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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-04-13 CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 13, 2010 CITY OF KITCHENER The Cycling Advisory Committee met on his date commencing at 4:03 p.m. Present: Messrs. T. Kenyon (Chair), B. Forwell (Vice-Chair), Councillor J. Gazzola and Messrs. M. Arges, S. Burek, D. Class, D. Hilker, B. Laube, N. Mehés, and Ms. P. Ji-Taylor Staff: Messrs. R. Schirm (Committee Administrator), and Ms. K. Reinert (Recorder) Regrets: Messrs. T. Müller and P. Wetherup APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. That the minutes of the March 9, 2010 meeting be approved. Motioned by Mr. M. Arges Seconded by Mr. N. Mehés Mr. T. Kenyon welcomed the guests in attendance and invited Mr. Mark Garner, from the Kitchener Downtown Business Association, to move ahead in the agenda to allow Ms. Colleen Cooper additional time to set up for her presentation. KITCHENER DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION 2. Mr. M. Garner, president, of the Kitchener Downtown Business Association (K.D.B.A.), introduced himself and informed the committee that bicycling and alternative modes of transportation to the downtown core are a priority for the K.D.B.A. The K.D.B.A. is working with City staff to add 25 more ring and post bicycle parking spots. They would also like to see dedicated bike locations in parking lots similar to the set-up for Arvato Services. Arvato Services currently has space for about 30 bicycles but is in need of expansion. The K.D.B.A. has written an article regarding the downtown in the Grand Magazine in liaison with the Cycling Advisory Committee. The K.D.B.A. has 490 members in the downtown core and they support the C.A.C. initiatives. Mr. Garner also indicated that he personally lives and works downtown and actively uses the trail systems, walks, takes public transit or cabs. Mr. B. Forwell questioned whether it would be an advantage for someone from the C.A.C. to make a presentation to the K.D.B.A. at an upcoming meeting and Mr. Garner agreed that it would be a good idea. . CAN-BIKE 2010 3 Ms. C. Cooper, from Public Health, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, introduced the two different banners that are being used to promote the Can-Bike 2010 program. The banners are booked until the end of April but are available for booking thereafter. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES April 13, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 2 . CAN-BIKE 2010 3 – cont’d The cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo will be offering Can-Bike courses. Presently, th the Regional website lists two Can-Bike courses scheduled; 1) on May 30 at the A.R. Kaufman th YMCA and, 2) on June 12 at the Breithaupt Centre. A “Taste of Can-Bike” is also being offered and will be scheduled over noon hours. The focus is to give adults an idea of what Can-Bike is about and to help adults gain the confidence to ride on the street. This program will be offered in Kitchener at the Forsyth parking lot, in Waterloo at civic square and at the Cambridge city hall. The goal is to entice people to sign up for a full Can-Bike course. Ms. Cooper and Mr. R. Schirm will be doing a promotion at the City of Kitchener “Wellness Fair” th to be held Wednesday, April 14. Ms. Cooper will also be doing a “Lunch and Learn” at Equitable Life. This will include a PowerPoint presentation and a bike demonstration. “Lunch and Learn’s” can be arranged with a minimum participation of 10 people. If there is interest, a “Learn to Ride” course can also be offered. th An “Earth Day” celebration is being held at the University of Waterloo on April 24 and if someone from the C.A.C. is able to attend and promote this program, please inform Ms. Cooper or Mr. Schirm. Mr. T. Kenyon mentioned that the University of Waterloo recreation committee arranges various activities for staff and are very open to new ideas. The committee will investigate possible co-operation at a future meeting. Discussion took place on the Can-Bike course and who and what it is geared to. Mr. Schirm commented that, having taken both the Can-Bike 1 and 2 courses, he still learned a lot even though he has ridden a bike for many years. The course gives the cyclist more confidence in cycling and traffic safety. Members of the Committee are encouraged to spread the word about this program to the general public. WATERLOO REGION FREEWHEELS PROJECT 4. Mr. John Stannard gave a PowerPoint presentation on this project which is promoted by Ziggy’s Cycle. Mr. Stannard began by commenting on the excellent bicycle systems in Germany and the Netherlands which also promotes health and fitness and how the United States has introduced Bike Town to promote new cyclists. BikeTown, a program which also features bicycle giveaways to individuals who demonstrate that the bicycle will make a fundamental change in their lives, has been in operation for ten years and targets various cities in the U.S. annually. Ziggy’s Cycle has been in the business for twenty-five years and the store wants to give back to the community by giving away 25 fully equipped bikes for commuting purposes. