Chambana Sun

City of Woodstock Transportation Commission met April 19.

Here is the minutes provided by the Commission:

A Regular Meeting of the Transportation Commission was called to order by Commission Vice-Chairman Mark Indyke at 7:20 pm on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 in the Council Chambers at Woodstock City Hall.

A roll call was taken.

Commission Members Present: Jason Osborne, Mark Indyke, Susan Hudson, and Caron Wenzel.

Commission Members Absent: Chairman Andrew Celentano.

Staff Present: Public Works Director Jeff Van Landuyt and Chief Deputy City Clerk Jane Howie.

Others Present: none.

Acceptance of Minutes:

Acceptance of Minutes from the January 18, 2017 meeting: Motion by M. Indyke, second by J. Osborne, to accept the January 18, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes as presented. Ayes: J. Osborne and M. Indyke. Nays: none. Absentees: Chair A. Celentano. Abstentions: S. Hudson, C. Wenzel. Motion carried. Minutes accepted.

Acceptance of Minutes from the March 15, 2017 meeting: Motion by C. Wenzel, second by J. Osborne, to accept the January 18, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes as presented. Ayes: J. Osborne and C. Wenzel. Nays: none. Absentees: Chair A. Celentano. Abstentions: M. Indyke and S. Hudson. Motion carried. Minutes accepted.

Floor Discussion:

1. Public Comments: none.

2. Commission Comments: none.

Transmittals: (no discussion or action requested)

1. Illinois Bicycle Rules of the Road – Illinois Secretary of State

A brief discussion took place. The Commission agreed that the information contained in the Illinois Bicycle Rules of the Road is beneficial.

2. Article from Woodstock Independent 3/29/2017 re: H.S. Students & Wi-Fi Project

C. Wenzel thinks this program is very cool. It has branched out from its original form. The Commission briefly discussed the project. Access points will be installed on light posts around the perimeter of the Square. J. Van Landuyt said the group of students mentioned in the newspaper article will present to City Council on May 2, 2017.

The South Street Project and the Westwood Path Project will be presented to The Transportation Commission at their May meeting.

Old Business:

1. Final Review of Chapter 3 – Master Bicycle Plan w/ Commission comments

J. Van Landuyt said that Chair Celentano’s notes are included in Chapter 3. C. Wenzel said A. Celentano re-wrote some portions. M. Indyke asked a few questions about the Plan. Further discussion ensued to clarify some of the points, making sure that traffic will be traveling at a safe speed and drivers and cyclists are aware of their surroundings; safe traffic patterns. M. Indyke asked about traffic signals and bicycle-sensitive loop detectors. Is this appropriate? J. Osborne said this is something that IDOT would install. C. Wenzel added that IDOT can install buttons that would select their use by pedestrians or cyclists. This would be beneficial, especially toward the end of a bike trail. Also, she suggested the inclusion of crosswalk buttons to maintain safety. The Commission discussed various locations for these buttons. C. Wenzel expressed her excitement about the inclusion of the bike trail along Rt. 47.

J. Osborne mentioned that loop detectors are more sensitive to mopeds, electric bikes, and motorcycles; that’s a big consideration.

S. Hudson said even if bicycle lanes were installed behind everyone’s driveways, the concept still seems unsafe. She asked if people are allowed to park their car at a major juncture, and then bike from there. The Commissioners said automobile parking is addressed in the Bicycle Plan under “Bicycle Parking”, and it is allowed to park and ride. C. Wenzel said Wal-Mart allows people to park in their parking lot and use their facilities, so she believes the store would also allow people to park their car in the lot while they ride their bike. C. Wenzel asked how far north the bike path will go. Would it travel all the way to Hebron? J. Van Landuyt is not sure of the length of the path at this time. J. Osborne believes bicycle parking should be a priority at the train station. He noted that the area appears to be more of a school yard at this time. He believes it’s a definite priority to upgrade the area in the very near future.

A motion was made by J. Osborne, second by S. Hudson, to approve the changes to Chapter 3 of the Master Bicycle Plan, thus far. There was a consensus of the Commission.

New Business:

1. Review of Chapter 4 – Master Bicycle Plan

J. Osborne asked a couple of questions about Chapter 4. J. Van Landuyt said this Commission still has to review the map of the bicycle path. The Commission would like to have a Workshop to review the map and make some suggestions on locations. J. Van Landuyt explained what would be included in this type of Workshop. He also suggested that perhaps the Commission would like to schedule a Public Hearing.

In addition, J. Van Landuyt mentioned that the Commission needs to determine who best should educate the community on bicycle rules of the road, and how best to proceed.

Future Agenda Items:

1. Update of Master Bicycle Plan

2. Workshop to discuss bike path routes – present & future

3. PLTW Student presentations May 17, 2017

4. Loading & unloading Zones in the Downtown

Adjournment:

Motion by J. Osborne, second by S. Hudson, to adjourn this Special Meeting of the Transportation Commission. Ayes: J. Osborne, M. Indyke, S. Hudson, and C. Wenzel. Nays: none. Absentees: Chair A. Celentano. Abstentions: none. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 pm until the next Regular Meeting of the Transportation Commission on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 7:00 pm.

http://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/transportation_commission/meeting/11351/trans_minutes_4-19-17.pdf