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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-17-2009 BAC minutesMINUTES Regular Meeting of the SAN LUIS OBISPO BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Council Hearing Room, City Hall 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo September 17, 2009 Thursday 7 p.m. MISSION: The purpose of the Bicycle Advisory Committee 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: Glen Matteson (Chair), Chris Black, Matt Colonell, Tim Gillham, Jim Woolf. Cheryl Lenhardt arrived late to the meeting. Kristina Seley (Vice Chair) was absent. Staff Members: Peggy Mandeville, Kevin Christian, Recording Secretary Janet Miller PUBLIC COMMENT: Morgan Marshall, San Luis Obispo Regional Rideshare, introduced the upcoming October event, “Commute for Cash Challenge”. MINUTES: July 16, 2009 Action: Motion to accept minutes with changes was made by CM Colonell and seconded by CM Gillham. The motion passed. PRESENTATION ITEMS: 1. Agenda Item # 1: Bob Jones Trail, County Tie-In at the Octagon Barn B.K. Richard, Trustee for the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo, gave a presentation on the Octagon Barn. He discussed history, culture, and architecture, along with recreational and education opportunities for the site. The purpose for his presentation to the committee was to inform committee members concerning the expected use of the site in relationship to the Bob Jones Trail, how it currently connects with the County plans (Buckley Road extension and Bikeway facilities), and a desire to have an integral working relationship with the City. Of particular concern is how the trail is to cross S. Higuera Street from the barn location to the proposed County Trail alignment, and potential City segment connection, on the west side of the street. A CD of his presentation is available for the committee. ACTION ITEMS: Agenda Item # 2: Subcommittee tasks for updating the Bicycle Transportation Plan (BTP) Subcommittee members: CM Lenhardt, CM Seley, CM Colonell CM Lenhardt provided the following outline of tasks for updating the City Circulation Element and the Bicycle Transportation Plan. Task 1: Determine and gather related information. (Existing Circulation Element, progress on items listed, evaluation if any conclusions can be made, etc.) Task 2: Identification of potential innovation introduced in the Circulation Element (or other similar guidance documents) of other cities. (Select a few similar communities listed by the League of American Bicyclists as “Bicycle Friendly Communities”, along with others internationally known for their biking culture.) Task 3: Divide review areas into distinct topics, schedule, and prioritize topics. (Goals, strategies, objectives, policies and programs) Task 4: Implement Task 3 and highlight primary and secondary limitations. (i.e. funding, regional appropriateness, and synergy with existing policies.) Task 5: Formalize any recommendations in a letter to the City. The subcommittee plans to meet one or two times between BAC meetings, report progress, and receive input at the BAC meetings. Task items 1 and 2 are targeted for completion and presentation to the BAC at the November 19, 2009 meeting. Action: There was general consensus by the committee to accept the sub-committee task recommendations. DISCUSSION ITEMS: Agenda Item # 3: Committee Member Items • Sidewalk Riding, Letter from Barry Lewis Staff noted that the law against sidewalk riding is in the City Municipal Code, not the California State Vehicle Code. CM Lenhardt suggested that the issue be addressed through education - pamphlet. CM Gillham noted the prohibitive cost of signs and sidewalk stenciling and noted that this was an education issue. CM Colonell and CM Woolf supported stencils on sidewalks. CM Lenhardt noted that stencils would receive wear and tear. CM Black noted that specific problem areas should be identified prior to taking any action. The intersection of Santa Rosa and Foothill was brought up as a location and he noted the unique bicycle environment their, and suggested the possible use of signal sensor stencils at the location. He did not support additional signage at the site. Staff noted that the intersection is CalTrans controlled and provided a description of observed bicycle, pedestrian and auto traffic. CM Woolf concurred with the stencil idea for the location. Gary Havas, San Luis Obispo, expressed support on the behalf of Barry Lewis’ letter concerning sidewalk riding. Mr. Havas suggested incorporating education into the Week of Welcome next year and other engagement with Cal Poly. Additionally, he suggested creating a pilot project location for stencils on the sidewalk. CM Gillham suggested running an advertisement in the Mustang Daily. CM Black suggested providing posters and fine notification at the Farmers Market Bike Valet. Staff will solicit input from the Police Department, various list serves, research pamphlet options, and research the possibility of providing signal actuation legends for west bound bicyclists on Foothill Blvd., at Santa Rosa. • County Bicycle Advisory Committee Update CM Woolf provided an update to the Committee. He noted that they discussed the use of motorized devices on Class I trails, and utilized some materials generated by the City BAC. Due to the complexity of the issue, they did not take any action and will study it further. Agenda Item # 4: Staff Items • Madonna Inn Bike Path: Staff provided an update. • Bicycle Rodeo: Staff discussed the upcoming event and requested volunteers for the helmet adjustment station. • Path bollards near Meadow Park: Staff discussed the recently submitted, City Engineering Standard change request for bollard design and location. CM Lenhardt noted that the ADA ramp on the cul-de-sac side had a difficult lip for the bicycle users. Mr. Gary Havas discussed the difficult height and location of bollards at the site. • Chevron Tank Farm Specific Plan Amendment: Staff noted that process was moving along. • Bill Roalman Bicycle Boulevard Sign Height: Staff noted that the sign height did meet regulations. Staff discussed that signs would be changing in the future. Mr. Havas discussed that Council meeting discussion on the Bill Roalman Bike Boulevard at the 9/15/09 Council meeting. Staff discussed the Council points and noted code enforcement issues. • Mountain biking component of Bicycle Transportation Plan. Mr. Havas discussed his meetings with Greg Bettencourt of Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers (3CMB) concerning trail maintenance and use. Mr. Havas volunteered to serve as a liaison between 3CMB and the BAC meetings. • Special Bike Count. Staff noted that for Bicycle Boulevard assessment purposes, a special bike count needs to be conducted. Normal counts are biannual and the last was conducted in 2008. The special count is proposed for the second week of October, 2009. The count is proposed for the following two intersection locations: Osos/Leff, Morro/Leff. • Staff Mandeville thanked Kevin Christian for conducting bicycling awareness training sessions with First Transit bus operators. • Tentative agenda items for next meeting • Annual Traffic Safety and Operations Report • Railroad Safety Trail Update, Phase 3 • Sub-Committee Report • Railroad Safety Trail access into Sinsheimer Park. ADJOURNMENT: CM Lenhardt motioned, and was seconded by CM Woolf to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 pm. G:\Transportation-Data\_Unsorted Stuff\Transportation\Transportation Committees\Bike Committee\BAC Minutes\2009\091709minutes.doc