Chambana Sun

City of Urbana Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee met March 20.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

Members Present: Bill Brown (Chair), Annie Adams, Kara Dudek, Cynthia Hoyle Audrey Ishii, Susan Jones, Craig Shonkwiler, Nancy Westcott and Lily Wilcock

Staff Present: Kevin Garcia

Members Absent: None

Members Late Arrival: Leonardo Clovis, Jeff Marino

Others Present: None

1. Call To Order, Roll Call, And Declaration Of Quorum

Bill Brown called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Roll call was taken. A quorum of members was present.

2. Approval Of Agenda

Susan Jones moved to approve the agenda; Audrey Ishii seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.

3. Approval Of Minutes From Previous Meeting

The minutes from the February 20, 2018 meeting were presented for approval. Cynthia Hoyle moved to approve the minutes; Kara Dudek seconded the motion; and the motion was unanimously approved.

4. Public Input

There was no public input.

5. Unfinished Business

a. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission 2017 Annual Report

Bill Brown stated that he would distribute a draft report within the next week or two for comments from the commissioners and bring the report to the Commission for approval at the April BPAC meeting. He would present the report to the City Council at the May 7, 2018 City Council meeting. He asked Craig Shonkwiler for the list of infrastructure projects completed in 2017. Mr. Brown asked for any pictures of local events with bicycles and pedestrians.

Cynthia Hoyle asked if Mr. Brown could open a folder in Google Docs or a similar format so the pictures could be placed in one location.

b. Report on National Bike Summit, Washington, D.C., March 5-7, 2018 – Cynthia Hoyle and Bill Brown

Bill Brown stated that most discussions regarding federal legislation during their time at the National Bike Summit occurred with representatives of Congressional leaders. Mr. Brown said that they were able to attend hearings held by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He mentioned that Congressman Rodney Davis was a member on that committee. While there, they heard testimony from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a national truck drivers’ association supporting an increase in the national gas tax. He explained that the delegation from Illinois split into two groups to lobby for three issues: 1) passage of H.R. Bill 4241: The Transportation Access and System Connection Act, which would fund a pilot program ($.5 million) to develop resources and tool-sharing to promote transportation systems that connected people to destinations and make spending more cost-effective, sponsored by Esty (D-CT), Davis (R-IL), and Lipinski (D-IL); 2) continued funding of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program, which the House of Representatives currently zeroed out in its 2018 budget proposal; and 3) Principles of Transportation Investment, emphasizing safety, multimodal projects, local control and funding formulas (performance metrics) were discussed. Bill Brown mentioned that many staff members were aware of the importance of bicycle infrastructure funding. Mr. Brown mentioned that the TIGER grants were typically given out to larger projects and that states were rarely given more than one. He added that the TIGER grants were usually given to projects which promoted complete streets. He said that the Trump administration has planned to zero out the TIGER grants and combine it with funding for transit programs.

Mr. Brown said that the summit had breakout sessions and keynote speakers, which included U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, that were also very informative.

Cynthia Hoyle said that the Trump plan would flip funding from 80% federal funds and 20% state and local match to 20% federal funding and 80% state and local funding.

Both Mr. Brown and Ms. Hoyle felt that the proposed 20% federal/80% local share for project funding did not seem to have the support of lawmakers.

Mr. Brown felt that lawmakers might develop an infrastructure program that was awarded on merit. He sensed that some lawmakers felt the TIGER grants might become too politicized.

Ms. Hoyle mentioned that transit did not receive any federal grant money, but some trails and complete streets did receive funds this year. In Illinois, she said that a highway project received TIGER funds. Ms. Hoyle said that many did not believe that the 20% federal and 80% local plan was plausible. She said that Secretary Chao stated that automated vehicles will have to be designed to accommodative pedestrians and bicyclists on the roadways as far as the US Department of Transportation is concerned. Ms. Hoyle said that she received an action alert asking those concerned about highway safety to urge leaders to look carefully at the impact of automated vehicles on roadways.

Lily Wilcock stated that trails and complete streets projects received more funding than in the past.

