Charlottesville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee August 2, 2018 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM NDS Conference Room Meeting Attendees: Carl Schwarz Ned Michie Stephen Bach Peter Ohlms Mike Smith Peter Krebs Frank Deviney Lena Seville Niko Test Sarah Littlefield Dave Stackhouse Amanda Poncy Cort Hammond Meeting Agenda New Business: 5:00pm Micro-mobility - (Dockless Bike-Share, E-scooters, E-bikes) Amanda Community Bikes was contacted by the Chinese company OFO, a dockless bike share program, about donating 900 bikes to the community. Ofo was part of Washington, DC’s dockless bike share pilot program and is leaving the DC market due to increased regulation. Community Bikes is interested in starting local dockless bike share program with these bikes. With the possible influx of 900 bikes in the community, it is important for the city to develop policy to ensure the success of dockless system in the city. The group discussed potential negatives/challenges involved with said partnership such as: transportation of bikes to Charlottesville, storage of bikes in town, access to Ofo technology/software, upkeep and maintenance, and the lack of stability of infrastructure to run a rental or bike share program. Meeting attendees suggested a bike give-away, but issues with that also exist; it is hypothesized that the OFO bikes carry a stigma with it due to its yellow color and structure of the bike. There has also been a similar need to address the possibility of e-scooters coming to Charlottesville. UVA has been contacted by some scooter vendors and students have reached out directly to other vendors. Attendees discussed this opportunity and it was recommended that BPAC research ‘best practices’ before compiling a plan or policy for implementation. The following two resources were mentioned: https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NACTO-Shared-Active-Transportation- Guidelines.pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EMBZ999nn7ahlsNJK0lWrXKQVXbB7Z09/view There was discussion on tax levies and control by state law regarding tax policies. The methodology of E-Scooter maintenance was highlighted as being similar to Pokemon-Go, meaning that there are ‘bounties’ on scooters that any person of the public can acquire through recharging scooters. With this comes a set of potential implications such as: scooter theft, scooter hiding, timed releases, and energy tapping and stealing. Amanda voiced concern with scooters clogging up city sidewalks and creating issues for accessibility. She suggested forming a working group to discuss this issue. The following people expressed interest in this topic: Carl Schwarz, Sarah Littlefield, Frank Deviney, Stephen Bach and Niko Test. 5:45 Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card The group discussed the Silver rating given to Charlottesville from the League of American Bicyclists as part of the League’s Bicycle Friendly Community program. https://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/bfareportcards/BFC_Spring_2018_ReportCard_Charlott esville_VA.pdf The report card highlights areas needing improvement, as well as specific suggestions for improvement. One of the most obvious areas of improvement relates to bicycle infrastructure and specifically for providing protected bike facilities on roads 35 mph and over. There are a number of projects in the works that will help with this area in the future: the Route 250 trail, Belmont Bridge, Ivy Road, Emmet Street. The city received the highest score for planning (6.4/10). Attendees agreed that bike friendly laws/ordinances need improvement, but it was unclear what policy/ordinances were needed. Some examples such as: Increase the amount of secure bike parking, encourage local businesses to promote cycling, ensure that police are educated on share the road and positive enforcement ticketing, and/or public/private educational courses we discussed. There was interest in having involvement from the local police, lawyers, and planners depending on the type of change requested. The group attempted to rank recommendation categories with infrastructure as the most important, followed by ordinances, and third being relationships that the community has with businesses. Enforcement is also a pressing item due to the new chief of police. A short discussion then took place around the topic of Safe Routes To School; the position is funded full time for the 18-19 school year, but future years will require a 20% match. The SRTS grant pays for the SRTS Coordinator salary, as well as program materials. The match for the grant can come from the city, but also any sponsor or donor. The ultimate goal is to have a sustainable program. It was pointed out that Charlottesville’s Mayor is a current parks employee, and that she should understand how SRTS affects kids on a daily basis. 