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Home My WebLink About3-20-2014 bac minutes MISSION: The purpose of the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) is to provide oversight and policy direction on matters related to bicycle transportation in San Luis Obispo and its relationship to bicycling outside the City. ROLL CALL: CM Woolf called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Present: Jim Woolf (Chair), Howard Weisenthal (Vice Chair), Lea Brooks, Catherine Machado, and Arlene Winn. Absent: Chris Black, Peter Deragon Staff: Peggy Mandeville, Kevin Christian PUBLIC COMMENT: Gary Havas commented positively concerning progress made on the Bob Jones Trail with the recent bridge installation. He noted some difficulties with the new green lane on Madonna at Higuera, specifically that when cars stack up, merging on a bicycle by following the green lane seemed difficult. He also noted observing somebody using the green area as a crosswalk. He reported that a friend had complained that the bike light on Santa Barbara at Upham was not easily understood when traveling north on Santa Barbara and wanting to continue north on to Morro. Myron Amerine reported that he had used the green lane on Madonna and found it to be handy and working well. MINUTES: January 16, 2014 Action: CM Brooks moved to approve the January 16, 2014 meeting minutes as submitted. CM Machado seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. ACTION ITEMS: #1 There were no Action Items. Minutes Bicycle Advisory Committee Council Hearing Room, City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 7:00 pm DISCUSSION ITEMS: Agenda Item # 2: Committee Items • Way-Finding Signage Sub-Committee Report CM Woolf distributed a draft document entitled, Bicycle Way Finding Proposal for SLO. He summarized the design choices for way finding signage and discussed possible destinations for signage, e.g. downtown, Morro Bay, Amtrak, etc. He felt the signage should be aimed at bicycle tourists. He stated the LOVR entrance into town sign would be important. For south bound, he favored the route down Santa Rosa to Monterey over Chorro as it has Class II lanes. He asked for Committee feedback before forwarding the document to the Bike Coalition, the Bike Club, and the City Way Finding committee. CM Winn felt there shouldn’t be too much information on the signs and did not think including the timing (e.g. trip minutes) was necessary. She questioned if there is a State standard for bike route signage and expressed that following a standard is her preference. Mr. Havas felt the recognizable logo of the white bicycle on a green background was important. He also suggested including hostel and bike shop information on the signs. CM Machado agreed that using a consistent sign style was key, especially if California was moving to a statewide standard or if regional signage compatibility was available. Mr. Amerine favored the green/white sign style and felt directional arrows and trip timing are important for riders. He did not favor riders feeding onto Santa Rosa and felt Chorro St. was a better route for the south bound route. CM Winn agreed with green/white style and suggested reflective signs be used. CM Machado suggested a directional sign to the Chamber of Commerce. CM Woolf agreed to incorporate the feedback and bring the document back to the Committee for review. Staff will check on State signage standards for bicycle routes. • Bicycle Mode Share Sub-Committee Report CM Brooks reported that the sub-committee met with staff about how best to measure bicycle mode share. She requested that staff make available the 2012 bicycle count data that is currently being reviewed by staff, as well as 2014 data once it is compiled. She noted that the current (2012 and 2014) electronic counts don’t include bike path data. Staff noted they had access to counting equipment that could be employed for bike path counts or for specific key areas not currently included in the count locations. CM Weisenthal discussed the purpose of gathering the information, e.g. more facilities, street repairs, how to achieve 20% mode share goal, etc. CM Brooks discussed the Land Use Element Update (LUCE) workshop to be held at the library on May 31, which will be an opportunity to highlight mode sharing. Mr. Amerine discussed the consistency of “choke points” and suggested the Chorro/Lincoln intersection be used as a bike count location, as well as California/Foothill and Madonna/Higuera intersections. There was general process discussion on data gathering methods. CM Brooks agreed to make another presentation at the July meeting and would work with staff on where to do specific bike counts. She also intends to research other municipalities processes/methodology on both bike counts and mode share determination. • Distribution of Bicycling Information to Newcomers CM Brooks discussed the intent to have residential developers provide information to new residents about walking/biking/busing, instead of driving a car. She suggested the Committee could partner in developing an educational packet for newcomers, e.g. through the Chamber of Commerce and the City Hostess program. CM Winn suggested partnering with realtors to create and distribute this packet. CM Winn and CM Machado agreed to help with this effort. Action: CM Machado moved to establish a sub-committee to explore creation and distributing of bicycling information to newcomers, comprised of CM Brooks, CM Winn and herself. CM Woolf seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Agenda Item # 3: Staff Items Staff presented information on the following items: • Airport Area Specific Plan amendments status – Currently waiting for re-submittal of Chevron’s map. The topic is tentatively scheduled to be on the Planning Commission agenda in May and the City Council agenda in July. • Bicycle Transportation Plan APA and ITE Award Submittals • Railroad Safety Trail and Bob Jones Trail Updates – Bridge near LOVR and signal at the intersection of the trail and LOVR • Miscellaneous Bicycle Facility Improvements Projects Update – Green lane and re- configured bike box on Madonna at Higuera Street • Bicycle Transportation Plan Implementation Actions priorities – Staff suggested that the BAC review the Actions and consider what their top priorities • Advisory Body Recruitment – CM Peter Deragon was reappointed along with a new member, Paula Huddleston • May is Bike Month General BAC Member Comments: CM Brooks was concerned about safety issues for cyclists and pedestrians vs. vehicles and felt the police need to pay close attention to issues and enforce vehicular laws. CM Winn was concerned about the proposed compost facility on Orcutt Road in relation to area bike safety. ADJOURN CM Weisenthal moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. to the next regular meeting of May 15, 2014. CM Brooks seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Woske Recording Secretary G:\Transportation-Data\_Unsorted Stuff\Transportation\Transportation Committees\Bike Committee\BACminutes\2014