Cynthia Hoyle said that she attended a session on bicycle education with youth. She added that she talked to Congressman Rodney Davis and encouraged him to ride the Kickapoo Rail Trail. Congressman Davis mentioned that he might do so in May. Ms. Hoyle said that she would contact Representative Davis’s office to schedule the event. She felt it would be a good opportunity to showcase the importance of the trail for economic development and growth. As part of the summit, Ms. Hoyle participated in a bike tour that went to NPR’s studios in Washington, D.C. She mentioned that indoor parking for bicycles and showers encouraged staff to cycle to work. She added that Washington, D.C. had the dockless bicycle share.

Bill Brown discussed a tour of National Geographic’s headquarters. He mentioned that there were indoor bicycle parking and showers and a map in their building showing preferred routes by employees.

Mr. Brown mentioned that the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) award would be presented at the Illinois Bike Summit on May 7, 2018. Mr. Brown asked about registration for the Illinois Bike Summit.

Mr. Shonkwiler said that if a Commissioner was a liaison for another agency, the City would not pay for registration, but those who are not affiliated with an agency, the City might pay for their registration.

Craig Shonkwiler asked if there was any interest in taxing vehicles by the number of miles travelled.

Bill Brown said that taxing by miles travelled was years off. He said that the President was open to a gas tax increase, but the Speaker of the House was not.

6. New Business

a. Lincoln Avenue and Springfield Avenue Resurfacing Project – Craig Shonkwiler

Craig Shonkwiler discussed conceptual designs for a resurfacing project for the area on Lincoln Avenue, north of Green Street and south of University Avenue, including the intersections of Stoughton Street, Main Street and Clark Street for this year. Mr. Shonkwiler added that the resurfacing project would include Springfield Avenue from east of Gregory Street to west of Coler Avenue. He added that the Illinois Department of Transportation had scheduled improvements on University Avenue for 2018. He said that most of the project would be funded using state motor fuel tax and local gas tax monies. The project was estimated to cost from $1.6M to $1.7M. He explained that $1.4M had been allocated and the remaining funds would be requested as part of the budget proposed for next fiscal year. He said that the primary focus of the improvement plan would include removing the top layer of the streets, replacing with a new top layer, restriping lanes and improving all sidewalk ramps. He said that there would be a continuous ADA-compliant sidewalk along the west side of Lincoln Avenue. He mentioned that he and his staff would be working with PACE Inc. Center for Independent Living to supply wheelchairs so staff can navigate the area to become more aware of the barriers encountered by some users with disabilities.

Cynthia Hoyle asked if the sidewalk would be widened.

Mr. Shonkwiler said that widening the sidewalks would be outside the scope of the project. He said that the purpose was to resurface the streets and make the area ADA-compliant throughout the project. He said that as an example, there was water ponding along the sidewalk and sections heaving from tree roots in one area, so the improvements would alleviate those problems. He continued his presentation by discussing the pedestrian and bicycle counts taken at each intersection. He reported that a fair number of pedestrians were crossing Main Street and Stoughton Street where those streets crossed Lincoln Avenue. Since Main Street was denoted as an area for improvement in the Urbana Bicycle Master Plan, Mr. Shonkwiler indicated the importance of including enhancements for the crossing. He emphasized the need to maintain the median for pedestrians crossing and roadway lighting on Lincoln Avenue. He mentioned that Lincoln Avenue was not a candidate for a road diet at that location. He said that the speed limit would remain at 30 miles per hour, but the lanes would be reduced from 12 feet to 11 feet, and ADA-compliant pedestrian push buttons would be installed at Springfield Avenue. At Stoughton Street, the installation of an enhanced crosswalk would be warranted using the recently adopted Champaign-Urbana Pedestrian Enhancement Guidelines according to Mr. Shonkwiler. With an east/west count of 350 collectively (motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians) at the intersection of Main Street, he said that a need for a crossing was needed. At Clark Street he said that the counts were not sufficient to warrant an enhanced crossing, but the design would allow for the installation of a refuge area at a later time. He mentioned that with the potential for development at Clark Street and Lincoln Avenue, it would be better to wait to improve that intersection, but a bumpout would be installed to reduce the area for pedestrian crossings. For the Main Street intersection with Lincoln Avenue, he showed the crossings on the west, south and east legs of the intersection and the reduction of the lane widths by adding bump outs to reduce the pedestrians’ exposure to vehicular traffic.

