City of Lawrence

Lawrence – Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee

August 17, 2015 Minutes

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Lisa Hallberg, Erin Paden, Bill Anderson, Jim MacMurray, David Hamby, Rod Hernandez

MEMBERS ABSENT:

Dan Ashley, Jacki Becker, Justin Eddings

STAFF PRESENT:

Stephen Mason, Jessica Mortinger, Carol Fittell, Seokwon Kim

PUBLIC PRESENT:

Rebecca Garza, Tom Peters, Tom Worker-Braddock, Mary Orem, Pat Weaver, Steve Hitchcock

 

1.   Call Meeting to Order and Introductions

The meeting was called to order at 5:04 p.m. A quorum was present and introductions were made.

 

2.   Action Item: Approval of the July 20th Minutes

Jessica Mortinger noted the changes to the draft July minutes provided in the agenda packet based on comments from Jim MacMurray. A motion to approve the July minutes as revised was moved by Bill Anderson, seconded by Bill Anderson and passed unanimously.

 

3.   Discussion Item: League Certified Instructors

Jessica Mortinger welcomed the League Certified Instructors to the BAC meeting and asked those present with events planned to share the details of their work. Rebecca Garza presented information on the upcoming Safe Routes to School Fair at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School on September 10th at 6 PM. The event would be an opportunity to revisit the proposed routes and get feedback with a second round of public comments. Physical Education teachers from the elementary and middle school level have been incorporating bicycle safety in their curricula and would also be involved. Stephen Mason added that stations would be available to teach kids about bike racks, equipment, and etiquette. Pat Weaver presented information on the “Bike Smart, Drive Smart” event on August 31st outside Mrs. E’s at Daisy Hill and the KU Visitor Center parking lot from 6 to 8 PM targeted primarily for incoming KU freshmen. Pat noted partners for the event were the KU Center for Sustainability, Recreation Services, and Student Housing departments and that Coca-Cola would be donating two bicycles to giveaway. Stephen Mason suggested Farnsworth bicycles as a fun resource for students to bike at the KU event. Bill Anderson asked if students are allowed to take bicycles inside to their dorm rooms. Pat Weaver noted as per KU housing policy, bicycles were not allowed in dorm rooms. Tom Peters asked if KU has considered a bike share program. Pat Weaver noted bike-share has been considered by KU and other organizations including the BAC in the past. Stephen Mason gave an update to the BAC on the number of trained League Certified Instructors and asked the committee on their thoughts on how best to use/advertise the skills they acquired. Bill Anderson asked if LCIs could be a resource at schools. Stephen noted a proposal was underway for a bike fleet. Rebecca Garza added schools designated as Tier 1 for Safe Routes to School such as Woodlawn Elementary and Liberty Memorial Central Middle Schools had access to bikes at events but a bike fleet of around 25 bikes would be able to go around to each school in the region. David Hamby asked if education geared towards adults could be offered, specifically for commuters. Rebecca Garza noted parents who attend the school events are asking about bike education materials for adults. Bill Anderson asked if the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department has specifically invited parents to the education events. Rebecca Garza noted the events were more geared towards getting kids instructions and time on the bicycles since the events have a limited amount of time. Jessica Mortinger asked what the timeline was for bicycle education classes. Stephen Mason noted the deadline for Summer/Fall 2016 classes would be sometime around late February. Tom Worker-Braddock suggested education for adults could perhaps be focused on annual bike to work day with the Peaslee work force center potentially being a target. David Hamby noted contacting the Human Resources departments of the 15 largest employers in Lawrence could open opportunities for adult bicycle education.

 

4.   Discussion Item: Bike Ped Counts

Jessica Mortinger noted so far 14 volunteers had signed up for the 7th year of bicycle and pedestrian counts in the Lawrence – Douglas County region. Jessica added that locations with construction projects planned were being considered as locations for this year. Bill Anderson asked if 21st St and Iowa St would be counted and that he would welcome more count locations along Iowa St. Jessica Mortinger noted that this location had been counted in previous years. She asked BAC members to provide any additional locations they would like to request counts for as soon as possible. She asked members to help recruit volunteers and share the volunteer flyer.

 

5.   Discussion Item: Share the Road Information

Jessica Mortinger presented Share the Road information with bicycle, motorist, and pedestrian safety tips from the City’s website and asked the BAC for feedback. David Hamby indicated he would send any edits to Jessica via email. Steve Hitchcock noted information that is concise and to the point would be effective and that not everyone thinks of pedestrian rules and tips when compared to cyclists and motorists.

 

6.   Other Business/Updates

Pedestrian – Bicycle Issues Task Force - Jessica Mortinger noted the Pedestrian – Bicycle Issues Task Force would be meeting August 19th at 6:30 at the City Commission room and that information for the event would be available online if anyone was interested.

 

Rides - Lisa Hallberg noted the BAC had hosted rides to BAC meetings in other Douglas County cities in the past and asked the committee if there was interest in coordinating something similar for next month. Jessica Mortinger suggested meeting in Eudora at 5 PM.

 

Bicycle Corrals - Jessica Mortinger noted that Jacki Becker would accompany her to discuss downtown bicycle parking and bike corrals with Downtown Lawrence Inc. Jessica indicated the percentage for bike parking to car parking spot was only 6.6% which was below the current requirement of 1 per 10 for commercial development in Lawrence. Michael Almon was not present at the BAC meeting and submitted documentation and requested it be included in the minutes. Please find it attached.

 

Bike Safety Campaign - David Hamby shared a free bike ad campaign template which originated in Pittsburgh, PA, and asked the BAC if this could be used in the Lawrence – Douglas County region. Rebecca Garza noted local celebrities featured in the Safe Routes to School project could be incorporated into similar bicycle education advertising. Stephen Mason added he would look into using the template for Parks and Recreation materials.

 

7.   Public Comments

There were none.

 

8.   Adjournment of Meeting and Announcement of Next Meeting

The meeting ended at 6:10 PM. The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for September 14th, 2015 at 5PM.

 

9.   Attachments sent to the BAC from Michael Almon