City of Lawrence

Lawrence – Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee

November 16, 2010 Minutes

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Gary Calton, Tom Jerome, Tyler Longpine, Becky McClure, Eric Struckoff, Gerard Arantowicz

MEMBERS ABSENT:

Jay Bialek, Neil Taylor

STAFF PRESENT:

Todd Girdler, Shoeb Uddin, Jessica Mortinger

PUBLIC PRESENT:

Carolyn Chinn Lewis, Dickie Heckler, Lisa Hallberg, Rhonda Houser

 

1.   Call Meeting to Order and Assurance of Quorum

The meeting was called to order at 6:04pm. A quorum was present.

 

2.   Approval of the September 21st, 2010

A motion to approve the minutes and notes from the three previous meetings was moved by Mr. Struckoff, seconded by Mr. Arantowicz and passed unanimously.

 

3.   Discussion and Action Item: 2011 Street Maintenance Program

Mr. Uddin presented the 2011 Street Maintenance Program in its current form describing the differing project types. Most of the projects are mill and overlays where the footprint of the roadway is not changing. Overlay projects only provide the opportunity for bike facility additions when the existing Right-of-Way is present. Reconstruction projects provide more room for additional facilities when the Right-of-Way is available for purchase within the budget.  All locations that have existing bicycle facilities will be improved or returned to existing condition when work is complete. Kasold between 6th Street and Peterson Road is scheduled for a mill and overlay. Ms. Hallberg and Ms. McClure indicated a bike lane would be ideal in this location. Mr. Ubbin indicated sharrows are a planned improvement for this roadway. The BAC members encouraged Mr. Uddin to investigate if bike lanes could be fit into this project and install them if possible. Mr. Struckoff encouraged the BAC to continue to examine the Peterson Road, Lawrence Avenue and Princeton Road area for expansion of bicycle facilities. Mrs. McClure indicated she received a note from a concerned citizen requesting that the connection from the trail be made at the south end of 31st Street and Kasold. Mr. Uddin indicated the project for 2011 would complete that connection.

 

4.   Discussion and Action Item: West 6th Street from Monterey Way to Folks

Mr. Uddin described the West 6th Street Monterey Way to Folks widening and mill/overlay project that includes the addition of a center turn lane. Additional widening on this road is not feasible with Right-of-Way access and costs. However, the option to improve the existing sidewalk on the south side to a shared use path is a possibility. Mr. Uddin explained that the ideal design standards for shared use paths are 10 feet; the minimum sidewalk width is 6 feet for an arterial and 8 foot shared use path is what will most likely fit in the design footprint. Mr. Struckoff expressed concerns over access management and safety of bicyclists on a shared use path, similar to concerns for the shared use path further west. He indicated that despite the shortcomings of this route and the presence of fewer driveways the BAC should recommend continuing this bikeway facility (i.e., the shared use path) to Monterey Way. A motion to recommend bike lanes on Kasold between 6th Street and Peterson Road and the installation and continuation of a shared use path on 6th Street from Monterey Way to Folks was moved by Mr. Struckoff, seconded by Mrs. McClure and passed unanimously.

 

5.   Discussion and Action Item: West 6th from Massachusetts to Iowa

Mr. Uddin presented the West 6th from Massachusetts to Iowa improvement scheduled for 2011. The existing Right-of-Way would not allow space for bike lanes without the removal of on street parking on one portion of this stretch and Right-of-Way is not adequate along the western portion. Mr. Heckler suggested the BAC could recommend parking removal on 6th Street to the Traffic Safety Commission. Members discussed the possibility and the other available parallel routes. Speed and safety were the main concern for bicyclists on this roadway. The BAC chose to make no recommendation for bicycle facilities on this section of roadway; they felt adequate parallel routes currently existing within the bikeway plan.

 

6.   Discussion and Action Item: Lecompton Vacancy

MPO staff shared the situation of the vacant Lecompton seat. Lecompton has been unsuccessful at finding and appointing a representative to fill their spot on the BAC, the Lecompton City Clerk informed MPO staff that they were unable to find a representative to serve in this position. The bylaws state that if they fail to fill their position or choose not to participate within 4 months notice of the vacancy, the BAC has the authority to elect a member by majority vote. The elected member will serve one complete three year term before the non participating jurisdiction can appoint a replacement.  We would like to introduce Rhonda Houser as a candidate for the vacant Lecompton seat. If you should choose to appoint her as a representative she will serve a three year term to fill the Lecompton Vacancy beginning in January 2011. Ms. Houser shared with the board her background and her love of bicycling. A motion to elect Rhonda Houser to fill the Lecompton seat was moved by Mr. Struckoff, seconded by Mr. Calton and passed unanimously.

