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HomeMy WebLinkAboutATTAC Minutes 2023-05-09 ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER May 9, 2023 The Active Transportation and Trails Advisory Committee met on Tuesday May 9, 2023, at 4 pm. Present: Matthew Bells, Emily Bennett, Jorg Broschek, Phillip Charbonneau, Lynn Dramnitzki, Bart Forwell, Victoria Hand, Josh Orita, Greg Piccini, Craig Reynolds, Barry Tracey, Councillor Aislinn Clancy Regrets: Rida Rahman, Wanda West Staff: D. Kropf, Manager Active Transportation and Development I. Balaban, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager L. Christensen, Trails Project Manager A. Mills, Active Transportation Markets and Events Student B. Cronkite, Director Transportation Services Delegations: None 1. Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof No conflicts reported. 2. Upcoming Events and Co-op Student Introduction City staff are pleased to welcome Allison Mills as the Active Transportation Marketing and Events Co-op Student for the summer. Volunteers for the Delta Street event include V. Hand, E. Bennett, P. Charbonneau, B. Tracey, J. Orita and Councilor A. Clancy. Committee members suggested a ribbon cutting with different types of vehicles/walkers. B. Tracey volunteered to help at the WRPS-hosted event. 3. Events Subcommittee Presentation The subcommittee shared they want to run “city strolls” that are guided treks starting in a neighbourhood and connecting into downtown Kitchener, to show how easy it is to get downtown without driving. A group ride can help give people confidence. These could tie into something happening downtown, perhaps visiting a business or event. There could be an option for walking or biking, starting at same location but with different schedules. L. Dramnitzki noted she would be interested in helping to host a trip from Stanley Park. The goal is to host two of them this year. Committee members suggested Multicultural Festival and Kidspark. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER May 9, 2023 4. Complete Streets Review – 2025 Locations The Complete Streets subcommittee reviewed the list of reconstructions for 2025 and developed recommendations based on the Complete Streets Guidelines. In addition to the memo provided by the subcommittee, G. Piccini presented and the following comments were discussed:  Continuous sidewalk or narrowing lanes for the intersection past Weber on Broadview  Connaught Street would be a good opportunity for continuous sidewalks and is a high priority cycling route with access to schools The committee asked when they will hear back from previous year’s designs. D. Kropf noted they will come as neighbourhood consultations are scheduled. L. Dramnitzki noted that Cambridge Avenue (near Stanley Park) looks great and is a positive example of Complete Streets implementation. Councilor A. Clancy moved “That the committee endorse the subcommittees comments, as amended by further discussion at the meeting.” Approved unanimously. The comments will be forwarded to the City’s Engineering Department. 5. All Committee Meeting - Debrief M. Bells and V. Hand attended a meeting to discuss the City’s strategic plan, with a vision for the next 20 years. All advisory committee chairs and vice chairs were invited. There were five major areas:  Belonging and Participation  Housing, Land Use and Mobility  Environment and Climate Action  Economic Prosperity and Opportunity  Good Government The committee discussed whether they should provide a formal comment into the process. All agreed that a statement should be provided at next meeting. M. Bells, J. Broschek, and P. Charbonneau offered to bring a draft to the next meeting. City staff will ensure this process meets the timeline for the strategic plan process. J. Broschek suggested that a strong statement on climate action should be the main point as transportation emissions are still the major driver of Waterloo Region’s emissions. M. Bells noted that energy costs are a major risk for cities moving forward. 6. Joint Spot Improvement Program (JSIP) - Tender L. Christensen shared that the Cycling and Trails Master Plan had a deliverable to develop a spot improvement program. Parks and Transportation have put together a tender for spot fixes which will be ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER May 9, 2023 awarded soon. Items include a raised crossing at Glasgow Street, curb cuts at trails, trail entrance improvements, walkway block upgrades, pedestrian islands, and pedestrian crossovers. D. Kropf encouraged the committee to consider ways to celebrate this work. Suggestions included:  Small posters on site with balloons  Taking pictures and tagging Councilors on social media  Get some media attention, through Vision Zero  Include in bike rides in the summer B. Tracey asked for a review of the list of outstanding curb cuts so they could add more for next year. 7. Ontario Bike Summit - Recap V. Hand shared some of what she learned at the Ontario Bike Summit:  A bike ride toured different infrastructure using Hamilton’s bike share  Everyone Rides included adaptive bikes for hire so people with varying abilities can learn to ride a bike, based on a pay what you can model  Micromobility reviewed different vehicle types and applications (rural vs urban) that will impact future planning  Dutch Cycling Embassy shared how advocacy led to becoming a cycling friendly nation as being car-centric was leading to too many collisions and deaths 8. Land Acknowledgement Discussion J. Broschek proposed the idea of doing a land acknowledgement to begin meetings. Councilor A. Clancy suggested taking turns leading the acknowledgement can make it more meaningful. P. Charbonneau suggested that doing it needs to be accompanied with some action so the committee could reach out to local Indigenous communities to reflect on how this committee’s work impacts them. Staff noted that there are relationships being developed and the City’s equity office is reviewing structural items like the composition of the committees. P. Charbonneau supported doing land acknowledgements now and having further discussion on future actions. M. Bells asked how it would appear in minutes, if it would be an official statement or personalized and does any of the wording need to be approved? City staff will investigate these questions. 9. Staff Updates I. Balaban shared that Neuron has launched and is so far outpacing other cities in terms of usage. A launch event is planned on Friday May 12 at Carl Zehr Square and committee members are invited. Committee members encouraged further expansion of the service area. M. Bells asked when we might get data like usage maps or trends. I. Balaban says that is ongoing and can be shared in the future. ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER May 9, 2023 Meeting adjourned at 6:00 pm.