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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-01-12 CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 12, 2010 CITY OF KITCHENER The Cycling Advisory Committee met on his date commencing at 4:15 p.m. Present: Messrs. T. Kenyon (Chair), B. Forwell (Vice-Chair), Councillor J. Gazzola and Messrs. S. Burek, D. Class, D. Hilker, B. Laube, N. Mehés, M. Arges Staff: Messrs. R. Schirm (Committee Administrator), P. Wetherup and Ms. K. Reinert (Recorder) Regrets: Mr. T. Müller and Ms. P. Ji-Taylor APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. That the minutes of the December 8, 2009 meeting be approved. Motioned by Mr. D. Hilker Seconded by Mr. N. Mehés Business arising from the Minutes Mr. Ron Schirm informed the committee that Mr. Michael Arges’ membership request will be presented to Council on Monday, January 18, 2010. Technically, Mr. Arges is not allowed to vote until Council approval has been granted. Unanimously approved by committee to have report presented at Council for acceptance of Mr. M. Arges to fill one of the vacant positions on the Cycling Advisory Committee. SIGN PILOT PROJECT 2. Mr. Ron Schirm requested feedback on a couple of locations that could be chosen for a sign pilot project. Locations to be considered would depend upon there connectivity from points A to B, and in conjunction with the Cycling Master Plan. Possible locations would be the following: - Margaret Avenue from City of Waterloo limits to downtown. Margaret Avenue is being redesigned with the intention of installing bike lanes from the City of Waterloo to Victoria Street. The challenge is a continuation of some sort of cycling facility beyond Victoria Street, using signs and parallel routing to create the connectivity to identified destinations (ie. City Hall, the market, the library, etc.). - City Hall to Fairview Park Mall. There would be the possibility of alternative routing in the development of this using the Iron Horse trail, some regional roads and local roadways. The use of the Iron Horse Trail would raise the profile of the project. - Doon to Downtown Kitchener was also identified as a possibility. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 12, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 2 SIGN PILOT PROJECT 2. – cont’d There is very little data on cycling traffic to any destination at this time but data received from the June and November surveys indicates the following rank of destinations; 1. Downtown Kitchener, 2. Uptown Waterloo to Universities and to Fairview Park, All regional roads were identified in the surveys as requiring cycling infrastructure. The three most often cited local roadways were Park Street and Margaret Avenue. With respect to cycling traffic in winter, there is very little data now but the Region of Waterloo will be tracking 70 or 80 cyclists in the spring via the use of GPS units on wristbands. This information will tie in with the Cycling Master Plan to be rolled out to Council in May. The green bike signs alone will not be suitable for this project, instead, way finding signs will be implemented to direct cyclists where they need to go. Mr. Duncan Class suggested that committee members prioritize two options that would be successful with signage and Mr. Schirm concurred that this was a great idea and recommended that, for the next meeting, decisions be made on destinations and specific route options. Mr. Tim Kenyon commented that this will be more work intensive and asked that committee come prepared to bring back two options. Action Item: Each Committee Member to be prepared to discuss two routing options. . TRAIL REPORTS 3 Mr. Peter Wetherup acknowledged receiving the trail reports listing the ten different locations of concern that Mr. D. Class had forwarded to himself and Mr. Schirm. Mr. Wetherup had shared these reports with others in his department and all trail reports were reviewed. Discussions with Operations staff indicated that the issues were in large part not maintenance issues and, therefore, needed to be addressed through the Capital Budget process. Some examples were as follows: a) Wilson Avenue and Vanier Drive bridge and the pedestrian pathway over the creek at Shelley Drive and Wilson Avenue would be in the range of $100,000 each to complete and subject to approval through the capital budget process b) Old Carriage Drive along the Schneider Creek is in the flood plain and would require Grand River Conservation Authority (G.R.C.A.) approval. The water problem would not be easy to rectify because the asphalt would need to be removed and replaced with a more robust trail bed installed. This would exceed the maintenance budget. c) Homer Watson trail from Huron Road to the edge of the river. Re-routing of the old highway could be reviewed but this would need to be a joint effort by the Region, City of Kitchener and the G.R.C.A. The trail with guard rails is maintained by the Grand River Valley Hiking Association and, therefore, not the responsibility of the City of Kitchener. