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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-10-11 KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES ‾ ‾ th OCTOBER 11, 2016 CITY OF KITCHENER Kitchener Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee met on this date commencing at 4:10 p.m. Present: Ms. K. Fox, Ms. P. Rodriguez, Messrs. M. Boos (Chair), T. Boutilier, L. Chandler, M. Drasdo (Vice-Chair), D. Kropf, and D. Hoshowsky. Staff: Mr. D. Pimentel, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager Mr. M. Parris, Landscape Architect Mr. B. Cronkite, Interim Manager of Transportation Planning Ms. M. Lanoue, Active Transportation Student Other: Mr. T. McCormick, Stantec Mr. D. Lough, Stantec Ms. C. Thompson, Waterloo Region Record th 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 Mr. Drasdo - On a motion by It was resolved and carried: th meeting the September 13, 2016 2. KRUG STREET BIKE LANES Mr. Pimentel provided the committee with an overview of the Krug Street bike lane project, citing it as a key link to the downtown. He noted that the bike lanes would be tied into the Krug Street reconstruction and that the only major issues were with the stretch between East and Dumfries (about 300 meters) where the roadway is less than 10 meters wide. This means that the city would be unable to accommodate both on-street parking and bike lanes while maintaining one lane of travel in each direction. Mr. Pimentel informed the committee that conversations with engineering, the contractor, and forestry revealed the need to widen the road by 1.2 meters in order to accommodate all of the on road facilities which would impact trees on both sides. Since there is little support for the loss of trees or on street parking, staff are looking at creative ways to tackle the issue. One Idea is to have a shared space for travel lanes. Mr. Pimentel asked the committee to provide any comments or feedback: Mr. Hoshowsky asked what the traffic was like on Krug Street. Mr. Pimentel responded that the ADT was about 4000 Mr. Hoshowsky noted that he would not like to see the trees get ripped up and wondered if it would be possible to put bike lanes on a parallel route. Mr. Boos noted that Krug Street is an important access to the downtown as it is one of the few roadways that passes under the expressway and leads into the downtown; therefore, it would be best to keep the bike lanes on Krug St. Mr. Cronkite added that the type of infrastructure that is placed on this part of Krug St. will help determine what is put on the remaining stretch (which is very narrow). Since Krug Street is an integral connection to the downtown KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES ‾ ‾ th OCTOBER 11, 2016 CITY OF KITCHENER and one of the few ways to get under the expressway- without the need to cross merging and diverging ramps - an alternate route would not be preferred. Staff will run into trouble trying to remove either parking or trees so a creative solution is needed. Mr. Chandler asked if there would be room to place cycling next to the sidewalk. Mr. Pimentel answered that the City does have the boulevard space to do this but it would still impact the trees. Mr. Boutilier commented that he prefers the option that maintains trees for environmental and aesthetic reasons and likes the idea of having a shared lane for traffic. Mr. Boos raised concerns about the impact a shared space might have on GRT. How much traffic would it cause to have people yield the right of way? Mr. Pimentel answered that the traffic on Krug is not too high. Mr. Chandler suggested making Krug a one-way street. Mr. Pimentel liked the idea but cautioned that other one-way proposals have not been received well by residents. Mr. Cronkite added that Krug is an important connection to the downtown for motor vehicles, not just cyclists. Mr. Boos asked if the bike lanes would have greater separation under the expressway where the roadway is much wider and can accommodate more on road facilities. Mr. Pimentel noted that staff are considering maintain parking on both sides by the expressway and could look into having greater separation for bike lanes. Mr. Drasdo asked if staff had done research to see what other cities had done in the same situation. Mr. Cronkite said that staff has looked at other examples and the shared travel lane idea came from Ottawa. Mr. Drasdo commented that he like the idea of naked streets since it helps prevent sign pollution and would signal to drivers to be more cautious. On a motion by Mr. Drasdo - It was resolved and carried: That the Committee does not recommend the widening of Krug Street and subsequent loss of trees between East Avenue and Dumfries Avenue, and asks that staff explore other creative options to incorporate bike lanes into the streetscape and present those ideas to the Committee in spring of 2017 3. IRON HORSE TRAIL UPDATES Mr. McCormick laid out a detailed plan for the Iron Horse Trail Reconstruction and walked the committee through the overall layout including: crossings, vegetation, use of spaces, pedestrian and cycling amenities, and heritage features. He explained each of the key areas in detail and allowed the committee to provide feedback for each option. The committee assessed each of the options and provided their individual opinions to Stantec. KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES ‾ ‾ th OCTOBER 11, 2016 CITY OF KITCHENER th Mr. Parris informed the committee that a public meeting will be held on October 25 and a refined plan will be created to include any feedback received from the public. The City is planning on tendering in the spring of 2017 and having the project completed by late summer early fall 2017. 4. COMMITTEE MEMBER SURVEY Committee members were provided with a survey to fill out which included questions about their experience on the committee and how it could be improved. Members completed the survey and handed them back to Mr. Pimentel. 5. TANSITION WORKPLAN FOR NEXT TERM Mr. Pimentel asked the Committee to discuss any projects or items that they would like to see the next Committee continue or start up. Mr. Boutilier mentioned that he would like to see the completion of the Trans Canada Trail continue to be advocated for. Mr. Boos would like to see the development of an East/West corridor. Mr. Kropf hopes that trails and links in the cycling network will be named (like the Spur Line or Iron Horse Trail) instead of remaining community trails. Mr. Hoshowsky emphasized the need to push for connectivity and wayfinding. Mr. Drasdo would like to see education continue to be a priority Ms. Rodrigues believes the Committee should be more involved in the community and encourage cycling advocacy. Mr. Parris noted that from a staff perspective, the orientation for new Committee members can be improved to better introduce members to the public process and their role as a Committee. Mr. Boutilier thought it best that the Committee stay focused on matters related to cycling and trails and stay away from topics that do not relate to the Committees purpose. There is already a limited amount of time to delve into cycling and trails, and that time should not be wasted on unrelated materials. 6. QUESTIONS & OTHER ITEMS There were no questions or other items at this time. 7. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by Mr. Kropf - It was resolved and carried: 6:00 p.m That the meeting be adjourned at