 

  1. Discussion and Action Item: Review of Ordinance 17-114 Riding Abreast. Mr. Struckoff presented details of the current ordinance 17-114 adopted in 1997 prohibits “any person riding a bicycle upon any street, alley or sidewalk to ride abreast of any other person riding upon another bicycle.” This ordinance is more restrictive than the state ordinance for riding abreast which states that cyclists may ride no more than two abreast. He indicated that cyclists riding abreast in town were most often always on the quickest way out of town for a county road ride. Ms. Houser asked what the law stated for county roads. Mr. Struckoff clarified that if the county didn’t have a separate regulation the state law would apply. Ms. Mortinger indicated that there was no historical data to be found to indicate why Lawrence chose to make a more restrictive ordinance. A motion to recommend striking Ordinance 17-114 was moved by Mr. Arantowicz seconded by Mr. Jerome and passed unanimously.

 

  1. Discussion Item: Bicycle Parking in Downtown Lawrence Inventory

 

The MPO staff presented a draft copy of the Bicycle Parking in Downtown Lawrence Inventory produced by MPO staff and recommendations from the Lawrence Central Rotary Club (LCRC) to the BAC. Ms. Chinn Lewis, a representative of the LCRC said the club was grateful and optimistic about the opportunities for partnership to improve bicycle parking facilities starting in Downtown Lawrence. They have chosen bicycling promotion and education as their service designation. Their main focus has been on artfully designed bicycle parking racks installed and designed to make Lawrence more Bicycle Friendly. Their first project was the bicycle rack in front of Lawrence Arts Center and their second was the Ride Lawrence rack on the 800 block of Rhode Island. A discussion about recommendations was had by the committee. The committee was in general consensus that there was a need for more bicycle parking in the locations where individuals currently use trees to lock their bicycles. Mr. Struckoff argued a long term bicycle facility would be a great addition to the Downtown, especially at parking garages similar to what they have in Portland, Seattle and other cities. He also encouraged the BAC to continue the collaborative work with the LCRC. This discussion of needs and recommendations will be synthesized by MPO staff and added to the Inventory, a final draft will be brought back to the BAC in January 2011.

 

  1. Discussion Item: 7th Street Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge and Parallel Pathway Along Iowa Street

Mr. Struckoff discussed both the 7th Street Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge and Parallel Pathway along Iowa Street project ideas.

 

·         7th Street Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge: The proposal to recommend a study session for a bicycle and pedestrian bridge is not appropriate at this time. Not enough basic information is known about the site and the feasibility of the project. The project would provide an important link to the bikeway system, however, it is a difficult time to recommend a project with little known about the feasibility and funding required. The ideal situation would be to look at the entire area for link possibilities. MPO staff estimates at a bare minimum a bridge of this type would cost about 1 million dollars. MPO staff indicated this area would be added as an area with bicycle link challenges in the next MTP updates. However, at this time the specific link will not be identified unless the funding dramatically changes for a future connection in this area.

·         Parallel Pathway along Iowa Street: The impending project to rebuild Iowa Street has drawn to question the possibility of designing a parallel pathway. BAC members discussed routes they currently use parallel to Iowa Street. Due to the nature of the critical link and gateway the areas serves the BAC members present agreed that improving the walkway on the west side of Iowa would be the best option for a valid bikeway connection.

 

There was a consensus about the discussion and no action was taken on this discussion.

 

  1. Discussion Item: Bicycle and Pedestrian Counting Program for 2010

The MPO staff shared the 2009 and 2010 count results and projections based on the methodology developed by Alta Planning and Design and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. There are some differences to note from each year, so they aren’t automatically comparable. The project data has not been published yet by MPO staff on the website.

 

  1. Other Business

·         Mr. Struckoff shared an event that BAC members were invited to participate in: KanBikeWalk will host its 2010 Annual Meeting & Bike Ride with bicyclists, pedestrians and interested citizens from the region and across the State of Kansas.  Learn what KanBikeWalk has accomplished and help shape the future of bicycling and walking in Kansas. The event will be Saturday, November 20, 2010 at the Indian Creek Branch Olathe Library Meeting Room. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP by Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, to kanbike@comcast.net to help us plan food, drinks and accommodations for the meeting. For more information on KanBikeWalk and to join in support of a safer bicycling and walking environment in Kansas, go to:  www.kanbikewalk.com

 

·         MPO staff took the opportunity to Thank Mr. Struckoff and Ms. McClure for their terms of service to the BAC.

 

·         There will be no December BAC meeting; the next meeting will be January 18th 2011.

 

  1. Adjournment of Meeting

The meeting was adjourned.