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HomeMy WebLinkAboutATTAC Minutes 2023-04-11 ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER April 11, 2023 The Active Transportation and Trails Advisory Committee met on Tuesday April 11, 2023, at 4 pm. Present: Matthew Bells, Emily Bennett, Jorg Broschek, Philip Charbonneau, Lynn Dramnitzki, Bart Forwell, Victoria Hand, Josh Orita, Craig Reynolds, Barry Tracey, Wanda West, Aislinn Clancy, Greg Piccini, Regrets: Rida Rahman Staff: D. Kropf, Manager Active Transportation and Development I. Balaban, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager L. Christensen, Trails Project Manager B. Cronkite, Director Transportation Services Delegations: Isaac Ransom and Josh Holzman, Neuron Mobility 1. Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature thereof No conflicts of interest declared. 1. Volunteer Appreciation Week D. Kropf thanked committee members for their ongoing hard work and participation. 2. DMAF Schneider & Shoemaker Creek Restoration Deferred to next month. Presenter was unable to attend. D. Kropf referred members to the project’s engage page and suggested they attend the upcoming public meeting on April 13, 2023. 3. Neuron Mobility - Presentation Isaac Ransom and Josh Holzman, Neuron Mobility I. Ransom and J. Holzman introduced themselves and provided an overview of the Neuron Mobility service. Highlights include: - 100 e-bikes available at launch - 200 e-scooters available at launch - There is aa overview presentation available on their website ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER April 11, 2023 - Helmets are provided and locked to vehicles – helmets are required by bylaw in Waterloo Region. - E-scooters have voice capabilities to communicate with riders, two bells (electric and manual), “ping sounds” can be emitted whenever e-scooter is in motion. V. Hand asked how do you signal to drivers where you’re going, since there are no signal/indicators? I. Ransom – no way to signal. Indicators will be included on the next generation model I. Ransom spoke on Neuron’s safety record, with incident rates below 2 per 1,000 kms, safety training modules C. Reynolds asked about operation on roads over 50km/h I. Ransom – vehicle will gradually slow down when crossing into a no ride zone G. Piccini asked about age restrictions I. Ransom – no riders permitted under 16 years of age, between 16 and 18 requires parental consent. Users must have a credit card to sign up for the service, and Neuron has the capability to ban users if need be. Councilor A. Clancy asked for their opinion on what’s happening in Paris (context, city had just voted to remove e-scooters) I. Ransom – very different conditions, as they have 3 operators with 15,000 vehicles in a highly unregulated market. Waterloo Region has restrictive parking, geofences, and fewer tourists. M. Bells asked about data sharing. I. Ransom data is being shared with the City and Region, data from user surveys will be shared once complete. M. Bells asked if a user can “lock” the vehicle while shopping. I. Ransom – “reserve my ride” feature can hold the vehicle for up to 15 minutes. Guest asked if data is collected that can link the scooter/ride to the user? I. Ransom noted all data collected is anonymized, however there is a process to link the scooter to the rider if requested by police. Guest – Is there 24/7 support, and staff for rebalancing? I. Ransom – yes, there is support, and a warehouse in Kitchener. There are 80-100 staff to start for charging and rebalancing. Guest asked about parking. I. Ransom – there will be virtual parking stations to start. Guest asked about charging I. Ransom – charging will be done by swapping batteries. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER April 11, 2023 Guest asked if there is a process to ban users who are abusing the system I. Ransom – yes, users can be banned, they can also be fined for misparking, or their trip will not “end” if the vehicle is not parked correctly. B. Cronkite asked for details on where the vehicles can be ridden, and how riding outside those zones is discouraged. Kevan Marshall from the Region of Waterloo responded that Alta Planning and Design Consultants were retained to design the service area. The vehicles are restricted on high-speed roads with no Active Transportation infrastructure. Neuron will adhere to rules set by the Region regarding lower speeds on multi-use paths, etc. Guest asked what would happen if someone who is legally blind attempted to use one of the vehicles? I. Ransom noted that it is a motor vehicle under the motor vehicle act. There is training and terms and agreements that must be completed, including being able to be aware of your surroundings. Neuron would try to work with those riders to help them understand the safety implications. B. Forwell asked how the vehicles would operate if brought onto a bus or LRT? I. Ransom noted the geofences do not allow the vehicles on LRT stations or tracks. The wheels of the vehicle would lock. An education program could be launched if this turns out to be an issue. Guest asked about pricing. I. Ransom noted it is $1.15 to unlock the