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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee - 01/13/2016 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN COMMITTEE MINUTES 1-13-2016 APPROVED The Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 5:30 pm in the small conference room at the city office building. Members Present: Dana Farr, Chair; Cathy Frank, Vice-Chair; Donna Leban; Bob Britt, Amanda Holland, Roy Neuer, Jamieson Goodwin. Members Absent: City Representative: Maggie Leugers, Director of Recreation & Parks Also Present: Ned Getchell, Janelle Gilbert, Noah Gilbert-Fuller, Maida Townsend, Ed & Clara Steele, and Rick Hubbard. Meeting began at 5:30 pm. 1. Agenda: Changes or Additions none 2. Approved Minutes –Britt/ Neuer, unanimous 3. Comments from the public not related to the agenda – none 4. Discussion – Residents of NE Quadrant – A. Hinesburg Rd - Janelle Gilbert reported a problem for pedestrians crossing Hinesburg Rd. She has seen as many 8-10 people in wheelchairs trying to cross Hinesburg Rd on a fairly regular basis. From Mayfair Park and Village Green they use Ruth Street to cross to the sidewalk on the west side of Hinesburg Rd. in other to access the Price Chopper shopping center. There is no crosswalk there nor is there any crosswalk on Hinesburg Rd. between Kennedy Drive and Williston Rd. except at St. John Vianney Church. Hinesburg Rd has residential housing on both sides of the road and two new developments are being built at the corners of Barrett and Market Streets. Also there is a residential facility for people with disabilities on Anderson Parkway east of Hinesburg Rd.. There is a need for both safe crosswalks and a sidewalk on the east side of Hinesburg Rd. Several years ago she contacted the SB Dept of Public Works and was told this part of Hinesburg Rd. is a state road. State Representative Maida Townsend also spoke to this issue. She has contacted the Agency of Transportation and been told that there must be a sidewalk on the east side of Hinesburg Road in order to install a crosswalk. It was pointed out that there is a crosswalk at St.John Vianney Church despite there being no sidewalk on the east side of Hinesburg Rd. It was also pointed out that the people who live in the neighborhood (Southview) off Prouty Pkwy on the east side of Hinesburg Rd. also have trouble crossing Hinesburg Rd to get to the sidewalk on the west side of the road. The speed limit on Hinesburg Rd. is 35 mph and exceeding the speed limit is not uncommon. B. No sidewalk on White Street from Post Office to Patchen Road – maida Townsend pointed out that there is a sidewalk from Williston Rd to the Post Office but it ends at the Post Office. There is a sidewalk on the south side of White Street across from the Post Office but no crosswalk until you get to Patchen Rd. That sidewalk then extends all the way to Airport Dr. The sidewalk form the Post Office to Patten Rd. needs to be extended. C. Lime Kiln Rd. to Airport Pkwy to Patten Rd. Ned Gethell reported that this route is used frequently by St. Mikes students. Speeding is a problem on this route and there are no bike lanes or shared use path except on the west side of Lime Kiln Rd. for .4 mile south starting at Rt 15. D. Kimball Ave – Kennedy- Tech Park – Hinesburg walking route is a disaster. E. Rick Hubbard suggested recommendations to CCRC – a. Most people coming from Kimball Ave headed for I-89 go via Williston Rd. If I-89 could be accessed from Dorset St./Kennedy Drive it would significantly reduce traffic on Williston Rd. b. The Kennedy Drive – Airport Drive – Williston Rd intersection is extremely unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians. c. For future consideration – creation of a path that follows the north side of Potash Brook under Kennedy Drive where the brook crosses Kennedy Drive and then west to Farrell Street. Such a path would connect 6 neighborhoods. Rick left a map of the potential path with the committee to copy. d. Donna/Roy suggested adding a trail from the Burlington side of Patchen Rd turning southwest and running between I-89 and Centennial Woods to the Sheraton and up to East Ave. Maggie has put it on way finding program. e. Kimball Ave. to Muddy Brook Bridge. There needs to be coordination with the town of Williston as to what happens