HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee - 03/17/2021
South Burlington Bike & Pedestrian Committee
Approved Special Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, March 17, 2021 @ 5:30 p.m.
Meeting was held virtually
Committee Attendees: Shawn Goddard (Chair), Cathy Frank (Vice-Chair), Nic Anderson (Clerk), Bob Britt,
Donna Leban, Dana Farr, Amanda Holland, Havaleh Gagne
Other Attendees: Ashley Parker (City Liaison), Jonathon Weber (Local Motion)
1. Welcome and clarification of meeting procedures
2. Changes or additions to the agenda.
a. Cathy – Obrien property next hearing before DRB is April 20th. Spent a lot of time with
suggestions from the committee. One of those was bike path down Old Farm Rd. They
balked at that and may bring something to that meeting about that. Will have their docs
at next meeting to see what they are proposing.
b. Sketch Plan going before DRB on April 6th for Long Property. Proposing 49 units to south
of South Pointe and is a key connection between South Village and Underwood. Should
discuss and have comments for DRB. Since Cathy lives there, she has recused herself
from speaking on behalf of Bike Ped. Need committee to attend to ensure this key
connection is done.
c. Shawn – Will discuss later after the I-89 discussion.
3. Comments from the public not related to the agenda.
a. No public present and nothing to discuss.
4. Discuss the CCRPC I-89 2050 Study & Finalize Comments
a. Cathy - Goal is to make recommendation of various options for interchanges.
b. Havaleh – Should also discuss the weighting of the metrics. If we have an outcome
desired
c. Shawn – Spend about 15 mins discussing weighting and then recommendations.
d. Nic – CCRPC already have these. Thought tonight was more about discussing the
options.
e. Havaleh – Lets talk about the weighting at least because its not due until the 22nd.
f. Nic – Two deliverables. One is weighting comments to CCRPC and the other is a
recommendation to City Council
g. Shawn – Lets discuss metrics and weighting.
h. Nic – Need to discuss if we think one or the other is more important.
i. Donna – Need to also think about the details such as safety not just all users but
particularly bike ped.
j. Shawn pulled up details in presentation
k. Cathy – Found it was easier to talk metrics when it was specific to the interchanges.
l. Shawn – Clarified how we should discuss it.
m. Started with Exit 14.
n. Cathy – Need to acknowledge that a bike ped bridge could be done quicker. This may
never be done.
o. Jonathon noted that the diverging diamond does not increase capacity, just makes it
safer.
p. Donna – DD safer from a bike ped perspective. Confusing and may not be better for
safety.
q. Bob – Could be better for bikes and mass transit.
r. Jonathon – Huge benefit for vehicle safety. Less crashes for cars.
s. Bob – Meets metric for being direct. Much better for commuters.
t. Shawn – More flexibility for crossing Williston Rd separately. Very efficient for bike/ped.
Showed vid from Exit 16. Sticky point for 14 is the crossing points at the flow areas on
and off highway at right turns
u. Donna – Still concerned with the uncontrolled crossings each way.
v. Shawn – There are more uncontrolled in the Cloverleaf.
w. Havaleh – What about paint?
x. Shawn – Straw vote on DD got most votes
y. On to Exit 12B
z. Written comments from Bob submitted before meeting (below)
aa. Donna – Doesn’t think building sooner would actually be a good thing. May actually
increase negative impacts.
bb. Cathy – Will change traffic patterns, not be good for residential areas, creates too much
commercial and industrial.
cc. Bob – But don’t we want to concentrate industrial/commercial and be a big city.
dd. Donna – We want development but not the traffic levels that will be created by this
interchange. Will be more bike ped friendly if there is not an interchange. Liked
comments from Affordable Housing Committee that Hinesburg Road is a more quieter
part of town.
ee. Cathy – People would start using it as a back way to get into Winooski using Patchen Rd
and Route 15. Could add more traffic to urban area roads.
ff. Shawn – Bobs comments articulated commercial benefits. Weird thing about this
interchange is that its wedged between commercial and residential. Could impact safety
of kids on all residential etc. All traffic going to airport would be going down there.
gg. Bob – Comments support if the other roads are done, then it would work. Would need
rec path all the way to Cheesefactory. Have to take the whole bundle of other roads at
the same time.
hh. Shawn – This would add a third exit to City and would be a significant impact, rather
than 2 using feeder roads like Kennedy.