vehicle, and $0.35 per minute of usage. There are optional passes including a $90 monthly pass, $35 weekly pass, and $25 daily pass. There is also a special access pass or agreement for individuals with low income, reducing these costs by 50%, as well as a 35% discount for students (including high school students with a valid school email account) and 50% discount for seniors. Guest asked about riding to Cambridge. B Cronkite and J Holzman noted that the main barrier would be suitable roadways for such a journey, and the service is more intended to fill the first mile / last mile gap. M. Morris asked about reducing or preventing animosity between different trail users. I Ransom noted that the e-scooters are limited to 15km/h on trail, and the e-assist on e-bikes turns off when on a trail. Also, there is scootsafe online training, training modules in the app, scootsafe in- person at events, and in-app notifications. 4. Iron Horse Trail Delta Extension – Opening Event The opening of the trail was delayed due to deficiency work. The event will be delayed to a date close to rd June 3 (International Trails Day). Events subcommittee suggested finding a musician for the opening event. A poster will be prepared by city staff advertising the event. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER April 11, 2023 5. E-bike subsidy - council motion Councilor A. Clancy presented on the motion she recently brought to council. Many American cities are subsidizing the purchase of e-bikes and e-scooters. Most climate subsidies focus on Electric Vehicles (cars) and homeowners, so subsidizing e-bikes and e-scooters would serve to address this gap and promote equity. For many students, not having transportation causes them to miss school. Councilor A. Clancy went to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities sustainability conference to advocate for alternative types of subsidies to the federal government, and present a motion. J. Broschek asked if there’s a framework at the Federal level to promote Active Transportation, or a strategic target? Councilor A. Clancy noted that there is a framework, but it is important to get it in the Federal budget. For the time being, this motion helps to amplify the conversation, and could help to build a swell of support among the municipalities. D. Kropf answered that there are federal grants available to municipalities for active transportation infrastructure projects. G. Piccini asked if this motion included regular bicycles, or just e-bikes? Councilor A. Clancy noted it was just for e-bikes. 6. Hiking Improvements Subcommittee Workplan Update P. Charbonneau presented on the subcommittee’s workplan, with the goal of improving the user experience on hiking trails, and raising awareness of the city’s trail network. The work plan includes:  Create a comprehensive list of hiking trails in Kitchener  Identify which trails are on municipal land  Walk the trails and find places that need improvements  Create a list of local trail associations  Be a liaison between the hiking organizations and City Staff 7. Highway 85 ramp closure at Lancaster Street West Philip Charbonneau began the conversation about the recent City and Regional Council votes regarding the removal of the Highway 85 ramps at Lancaster Street West. The Region’s staff report showed that users are four times more likely to have collisions on that segment of Highway 85 compared to the rest of the Highway. At Regional Council, the City of Kitchener representative recommended delaying the decision to remove the ramps until after it had been brought to City Council and voted on. When brought to City Council, 9 out of 10 Councilors voted to retain the highway ramps. The issue will now return to Regional Council for a final vote, having been informed of city Council’s position. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER April 11, 2023 M. Bells asked if there was engagement on this issue with the public. I. Balaban noted it was posted on the engageWR site from November to December of 2022. D. Kropf noted that the decision was not brought to ATTAC for input because it was a Regional Road and would therefore have been brought to the Region’s Advisory Committee. If ATTAC were to write a letter of support, that could be provided to the Region. The ratification vote will occur in a few weeks at Regional Council. P Charbonneau put forth the following motion to Regional Staff: “That the Active Transportation and Trails Advisory Committee supports Regional Staff’s recommendation that the Highway 85 ramps at Lancaster Street West be closed to support the installation of active transportation infrastructure on Lancaster Street West.” The motion passed unanimously. 8. Staff Updates D. Kropf noted that nominations are now open for Kitchener’s Great Places award. The program recognizes excellence in urban design, placemaking, neighbourhood design, heritage, sustainability, master planning and student projects Anyone can nominate a project. Nominations for awards and th expression of interest for jury panels are open until April 28 Nominations can be made at www.kitchener.ca/greatplaces Meeting adjourned at 6:00 pm.