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES April 13, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 3 WATERLOO REGION FREEWHEELS PROJECT 4. – cont’d This project is open to anyone who is interested and who provides a 300 word essay on how the bicycle will make a difference in their lives or their environment. The Program was launched th on March 25 and entries are due the first week in May. The rules and regulations are available on the website. Winning contestants will have use of the bicycle through the summer and into the fall. They will be required to use the bicycle on a regular basis and blog about their experiences. They will receive initial and continuing fitness assessments and if they meet all of the obligations, the participant will be able to keep the bike at the end of the project. A University of Waterloo co-op student has been hired to run and collect the data and manage the program for Ziggy’s Cycle. Mr. Stannard commented that this is an excellent opportunity to work with Can Bike and also form mutual partnerships and opportunities. The Cycling Advisory Committee concurred that this project promotes bicycle advocacy and endorses that it be directed to Council through the members of this committee. Recommendation : That Mr. R. Schirm be charged with writing a report to Mayor and Council recognizing the Waterloo Region Freewheels Project. Motioned by: Mr. B. Forwell Seconded by: Mr. M. Arges COMMUTER CHALLENGE 5. Mr. R. Schirm met with Mayor Zehr to discuss council approval and involvement with the Commuter Challenge. The Mayor and Council are very supportive and due various obligations, st Tuesday, June 1 was the date selected for participation. The following has been confirmed: st ? The race will commence at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday June 1 from the Davis Centre at the University of Waterloo ? The IExpress Transit stop is right there ? Mr. Schirm to check schedule to see when bus leaves this location ? Finish will be at the Civic Square ? Councillor Gazzola will be the cycling participant ? Mayor Zehr has booked the time for possible participation ? Mr. N. Mehés has arranged for Heffner Lexus Toyota to provide a vehicle for the automobile participant ? The event will be called “The Great Commuter Race.” Items to be addressed moving forward: ? Mr. Ken Seiling will be asked to be the transit contestant ? The automobile participant needs to be chosen and will choose which route to take ? Special t-shirts for participants – funds; decision needs to be made before next meeting CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES April 13, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 4 COMMUTER CHALLENGE 5. Items to be addressed moving forward: - cont’d ? Communications strategy – CTV and radio stations. Mr. Schirm will contact the Communications division ? Committee participation and roles to be determined ? Mr. Schirm to send link for video of N.Y. race ? Small video cameras on cyclist, transit rider and automobile driver to tape conversations ? Have send-off from personnel at U of W, i.e. Mr. David Johnson (Mr. T. Kenyon) ? Mr. Schirm to check into Mayor Halloran involvement in Commuter Challenge ? Mr. Ken Seiling will be asked to ride the Regional bus ? Waterloo Regional Police Services will be informed of this . ACTIONMr. R. Schirm to look into whether there are funds to purchase t-shirts and : email committee members to confirm whether they are willing to make a contribution towards the purchase of the t- shirts. CYCLING MASTER PLAN 6. Mr. R. Schirm gave an update. Both Mr. T. Kenyon and Mr. Schirm have reviewed the plan in depth and specific policies, facility types and the network will be reviewed next. The steering th committee will be meeting next week and a report will be ready for the June 6 Council meeting. A decision has been made to use Rockway Drive, Dixon Road, Eckert Street, Connaught Avenue to Fifth Street/Greenfield Avenue to Fairview Park Mall for the sign pilot project and Ms. Norma Moore’s group is working on the detailed signage at this time. There are still issues regarding crossing at Eckert Street and counter-flow bike lanes on Nyberg Streets. OTHER BUSINESS 7. i) Roundabout Presentation to Council There was discussion on the feasibility of a presentation on roundabouts being given to Council before the summer, given the tight scheduling and the large volume of items being taken to Council at this time of year. ACTIONMr. R. Schirm to check into whether Mr. B. Forwell should make his : presentation regarding roundabouts to Council now or wait until the fall and present to the new Council. ii) Mr. T. Kenyon informed the committee that the latest edition of Bicycle Magazine has an article on the most bicycle friendly cities in the United States and, typically, the urban planners point to locations where there is no cold weather. In this article, Minneapolis is ranked number one and it is colder than our location but the city is culture driven and has CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES April 13, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 5 OTHER BUSINESS 7. – cont’d ii) the infrastructure to support cycling and Mr. B. Forwell will include this information in his presentation. iii) One of the 570 NEWS broadcasters, Jeff Allan, has had people call in to his show to discuss bicycle travel. Recently, a planning engineering staff person from the Region and the President/CEO of the Safety League of Ontario were on the show. Unfortunately, none of the committee members heard the comments from the Region but the president of the Safety League’s comment was that cycling shouldn’t be allowed. The call-in show is a great opportunity for C.A.C. members to phone in and voice their comments and committee members are encouraged to do so. ADJOURNMENT 8. On motion of Mr. D. Hilker and seconded by Mr. B. Forwell, the meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Ronald Schirm Committee Administrator