Annie Adams expressed her disappointment that the speed limit would remain at 30 miles per hour, but said that the design would alert motorists to a change in roadway usage.

Craig Shonkwiler said that there would be a speed study performed before and after the roadway improvements are installed to determine if the improvements changed behaviors.

Leo Covis asked how far the crosswalk would be from the median on Clark Street.

Ms. Adams asked if there would be additional street lighting as part of the project.

Mr. Shonkwiler stated that there would not be any additional lighting.

On Main Street, Mr. Shonkwiler stated that the median would pull the curb line in to shorten the crossing area and that bicyclists travelling east and west would be able to pull into a multi-use zone about eight feet in width. In addition, Mr. Shonkwiler stated that the crossing points would be enhanced points with the installation of flashing solar pedestrian signage activated by push button similar to signage located at the intersection of Vine Street and Windsor Road. The signage would be located in the middle of Lincoln Avenue to further warn of pedestrian crossing for both northbound and southbound traffic. He mentioned that the intersection might be one of the first areas in central Illinois to use solar signs for that type of warning.

Mr. Covis asked if the median would have enough for a bicyclist to use the median as a refuge.

Craig Shonkwiler stated that the median would be wide enough, a little over six feet wide, for a bicyclist.

Bill Brown asked if the flashing pedestrian signage would stop traffic on both Main Street and Lincoln Avenue.

Mr. Shonkwiler stated that the signage would stop traffic on Lincoln Avenue, but not on Main Street.

At Stoughton Street, the northbound left turn lane would be eliminated and a median added for an enhanced pedestrian crossings. He felt that it would help crossings at the south leg of the intersection. Mr. Shonkwiler concurred with Ms. Adams’ statement that the enhancements would help signal to motorists that the area to the south of University Avenue was different than the area to the north.

Ms. Adams asked when the project would occur.

Mr. Shonkwiler said that it would begin this year.

Ms. Adams asked if the streetlight poles on Lincoln Avenue could be painted, perhaps as a volunteer art project.

Cynthia Hoyle asked if banners could be added.

Mr. Shonkwiler said that he would have to investigate those requests. He mentioned that the weight of the banners might be a concern. He suggested that the resurfacing project continue and the other requests be considered later.

He explained that the brick sidewalks on Main Street, Clark Street and Stoughton Street needed to be considered as part of the project. He said that the small area of brick sidewalk on Clark Street could be removed and replaced and not create a significant impact for bicyclists and pedestrians. He suggested removing the brick on Main Street, east of Lincoln Avenue in area of the sweep recommended in the design as the brick might be dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians, especially if the surface was wet, as they neared the approach to the intersection with Lincoln Avenue. He suggested the use of colored concrete such as used in the MCORE project and in the Stone Creek Subdivision to show the demarcation between the brick sidewalk and the multi-use area for pedestrians and bicyclists. He continued by stating the removal of the brick sidewalk would require Council approval. He asked if the Commission would support the removal of the brick sidewalks in those areas.

Ms. Hoyle felt there were valid safety reasons for converting the brick to concrete.

Mr. Covis stated that the brick sidewalks posed a hazard for persons with disabilities and for bicyclists.

Several commissioners stated that they avoided riding on brick sidewalks and streets, especially when the surfaces were wet.

Mr. Shonkwiler stated that there might be an area on Stoughton Street that would need to be converted, but at this stage of design he was uncertain if it was needed.

Susan Jones moved to recommend that City Council approve the conversion of brick sidewalk to concrete sidewalk as part of the intersection improvements on Lincoln Avenue at select locations, possibly on Main Street, Clark Street and Stoughton Street, based upon staff recommendation.

Cynthia Hoyle seconded the motion

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission approved the motion by voice vote. Mr. Shonkwiler abstained from voting as he was the project designer.