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 12, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 3 . TRAIL REPORTS 3 - cont’d d) Henry Sturm Greenway (the hill behind Food Basics). This trail was established in 1975 as a pedestrian trail and was originally designed for cycling. Slope problems are very costly to fix because of grading and re-routing the trail at this location presents issues. The Henry Sturm trail is a high priority due to its connectivity and amenities and destinations adjacent to it. The Committee should consider identifying it as a priority in the future. It was suggested that this committee should be given the opportunity to review planned work and identify priorities on an annual basis in conjunction with Parks planning budget process. In answer to Mr. Brian Laube’s question, Mr. Wetherup explained that capital projects are prioritized on an annual basis. Mr. Wetherup went on to say that, through the Parks Master Plan, the hierarchy of trails will be defined and it is hoped that more funds will be directed to the cycling facilities. Mr. Schirm stated that as a result of the work done on the Parks Master Plan, a Trails Master Plan is being developed, with Expression of Interest being released imminently. The trails hierarchy, implementation strategy and signage are all key issues to be addressed through this process. Mr. Schirm noted that the Cycling Master Plan will also prioritize trails in terms of facility type and use with regards to cycling. The committee felt it would be beneficial for Mr. Wetherup to present this year’s trail plans at the February meeting. The priority list has already been set for 2010, therefore, it would be beneficial for this committee to focus on and give input to the 2011 priority list. An agenda item for the May or June meeting will be a presentation by Parks Planning staff and the discussion of trail priorities for 2011 from this committee. Since the $25,000 that is annually budgeted for trail maintenance is inadequate, discussion took place on whether the committee is able to apply for grant funding from the province, i.e. Trillium. There are many grant opportunities for programming in Health; it is unclear if these grant opportunities can be applied to capital projects. ACTION: Mr. R. Schirm to investigate grant possibilities and report back at the February meeting. ACTION: Mr. P. Wetherup to prepare a presentation at an upcoming meeting on planned trail construction for 2011. COMMUTER CHALLENGE 4. Mr. Bart Forwell introduced this item and requested feedback from the committee. The Region holds a “The Commuter Challenge” in June and presents companies throughout the Region with awards for doing different things with their employees during this challenge and Mr. Forwell is looking at how this committee can bring items forward. Mr. R. Schirm reported that the City of Kitchener has been a participant for several years and conducted a cycling specific event for two years called “Green Gears”, a lunch time ride showing city staff how accessible City Hall is from all areas of the city by bicycle. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 12, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 4 COMMUTER CHALLENGE 4. - cont’d Some ideas for events for 2010 are as follows; a) Amazing Race, b) Green Gears – City of Kitchener initiative but could expand to all staff in downtown Recommendation : That two ideas be chosen and come back to the next meeting or two to discuss a work plan. Motioned by: Mr. Tim Kenyon Seconded by: Mr. Nicola Mehés The challenge of bike versus transit versus car was also discussed and the logistics of this challenge. Mr. B. Forwell commented that these were great ideas and to send them to him via email. FEBRUARY 1 COUNCIL MEETING 5. Mr. Ron Schirm distributed copies of the draft Harmonized Sales Tax (H.S.T.) report for review and inclusion of Mr. Tim Kenyon’s letter. The H.S.T. has been approved and the original letter from the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada (BTAC) was three-pronged as it referenced the H.S.T., bicycle exemption, and advocacy and funding for cycling in the Province of Ontario and Mr. Schirm requested clarification for the report to Council. The Committee agreed that the report should reflect all three issues. Mr. R. Schirm and Mr. T. Kenyon to contact bicycle shops to find out if the exemption made