after the bridge. A shared use path is available at Fed Ex in Williston and continues to Route 2A. f. Roy suggested there needs to be signage to indicate Muddy Brook Trail (Airport Park tp Shamrock Rd. to National Guard Ave. to Poor Farm Rd ). Follow up: The committee needs to get a status report from Justin on these projects and a clear picture of what the state has jurisdiction over vs the city. The above areas of concern offered by city residents stimulated a discussion of the problem of traffic speed on Spear, Dorset, Hinesburg, and Williston roads and ignoring flashing pedestrian lights throughout the city. The committee wondered if the city had a portable speed detection sign that could be utilized randomly on these roads as well as a sign that could be programed with messages such as “Stop for Pedestrians at flashing lights” and moved from place to place, or if there were other technologies that had proved successful in slow traffic. Cathy offered to check with Local Motion. 5. Annual Report – Michelle Connor’s name was added to those former Committee members to be thanked in the report. A suggestion was made that all SB committee annual reports be put on the city website under each Committee’s menu item and on a separate page for Annual Reports so they are easily accessible to the public. Motion made by Donna/Bob to approve text of 2015 annual report was passed unanimous. 6. Updates from City – Wheeler Conservation Easement. There will be a joint meeting of the following South Burlington Committees: Natural Resources, Recreation and Leisure Arts Committee, Bike-Ped Committee and perhaps others on Feb. 18, 7:00-8:30 at City Hall to discuss the Wheeler Conservation Easement. 7. General Matters – Discussion - Bob’s safety recommendation list. a. Bollards needed on the east side of Dorset St from Songbird Lane to Grandview Drive. Committee will recommend to Justin that bollards be put along both areas since without them drivers use the path to get by backed up or left turning traffic.. Motion passed as amendment Britt/Leban approved. a. Meeting with Local Motion-Jason Van Driesche - Cathy, Bob and Donna met with Jason to talk about what ideas and support systems LM could offer to our committee and South Burlington. Jason explained that bike-ped enthusiasts in both Burlington and Shelburne have created non-profit organizations to advocate for bike-ped facilities in their community and to help raise money for such projects. Local motion is creating the infrastructure to support such groups and he suggested such a group in South Burlington would be very useful in advancing bike-ped infrastucture and raising the community’s awareness of bike-ped deficiencies. He emphasized that such a group be independent of the South Burlington Bike-Ped Committee. b. Planning Commission – Donna reported that she attended, by chance, the South Burlington Planning Commission meeting last week and that they had been asked by the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission to submit 4 Bike-Ped projects for the CCRC to investigate. Because she was there they asked her if the Bike-Ped Committee would make some recommendations. Since this incidence makes it clear there needs to be better and ongoing communication between the Planning Commission and the Bike- Ped Committee, Donna volunteered to attend the Planning Commission meetings on a regular basis and report back to our committee. Donna also reported that the Planning Commission discussed the fact that the long dreamed about bike-pedestrian bridge over I-89 that would connect Burlington and South Burlington was eligible for TIF money. Motion : The South Burlington Bike-Ped Committee recommends that the following projects be considered by South Burlington Planning Commission for recommendation to the CCRPC . 1. Lower Allen Rd from Shelburne Rd. to just west of Bay Crest Drive where the shared use path starts. 2. Hinesburg Rd Corridor, Williston Rd to Tilley Drive 3. West side of Spear St. from USFS Building south to Swift Street. 4. Shelburne Rd intersection with Lindenwood Drive across to Queen City Park Holland/Britt, unanimous 8. Confirmation: Next Meeting- Wednesday Feb 10, 2016, 5:30 pm 9. Adjourn: Motion to Adjourn – Bob Britt,/Amanda Holland, Unanimous Respectfully submitted, Cathy Frank, Temporary Clerk