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Home My WebLink AboutMN-BPAC-2012-06-05BPAC Minutes June 5, 2012 Minutes APPROVED 7/3/12 Started: 5:39pm In attendance: Members: Dave Nutter Daniel Keough Gail Steinhart Steve Williams Garin Danner, newly appointed Jan Schwartzberg, arrived 6:44 pm Matt Freedman, departed 6:45 pm Kent Johnson, for DPW & Transportation Engineer Tim Logue Jennifer Dotson, Common Council liaison, arrived 6:15 pm Rob Morache, BPW liaison <member attendance times entered for voting purposes> --------------- - - - -- Lauren Goldberg, Bomber Bike Initiative at Ithaca College Brendan Hart - Nutter Committee structure: Daniel Keough nominated Dave Nutter for BPAC chair - person. Unanimously approved Rob nominated Daniel Keough for BPAC secretary. Unanimously approved. Introductions: Lauren Goldberg briefly spoke of the work she has been doing getting the Ithaca College on- campus bike sharing program started. "Bomber Bike Initiative" only website available: https:// www. facebook .com/groups/154156148011894/ Announcements: Dave Nutter repainted the ghost bike for which BPAC had resolved to be responsible for the maintenance. Reports: BPW: Rob: BPW approved applying for a $900k grant to rebuild Old Elmira Rd from the traffic circle to Meadow St., including putting bike lanes in. Cornell St. sidewalks will be built at some point, date to be determined. The curb bump -outs for Seneca and Green St @ Plain and @ Corn Streets will be reduced by three feet, so as to make this pedestrian friendly structure more bicycle friendly. The former design would not give enough space for bike lanes and would have stuck out farther than parked automobiles. However the reduction is split evenly on both sides, not as BPAC requested removing 3' from the right side so as not to block bike travel on the right when and where there are not parked cars. If /When the city takes possession of Seneca and Green Streets, there is the possibility of removing the parking on the right side of each street, and removing the new right bump -outs, since the road is too narrow, curb to curb to put in a lane without it being right in the automobile door zone. Another option is to push the center line to the left so as to create a couple extra feet and space for people on bicycles. Kent Johnson spoke of the process for work on Old Elmira Rd, establishing sidewalks on both sides of the road, a tree lawn, a bike lane on each side, a travel lane in each direction and a middle turning lane. Shrinking the driveways down will be helpful so that drivers will slow down before ingress /egress so as to make it safer. There was discussion of pedestrian crossing at Elmira Rd & Meadow - -where several people (Rob, Steve) considered the intersection very dangerous. Kent thinks NYS would be willing to adjust the traffic signal, if it will help pedestrians. Planning Board liaison: still needed Dave mentioned that the Planning Board has reviewed a private project on Taber St whose site plan indicates a future sidewalk and tree lawn rather than building it with the current project as is standard. There are members requesting a sidewalk in this area. Transportation Engineer: Jen Dotson congratulated Kent on his extensive work in getting bike racks installed throughout the city. Kent had been working with Gary Ervay (who has recently left) in getting this done. Clinton St bridge is gone! The dangerous bridge had numerous cyclists injured plus a few automobile accidents every year. A new bridge, expected to open in November, will have a climbing bicycle lane to S Aurora St. The roadway will be straightened out a bit and better sidewalks put in, completing the sidewalk on the south side. Afterward a contra -flow bike lane could be put in along the 1 -way block of Prospect St to bike from S Aurora St to Hudson St. Common Council liaison: Jen spoke very briefly notes on how the city is working to reform minimum parking requirements. Taking these away will encourage more pedestrian & bicycle friendliness and better land use. Kent: BPAC /others should think of what improvements we wish to put in at the 5 intersections that will be receiving the new traffic lights at each end of the Commons (State /MLK & Cayuga, State /MLK & Aurora) and along Court St at Cayuga, Tioga, and Aurora Streets. Countdown timers, citywide would be a great improvement giving more information to both pedestrians and to motorists. Forward suggestions to BPAC and to Kent specifically: "Kent Johnson" <kjohnson @cityofithaca.org >. Or call 272 -1718, 24 -hours per day to report any sidewalk /road hazard condition. The city website also has this function from the main page: http: / /www.ci.ithaca.ny.us/ >How do I? > Report > A Pothole? will take the user to web -form: http: / /www.egoviink.com /ithaca /action.asp ?actionid =10048 7. Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the May meeting were approved unanimously. 