a difference, if so, what was the difference, and how was it quantified. Mr. Nicola Mehés stated that if the tax exemption cannot be maintained, the sales tax revenue from the sale of bicycles and related equipment should be dedicated to the installation of cycling facilities and programming province-wide. Mr. R. Schirm indicated he would include this in the report. Councillor Gazzola stated that the letter, once approved by Council, should be sent to local Ministers of Parliament and to all members or the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. The Region of Waterloo Cycling Advisory Committee is planning to present a similar report to Regional Council. Estimated Timeline st February 1 presentation of H.S.T. report to Council by Mr. Tim Kenyon, Chair nd February 22 presentation of Block Line Road Roundabout by Mr. Bart Forwell, Vice-Chair CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 12, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 5 FEBRUARY 1 COUNCIL MEETING 5. – cont’d Mr. R. Schirm, after speaking with staff, was concerned about the specifics to be written in the report about Block Line Road and the Roundabout. Councillor John Gazzola expressed that there is concern from a number of people regarding the safety issue and that the report should be kept basic but the issue needs to be brought to the table. With respect to roundabout treatments, Mr. B. Forwell will make a brief presentation from his trip to Holland at the meeting. The development plans for cycling facilities and the road reconstruction is scheduled for 2011, therefore, there is ample time for consideration. Homer Watson Boulevard and the roundabout are under the Region’s jurisdiction and Block Line Road is the City’s jurisdiction which makes this project more complicated. The general consensus was that this would be a great opportunity to consider a graduated separation and discussion took place on logistics, cost and how to proceed. Mr. Nicola Mehés commented that it is important to show that the examples in the presentation are not the only solutions but rather highlight the issues that need to be considered. The report should identify the following issues: 1) grade-separation roundabout. 2) pedestrian/cyclist should not be displaced in terms of grade. 3) Two critical legs; west and north – all were in agreement Mr. T. Kenyon commented that we should specify what should or should not be done. However, it can only help optics of presentation to show what the possibilities are without formally specifying the grade separation as the only solution. It is anticipated that there will be questions asked and it would be good to have additional members from the committee at the meeting as back-up. This is an opportunity to ask Council to support ideas from the Region and also to show good pictures and good ideas to Council. PARK STREET RECONSTRUCTION 6. Bicycle lanes are trying to be accommodated in the reconstruction of Park Street from the Waterloo border to Kitchener (K-W Hospital) but there are some problems due to lane size and lack of obtaining additional space due to cost involved to move hydro poles. Mr. T. Kenyon questioned if the additional $250,000 to move the hydro poles is too much of an additional cost to avoid creating another Queen’s Boulevard situation as was created by the reconstruction in 2009. Mr. Schirm will ask the question. The option of redirecting cyclists to York Street and eliminating stop signs could be an alternative worth considering. th The final design is to be completed by January 18 and the reconstruction is to commence this year. CYCLING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 12, 2010 - - CITY OF KITCHENER 6 BLOCK LINE ROAD RECONSTRUCTION/EXTENSION 7. The three Block Line Road projects are listed below for clarification purposes; 1) Block Line Road Extension (including the roundabout at Fallowfield Drive) 2) Block Line Road Reconstruction 3) Homer Watson Boulevard/Block Line Road Roundabout Mr Muhammad Memon, City of Kitchener, Engineering, is the project manager for the Block Line Road extension. He will provide drawings for comment when they become available. Construction will commence in 2012. The portion of Block Line Road from Westmount Road to Homer Watson Boulevard is scheduled for 2011 and the request for proposal will be made in February 2010, with the hopes of retaining a consultant in March 2010. When the consultant has some design work completed, the Committee will be asked to provide feedback and suggestions for cycling infrastructure along this corridor. ADJOURNMENT 8. On motion of Vice-Chair, Bart Forwell and seconded by Mr. Brian Laube, the meeting adjourned at 6:02 p.m. Ronald Schirm Committee Administrator