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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Citizens Bicycle Advisory Committee - Meeting Date: 8/7/2017 MINUTES CITIZEN BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE COUNCIL CHAMBERS BUILDING CONFERENCE ROOM B-3 5850 W. GLENDALE AVE. GLENDALE, ARIZONA 85301 AUGUST 7, 2017 6:30P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Larry Flatau, Chair Chris Fundis, Committee Member Marie Nesfield, Committee Member Michael Osborn, Committee Member Michael Scanlon, Committee Member Kolby Waters, Committee Member Also Present: Stephanie Stearns, Transportation Planner 3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA -WITHDRAWALS AND CONTINUANCES No withdrawals or continuances were made. 4. CITIZEN COMMENTS The floor was opened to comments from the public. No comments were made. The floor was closed. 5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES a. Citizen Bicycle Advisory Committee Minutes of June 5, 2017. Motioned by Committee Member Michael Scanlon, seconded by Committee Member Kolby Waters Vote: 5- 0 Passed 6. REPORTS FROM OTHER COMMITTEES AND ORGANIZATIONS Committee-members and staff were provided with the opportunity to report on activities from organizations of interest or importance to the Committee. Committee-member Nesfield reported on the August 2, 2017 Citizens Transportation Oversight Commission (CTOC) meeting. Highlights included the following: Bus stop at 55th and Northern: Concerns regarding riders crossing in the middle of the street to get to stores instead of walking down to the street light/crosswalk. The bus stop is not far enough away from the corner to justify a traffic signal. There is not enough pedestrian traffic to • justify a HAWK signal. The bus stop is approximately 100 feet to the corner traffic signal and crosswalk. Northern Parkway: The design phase from Dysart Road to 111th Avenue is complete. The project must be completed by 2020 because the federal funds must be used by then. Off-Ramp at Sarival: Erosion is occurring and the City itself must resolve the issue because the contractor will not complete the repair. Chair Flatau inquired as to who was responsible for initially checking the contractor's work. Ms. Nesfield explained that until there were monsoon rains, there was no issue with the work. Transportation Plan: $3.5 billion is estimated for projects over the next 25 years. A Council workshop will be held in October to determine priorities. Light Rail: In a few weeks, Valley Metro will provide an update to Council regarding the light rail project. $1.0 million has been set aside for a feasibility study to extend light rail from 59th Avenue to Westgate. Contractor Incentive Program: The City of Glendale does not currently utilize a contractor incentive program. Some CTOC members would like the City to implement a program. A City representative will attend the next CTOC meeting to discuss the suggestion. End of Year Budget Funds: At the end of each fiscal year, the Transportation Department typically has unused end-of-year funds. Previously, the CTOC voted to add the Airport to the list of divisions considered for end-of-year funds. At the end of FY16-17, the Airport was awarded 80% or approximately$400,000 of the total available end-of-year funds. The funds were used for improvements such as new flooring, new terminal doors, new shades, and more. In total, 30 projects were completed. These projects are important because the Airport has been losing tenants due to the poor condition of the terminal building. Ms. Stearns reported on the following: Today, MAG announced that funding is available for bicycle and pedestrian related grant funds. Staff will develop a list of projects for which they will submit for funding. The CBAC Mission Statement is on hold pending direction from Council. The Council goals for FY2017-18 are to be established first and then the Mission Statement can be adjusted to be in line with the Council goals. The interactive map of the GO Transportation projects is still in progress. IT staff had to be re-directed onto a police department project for the time being. 7. MCDOT ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN [Committee-member Osborn entered the meeting at 6:47.] Mr. Reed Kempton from the Maricopa County Department of Transportation presented information on the County's Active Transportation Plan. • MCDOT Active Transportation Plan •What is Active Transportation? Walk, Bike, Bus •What is a Bicycle? The wheel is greater than 16" • Map of MAG Bikeways 1992 and 2015 was displayed •Supersede 1999 MCDOT Bicycle Plan • Evaluate 1999 Plan • Identify completed projects •318 miles of projects to complete • 161 miles of projects completed •Identify • Gaps •Vertical gaps • Roadway crossings •Crosswalk •Curb extension • Pedestrian refuge • Raised crosswalk • Rapid flashing beacon • Pedestrian hybrid beacon •Signal •Grade separation •Context sensitive facilities •Americans with Disabilities Act conformance • Identify partnership opportunities •Statistics Provided •Commute and Travel Behavior • Disadvantaged Population Groups • Pedestrian Related Crashes—maps displayed • Bicycle Related Crashes—map displayed • Update MCDOT ADA Transition Plan •Curb ramps •There are 11,000 curb ramps of which 10,000 do not have any detectable warnings •Sidewalks •Crosswalks •Traffic signals •Traffic islands • Inventory—Sidewalks • 1,291 miles of sidewalks • 11,860 curb ramps •Width: •4 feet: 80% •5-6 feet: 14% • More than 6 feet: 6% • Locations: •Anthem 10% •Sun City West 25% • Sun City 33% •Other Areas 32% • Inventory—Bike Facilities • 112 miles of bike lanes •80 miles of paved should • 15 miles of shared use paths •Paved shoulder 38.4% • Bike Lane No Buffer 45.6% • Bike Lane Buffered 0.7% •Shared Use Path 7.3% • Bike Route 8.0% • Public Outreach • Interactive map—663 total comments •April Bike Month Events— 11 rides; 14,000 riders • Public meetings—5 locations •Social media • Presentations—agencies, homeowners, advisory committees, bike groups •Stakeholder meetings—two so far • Interactive Map . •Web page: http://mcdot.maricopa.gov/atp •218 comments unincorporated Maricopa County •663 total comments • Interactive Map was displayed •Comment page includes: •Unique ID • Date submitted •Date reviewed •District • Category • Name • Email •Comment • Location map •Attached photo •Sample comments from map were displayed •April Bike Month—2017 •Arizona Bicycle Summit •Arizona Bicycle Club Board •Chandler Family Bike Ride •Cycle the Creek—Queen Creek •Tour de Tempe •Tempe Bike to Art •Scottsdale Cycle the Arts • Bike to Work Day • Bike Buckeye •Arizona Bicycle Club Desert Classic • El Tour de Mesa •CycleMesa •Glendale Family Bike Ride •Public Meetings •Open Houses • Mesa—4/27 •Anthem—5/3 •Sun City/Surprise—5/11 •Arlington—5/16 •New River—5/17 • Presentations •Arizona Bicycle Summit •Arizona State Highway Engineers •Arizona Bicycle Club Board • Property Owners and Residents Association of Sun City West: Road and Safety Committee •Sun City Home Owners Association: Roads and Safety Committee •MAG Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee •ASU Student Planning Association &ASU Bike Coalition • MCDOT Lunch and Learn •American Planning Association/American Society of Landscape Architects: Arizona chapter's monthly breakfast •Scottsdale Path and Trails Subcommittee •Glendale Bicycle Advisory Committee •Stakeholders • Maricopa County Department of Public Health •Other Maricopa County Departments •Cities/Towns/Tribal Governments/Neighboring Counties • Utilities and other Quasi Governments agencies •Special interests •Transit users •Bicyclists •Walkers and runners • Equestrians • Process •Setting the Stage •What do we Want? •What do we Need? •What are the Possibilities? •What is the Plan? •Schedule • NTP—October 2016 •Vision, Goals, Objectives—make final edits • Existing and Future Features—complete • Gap Analysis— received and reviewing • Estimate Non-motorized Levels of Travel—August 2017 •System Assessment—August 2017 • Prioritized Project List—September 2017 • Findings and Recommendations— November 2017 • Final Report—January 2018 Questions and comments from the Committee during the presentation were welcomed and included the following: Committee-member Scanlon inquired about the classification of electric bikes. Mr. Reed replied that if a bike has a motor or is electric, it can be ridden in bike lanes, because these are specific to bikes only. Motorized bikes cannot be ridden on shared-use paths. Committee-member Scanlon asked about technology whereby a signal will change when a bike approaches a traffic light. Mr. Reed explained current technology and the development of vehicle-to-vehicle communication to the signal and announced that the community of Anthem is a current test spot for this type of communication. Mr. Reed added that on the horizon are • smart phone apps which will communicate with the traffic signals as well. Chair Flatau commented that he was not aware of the public meetings for the MCDOT planning. Mr. Reed explained that county residents only are being targeted and notified about the meetings, which were recently held in Anthem, New River, and Sun City. Information can be found on the MCDOT website. Chair Flatau commented on the limited resources and funding for bicycle-related projects and • asked for advice as to how the Committee can best approach City Council when advocating for funds. Mr. Kempton provided the following suggestions for funding support: streets with bicycle and pedestrian facilities are the safest for everyone, paved shoulders mitigate dust, bike lanes mitigate aggression, and bicycle-related projects improve safety and quality of life for residents which is most important. Committee-member Scanlon inquired if the bicycle improvement projects which Mr. Kempton has participated in the past have increased use of bicycles. Mr. Kempton commented that improvement projects can be justified by counts and explained the various methods of counting: manual, infra-red, physical counters, video-tape. Mr. Kempton stated that it is important to close gaps in the bicycle system for a more efficient commute, which will increase usage and counts. Mr. Reed advised that, as far as MAG project grant applications, the closer a project is to an arteriole street, the higher the project will score. Mr. Reed stressed that closing gaps in the system is extremely important. Chair Flatau thanked Mr. Kempton for an excellent presentation. 