting an application to the Mayor to become a BPAC member. Please make this
meeting a priority in your calendar. Your input is crucial at this particular juncture.
A bullet -point summary of ideas raised during discussion regarding focus in future:
• Review projects for site review sent to us on a regular basis by the Planning Board.
• Work on getting the existing and approved Bike Plan implemented on East Hill, using
City -owned streets. Approximately $80,000 remains available for the
implementation of the Bike Plan, specifically earmarked for infrastructure
improvements ($64,000 [80 %] federal funds, held by NYSDOT since 1994, to be
matched by $16,000 [20 %] from the City).
• Review and update the Bike Plan.
• Concentrate on an East -West/ North -South network of pedestrian/biker corridors
connecting outlying areas to Ithaca City Center and to regional trails (e.g. Black
Diamond Trail).
• Work on citizen - education programs.
• Focus on bite -sized projects, e.g., bike racks.
0 Focus on a high - profile project (like a Trampe Lift, for example).
Please mark your calendars — Feb. 8, 7:00 -- and come to help us set priorities.
In the absence of a new Chair, Carla Shafer will lead the meeting.
Thanks, Kent, for your leadership this past year!
Meeting adjourned at 9:00.
Minutes submitted respectfully by Jan