Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission

October 16^th, 2008 Regular Minutes

Roll Call:                    Chair David Young, Vice Chair Julia Sommer, Steve Ryan,

                                    and Tom Burnham.  Secretary Jim Olney (absent)

Council liaison:           Kate Jackson (absent)

Staff:                           Steve McLennan, Police Officer

                                    Derek Severson, Associate Planner  

RVTD liaisons:           Nathan Broom, RVTD TDM Planner

SOU liaison:                Eve Woods  

Traffic Safety Commission liaison: Matt Warshawsky

High school liaison:    Vacant            

Call to Order

Chair Young called the meeting to order at 5:18 p.m.

Approval of Minutes – September 18^th , 2008 

Ryan noted that in last month’s Public Forum, Ms. Thiel had discussed the fact that she did not like sending her children to school over Ashland Street to access the Central Ashland Bikepath (CAB).  The minutes were approved by unanimous consent as amended.    

Public Forum

Traffic Safety Commission Matt Warshawsky questioned the status of the “Taking the Lane” recommendation going to Council, commented on the issue of the new Transportation Commission playing a role in land use decisions, and discussed the potential for using “sharrows” and/or different colored pavement for bike lanes in Ashland.  He noted that bike lanes in Portland have recently been painted green.

Subcommittee & Liaison Reports

Burnham noted that he had now met with Jenna Stanke from Jackson County twice to discuss creating a county-wide bicycling map.  He stated that at this point, funding the maps is a concern.  He explained that the hope was to produce one map that would work for all jurisdictions, to be distributed in print and on-line.  Members questioned the costs involved, asking whether it would be to offset printing costs or if it would also include staff time to prepare the map.   Young questioned if the maps might be created on-line only.  Members also asked whether the map would be sold or offered for free.   Burnham noted that they have asked Siskiyou Velo for $1,000 to assist with the cost of preparing the maps.  He questioned who to coordinate with at the city to request funds.  Severson suggested that it would require more detail before making a request, including specific costs and details of the map.  There was discussion of using Google Earth/Google Maps to prepare and present the map, and also of ensuring that it was GPS ready.  Woods noted that ECOS students from the University might be of assistance, noting that a lot of seniors have the appropriate skill set and are looking for capstone projects.  It was also suggested that Burnham could approach the local Chambers of Commerce for funding as well. 

Broom presented the monthly RVTD ridership report.  He also noted that he has been in discussion with a new bike rack supplier and they have a new model of three-bike rack which may fit the buses in RVTD’s fleet.  He added that they are looking at the possibility of additional racks inside the buses and at modifying their tracking to include cyclists who are unable to ride due to full bike racks.  He pointed out that RVTD will be bringing forth a ballot measure in support of transit in the spring, and clarified for commissioners that the fare box revenue from the buses is a small and limited source of revenue so even a significant increase in ridership does not fund increased service levels.  Broom noted that he had posted information on new bicycle commuter tax credits on the Rogue Utility Bike group on Google, and could provide additional information to those who were interested.

Ryan noted that he had attended last month’s Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) meeting which included a discussion of skateboarding in the bike lane on Siskiyou which became legal with the reduced speeds.  He added that he had passed along Elise Thiel’s concerns about CAB access for residents of the Wingspread mobile home park, and he discussed the Engineering Department’s proposal for addressing bollards with striping and candlesticks.

Woods noted that she had tabled at eight events over the past month, and that she was acting as a student leadership liaison as well.  She had the opportunity to speak on Siskiyou safety for 35 minutes at an SOU event, and that she now had 58 students who were interested in a safety club. 

Car Free Day, Commute Challenge, Try Transit & Walk/Bike to School Debriefings

Ryan noted that the Commute Challenge resulted in a reduction of more than 3754 vehicle miles traveled in Ashland, and indicated that he was in the process of preparing a packet for next year’s organizers.  He stated that he would issue a follow-up press release and would also provide Severson final numbers for the City Source and/or city employee newsletter.

Broom stated that on the fare free day of Try Transit week there was an increase in ridership of 700 riders, but added that the interactive bus tour participation was disappointingly low at some of the stops.  He added that 68 helmets and 58 pedometers were given away as part of the event. 

Broom indicated that valley-wide, approximately 1,200 students participated in International Walk and Bike to School Day activities in ten elementary schools in Central Point, Ashland, Talent and Medford.

Wingspread Mobile Home Park/Central Ashland Bikepath Access Follow-Up

Severson provided some brief background on this item, noting that a Wingspread resident spoke last month requesting that the Commission look at ways to provide residents with access to the Central Ashland Bikepath (CAB).  He explained that in reviewing county records, there did not appear to be any unused easements that could be used to provide access.  He noted that recent discussions of the proposed development at the old Handyman site at 2200 Ashland Street had included a recognition of the need to look at CAB access points in the Transportation System Plan so that when developments occur, applicants could be required to provide easements as part of the required transportation system improvements.  He concluded that with no development proposed and the added complications of the adjacent property being located under Jackson County’s jurisdiction and ODOT Rail’s control of the railroad right-of-way, he saw no way of providing new formal access easements. 