Craig Shonkwiler said that this item would probably go to City Council in April.

Audrey Ishii said that the new treatment would reduce problems along the corridor.

Bill Brown asked if there would be potential for right hooks when motorists turn in front of bicyclists.

Kevin Garcia felt that the bicyclist’s position would be farther in front and make the bicyclist more visible to motorists.

Craig Shonkwiler agreed that the distance should avoid right hooks from occurring.

Bill Brown asked if Main Street would be marked.

Mr. Shonkwiler stated that Main Street would be marked near the intersection.

Jeff Marino asked if the design was conceptual or the final design and when it would go to City Council.

Mr. Shonkwiler said that the final design would be completed within the next month or two. He explained that the project did not have to go to City Council since the City Council approved the funds as part of the annual budget submitted at the beginning of the fiscal year. He said that staff prepares a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) with projections out to five years. He explained that staff would ask for additional funding as part of the annual budget request for FY2019.

The Commission discussed other projects listed in the CIP. Mr. Shonkwiler stated that the MCORE project had a significant impact on the CIP and some projects might have to be moved back.

Jeff Marino asked if staff could come back to BPAC when the plan was finalized.

Ms. Hoyle asked if Mr. Shonkwiler could present the plan for Springfield Avenue resurfacing.

Mr. Shonkwiler explained the plan to resurface Springfield Avenue from west of Gregory Street to west of Coler Avenue. He said that sidewalks on the south side of the street would be improved to be ADA-compliant. He said that new ramps would be added along the route.

Mr. Shonkwiler mentioned that he looked at the narrowing of pedestrian crossings on Springfield Avenue, but the traffic at the Springfield Avenue intersection did not allow for tightening the intersection. He said that there was a future plan to resurface the street from Coler Avenue to McCullough Street. He mentioned one venue to inform the public about projects was the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission meetings. He said that the meetings were open to the public so people could learn about the projects and ask questions. He said more complex projects might require public meetings specifically dedicated to presenting projects to allow the public opportunities to view the projects in more detail. With this project, Mr. Shonkwiler said that a discussion of the project before BPAC allowed for adequate discussion about the plans for the resurfacing project.

Mr. Shonkwiler asked for support from BPAC for the plan.

Jeff Marino moved to approve the current concept of the Lincoln Avenue and Springfield Avenue plan and asked for final review of the plan once it was completed.

Leo Covis seconded the motion.

The Commission approved the motion. Mr. Shonkwiler abstained from the vote.

Mr. Covis asked how this plan would interact with the future extension Kickapoo Rail Trail (KRT).

Craig Shonkwiler said that the Urbana Park District would look at the feasibility of connecting with the KRT, but it was not part of this plan.

Kara Dudek said that the KRT study was not a detailed study but a general concept.

b. MCORE Infrastructure (Public Education) – Cynthia Hoyle

Cynthia Hoyle explained the need for public education about the two-stage left turn before the installation of that traffic control at the intersections of Green Street and Wright Street and Green Street and Goodwin Avenue. She was planning to borrow graphics from other groups to help educate users. Ms. Hoyle said that she had been looking at videos that she could then share with the University and community. She said that her intern and she were working on compiling the information.

Bill Brown said that videos would be good. He recalled seeing videos before.

Cynthia Hoyle said that she would look at all options and prepare material for the media.

Susan Jones asked if a demo party might be helpful.

Cynthia Hoyle said that doing something during Bike Month might be good.

Bill Brown asked what BPAC could do to help.

Cynthia Hoyle asked if the commission could forward any ideas and review the proposed information. She would like to launch the educational effort in April or May. She suggested distributing information about two-stage left turn movements so people know why the markings are there. She said that social media, media and public access would be used to spread the message.

Annie Adams suggested that the message needed to emphasize the value of the improvements.

Bill Brown asked if the University of Illinois had an e-mail listing that was part of the bicycle registration on campus.

Lily Wilcock stated that she would have access to that information.