8. GLENDALE FAMILY BIKE RIDE NUMBERS Ms. Stearns presented the finalized ridership numbers from the 2017 Glendale Family Bike Ride. •615 participants (794 registered) •Short route—296 riders • Long route— 140 riders • Extended route— 179 riders •2018 Date is April 22nd Committee-member Scanlon commented that the ridership of 615 participants is a low percentage of the overall City population of approximately 330,000 residents. Ms. Stearn announced that the 2018 GFBR will be held on Earth Day and Ms. Dory Ludwig is working to include the Parks and Recreation Department as well the recycling division into the event. Committee-member Scanlon suggested the following possibilities: •Reaching out to a charity for involvement •Have two phases to the ride: first part would be the actual ride itself and the second part would be the end of the ride in downtown Glendale where there is shade and the downtown businesses could participate or derive some revenue Chair Flatau noted that some cities have professional companies that coordinate and organize the rides. Committee-member Scanlon inquired as to the amount of funds spent on the event. Ms. Stearns will follow up on the event budget. Committee-member Kolby stated that the City of Phoenix used to hold a Bike to BOB event each year, which he attended with his children. Committee-member Kolby commented that the event was great, but is no longer held. Chair Flatau suggested the possibility of a ride to a Cardinals or Coyote game. Committee-member Nesfield suggested a ride along 59th Avenue. Ms. Stearns thanked the Committee-members for their suggestions. 9. MAG GRANT UPDATE Ms. Stearns presented an update on the grant applications submitted to the Maricopa Association of Governments. Highlights included the following: •Submitted and awarded for Maryland Avenue from 75th Avenue to 69th Avenue • Submitted for an Active Transportation Plan—will find out if awarded on August 15th •Committee-member Fundis requested that Ms. Stearns notify the • Committee-members via email if the funds were awarded. 10. VACATION OF SEPTEMBER CBAC MEETING It was agreed by consensus that the Committee will vacate the September 2017 meeting due to the Labor Day holiday. 11. OTHER BUSINESS The Committee-members were provided an opportunity to provide comment. Committee-member Scanlon noted that other states, such as Colorado and Utah, have prominent bike events and wondered if Arizona has a state-sponsored event. Committee-member Scanlon relayed that Arizona has the best weather in the US during the winter months and this could be promoted to the bicycling community via a state event. Ms. Stearns replied that the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, which is an advocacy group, may have information on state-wide events. Committee-member Osborn commented that there is an organized bike ride from Flagstaff to Phoenix. Committee-member Nesfield inquired if the Active Transportation Plan will include an equestrian aspect. Ms. Stearns replied in the positive. Committee-member Nesfield relayed that there used to be a bridal path on 51st Avenue however it is not being maintained. Committee-member Fundis requested a copy of tonight's PowerPoint presentations via email. Chair Flatau requested the posting of the PowerPoint presentations on the Bicycle section of the City website. Chair Flatau noted that along the canal pathway, from 83rd to 99th Avenue, the sprinklers are watering the pathway and causing flooding 2"to 3" deep, which is a safety factor as well as water usage expense. Chair Flatau commented that the sprinkler heads should be adjusted for proper directional watering. Chair Flatau inquired if Committee-member Fundis' term has been extended and if Committee-member Fundis' could be considered for Vice Chair. Ms. Stearns replied in the positive. 12. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS The Committee-members suggested items for placement on future meeting agendas: •Transportation Plan Survey Results 13. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Citizen Bicycle Advisory Committee will be held on Monday, October 2, 2017 at 6:30 p.m., in conference room B-3, located in the Council Chambers Building, 5850 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale, Arizona, 85301. 14. ADJOURNMENT Chair Flatau adjourned the meeting at 8:08 p.m. The Citizen Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting minutes of August 7, 2017 were submitted and approved this Fourth day f October, 2017. Stephanie Stearns Recording Secretary