Ryan/Burnham m/s to recommend that the need for access to the Central Ashland Bikepath (CAB) for Wingspread residents be considered in future Transportation System Plan (TSP) updates or other long range transportation planning.   Discussion: Young noted that he was supportive of finding a resolution to this matter, but it did not appear that there was an avenue to provide the requested connectivity at this time.  Ryan expressed frustration with not being able to deal with the problem, and indicated that he thought it was at least important to make Jackson County authorities aware of the problem as well.  Voice vote:  All AYES.  Motion passed.   

Bollard Discussion Follow-Up

Severson briefly explained that the Engineering Department had proposed at last month’s Traffic Safety Commission meeting to address the bollard safety issue/bollard removal recommendation by painting diamond stripes around the bollards and installing “candlesticks” at the points of the diamond in order to provide advanced warning to cyclists.  He expressed some concern with the use of the candlesticks as an additional hazard that might catch in pedals or spokes and cause problems for cyclists.  Commissioners concurred, indicating that it wasn’t the bollard impact that was the problem it was the placement of items in the bikeway which lead to an impact with the pavement.  Severson added that he had contacted the Oregon Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Manager to inquire about her experiences with the diamond striping and whether thermoplastic painted stripes were slippery when wet and thus hazardous to cyclists.  He stated that she was generally in favor of bollard removal as bollards were a safety concern and were being removed in many communities around the state with no observed negative impacts; however he noted that she stated that bollards may be needed in those instances where there was a history of vehicular use of the bikepath.  He suggested that bollards may have been installed in response to the initial complaints in areas beyond those where a problem was being experienced and that this could be looked at more closely. 

Warshawsky indicated that the Engineering Department and new Public Works Director were concerned with safety and liability and he did not believe they would be inclined to support removal of bollards.

Young noted that he continued to believe that it would be safer to install a fence or gate across the path which would require cyclists to stop and walk around.  Severson noted that in many instances, the installation of a gate within the limited right-of-way for a bicycle path would result in restricting handicapped accessibility. 

Sommer noted that she was never aware of bollards prior to the discussion, but now she not only sees them but sees them as a safety concern. 

Severson summarized that staff could look further at the potential for removing bollards where possible, i.e. where they were not necessary to prevent vehicular access to the path, and to stripe the area around the bollards that need to remain according to AASHTO standards.  He clarified that this striping should not include candlesticks.  There was general consensus in support of this summation.   

Developing an Ashland Bicycle Master Plan

Severson explained that Council Liaison Jackson had wanted this item included on the agenda, based on the “Bicycle Friendly Community” recommendations of the League of American Bicyclists.  He briefly explained the variety of information which can be included in such a plan, and noted the advantages of presenting all bicycling related information for a community – including parking requirements, a prioritized list of improvement recommendations, etc. – in one place.  He noted that he had a sample of a plan from the City of Eugene, and stated that if there was sufficient interest he could provide links to a number of other plans to help a subcommittee work on this item.  Sommer asked to borrow the City of Eugene plan, and stated that she was interested in working on this item.  Burnham noted that a lot of the bike route research he had done relating to mapping would translate into this item and stated that he was interested as well.  Severson state that he would forward links to the various sample plans. 

New Business                                                        

It was noted that the stop signs on the Central Ashland Bikepath (CAB) at Mountain Avenue were faded and in need of replacement or re-painting.  It was also noted that while the new railroad crossing at East Main is much improved, the lane markings now direct cyclists into the curb rather than to the curb cut.  Severson indicated that he would pass these items along to the Engineering and Street Departments. 

Severson noted that the Council study session on the creation of a Transportation Commission was occurring next Monday, October 20th at 6:00 p.m.  He stated that he would forward the final draft version of the proposed ordinance to the Commissioners for review, and asked that they either attend the meeting or forward comments or concerns to him.  Warshawsky suggested that Commissioners review the changes closely to verify that previously raised concerns have been addressed to their satisfaction.   

Severson noted that the regularly occurring meetings for the next two months fall exactly one week before Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The regularly scheduled November meeting is the 20^th and Thanksgiving is the 27^th; the regularly scheduled December meeting is the 18^th, and Christmas is the 25^th.  Young noted that he would be unable to attend the November meeting.  Warshawsky noted that Traffic Safety typically combines their November and December meetings into one consolidated meeting.  Young suggested consolidating the two meetings into one early December meeting.  Severson indicated that he would contact members via e-mail in order to arrive at a date and time that worked for everyone’s schedule. 

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.