Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPAC-2012-08-07Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council Meeting Minutes August 7, 2012 Start time: 5:45pm In attendance: Members: Dave Nutter, BPAC chair - person Daniel Keough, BPAC secretary Gail Steinhart Steve Williams Garin Danner Jan Schwartzberg Trevor French Kent Johnson, for DPW & Transportation Engineer Tim Logue <member attendance times entered for voting purposes> Public attendance: Jeanne Leccese- Streets Alive! Project -------- - - - - -- -------------- 1. Introductions Minutes Approval: July minutes: The comments received by email of Andrejs should be added, minutes approved unanimously. 2. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda Streets Alive! Project is discussed by Jeanne Leccese. City Special Events Committee, who is looking to get more than 3 permits to move forward with the official announcement for the event. IFD, IPD, Julie Holcomb, Jeannie Grace -City Forester as well as the Town. This closed- street (closed to automobiles, open to people) event is a similar idea to the Ciclovia, which originated in Columbia, though that one has built up to where thousands of people come to the festivities. A much larger loop initially proposed, but revised by CSEC. The route has been scaled back from a venture to Southside into Fall Creek, etc. There is interest in expanding the route pending the level of participation. The route is longer than for Ithaca Festival, but is quite manageable in this location. The scheduled street closures will be on N Cayuga St from Court to IHS and Boynton. There will be multiple activity hubs, such as at Thompson Park. Non - profit groups could have tabling events there - -like BPAC. There will be bicycle education and promotion. Bike Red Bikes from CU will be represented with bikes for people to try out. There will be a water dispensing station, with a Cornell student group: Take Back the Tap! This event is proposed to occur twice per year, in September, and in May. The proposed Streets Alive event will be prospectively be officially announced on August 21 to avoid a need to retract -- canceling the event should it not be officially approved. Similar to other festivals and events around Ithaca in 2012, the City will not be charging the organizers any fees, though the City will likely start charging for intersection barricades and other similar costs the City incurs for such events and festivals. starting in 2013. Address recommendation to Julie Holcomb, City Clerk. Tim Logue would be performing training for people to guard the barricades. Organizers are seeking people with 'cool talents' or who would just like to volunteer. Greenstar will be asked to see if they would be willing to provide the blender bike-- - which allows smoothies to be made directly from the pedaling. Contact: jleccese hsctc.org 607.273.8686 Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County The event will not be dealing with food vending, though they will allow free food be served. http: / /streetsaliveithaca.com/ There will be bike rodeo by Way2Go and bicycle repair by Larry Clarkberg. BPW discussion - -now is the opportunity for public comment period, 30 days, for the Bicycle Blvd Plan. The plan is geared toward BPW, though the same plan as shared with BPAC. Comments can be sent to BPW or to the engineering office to Kent or Tim. The process is that BPW would recommend that the BBP be approved by Common Council. A renewed interest at the Cascadilla /N Cayuga intersection since the pedestrian /car crash a few months ago. Traffic counts will be done in this area. Bill Gray doesn't like the traffic light, 4 -stop then another Traffic light, so potentially removing the traffic light at Tompkins. Govind had referred to the intersection and a desire for this area to feel more like a public square. How does the City deal with bad sight lines? Cars often are left standing on the crosswalk waiting for a moment to turn onto N Cayuga St, and so are blocking the flow of pedestrians. Bill Gray is supportive of making some sort of treatment at this intersection. Kent's main concern with this intersection is that there are a low number of crashes here, despite the difficult sight lines and high volume of pedestrian traffic. The City might not reduce the number of collisions by adding a 4 -way stop treatment. The proposed change isn't necessarily making it safe or crash -free for people in cars, on bicycles or for pedestrians. This intersection treatment could be decided 8/22. Daniel requested that BPAC take up the issue of 24 -hour parking as a way to increase funding for the City. A low turn -over of parking spaces is not business friendly and creates extra traffic who drive around seeking parking. With parking on the street being free for much of the time, it doesn't make use of a valuable city resource: its parking garages. A parking manager position has opened up for the City to better manage this, and allow for both a new source of revenue from on- street parking bringing in revenue 24/7, but also encouraging better utilization of the parking structures, which net a more than $900,000 loss per year. Better parking management can be very helpful in encouraging people to choose to walk or bike when traveling short distances. In Ithaca, there are 3 -5 automobile crashes per day. Dave N requests to gain access to the crash records, which are currently searchable for intersection of roads (useful), or police badge number (useless for BPAC, DPW). Cannot search for "all pedestrian accidents ". We need to have a programming change, for IT to make. Kent is not sure if IT is unable to make the change or it hasn't made it up their priority list. Previously DPW received a hard copy of all the crashes. The IT dept will be contacted to see how we can expedite this and obtain bike /ped and automobile crash information. BPAC /the public having access to a map that shows the accident sites would be very useful. Fall Creek Drive: fences have been removed. One way road direction proposed to narrow the road and allow a sidewalk build in that space. Local residents do not like the look of the guard -rail and keeping cars /people farther away may allow the undesired guard -rail to be removed. Making this road one -way may increase the speed of the automobile traffic, which can be problematic for bike /ped. 3. Public comment Jeanne Leccese spoke regarding the Streets Alive! event, as listed above. No members of the public were present. 