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HomeMy WebLinkAboutKCTAC Minutes 2017-10-10 KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES th October 10, 2017 CITY OF KITCHENER Kitchener Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee met on this date commencing at 4:05 p.m. Present: Councillor Y. Fernandes, Ms. M. Oviedo, Ms. L. Paprocki, Ms. P. Rodriguez, Messrs. E. Bliefert, D. Brotherston, M. Drasdo, D. Hoshowsky, B. Jenner, R. Mazumder, and J. Williams. Staff: Mr. D. Pimentel, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager Mr. B. Cronkite, Interim Manager of Transportation Services Ms. M. Salvucci, Active Transportation Student Delegates: Ms. R. Parke, Other-Abled Athlete Mr. C. Mintz, Guide for Other-Abled Athletes Mr. D. Kropf, Neighbourhood Development Office Associate 1. TRAIL USER SIGNAGE Ms. R. Parke and Mr. C. Mintz discussed using the trails within Kitchener from the perspective of an other-abled athlete. o Some reoccurring issues are: When trails require maintenance it can be difficult to differentiate between the actual trail and the surrounding area. Not having street signs at every location where the path intersects a street can be disorienting. Pedestrian and cyclist islands are helpful but they should be labelled and their locations should be provided so that everyone can find where the safe crossings are. o There are four main barriers for other-abled athletes: Lack of accessible programs and facilities. Lack of information in regards to programs available and why exercising or participating is good for you (health research). Increased costs (specialized equipment and the transportation to get there). Lack of coaches and other people who can help train and support athletes. o For trail accessibility ratings, it should be noted that an app or an online source is more useful than signs along the path. o There is currently no documentation of accessible trails which means that accessible trails are only discovered and known from personal experience. When a database of accessible trails KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES th October 10, 2017 CITY OF KITCHENER is being developed, there is potential to crowd source and to use community to build community. o When upgrading trails it is more useful to start off with a few well-advertised, fully accessible trails than a many partly accessible trails. o Mr. C. Mintz stressed the importance of having access to information about the trails even if it is just to say that the trail is not accessible. Mr. C. Mintz also asked if there was any existing database that can be improved upon or added to. Mr. D. Pimentel responded that currently there is only a bike map but it is something that the City will be working on. Mr. B. Cronkite stated that a walking tour guided by Ms. R. Parke may be beneficial to fully understand trail issues from her perspective. 2. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLACEMAKING CHALLENGE Mr. D. Kropf provided an overview of the Placemaking Challenge examples were provided of projects that residents can take the initiative to do themselves, such as: o Resident led traffic calming with some examples being murals at intersections and painted crosswalks. o with some examples being street narrowing through pylons and planters, buffering bike lanes with planters, and Park(ing) Day. Mr. D. Kropf provided the deadlines for the grant applications which are as follows: rd o October 23, 2017 for big projects which range from $6,000 to $20,000 th o April 9, 2018 for smaller projects which include projects that are $2,000 or less. Mr. D. Kropf stated that everything will be implemented July 2018 and the projects must be implemented on streets owned by the City of Kitchener if the project is physically on the street or some options can be discussed if the project is on private property. To apply for the grant, go to www.lovemyhood.ca Mr. B. Cronkite stated that Kitchener residents are able to talk to City staff for guidance. 3. KITCHENER BIKE MAP UPDATE Mr. D. Pimentel described the update that would be occurring to the Kitchener Bike Map and encouraged the Committee to provide KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES th October 10, 2017 CITY OF KITCHENER comments both at the meeting and after the meeting. The comments should be geared towards the design and functionality of the map for aspects such as the folding, type of paper, and if the information is relevant. Following the 2018 update, the map will be updated every two years. Mr. B. Jenner suggested a change in the sharrow verbiage. The first cyclists from taking the road. Mr. D. Brotherston added that it should read that sharrows are used to signal that cyclists should take the road for safety purposes. ection, the sharrow description is not consistent Mr. D. Hoshowsky inquired about clarifying the difference between - other-abled athletes. o Mr. D. Pimentel responded that the legend has always been discussed but adding to it will make it more complicated. Another idea may be to include the accessibility rating (ex. 30%) on top of the specific trail and look into incorporating it in the online version. Mr. D. Brotherston would like to go into more detail in regards to the path or trail types; for example, family friendly routes, commuter cycling routes. These more in depth routes have the potential to be included in the online versions. Mr. B. Jenner suggested considering a google maps mashup as layers would be able to be turned on and off and it would function in an online form. Ms. P. Rodriguez inquired whether it is possible to translate map into the top several languages as most immigrants use cycling as their main mode of transportation. Mr. D. Pimentel responded that this may be possible for an online map. Mr. B. Cronkite stated that for this update, comments should focus on high level information as the City will be developing a series of crowdsourced maps and layers in upcoming years. Ms. L. Paprocki suggested that ukey trails could be highlighted by listing their names (Iron Horse Trail, Spurline Trail, and Walter Bean Trail) and possibly any updates on them. Ms. M. Oviedo stated that parts of on street cycling routes are missing. o Mr. B. Cronkite responded that there may be missed communications between the City of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo as they use paved shoulders rather than bike lanes. If the paved shoulders are not on the map it is most likely KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES th October 10, 2017 CITY OF KITCHENER because the City may not want to identify poor facilities so that people are not driven to use them. Ms. R. Parke noted that different bike groups in the Region already have maps with their preferred bike routes on them. Ms. L. Paprocki stated that the legend was confusing. On the legend it City and Regional road. An additional point was whether the map should include routes that cyclists take but are on private property as Mr. E. Bliefert suggested that knowing who is using the maps and what they are using the maps for (preplanning or on the spot) would be beneficial. Councillor Y. Fernandes noted that the flipping of the map is uncomfortable. There is also an exclamation mark on the Walter Bean Trail in close proximity to Deer Ridge Golf Course that has no explanation. Councillor Y. Fernandes also inquired whether the map should also include private schools (for directional purposes) and public washroom facilities. o Mr. D. Pimentel suggested including small arrows to direct users to flip the map a certain way. Mr. D. Brotherston suggested that the map is overly generous for the scale where it provides the time it takes to walk or cycle 2 kilometres. Mr. C. Mintz stated that he has had a great experience using the map and that the only aspect he dislikes is the confusing legend. Mr. D. Hoshowsky recommended putting the entire map of Kitchener on one side and then all the other additional information on the other side with a major bike route highlighted. Mr. D. Hoshowsky appreciates the waterproof paper. Mr. D. Brotherston stated that Highway 85 is marked too prominently; it may be used for orientation but is not actually a part of the cycling and trail network. Ms. P. Rodriguez stated that it was difficult to see trail entrances. Ms. M. Oviedo suggested putting a simplified legend on the side that currently does not have a legend. The due date for the comments will be December in order for the map to be print-ready in March. 4. COMPASS KITCHENER Mr. D. Pimentel provided an overview of what Compass Kitchener is th and the intention of their meeting on October 24, 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The goal is to bring all committees together to see if there is any overlap and potential for collaboration between committees. KITCHENER CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES th October 10, 2017 CITY OF KITCHENER As an attendee last year, Mr. M. Drasdo stated that it is beneficial to see what other groups are doing and how everything relates. 5. SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS There were no updates from any subcommittee. 6. ADJOURNMENT On motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:33 p.m. ACTION ITEMS Committee members will email any comments regarding the Kitchener bike map update to cycling@kitchener.ca by December. Committee members will email Ms. M. Salvucci at th megan.salvucci@kitchener.ca by Friday, October 13 if they are interested in attending the Compass Meeting.