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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-02-09 CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 9, 2011 CITY OF KITCHENER The Cycling Advisory Committee met on this date commencing at 4:10 p.m. Present: Messrs. M. Arges, S. Burek, D. Class, B. Forwell (Vice-Chair), D. Hilker, N. Mehés, and Mss. J. Tomero and M. Sehl Staff: Messrs. R. Schirm (Committee Administrator), P. Wetherup and Ms. K. Reinert (Recorder) Regrets: Messrs. P. Dedes, T. Kenyon (Chair), M. Turner and Councillor Y. Fernandes APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JANUARY 11, 2011 1. That the minutes of the January 11, 2011 meeting be approved. Motioned by: Mr. D. Hilker Seconded by: Mr. M. Arges MULTI-USE PATHWAYS MASTER PLAN 2. Mr. Jay Cranstone, from the M.M.M. Group, made a presentation on the Multi-use Pathways Master Plan and Implementation Strategy (MUP.M.P.). Mr. William Sleeth, Landscape Architect, in the Park Planning, Development & Operations Division was also in attendance. The vision and policies for the master plan were originally established in 1972 by the Department of Planning and Development and the new MUP.M.P. represents the updated vision and objectives moving forward. The first open house for the MUP.M.P. was held in September and a second open house is scheduled for February 23, 2011. A stakeholder meeting with working group #1 was held in November. Phase 2, of the study process, Developing the Master Plan, is near completion and it is anticipated that Phase 3, Finalizing the Master Plan, will be complete in the spring of 2011. An on-line survey has been set up and has generated 250 responses so far. It is recognized that there is valuable input through questions to people who use the pathways, and input from the Cycling Advisory Committee and other interested parties would be greatly appreciated and can be done via rd attending the second open house to be held on February 23 in the City Hall rotunda from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., and/or by completing the on-line survey: http://www/surveymonkey.com/KTMP_Questionnaire. For more information on study details and upcoming dates on open houses and presentations, please go to the study website: http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginktichener/TrailsMP.asp. Mr. Cranstone presented the preliminary Multi-use Pathway (MUP) network map and explained the differences between the Types 1 to 5 pathways and what the legend entails. Discussion took place on various routes that committee members are familiar with and it was asked by Messrs. Cranstone and Sleeth that committee members take copies of the maps that have been provided and indicate, in red, the main arterial routes they foresee, and, also, identify sections high on the priority list, needed for connectivity or that have obstacles such as steep inclines that may deter cyclists from using a route. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 8, 2011 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 2 MULTI-USE PATHWAYS MASTER PLAN 2. – cont’d When asked if the City of Waterloo will have input with trails that travel between the two Cities and intercity connectivity, Mr. Cranstone indicated that they have consulted with Waterloo on some of the trails. Mr. D. Hilker also mentioned that the Region is forming an active transportation advisory committee. Action: Mr. Schirm will contact Mr. John Hill to ensure that the C.A.C. and the Region are not at cross purposes . It was suggested that each member keep the map for three or four days for review and updating and then pass it on to another committee member. ACTION: Mr. Schirm to return the maps to Messer’s. Sleeth or Cranstone prior to the end of February and email the Multi-use Pathways Master Plan and Implementation Strategy presentation, in PDF format, to committee members. CYCLING MASTER PLAN OVERVIEW AND UPDATE 3. Mr. R. Schirm suggested that due to time constraint and the Transportation Master Plan information meeting being held in the rotunda this evening, this item be deferred to the next meeting. Also to be th included on the March 8agenda will be attendance by the Manager of Infrastructure Asset Planning and the Manager of Engineering Design & Approvals who will provide information on the projects for 2011 and, more importantly, the 2012 projects that this committee will have input on. A very important aspect of this committee is to provide a report card to Council and the previous committee had been struggling with its development and will, therefore, be soliciting input from new members at the next meeting as well C.A.C. MEETING TIME 4. th The motion from the January 11 meeting that staff investigate the prospect of a meeting time change was reviewed with senior management and it was decided to keep the present meeting time; this item may be revisited prior to the next mandate. COMMUNITY ACCESS BICYCLES 5. Mr. Peter Oldridge, MSW Intern in the C.A.O.’s office had made a presentation to the previous Cycling Advisory Committee in October of last year and was asked to report back with how the project is progressing. Mr. Oldridge provided a presentation showing some new developments on how this program might move forward and to solicit committee approval for inclusion with his L.E.A.F. grant application. As background, the idea of this pilot project is to share bicycles in the downtown area for use by the public. Through Mr. Oldridge’s research, he has found various guiding documents with bicycle friendly policies and a needs assessment to justify this project to address some of the environmental issues such as green house gas emission, health and economic conditions in the City of Kitchener and to provide sustainable transportation alternatives. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 8, 2011 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 3 COMMUNITY ACCESS BICYCLES 5. – cont’d The previous model would have been managed through the community centres. The new proposal features Mr. Joe Mancini, of the Working Centre, leading the project and will also include assistance by the St. John’s Kitchen. It is anticipated that financing of $100,000 will be provided through the City of Kitchener’s, L.E.A.F. program and the cost will cover purchase of 100 bikes and 10 cargo bikes plus 110 locks, supplies, maintenance, signage, and the daily administration function. Additional in-kind support would be provided by the City of Kitchener, Transportation Planning section and would be used for the purchase of 10 bike racks; additional support would be provided by the community centres and local businesses. This support is provisional on budget approval of the cycling budget. Maintenance of the bikes would be provided by Recycle Cycles through the Working Centre. How it Would Work The user would register at the Working Centre or community centre, provide ID, review, retain and sign an agreement. Bike racks would be located at selected spots and each rack would be hosted by a local business. The user would enter the hosting business with ID in order to obtain a key for a bike and would return the bike and key within 24 hours. The three examples of the cities of Montreal, Paris and Lyon, France, were given on how bike share programs have worked successfully and discussion took place on how it could work in Kitchener. Promoting short-term durations has been the key to success with these examples but may or may not work in Kitchener and possibly more than one program may need to be implemented. One partner, Café Refresh, located across from the Transit Terminal, has agreed to be a host business and Mr. Oldridge is soliciting other businesses. Mr. R. Schirm suggested that ten businesses should be committed prior to applying for the L.E.A.F. grant. Another suggestion was consideration of the location of the bike racks for the committed businesses because of the space required to hold up to 10 bikes. Mr. Oldridge plans to consult with the community through community engagement and a questionnaire at the Kitchener Market, the Working Centre, Multicultural Centre, St. Louis Adult Learning Centre and downtown businesses to find out destinations where people would travel by bike and where the best locations for the bike racks would be; it was suggested to include Manulife and School of Pharmacy in the consultation process. Ms. M. Sehl suggested that the most important step is to do a survey to demonstrate the long-term business support of the project. Also, consideration needs to be given to liability issues for businesses when they give out keys. Mr. R. Schirm concurred that Ms. Sehl made some excellent points. He went on to say that a project such as this needs to be predictable, reliable and convenient for its users and a survey should find out what the needs are. Montreal is successful because the project is convenient and predictable with bike stations about 300 meters apart. Ms Sehl also mentioned that the Region has a program to help social assistance users when visiting the office; there is a safe location for bike parking and a bike lock is provided to the user for the duration. th The L.E.A.F. grant application is due by February 28 and Mr. Oldrige requested the committee endorse this program so he could include it with his application prior to the deadline date. Considerable discussion took place and Mr. Oldridge left the meeting so that a motion could be made. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 8, 2011 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 4 COMMUNITY ACCESS BICYCLES 5. – cont’d In principle, the Committee agrees with the research being done but there is not enough information and too many questions to approve it, therefore, the following motion was made; MOTION: That the Cycling Advisory Committee supports, in principle, the concept of a bike share program for the City of Kitchener . Motioned by: Mr. N. Mehes Seconded by: Mr. M. Arges Carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT 6. On motion of Mr. B. Forwell, Vice-chair, and seconded by Mr. D. Class that the meeting be adjourned at 6:05 p.m. Ronald Schirm Committee Administrator