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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-02-02 - BPAC Minutes Meeting Minutes DESCHUTES COUNTY BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE Thursday, February 3, 2012 - Noon to 2:00pm Redmond City Hall, 716 SW Evergreen Members Present: Cheryl Howard, Michele Sims, Chuck Humphreys, Matt Martin, Bill Braly, Mary Barron, Eli Ashley, Jim Stone Agency: Kim Curley-Commute Options, Peter Russell- Deschutes County Planning, Rick Root-City of Bend, Mike Caccavano-City of Redmond, Jon Williams-City of Redmond, Shirlee Evans-Redmond City Councilor Audio recording of this meeting is archived for review and/or transcription. The purpose of this document is to outline topics of discussion and actions by the Committee. Call to Order Meeting was called to order at 12:05pm. Introductions Approval of Prior Minutes Rick Root had a small correction to the previous minutes. A motion was made and seconded to approve the January 2012 BPAC meeting minutes with the amendment. The minutes were approved unanimously. Review design for bike lane/sidewalk connection to Ridgeview High School on S. Canal Mike Caccavano discussed the recent improvements to 27th Street in Redmond that include sidewalks and bike lanes. 27th Street ends at a roundabout that is currently under construction. The curb work and storm system are nearly complete and the contractor will continue working as long as the weather remains favorable. Pumice / Dry Canyon Stairs The stairs have been completed, and there is still work to do on the associated trail. Upcoming Projects: Maple Stairs This project is currently in the design phase, with preliminary plans to be submitted soon. 6th Street: Deschutes – Jackpine Construction will commence on this project after Labor Day 2012. SW Deschutes / Dry Canyon Construction will commence on this project spring 2012. S. Canal Bike Lanes / Sidewalk Construction will begin start in spring 2012. The project is a continuation of sidewalks and a bike lane through the new roundabout. The sidewalks are 7’ wide and will transition directly into a shared use trail to the high school. There was discussion about the path in Sisters and a question whether it is wide enough for multiple users of varying abilities. Chuck will measure the path, as no one has a record of the exact width. The Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan recommendations are for a 10’ width for a shared-use path. There are some right-of-way restrictions that limit the available width for construction. Mike Caccavano will be seeking a speed reduction through that area between the roundabout and the school zone. Chuck suggested narrowing the travel lanes to gain additional width for the path. Kim suggested that some education on “how to get to school” might be appropriate when the school opens. Education for bicyclists on “how to take a lane” in the roundabout is also needed. Eli suggested that Helmholtz Road would also be a nice place for a bike lane. Sharrows on 5th and 6th Streets There was some question as to whether this is the best solution. The existing sharrows were placed a minimum distance from the curb, which places them close to the parking spaces. Redmond is considering changing the parking spaces from 8’ to 7’ wide to increase bike lane width. 6th Street will be striped with the following dimensions when it is finished: 7’ parking, 11’ lane, 10’ lane, 5’ bike lane, 7’ parking (left to right cross section). Sharrows will be used in the downtown area, but not north of town. Redmond Bicycle Refinement Plan Ideas regarding implementation, ridership goals and separated facilities were presented and discussed. Redmond is working with Community Development on a Bicycle Refinement Plan. They want to pull in some of the local bicycling community to help. Ideas under discussion/consideration include: how to attain ridership goals; education; how to address commuters; on-street versus separated facilities; and what is the best use of funds. It was asked how BPAC help in this process. Kim announced that Commute Options has received a grant for bike safety education to be used in some of the local schools (Sage Elementary). The City of Redmond would like to address areas that are impediments to bike travel and develop a corridor plan for bicycle travel. Kim suggested setting up a Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, including local community members, to explore the options. Access Plan It was reported that this project has grown from a ramp inventory to an access plan. The goal is to develop a map of the bicycle facilities, and to set some priorities. The plan will also account for connectivity; including home to school and school to parks. Mike Caccavano said that Redmond is not building new streets, except for those in new developments, and the emphasis is on updating existing roads. Therefore, some roads may not meet the current design standard. Rick Root mentioned that Bend’s older streets were from 29- 30’ wide, then went to a 36’ wide standard, now heading back towards 30’ wide (the current Bend Standard is 32’ wide). He mentioned that the biggest resistance to narrow streets is from the fire department. Updates (part one): Sisters Chuck Humphreys reported on the request for ODOT to change the speed limit on Hwy 242 west of Sisters. The existing school zone is very short. ODOT’s speed study resulted in the 85th percentile speed of 54 MPH at McKinney Butte (location of High School), 44 MPH at the middle school and 46 MPH at Hood Street. The resulting proposal is to lower the speed from 55 to 50 to 40 MPH and increase the length of the school zone. ODOT also offered to set up a speed trailer on the road. City of Sisters would like to see the speed limit lowered to 35 MPH, but the study does not warrant that. Kim suggested that since the majority of traffic on that road is local residents, an effort at outreach and education to drive the speed limit would be appropriate. BPAC Business: Safe Sidewalk Nominations Cheryl reported that BPAC will delay the Safe Sidewalk Awards because we have not had significant snow yet this winter. We will move this to March, assuming winter will arrive. Use of Irrigation District ROW for Trails Cheryl also addressed setting up a subcommittee to discuss establishing trails along canal routes, including North Unit and Central Oregon Irrigation Districts. Tri-County Summit The Tri-County Summit will be held on Tuesday, 19 June 2012. Update on Planning Commission’s 1/26 public hearing on the TSP and bikeway designation Peter Russell reported that the Deschutes County Planning Commission is moving along on the TSP. They will begin deliberations on 9 February. There are several bikeway designation packages in the proposals. The Deschutes River Bridge from Bend and Parks and Recreation district is not included in the TSP, but still may be considered. Updates (cont.): South County Jim Stone reported that planning is still in progress. He also noted that the Sunriver-Lava Butte trail has been postponed for a year. Mary reported that the environmental assessment is to be rewritten because the number of trees that needed to be removed was incorrect. Bend Rick reported that the Galveston group met with businesses along the route and the outcome was opposition to medians. The topic will be discussed further and brought back to BPAC. ODOT Mary reported that the Century Drive project is still going forward and is to bid on 5 April, with construction to start this spring. Commute Options Sage Elementary got an ACTS mini-grant to write an action plan this spring. The Safe Routes to Schools funding is under fire at the federal level and our statewide resources are tapped out for now. There is no telling what may come of the federal Transportation bill in the coming months. Governor’s Non-road Transportation Funding Group Cheryl reported that there is a huge excel spreadsheet that has been developed to help identify funding options for future projects. She asks that anyone who would like to help review this is more than welcome – and the help would be appreciated. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 2:00pm. Note: Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 1, 2012 at Bend City Hall