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HomeMy WebLinkAboutKCTAC Minutes 2021-06-08 CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER June 8, 2021 The Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee met electronically on Tuesday June 8, 2021, at 4 pm. Present: R. Hunsberger, B. Tracey, L. Dramnitzki, G. Kirk, M. Rodrigues, T. Slomke, J. Broschek, J. Orita, Councillor S. Marsh, G. Piccini, E. Bennett Staff: D. Kropf, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager L. Christensen, Multi-Use Pathways & Trails Project Manager B. Cronkite, Director of Transportation Services 1. E-Scooters and Micromobility in Waterloo Region K. Marshall and J. Belanger, Region of Waterloo staff, introduced plans to establish a micromobility program, which is being established collaboratively by staff from the three cities and region. This would include a shared system for bicycles, electric-assist bikes (e-bikes) and e-scooters. Creating permissions for e-scooters to operate in Waterloo Region is the first step. Staff preliminary preferred option to allow e-scooters was on trails, bike lanes and roads under 50 km/hr. Public consultation found:  54% of respondents supported the staff preferred option;  Banning e-scooters was the least preferred option;  Reasons for support of preferred option included a complete network, treats e- scooters similar to bikes, provides convenient alternative to car travel, reasonable compromise, avoids higher speed areas without active transportation infrastructure, safe option;  Reasons against preferred option include the desire for no on-road use, no trails, seen as unsafe and improper use by riders, prefer to make it anywhere a bike can go, license and insurance concerns, and concerns with pedestrian and vehicle collisions;  There was 67% support for e-scooter rental companies operating in Waterloo Region; and  44% of respondents said they are likely to rent an e-scooter at least once. Trips for fun or recreation were the highest reason for trips. Following the consultation, staff plan to continue to proceed with the preferred option and will conduct further consultation with Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee. A traffic and parking bylaw update would be needed for late 2021, with a spring 2022 launch for a rental sharing company. T. Slomke felt that staff were tolerating a new technology rather than embracing it. There wasn’t any analysis on network gaps where e-scooters would not be allowed. Restricting e-scooters on roads above 50 km/h reduces the pressure on the region to build proper infrastructure for higher speed roads. T. Slomke offered the motion: CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER June 8, 2021 “That KCTAC support in principle Option 5 that would permit e-scooters anywhere a bike can go.” Seconded by S. Marsh. G. Kirk asked if changes are expected with the introduction of “motorcycle-like” bikes. K. Marshall noted that it will depend on how the Ministry of Transportation defines e-bikes. Staff’s concern is the weight and speed mixing with pedestrians. B. Tracey asked how enforcement will occur. K. Marshall responded that it is complex and the police would be the lead with a focus on specific areas of concern. Goal is to regulate as much as possible through agreements with rental companies so there is minimal enforcement needed. E. Bennett noted that education on multi-use trails is an issue and asked if any thought has been given to create a comprehensive training/education plan to cover all users. K. Marshall noted education on multi-use trails is being considered at a variety of region and city staff groups. M. Rodrigues offered his support for staff preferred option and suggested it could provide more pressure on regional staff to build proper infrastructure so these new users can access more parts of the region. K. Marshall noted the intent with this permission approach is to respond to a pilot program opportunity and permissions can be reevaluated if pilot shows that demand for e-scooters is strong and safety concerns can be addressed. T. Slomke’s motion was voted upon and carried, with eight in favour and two opposed. 2. Provincial Consultations on E-Bikes D. Kropf explained that the Province of Ontario has reopened consultations on new definitions for Power-Assisted Bicycles (E-Bikes). The definition of an e-bike would be amended to include three specific classes:  Type 1 e-bikes: traditional bicycle-style e-bikes  Type 2 e-bikes: moped-style e-bikes  Type 3 e-bikes: motorcycle-style e-bikes All three classes of e-bikes would continue to be treated as bicycles (i.e., would not need to be registered or insured, operators would not require a license). The Province also announced that Cargo e-bikes that weigh more than 55 kg will be captured under the cargo e-bike pilot program and those that weigh 55 kg or less will be captured under the e-bike definition. CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER June 8, 2021 City staff expressed some concerns that pedal-assisted and throttle-assisted e-bikes are being grouped together, which can have very different speeds and weights. Further, some forms of electric cargo bikes, such as tricycles, may become illegal. D. Kropf encouraged committee members to participate in the province’s consultation by June 10, 2021 at https://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?postingId=37389&language=en. 3. Cycling into the Future (CITF) C. Aagaard informed the committee that Cycling into the Future remains active despite suspending in-school programming. Working with principals and teachers in Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, CITF has trained about 5,000 Grades 5 and 6 students since 2014. They will be hosting a virtual fundraiser called Spin for Funds. They are also looking for space because they collect bike donations and refurbish them so kids who may not own a bike can still participate and then keep the bike. Some programming could also be hosted out of the space. They expect to be back in schools this fall, pending pandemic restrictions. They are exploring some programming that trains parents and kids together. They have found that bikes are a great way for kids to explore their neighbourhood. J. Broscheck explained that he didn’t know about this fantastic initiative and would love to learn more about support for families commuting to school. Many parents still feel it’s not safe for kids to ride their bike on the road. C. Aagaard agreed that a big hurdle is convincing parents that roads can be safe to bike on. Modules include off-road training before moving to the road. G. Piccini asked if CITF goes to specific schools. C. Aagard responded that they are active at schools that are willing to host them. Their long-term goal is to be in every school in Waterloo Region. 4. Subcommittee updates B. Tracey shared that the Trails Standards subcommittee has created a spreadsheet to document missing curb cuts. Committee members are asked to document ones they find this summer so there is a full list. M. Rodrigues noted that the Bike Parking subcommittee met to share different ideas. One idea is to have a request form for businesses to request a bike rack from the city. Customers could encourage businesses to complete it. A bike parking page on the website would also be helpful. It could include different types of racks and how to lock the bike. CycleWR has some resources. The subcommittee also wants to look at bike parking in new development again, such as cargo bikes or e-bikes. The city could require e-bike charging stations, similar to electric vehicle stations. CYCLING AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER June 8, 2021 J. Broschek shared that the Vision Zero subcommittee met to brainstorm how they could support the city’s efforts towards Vision Zero. Next step is to meet with city staff as plans develop further. They suggested the city adopt interim goals towards Vision Zero, consider engagement with the insurance industry and provide strategies for how to foster culture change. D. Kropf noted that a large focus of this subcommittee would be on implementation of specific action items in the Vision Zero Strategy. No updates were provided from the Complete Streets or Events subcommittees. 5. Mid-year review M. Rodrigues welcomed feedback on committee members’ experience on the committee so far. Members were pleased with their experience and found it fit their expectations. 6. Summer meetings Meeting schedule for the summer break typically includes a meeting in July but not in August. The committee supported the idea of an informal bike ride and site visit during the regular meeting time in August. 7. Staff updates D. Kropf and L. Christensen shared several updates:  DSD-2020-63 Iron Horse Trail Crossings and cycling spot fixes will be discussed at Community & Infrastructure Services Committee on June 14 at 1:15 pm. Delegations welcomed.  Downtown Cycling Grid construction is continuing, with median installation and some asphalt repair being completed on Joseph Street.  City staff will drop off volunteer appreciation gifts in the coming weeks.  Iron Horse Trail wayfinding signs are printed and the posts are installed. Meeting adjourned at 6:00 pm.