Ms. Hoyle said that the mass transit district would work with bus drivers to train them on driving in those areas with the two- stage left turns.

c. Transportation Affordability and Sustainability Fact Sheet –Cynthia Hoyle

This item was discussed at the previous BPAC meeting.

7. Announcements

• April 1 – Dockless Bike Sharing

• April 18 – Leonardo Clovis Presentation on Bicycle Infrastructure Impact on Climate Change at Champaign Public Library

• C-U Bike Month Events

a. May 1 – Bike to Work Day

b. May 9 – National Bike to School Day

c. May 19 – Playing It Safe Bike Rodeo

• May 7 - 2018 Illinois Bike Summit at the University of Illinois at Chicago

• June 9 – Beginners’ Bicycling Class registration at https://goo.glf4QHSX

8. Future Topics

• Gold Bicycle Friendly Status expires this year; Urbana needs to reapply –Craig Shonkwiler

Mr. Shonkwiler mentioned that the Bicycle Friendly status would expire this year.

Ms. Hoyle volunteered to assist.

Craig Shonkwiler said that the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission would reapply prior to August.

Ms. Hoyle said that the wayfinding plan and the pedestrian plan would be done by then and help support the bicycle friendly application for Urbana.

• Vision Zero Discussion: April 17 –Audrey Ishii

Audrey Ishii asked that Vision Zero Resolution be placed on the agenda. Ms. Ishii distributed the criteria and a resolution for becoming a Vision Zero Community. She said that a plan was not needed—just an intention. She mentioned that Columbus, Missouri implemented a Vision Zero plan in-house using with very few resources. She wanted to know how to get public health involved.

Ms. Hoyle stated that the Healthy Champaign County might get involved.

Ms. Ishii said that the political will of the City Council was needed. She said that data would need to be compiled and analyzed and enforcement started. She mentioned that the Police Department, Engineering Division, Civilian Task Force, Champaign- Urbana Public Health District and other stakeholders would need to be involved in a task force to become a Vision Zero Community. She felt that it would not seem to be targeting if injuries were occurring in certain areas.

Ms. Hoyle suggested bringing this before Board of Health of Champaign County.

Mr. Shonkwiler asked if a plan would be needed before becoming a Vision Zero Community. He asked what type of commitment Ms. Ishii was requesting.

Ms. Ishii said that a strong intention was all that was needed prior to passing the resolution, but the plan was not needed. She was asking for the support and participation of BPAC. She said that police time would be needed to collect statistics, but that City Council had already made a prioritized goal of police enforcement. She did not think that it would involve much police time.

Mr. Shonkwiler asked what the City would do differently than already was being done.

Ms. Ishii said that staff would look at speeds involved in accidents without going back to look up the information. She said that the police could enforce speed limits and use red light cameras.

It was mentioned that red light cameras were not allowed in Illinois.

Mr. Shonkwiler said that City staff already responded to safety concerns by assigning Strategic Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) to areas where speeding was reported; reviewing crash data to determine better design for improved safety; conducting studies to determine better methods for safely moving traffic; and providing citizen input at Traffic Commission meetings to discuss possible safety concerns.

Ms. Hoyle said that looking at speeds involved in crashes might be important to know.

Mr. Shonkwiler asked if Vision Zero would be adopted in policy or would additional resources be needed.

Ms. Ishii stated that there would be additional resources, but she felt they would be minimal. She said it would involve staff time, but nothing that needed to be budgeted.

Mr. Covis asked about the benefit of becoming a Vision Zero Community.

Ms. Ishii said that the community becomes part of a network of other communities that are Vision Zero Communities. She mentioned that there was no uniform logo developed, but that the other communities had developed their own logos to identify their agencies as a Vision Zero Communities.

Ms. Adams said that it would send a message about values of the community.

Ms. Hoyle said that it would include vehicular deaths in addition to pedestrians’ deaths.

Mr. Brown said that it would provide more public awareness about traffic deaths.

Mr. Shonkwiler said that currently Engineering staff would become immediately involved in studying what happened and how to prevent crashes. He stressed that the City was going through tight fiscal times and that resources were limited.

Mr. Brown asked that the item be included on the April agenda.

9. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.

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