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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-05-14 CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 14, 2013 CITY OF KITCHENER The Cycling Advisory Committee met on this date commencing at 4:08 p.m. Present: Ms. M. Sehl (Chair), Councillor Y. Fernandes, Ms. T. Niesen and Messrs. M. Arges, T. Boutilier, P. Dedes, S. Gibson, T. Reiser and P. Walberg (Vice-Chair). Staff: Messrs. J. Joseph, W. Sleeth, and D. Pimentel (minutes) Regrets: Ms. M. Generoux, M. Parris, M. Boos, L. Oakey APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 12, 2013 MEETING 1. That the minutes of the April 9, 2013 meeting be approved: Motioned by: Mr. S. Gibson COMPASS KITCHENER - CITIZENS REPORT CARD 2. Sue Weare (City of Kitchener) Tristan Welkin (Compass Group) Carla Cote (Compass Group)  Ms S. Weare - handed out City of Kitchener’s Strategic Plan and explained that some of the strategic directions are changing, not the six areas of focus. The Compass Group assists the City of Kitchener in developing the plan  Ms. T. Welkin - provided the CAC with an outline of the Citizens Report Card; purpose of report card is to better understand how well goals are met  Step 1 - draft report card and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), with the anticipation of circulating for comment  Step 2 (currently in) - receive feedback from various committee’s in order to make the report card more effective; once strategic directions have been developed, CAC will be circulated for additional comment  Anticipated June approval, but may be later in the summer  Upon end of presentation from The Compass Group indicated that the most relevant KPI’s to the CAC could change on a yearly basis  It was suggested to align the CAC report card with The Compass Group’s  Mr. P. Walberg suggested that Compass meet with sub-committees to discuss the KPI’s and report card further; meeting date to follow TRAIL ROAD CROSSING UPDATE - Mr. Kevin Post (City of Kitchener) 3.  Mr. K Post provided the CAC with an update regarding the status of Staff’s review; it is anticipated that Book 18 will be released in late June, which will provide greater direction to City staff; ideally, crossings should be consistent throughout the Region  A report will be drafted and presented to the CAC for comment; upon incorporating CAC comments, a report will be presented to Council  Today’s goals were to gain input regarding design and concerns the CAC have; some design standards were identified such as, 3m rule for trails, length of bike at 1m, and 1.2m with a trailer CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 14, 2013 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 2  Concerns CAC have: two-way movement is impeded through trail heads, refugee islands cannot accommodate a bike and trailer without having a portion of either overhanging onto the roadway, consideration for the different types of bikes (i.e. tandem bikes, cargo bikes etc), height of bollards v rocks and visibility at night, vehicles parking at trail crossings, distance of barrier from the edge of pavement and/or curb/sidewalk, disability standards need to be considered  Mr. K. Post asked what objects impede cyclists at crossings; rocks/boulders, lack of a curb-cut, width and length of crossings, parking of vehicles at trail heads and opening width at trail heads  Suggestions made by the CAC include; curb cuts, alignment of trail heads with eachother, elimination of parking, changing mindset of public with regards to cyclists v motorists, notification to motorists of trails, rumble strips or other traffic calming measures at trail crossings  The next steps are to receive input from staff and various committees, compare comments and designs to those set out in Book 18 (specifically HTA updates) and once designs have been established, circulate for further comments. MAYOR’S RIDE - Peter Dedes 4.  Mr. P. Dedes displayed the route to the CAC members; at a leisure pace would take about 40 minutes and is 13 km long - scheduled for Tuesday June 11, 2013 from 10 am - 12 pm  Only other adjustments would be if KPL bike parking facilities are not installed in time for the ride  New elements will be introduced this year; information package for Coucnillors which will include the Bike Map, sharrow information, the Cycling Survey, Bike to Work and a display booth details as well as various talking points located throughout different locations of the ride  5 participants from Bike to Work Challenge will be joining in this year’s ride  Talking points will include; Margaret Avenue bike lanes, Wilhelm spur trail, link to Guelph Street bikeway, Glasgow/Iron Horse Trail, Victoria/West challenges in difficult crossing, Marlborough/Lakeside Trail, LRT @ David Street, Mil Street reconstruction, Francis/King super sharrow implementation st  Mayor will only be available for 1 hour of ride and 1 other Councillor has committed to the ride  Signage of bike routing is beginning to be installed, which will assist in the ride On a motion by Mr. P. Dedes - it was resolved: “The Mayor’s Ride route, as presented, with the section along Queen Street removed, be approved and that the first five successful Bike to Work Challenge participants be invited to participate in the Mayor’s Ride” BIKE MAP, CYCLIST SURVEY, BIKEFEST 5. BikeFest  Scheduled for May 26, 2013; Mr. J. Joseph will be taking part in various media interviews leading up to the event as well as a media release next week. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 14, 2013 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 3  Event will include multiple vendors, bike polo, food and drinks, live music and various activities for children  Intent of BikeFest is intended for cyclists of all ages and is a form to educate the residents in The City of Kitchener of the various cycling initiatives (i.e. super sharrows)  BikeFest will include the distribution of the Bike Map and pamphlets providing information about the super sharrows Cycling Survey  University of Waterloo and the Region of Waterloo will be assisting with the draft report  It is anticipated that next week all findings will be finalized and CAC members will be circulated a draft report for comment SUPER SHARROWS 6.  Pamphlets are being developed in time for BikeFest on May 26, 2013  Waterloo Regional Police and the Region of Waterloo Ambassadors are partnering with the City of Kitchener, in order to educate cyclists/pedestrians/motorists  Potential partnerships include the Kitchener Market and Grand River Transit; offer discounts to the Market, include posters inside buses UPDATE ON CYCLING PRIORITIES 7. Sign Project  Signs have been installed in some locations across the City; outstanding signs will be installed periodically over the summer months  Once signs have been installed, CAC members should ride along route to ensure accuracy of guide signs Contra-Flow Bike Lanes  Will be proceeding in June with options for Nyberg Rd; Toronto is currently implementing a contra-flow bike lane Victoria/West & Courtland/Stirling  Both locations have been identified as unsafe crossings; James from the Region of Waterloo will be coming in June to speak to these crossings  Target date of 2014 summer as been identified Iron Horse Trail & Rail Crossing  There are still outstanding issues from CN/GEXR, but are still moving forward Wilson Trail (south end)  Trail improvements are just about complete  The trail is open and operational; includes new signs and bollards but path still needs to be paved BIKE RACK PARKING 8.  Community Centers have shown an interest in bike parking including secure bike parking; select community centers will be chosen for pilot projects  Mr. J. Joseph will be meeting with Economic Development to discuss the potential for local businesses to offer incentives for cyclists and promoting cycling in the Downtown CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 14, 2013 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 4 KCAC SUB-COMMITTEE UPDATES 9. Mr. M. Arges raised concern regarding concentrating and implementing projects in the downtown which is not good for the remainder of the wards. Ms. M. Sehl noted that sub-committees were charged with tasks to review, discuss and then bring back their recommendations to this committee for approval. Councillor Fernandes suggested that strategies in the downtown may work elsewhere as well and could be transferable and become a larger marketing strategy. Promotions – M. Arges This sub-committee has had two meetings and discussions were around a safety item and the Cycling Survey. The group passed and is proposing a safety item by-law amendment pertaining to e-scooters on trails and the Cycling Survey will be addressed in Item 7 on the agenda. Technical Infrastructure – P. Dedes This sub-committee meets the third Wednesday following the KCAC meeting. The Mayor and Councillor’s Bike Ride route has been finalized and is doable in one and one/half hours. Along with the Mayor and Councillors it was decided that invitations should be limited to five to ten additional attendees. Also discussed at the sub-committee meeting was the installation of super-sharrows on King Street and the need for pre and post data collection volunteers. Further information will be addressed in item 4 on the agenda. Planning, Evaluation, and Governance – P. Walberg This sub-committee has not formalized a chairperson and Mr. Walberg was speaking on behalf of the group. This group focussed on the evaluation tool and where to go with it. Also, they are coordinating a strategy which is a “work in progress”. The general consensus of the sub-committee was to utilize the report card but noted that perhaps the outputs are disproportionate or too subjective. The report card should look at the impact on the community by getting more people cycling and safety. They agreed to look back at the CMP, policies, status and cycling network to evaluate and also look at potential partners. J. Joseph commented that the sub-committees are working really well and it was suggested by Mr. T. Boutilier to integrate the new members into these sub-committees. BY-LAW REVIEW 10.  By-laws have been reviewed as a result of the Coroners Report; a summer review will take place with fall as anticipated target for recommendations  some things to consider: e-bikes on trails, secure bike parking for new developments, incorporating a cyclist charter  Mr. J. Joseph asked if comments can be forwarded over the summer, in time for fall recommendations CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 14, 2013 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 5 GENERAL COMMENTS 11.  Mr. J. Joseph will be attending the Ontario Bike Summit (OBS) and will be making a presentation; Mr. J. Joseph as also submitted the community award application  Feedback has not been identified regarding the Ontario Cycling Strategy; it is anticipated that information will be available at the OBS  Further discussion on the opening of gates at trail heads, as a result of the most recent Council meeting; On a motion by Mr. T. Reiser - it was resolved: “In the interest of safety for the wide variety of users of our trails the Cycling Advisory Committee requests that the gates/barriers on our trails be left open all year round so that sufficient width access be made available to allow safe travel on our trails. This recommendation recognizes the required and preferred width for trail accessibility in the Council approved Multi-use Pathways and Trails Master Plan” ADJOURNMENT 12. On motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:08 p.m.