ii. Nic – Concern of goal around commercial benefit takes away the goal of livability for
those on Hinesburg rd. Concerned that 12B would only work if the feeder roads were
built at the same time to get vehicles to Kimball instead of using Hinesburg Rd
jj. Havaleh – 13 could meet goals of commercial and would help with livability. Likely
could not be needed in 20 years. Not sure if it took into account the Obrien farm
development
kk. Amanda – Conflicted. Not digging the Tilley Dr connection as it creates more city street
needs. Has been planned for a long time. As a regional planner, would rather
commercial development be kept here instead of taking over open space. Also agree
that it would open up residential to truck traffic.
ll. Shawn – Sounds like hearing more people support 13 over 12B.
mm. On to exit 13
nn. Single Use Diamond – Cathy - This one meets the needs of being direct. Could easily do
a small branch over to the bike path beside 189 which would be great. Connects all the
way to Shelburne Rd from Farrell.
oo. Donna – Crossing Spear on the bridge and then getting off would be good.
pp. Cathy – Cars go pretty fast on 189 so getting off as soon as possible would be good.
qq. Shawn – Struggles with crossings over southbound ramp on 189.
rr. Nic – Speed would be changed by the tightness of the ramps. Should still have RRFB or
HAWK at the crossings.
ss. Cathy – People would take Kennedy which never seems overburdened so would take a
lot of traffic from Williston Rd/Exit 14
tt. Shawn – Sounds like all people like the Single point diamond over the Hybrid option.
uu. Donna – Simplifies and actually connects the two sections of South Burlington.
vv. Havaleh – Would be a good commuter option.
ww. Cathy – 189 has a good path so would be great to connect.
xx. Shawn – Need to get recommendation to City Council.
yy. Motion by Cathy to support Exit 14 DDI and Exit 13 SDI with amendment to ensure it
goes OVER the Spear St bridge and that there is connection to the existing path there.
Nic added to recommend all crossings for both interchanges have signals of some kind
at ramps. Seconded by Havaleh.
zz. Vote – All in favor
5. Sketch Plan for Long Property
a. Cathy - We need to be prepared to recommend how multi use path could go through
the property.
b. Bob – They are proposing a road to connect to Parkside Drive.
c. Cathy – Do we want the bike path there too? There is nothing in the plans there. At one
point it showed along spear street. Logical place is straight across Parkside and connect
to branch.
d. Donna - Was a comment at City Council that they wanted to ensure Spear St could
accommodate paths on that section. Need to widen Spear St.
e. Bob – Sent through personal comments to add lanes on Spear. Can send comments
through if you want it.
f. Cathy – Were excellent comments that Bob sent. Increased traffic from other locations
show the need to have Spear St paths.
g. Bob – The Longs ARE recommending a path along Parkside.
h. Cathy – Important that we have bike ped member at the meeting to advocate for that
small connection. April 6th. Bob and Donna and Shawn will be there.
i. Bob discussed the different roads and how they would work. Sidewalk from Pheasant to
So Pointe would be good. Will provide his comments to the committee.
j. Lots of discussion about how its going to be impossible to do left turns from all
neighborhoods out onto Spear soon.
k. Donna – Spending a lot of time with Climate Council meetings. We need to reduce
vehicles and fuel use not just manage.
6. Adjourn (7:00 p.m.)
Considerations In Support of an Exit 12B:
• Assumes that a new Exit 12B could be built much earlier in years than the
reconstruction of Exit 13 whose bridge may not need to be replaced for another 15 or
more years
• Assumes that this new exit will significantly reduce the commuter vehicle traffic on
Williston Road, Dorset Street, Market Street and Kennedy Drive since people working in
the Technology Park and vicinity businesses will use this exit as well as vehicles heading
to Burlington International Airport
• This exit will support the growth of industrial and commercial businesses in this area
that will help to rebalance the commercial/residential tax base within South Burlington
that has steadily been shifting to add more burdens on residential taxpayers
• This exit will encourage more industrial and commercial business growth in an area
where this type of development is preferred and zoned to be located
• Having this exit will encourage additional airlines to provide service at Burlington
International Airport because there is a more direct route to the airport (alleged
Southwest Airlines example)
• Further assumes that the Exit 12B “bundle” would include the following:
o The concurrent building of the “Commercial/Industrial” road connecting the end
of the exit ramp directly to Kimball Avenue at the intersection with Tilley Drive.
This will help minimize the traffic the heads to Hinesburg Road
o The building of a separated bicycle and pedestrian facility on the I-89 bridge over
the highway on Hinesburg Road
o A shared use path the length of Hinesburg Road from Cheese Factory Road to
Kennedy Drive
o The concurrent building of the U-turn ramp on I-189 to allow vehicles coming
southbound on I-89 to access eastbound Kennedy Drive and for vehicles heading
westbound on Kennedy Road to access northbound I-89