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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBIKE PED MINUTES AUG_16_2012 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES AUGUST 16, 2012 PRESENT: Adam Bellcorelli, Michael Lizotte, James Michelson and Nicholas Robinson ABSENT: Steven Herman, Melanie Hunt and Brian Kienert STAFF: Christopher Strong, Transportation Director David Buck, Principal Planner Jennifer Weigand, Recording Secretary CALL TO ORDER Chairman Lizotte called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Bellcorelli moved to accept the minutes from the July 19, 2012 meeting. Mr. Michelson seconded the motion. Motion carried (4-0). NEW BUSINESS 1. REVIEW OF BICYCLE ROUTE ACCOMMODATIONS IN 2012 PAVING PROJECTS. Mr. Strong gave a summary on each of the four segments proposed: a) Irving Avenue, b) 5th/6th Avenue, c) Osborn/12th Avenue and d) 17th Avenue. a) In reference to Irving Avenue, Mr. Lizotte questioned if sharrows are not being put down because the City is not putting in a centerline. He asked if a centerline was put down, then could the sharrows be put down. Mr. Strong replied that according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a centerline is required if there are over 10,000 vehicles per day on the street. Irving Avenue presently carries 5,000 – 6,000 vehicles per day. Mr. Lizotte recommended that the City take the lane markings up to a level where sharrows could be placed. Mr. Michelson felt sharrows would provide more protection for bicyclists than signage. Mr. Buck reiterated that a centerline is necessary for the placement of sharrows. Mr. Lizotte pointed out that if the standard definition of width was used, there would be a problem in some places, like schools, where the streets are narrower. Mr. Strong suggested one option in these places could be to direct the bicyclists to the sidewalks. Mr. Lizotte said this could be a recommendation from the Safe Routes to School Coordinator seeing it is not in conjunction with our plan. Mr. Bellcorelli asked if Mr. Strong made the signage recommendation because there are no markings on the road. Mr. Strong replied, “Yes.” BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN Page 2 AUGUST 16, 2012 Mr. Bellcorelli asked about the cost difference between signage and placement of sharrows. Mr. Lizotte noted sharrows are more expensive as shown on page 8-19 of the City of Oshkosh Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan. Mr. Bellcorelli felt Irving Avenue would be the perfect street to start with sharrows. Mr. Lizotte noted that there is no centerline line painted on Elmwood Avenue and there are bike lanes painted on both sides of that street. He questioned if painting a centerline for bike lanes was a street policy or a soft policy. Mr. Strong replied it was a soft policy. Mr. Strong noted that there is a curing compound applied to new roads, which causes a time delay before paint can be applied. It was the general consensus of the Board to paint sharrows on Irving Avenue from Elmwood Avenue to Menominee Park. b) In reference to 5th/6th Avenue, the Board unanimously agreed to look at this item after the completion of the CVS pharmacy. c) In reference to Osborn/12th Avenue, Mr. Lizotte noted this is a clear alternative to 9th Avenue. However, if we only put up signs, why a bicyclist would prefer to take this street at all. He believes there is an educational value to pavement markings. He feels it is worth the money to put them down. Mr. Robinson questioned if it is better to give cyclists a back road route or make the main road safer. In the future, Mr. Lizotte would like to see signs erected informing bicyclists where the next safe route is. The downtown area is where it gets confusing. Mr. Buck said as streets get developed, it is not appropriate to be switching routes. Mr. Lizotte said we need to take into consideration fire routes when planning these routes. Mr. Lizotte suggested switching this route to South Park Avenue, east of South Park. Mr. Lizotte recommended holding off on signage. It was the general consensus of the Board to paint sharrows on Osborn Avenue from Knapp Street to Koeller Street. Mr. Buck said he doesn’t put a lot of faith in a sign. He feels the striping tells you as it is. Mr. Michelson said the Board needs to focus on the major streets that will make a difference. d) In reference to 17th Avenue, the Board unanimously agreed to look at this item at a later date. 2. DISCUSSION OF 2013 PAVING PROJECTS This item was laid over until the next meeting. 3. DISCUSSION OF 2014 PAVING PROJECTS BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN Page 3 AUGUST 16, 2012 This item was laid over until the next meeting. STAFF STATEMENTS 4. REPORT ON POTENTIAL SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS Mr. Strong explained that it is cheaper for sidewalk improvements if they are part of a street project. However, the City can order property owners to put them in if the properties are within the City. Mr. Michelson said we have an obligation to protect the pedestrians in this area. He suggested that if the township does not participate, pedestrians will create their own paths. Mr. Strong understood that there was no clear funding mechanism to construct the entire section of sidewalk on Jackson Street because of the town parcels. Mr. Michelson did not think we should wait for two parcels. He feels it is way better to protect 90% of the people than none. Mr. Buck suggested contacting the township and county about this. Mr. Strong said he would try contacting them about this matter. Mr. Bellcorelli asked if the City could pay for the installation of these two sidewalks. Mr. Strong indicated that would not be doable. Mr. Buck questioned if this may be eligible for some type of funding. Mr. Michelson felt Jackson Street is paramount and the Committee can’t give up on this one. 5. SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL GRANT. Mr. Strong said the focus of the infrastructure funding is primarily to encourage greater motorist awareness of children going to and from school. The non-infrastructure funding supports a variety of educational, encouraging and enforcement activities. 6. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Mr. Strong asked Committee members interested in having items on the agenda to contact him. In the event meeting agendas become too long, these items can be added to a running list for inclusion at a future meeting. Mr. Bellcorelli inquired if the City had someone who could build a website for online bike registration and committee information. Mr. Strong replied the City did have someone in-house who could possibly do this. Mr. Bellcorelli informed the Board he did start up an open group on Facebook called Oshkosh Rolling & Strolling AC, where it keeps everyone abreast of what the Committee is working on. AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING • None. ADJOURNMENT BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN Page 4 AUGUST 16, 2012 There being no other business to come before the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, and upon being duly moved and seconded (Bellcorelli, Michelson), the meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.