4. Announcements Daniel stated concern for better awareness of all construction project in Ithaca, since the Collegetown Terrace project team, including Streets and Facilities have left heavy equipment, construction vehicles and large orange road barrels not only sticking out of the parking lane, but completely blocking the bicycle lane -- -often when there was nothing on the right side of them, i.e. they were protecting people from nothing, just lazily scattered about. Daniel contacted and heard back from John Novarr who promised to have the bike lane cleared of these barrels and equipment during the off - hours of construction but stated that 'no one should be biking through that area during the hours of construction.' It is concerning that a developer thinks he has the right to shut down a bicycle lane, without any type of permit, for nearly all daylight hours. There were also questions as to what City official would be the next step in contacting should this project or others were in frequent /constant violation of this or similar activities that discourage or make unsafe travel for bike /ped. The picture taken August 6 at 6:03pm of E MLK St and the Collegetown Terrace project, shows how, despite not having a permit to do so, the bicycle lane is partly blocked by construction equipment, and farther east the construction barrels are actually directing people on bicycles to go inside of them since they are so far to the left and there is nothing between them and the parking lane /curb. Kent: Federal funding received previously for Elmira Rd, but was diverted to Thurston Ave Bridge. A different funding source is sought to get this project moving. Plans have been submitted and will be obtained by Kent. Likely by next BPAC meeting he will know whether the City will have this as a project. There is a goal of narrowing the street - -no double left turns. Steve requests change of intersection: N -bound on Meadow turn Left onto Old Elmira Rd. Perhaps exclude L -turns there during certain times of the day would increase safety. Allow R -turn to Stone Quarry Rd? Or a Stop sign farther up the hill? This whole area will be looked at in a more comprehensive way. No easy way for people on bikes to cross to get to big box stores and back to Elmira Rd, though this topic is not part of the application. Garin mentioned the idea of an advance green for cyclists to cross this, when pedestrians are able to cross. Dave N.: if we don't get the funding for the project: could we put in lane edge stripes? If we are requesting more edge lines painted, there are other areas in the city where we would need to remove center lines on some streets that are unnecessary, or cross walks on quiet 4 -way stop neighborhood streets. 10% cut for personnel doesn't allow for adding the lines without cutting elsewhere, per mayor's budget. The current machinery to apply the road paint, makes the job difficult, for example: stencils (font, bike symbols /sharrows) cannot be done currently without hiring a private contractor. The primary reason for getting new machinery would be to paint bike stencils and then avoid the additional cost of private contractors such as to also paint turn arrows. BPAC can advise Common Council such as prioritizing traffic calming, which people request, but are told that the city has no money. Crosswalk requested at Stewart /Thurston. Crosswalks are painted to encourage pedestrians to cross in certain areas where it is otherwise unclear, and /or to make drivers more aware at Stop signs. Garin mentioned crosswalks needed on Warren Rd, though it is in the Town. BPAC will gather recommendations and pass them along to local non -City bike /ped improvements as well. Daniel mentioned that the parking lot between BOCES and the strip mall, for example, is connected, which encourages faster, unpredictable automobile driving. Similar to curb cuts to the road, these lot connections could be improved /limited. 5. Reports • Board of Public Works Liaison not present. • Planning Board - BPAC currently has no Planning Board Liaison • Parks Commission - BPAC currently has no Park Commission Liaison • Transportation Engineer Dave N: What are the costs to put in the pedestrian walkway up 96B? Note: the City has sidewalks up to the City line, other improvements would better be directed at the Town /County /NYS /Ithaca College. Kent states that we should continue with the Hudson St walkway, but most agree we also need to take a look at 96B. The walkway work on Hudson is not scheduled - -there are property ownership issues and the project to verify property ownership is being determined by the City attorney's office. This should happen within a year or two, though it needs approval from BPW. Kent believes that a lot of students, pedestrians heading up 96B are unaware that (for many locations on IC campus) there is a different way with much calmer, lower volumes of car traffic, on Hudson St. On E MLK St, the sidewalk that Daniel pointed out on the East end of the Collegetown Terrace project site has new sidewalks, but they illogically jog in at a 90 °angle - -not at all pedestrian - friendly, including those in wheel- chairs, runners, and those with strollers. Bill Gray is the person who can have the Streets and Facilities take care of the machinery and keep the barrels out of the bike lane. S &F have permits for the parking lane but not for the bike lane. Kent is not the person who is able to order this change. The contractor can be out in the road /in the bike lane when they are actively doing work, making deliveries. The bike lane is blocked unnecessarily, where barrels are guarding nothing and road -signs face down, but just are frequently misplaced in the bike lane and into the road way. Dave asks what happens when companies violate the work permit. An inspector would need to go up there and check. • Common Council - liaison not present. 6. Voting Items and discussion - BPAC voted in favor of the bicycle, pedestrian and other physical activity promoting Streets Alive! event occurring in Ithaca as was presented by Jeanne Leccese. 7. Future business - did not discuss 8. New Business - did not discuss Adjournment @: 7:42pm