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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes CITY OF OSHKOSH SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD Minutes January 7,2019 PRESENT: Margy Davey, Michelle Bogden Muetzel, Pat Dwyer Hallquist,Vic Oliver,Jake Krause, Robert Turner,Jason Kalmbach, Adam Maslowski, Lurton Blassingame EXCUSED: None ABSENT: None STAFF AND OTHERS: Steven Wiley, Tom Ekvall (Oshkosh Herald), Scott Williams (Oshkosh Media), Nathan Bettger, several Oshkosh residents I. Call to Order Chair Margy Davey called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm and a quorum was declared present. II. Public Comment Chair Davey asked if there were public comments. She asked for any comments regarding items that were not on the agenda. Mr. Bettger of 1875 Woodstock Street commented on the urban beekeeping ordinance. He proposed amending the ordinance to allow a maximum hive volume of 12 cubic feet rather than the maximum dimensions of 36"x24"x24" as was currently the case. He stated that a top bar hive was much better for the bees. He also proposed amending the flyway barrier requirement to require the barrier if the hive was to be located within a certain distance (25 feet perhaps) of a property line. He explained the difficulties he had when applying for a beekeeping permit before the SAB meeting. Chair Davey then asked if there were comments regarding items that were on the agenda. Gen Steinhilber of 340 N. Westhaven Drive had signed a petition to have parking restored on Westhaven Drive. She went to the Traffic Advisory Board and the board had recommended a compromise of reinstalling parking on the east side of the street. She explained that many of the people in the condos where she lives were elderly. She mentioned that parking is limited and that the bike lanes were not used. She asked how many SAB members had bike lanes in front of their houses. Bjorn Kienert of 1647 Sanders Street stated that he felt he represented the entire cycling community. He invited as many people as possible and said that he had just seen the notification an hour before the meeting. He stated that the bike lanes in question are quite heavily used and that there was a bike shop right near there. The lanes were used by people going to the YMCA and he explained that he was on the Bike and Ped. Committee and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan took awhile to get off the ground. He explained the safety issues when cyclists and automobiles collide and he wanted to honor the memory of the cyclists that had not survived collisions. He mentioned the safety issues and precedent being set if the bike lanes were removed. He did not want to go backwards and impact the safety of cyclists and have a ripple effect in the community. Judy Seiler of 384 N.Westhaven Drive said she had never seen people use the lanes. Her street was more like a highway and one cyclist rode his bike on the sidewalk due to safety. Westhaven Drive was not a street that warranted bike lanes. It was harder for friends and family trying to visit because they had to park around the corner of the block. She said it was hard for her to figure out where to have their visitors park. She has not seen more than two people ride on that lane. She thought the lanes would impact potential sales when she and others were looking to sell their properties. Lois Jaenke of 480 N. Westhaven Drive then spoke. She agreed with everyone who had spoken. She mentioned the parking in front of St. Raphael's Church and explained that they would like to see parking reinstalled similar to the church. She mentioned a serious accident where a pedestrian was almost ran over on her sidewalk. The traffic was very fast and she thought the bike lanes were unsafe. Her driveway was short and parking was inconvenient. Ed Pollex of 460 N. Westhaven Drive spoke and said that they were not trying to take the bike lanes away. He wanted to see parking like at St. Raphael's Church. The street was the same width most of its length so he believed parking was possible. Carl Ticks of 386 N. Westhaven Drive said that he would not use the bike lane due to safety concerns. He would like to see the bike lane taken out. Tim Greenwald of 2491 Springmill Drive spoke and was there because of safety. In his 10+years living on the corner of N. Westhaven Drive and Springmill Drive he was on his third light pole, through two fire hydrants and through multiple street signs that were knocked down in accidents. He said traffic often went through at 40 or 45 mph. The bike lanes were not very wide. He often saw tire tracks over his yard. The farther away traffic could be from the curb the better and he was supportive of the way the street was set up near St. Raphael's. Chair Davey asked Mr. Greenwald if his driveway was on Westhaven Drive. Mr. Greenwald replied affirmatively. Emily Dieringer with Winnebago County Health Department then spoke. She worked with pedestrian and bicycle improvements and explained why they supported bike lanes. Safety was a main concern and with the road width, she supported designing the road for all road users. The dedicated separate space for cyclists would improve safety. Streets were public, shared spaces that should account for as many users as possible. North Westhaven Drive was a major connector street. She supported having bike lanes for users who are limited in their transportation options. Social connections were also a consideration. The allowing of bicycles on sidewalks in Oshkosh was an anomaly and a safety issue for pedestrians. The road was safer for people to ride bicycles. A bicycle is considered a motor vehicle in Wisconsin. Chair Davey asked Ms. Dieringer to explain this particular section of the bike route. Ms. Dieringer stated that west of 41 there are not many roads connected north-south. Most people wanted to use the shortest distance from A to B. From a regional connection standpoint,the Oshkosh network connected with other major trails and networks. She emphasized the importance of long-term plans. She explained that more scrutiny was often the case for bike lanes than for road installation by itself. Chair Davey asked about the advantage of having a bike lane when