6:00 CIP Budget Discussion-Amanda Amanda sent out an update of the short, medium, and long term projects listed in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. These projects were then mapped to showcase gaps in the overall network. The map shows both funded and unfunded projects (trail and roadway projects). Attendees agreed to create a prioritized list of projects to demonstrate what future CIP funds would design/construct. The group highlighted many projects that need attention and funding. An initial draft list of projects and planning studies was formulated: Planning Studies:  MACAA to Free Bridge along 250  Darden Towe Park to Pen Park – joint funded with County (#36)  I-64 Tunnel Study – joint funded with County (#37)  Broadway/Market – Beer Run to Riverview  Preston Ave  Climbing Lane on 10th street NW (#12) - no study needed, measurements are needed and parking removal)  RR Spur Study - -Conversion of railroad spur from Amtrak station to Shenks branch  E. High Street  Moore’s Creek (#20)  Melbourne Road (#22)  Mobility/Feasibility Study for ped/bike bridge paralleling Ridge (Monticello/Main) (#7)  Cherry Ave Climbing Lane Infrastructure Projects - Finish Schenks to County office Building - Sunset Ave Bridge (Remove Bollards) - Alderman Rd. Sidewalk (west side) - Remove Cobblestone at Water/3rd - Meadowcreek Valley Trail (Pen Park to Bodo’s) o Bodos/JW Parkway o Melbourne/Pen - Purchase sonar devices to measure 3’ passing - Bike racks/lockers/showers? - Park and Bike? - Bike Detection at Traffic Signals - Yield pavement markings Carl will set up a survey to gather additional information for each project. Some discussion took place reflecting on the master plan project list, which included a short- term list intended to be completed in five years from the date the plan was adopted. Some projects were noted as needing initial project plans and studies, while others did not need so much planning. Some members thought it best to approach the CIP requests by what is available and achievable, Others believed it better to aim for big picture projects. Amanda noted that a typical planning study might cost about $50,000, whereas an engineering survey for a short segment might cost between $4,000 and $10,000. For a larger project such as Emmet St., survey alone was estimated at $80,000. The group discussed whether it was better to ask for a lump sum budget amount or to attach a specific amount to each project. Amanda thought it best to ask for a lump sum, but with specific amounts pertaining to each project. Depending on the project complexity, it is possible to obtain more than one study a year. However, with a true study, maybe only one gets done a year. The group wrapped up the discussion with considerations for methods of ranking projects and best practices for obtaining feedback. A few related items were presented to the group at the end of the meeting. Amanda updated the group on the status of the Yorktown sidewalk, which is to apply for t Highway Safety Improvement Programs (HSIP) and if that does not come through then an application will be filed to obtain funding from Safe Routes to School (available in 2019). Amanda expressed that most sidewalk projects that are on the priority list look to revenue sharing and grant funds in order to be implemented. A conversation continued about other project updates. The Washington Park bike/ped connection is funded, and a proposed climbing bike lane on E. Market Street (between 9th Street and Market St) will not occur due to negative public feedback on parking removal. Lastly, Lena asked for a volunteer to attend the PLACE design task force to represent BPAC on Thursday, August 9th from 12-2pm. The meeting includes discussion of alleys. Peter Ohlms volunteered to go. Lena also mentioned that the last PLACE meeting there was discussion about minimum/maximum block lengths in the Standards and Design Manual. At this notion, Carl urged all to read the Standards and Design Manual. Future Agenda Items: - Sidewalk/bike lane closures - Downtown Pedestrian Safety Project - Branded bike racks Upcoming Events August 2: BPAC Meeting, City Hall, NDS Conference Room, 5-7PM August 4: Westhaven Community Day, Hardy Drive, 9-6PM August 9: Emmet Streetscape Steering Committee, NDS Conference Room, 5:30PM August 15: E. High Streetscape Open House, City Space, 5-7PM August 18: Back to School Bash, Pavilion, 10:30-12PM September 5: Social Bike Ride at Blue Ridge Cyclery September 29: Rivanna River Fest/Bike Your Park Day, Time TBD? September 29: TomToberfest, Ix Art Park, 12-4PM Persons with Disabilities may request reasonable accommodations by contacting ada@charlottesville.org or (434)970-3182