8. Voting items and discussion: Resolution to the City to make the city website pothole reporting system inclusive of all mobility modes. Kent will get the website fixed and requests specific wording for the link. Daniel will work with Kent to figure out the wording in how to make this more bike and pedestrian friendly. The resolution that was planned does not seem necessary if this can easily be adjusted on the website. "City of Ithaca Common Council resolution to prioritize non - automobile modes of mobility" handout: This resolution prioritizes pedestrian and bicycles to change the way of thought prior planning any re- paving, new bridges and other new projects in the city: e.g. paving of Yates St might not be considered a priority if bicycle and pedestrians are thought of first, since automobiles are only traveling around 15mph, where the funds could instead be spent on a place that will better benefit people on bicycle. Jen doesn't think the resolution needs any more support, but isn't aware of what impact this resolution will have in the city. Kent thinks focusing on something specific as well as making this part of the Comprehensive Plan. If the city was really following this priority, the city would be spending all of its budget in repairing and building new sidewalks. Passing this can allow concerned citizens to point out new projects that are being planned that may not address bike /ped issues. Having this in place can encourage Common Council to make bike /ped friendly decisions and would encourage other new elected and appointed city officials to consider how the various projects in the city affect bike /ped issues. Rob proposed holding the resolution for this month, re- writing, tightening it up and then submitting it to the Common Council as a resolution and for the Comprehensive Plan as a op licy and as a part of the Complete Streets. "infrastructure for healthy living" and "smart growth ". The Holiday Inn project making their "D" driveway to be extended into more of a "B" is, at this time, still open for review in how it will effect pedestrians, etc. 9. Discussion Items: 9.1 Bike Boulevard Plan Discussion of specific streets to reduce the speed - limit. Though a small change to 25 mph for specific areas it will in the future allow a better design for new roadways will be designed for slightly slower moving automobiles. Daniel suggested that even though a 30mph to 25mph is a seemingly small change, it marks those specific streets as being different than the standard city street, emphasizing bicycle use on certain roads. Since enforcement will not be available much various traffic calming methods should be used, like a speed -limit change. Dave questions usefulness of 25mph limit. Cars are already that slow on these streets, and IPD does little enforcement. Traffic calming can slow traffic below 25mph. Why are there no East -West bike boulevards? As mentioned by Kent, the volumes of automobile travel on the East -West roadways is too high. There are various methods of lowering the automobile traffic volumes. Change of speed -limit to 25mph and the use of Court Street, which has a lower volume should helpful. Dave said expanding the no parking zone west of Washington St to the first driveway would improve sight lines at the Ghost Bike intersection, and moving some stretches of parking from the north side to the south side of Court St could create a chicane and the impression of narrowing to slow traffic. Tioga St -- having a foot - bridge /bike bridge would help to relieve the congestion at other walkways /roadways leading to Ithaca High and Boynton Middle schools. Brendan said the south side of the high school is not patrolled well and is the site of illicit student activity, the presumption is that adding a connection here may not be welcomed by the school. Daniel mentioned that making a secluded area more public may reduce the undesirable behavior in this location, simply by having more people present. N. Tioga St also connects Fall Creek Elementary to many residences. Brendan created a Powerpoint presentation for his driver's ed class about what new drivers should know about bikes on the road, and he is sending a copy for BPAC to use. Enforcement sub - committee: Dave N and Jan requested to be involved in future meetings, where the first meeting was just with Steven and Daniel. Garin suggested "Walk [Your City]" could be useful for Ithaca /BPAC to take on as an advertisement /suggestion or people to know how about local attractions and encourage people to get to /from them via by walking, or by bicycle Bike [Your City]. A sign could read: 7 minute walk to The Commons" or "13 minute walk to Ithaca Falls" for example. http://www.walkyourcity.org/ Not discussed: 9.2 Bike Lane Maintenance 9.3 Bike Lane Enforcement 9.4 Traffic signal information to pedestrians 9.5 Ozolins Observations 9.6 Future Business 10. New Business 11. Meeting adjourned: 7:45pm