there was a dedicated bus/transit route. Ms. Dieringer stated that often fixed route transit will not extend all the way to key amenities (DMV for example). Often a cyclist can connect with the bus route, use the bus and then cycle on to the destination. Chair Davey stated that users cannot ride the bus 24 hours a day. Ms. Dieringer then answered questions. She explained that potential design challenges occur at intersections. She emphasized that residents cannot know entirely who uses the bike lanes but that traffic counts can provide data. She mentioned that not everyone in Oshkosh has access to a car. Chair Davey asked if SAB members had questions. Mr. Kalmbach asked if any traffic counts occurred. Ms. Dieringer stated that counts have not yet occurred in the past few years but that they could occur in the upcoming summer. Mr. Turner asked what the speed limit was. Ms. Dieringer explained that posted and actual speed limits were just one factor in why roads felt safe or unsafe. She explained that design was a consideration. Ms. Dieringer explained that the segment of Westhaven Drive by St. Raphael's was slightly wider (1 or 2 feet). She said that the bike lane standard width in Wisconsin was 5 feet. She stated that 4' widths were no longer standard per DOT. She believed more research would have to occur before implementing the compromise. Mr. Krause mentioned the analysis section of the previous Council memo. He explained the total width of 40 feet. He said that the existing width of the road limited the City's options. Ms. Dieringer explained that narrowing lane width reduced speeds. Mr. Krause stated that bike lanes were the future going forward. III. Approval of Minutes,December 3rd,2018 Chair Davey asked if any board members had any revisions to the minutes. No members had revisions so the board approved the minutes 9-0. (Turner/Blassingame) IV. Westhaven Drive-Bike Lanes-Discussion/Action Mr. Wiley gave a brief overview of the background leading up to the bike lane discussion. He mentioned that the route on Westhaven Drive was included in the original 2011 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan. He stated that the Bicycle and Pedestrian Circulation Committee would usually select proposed routes to implement and the Traffic Review Advisory Board would weigh in before the item went to the Common Council for review and approval. Mr. Wiley stated that he was told by other staff that the area residents were mailed a notification informing them of the plans to implement bike lanes on Westhaven Drive back in 2017. Mr. Wiley explained the current situation of two 5'bike lanes and two 15' travel lanes and the potential to maintain this as it was, eliminate the bike lanes altogether or compromise with two 4'bike lanes, two 12' travel lanes and one 8' parking lane on the east side of the street. Mr. Wiley stated that he would find out whether 4'bike lanes were used in any other location in the City. Chair Davey asked if the curve along Westhaven Drive created any line of sight issues. Ms. Dieringer stated that parked cars along a curve were another potential hazard people would have to look around (quoting Councilor Steve Herman). Mr. Turner believed the compromise was reasonable. Chair Davey asked the board to consider whether the board should recommend additional enforcement and traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps. Mr. Blassingame stated that the two travel lanes near Festival and Aurora were necessary. Mr. Kalmbach stated that dedicated bikers were not necessarily dissuaded from using the Westhaven Drive bike lanes. Ms. Dwyer-Hallquist stated that she did not like to bike on a busy road with a lot of traffic. Mr. Blassingame emphasized creating roads for all users and that it would be hard for him to support overruling what other committees have done with the implementation of the current bike lanes. Ms. Bogden Muetzel explained that some kind of bike lane was required along Westhaven Drive. Chair Davey asked Mr. Maslowski and Ms. Oliver for their thoughts. Ms. Oliver stated that bicycles were the future and that she would like to make the community sustainable. She was not necessarily comfortable taking action on the item. Mr. Maslowski echoed Ms. Oliver. Chair Davey stated that she would recommend leaving the bike lanes in place and would rather stick with the plan based on the information presented. Mr. Blassingame stated that he would go out and look at the existing lanes. Mr. Kalmbach asked Mr. Wiley to check on whether the City used 4'bike lanes in any other locations. The board voted 9-0 to lay over the item until the February meeting. V.UW-Oshkosh Environmental Studies Projects-Fall 2018-Update Chair Davey asked Mr. Wiley for a quick update on this item. Mr. Wiley stated that he had not received the final reports from Professor Feldman s class yet,but that he would check back with Mr. Feldman on the reports. Once he obtained the reports he would post them for the Council, Plan Commission and SAB. VI. Environmental Leadership Award -Update Mr. Wiley provided a brief update. He explained that the award nomination materials were posted on the SAB website and that the nomination period was open until January 31,1. Mr. Wiley had not received any additional nominations beyond the original one submitted prior to the last SAB meeting. VII. 2019 Oshkosh Farmers Market Handout-Update Ms. Oliver distributed copies of the handout. The handouts were each a quarter of an 8.5"x11" sheet. She explained that she was looking at adding a graphic to the handout. She was also still working on the creation of the SAB Facebook page and she stated that she would be an administrator for this page. She and Emily Springstroh from Oshkosh Media had met and could do an interview regarding the SAB. VIII.Agenda Items for Future Meeting The next meeting would include further discussion and action regarding the Westhaven Bike Lanes, 2019 SAB goals,update on the Facebook page, the Fall 2018 student projects and if possible,updates on the bee and chicken ordinances. IX. Next Meeting, Monday,February 4,2019-City Hall Room 404 IX. Adjourn The board voted 9-0 to adjourn at 7:17 pm (Blassingame/Turner). Recorded by: Steven Wiley,Assistant Planner