Burlington Walk-Bike Council

AGENDA - Burlington Walk / Bike Council June 7, 2023, Wednesday 5:30 – 7:00 pm MEETING OPTIONS: 1. In-person - DPW conference room at 645 Pine Street, Burlington 2. Virtually - using Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88225473951?pwd=YzFFQ1Q3Y3J4bzcwR2VNYWRFWnht UT09 Passcode: 091788 (See other remote access options below) AGENDA: 1. Introductions, Announcements, Updates and Public Comments (10 min) 2. Updates from Department of Public Works (DPW) (40 min) Staff from DPW will offer updates and invite discussion on the scope and timing of their Walk/Bike Action Plan, and how to engage on it. They will also provide an overview of their current plans for additional public bike parking. See also the map DPW created for the public to provide input on bike parking needs. 3. Proposed Updates to City Ordinances Affecting Walking and Biking (35 min) The BWBC Ordinance Committee will provide an overview of the changes proposed for the city’s walk bike ordinances for discussion and possible action. This is a culmination of discussion from multiple BWBC meetings this year. See proposed changes here: ● Bike Ordinance Updates ● Pedestrian Ordinance Updates. 4. Next Steps (5 min) Previous Meeting – At the May 3, 2023 meeting participants met at City Hall and conducted a Walk and Talk session from Church St., down Main, walking two blocks on St. Paul Street and continuing down Main to Battery, and along Battery St. to Cherry, discussing streetscapes and improvements BWBC members would like to support for the Battery Street Scoping Study. Next Month: BWBC Meets Wednesday, July 5, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 pm The BWBC is an all-volunteer advisory council to the City of Burlington. We work closely with and advise the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Waterfront on infrastructure improvements and policy changes for walking and bicycling. The council also leads advocacy efforts and organizes events and activities that promote and celebrate walking and biking in Burlington and beyond. See BWBC Minutes and Agendas. BWBC Community Liaisons Erik Brown Brotz*, Ward 5, erik@burlingtontelecom.net, Chair Greg Hostetler, Ward 2 Faith Ingulsrud*, Ward 6 Peter Keating, Ward 6 Karen Sentoff, Ward 4 Jason Stuffle*, Ward 1 Kerry Swift, Ward 4 Allegra Williams, Ward 3 * = BWBC Coordinating Committee  Burlington Walk Bike Council (BWBC) June 7, 2023 Meeting Notes The monthly meeting took place 5:30- 7:00 pm via Zoom and at the DPW Office. In-Person Attendees: Erik Brotz - Chair (Ward 5), Faith Ingulsrud (Ward 6), Bob Leidy, Ravi Venkataraman and Dayton Crites from DPW. Online Attendees: Jak Tiano (VPOP), Gordon Dragoon (VPOP), Jonathon Weber (Local Motion), Peter Keating (Ward 6) The link to a recording of the meeting is available on this page. 1. Introductions, Announcements, Updates and Public Comments ● Erik acknowledged the passing of Mary Manghis, who was a founding member of the Walk/Bike Council, and a local walk/bike advocate ● Bob mentioned that the City has many great walking events (Farmer’s Market, South End Art Hop) and asked about the process for shutting down a road. ○ Dayton responded that he does not know the process but that there is one and he can provide more information. ○ Peter Keating mentioned one block party which happens regularly ○ Bob emphasized that having more of these events would be a great way to get more people out on foot enjoying the community. 2. Updates from Department of Public Works (DPW) Staff from DPW offered updates and invited discussion on the scope and timing of their Walk/Bike Action Plan, and how to engage on it. They also provided an overview of their current plans for additional public bike parking. See also the map DPW created for the public to provide input on bike parking needs. ● Dayton mentioned that DPW is developing an updated PlanBTV Walk/Bike Action PLan focused on progress to date, where improvements are needed. CCRPC will likely be involved in providing data and engagement. The Action Plan will identify equity and safety-focused priorities which will drive a future SS4A grant application. No timeline for getting the plan started yet but before the end of the year.. ● DPW applying for Bike/Ped Grant for implementation of ONE Greenway ● Working with BCA on an asphalt art grant that would support placemaking by wrapping planters ● Staff continue to work on bike parking map to evaluate where bike parking exists and is needed around town. Dayton is looking specifically at the area around Church Street and said he feels it’s problematic that the racks disappear in the winter. ● Dayton also mentioned that DPW is studying bicycle compliance with the stop-controlled intersection at Union and North St., as information gathering for a possible stop-as-yield law. 3. Proposed Updates to City Ordinances Affecting Walking and Biking The BWBC Ordinance Committee provided an overview of the changes proposed for the city’s walk bike ordinances for discussion and possible action. This is a culmination of discussions from multiple BWBC meetings this year. See proposed changes here: • Bike Ordinance Updates • Pedestrian Ordinance Updates. Jonathon led the group through the proposed changes. Most of the existing Pedestrian ordinances are copies of or equivalent to state statute and are proposed to be removed as duplicative. One section prohibiting coasting and sledding on sidewalks and roads is not in state law but seems unnecessary. The proposed bike ordinance changes include: ● updating definitions to match the state, including electric bicycles. The state definitions better reflect the types of mobility devices available today. ● redefining Motor-Driven Micro-mobility Devices to cover electric scooters, boards, and one-wheel devices, which would otherwise fall into the Motor-Driven Cycle category and be treated as motor vehicles. ● Removing the section that prohibits bicyclists over 16 from riding on sidewalks in the inner fire district. The sections prohibiting riding by all in the core downtown and limiting riding on Church St marketplace are unaffected. ● Removing restriction on micro mobility devices on sidewalks with the new definition ● Removing several sections that are repeats of state law ● Removing the restriction on riding two abreast; state law allows it ● Removing the requirement for bike shops to disseminate info on bike laws, since it is not being done Comments: ● Bob: saw mopeds on the bike path where they do not belong. Erik noted that mopeds would be considered motor-driven cycles and would be prohibited. Enforcement is a separate topic, and hasn’t been a priority for the Police or Parks Departments. ● Erik clarified that motor-driven cycles can’t be ridden on sidewalks but a scooter or board can. ● Dayton suggested that the submission to the Ordinance Committee include a summary of changes - such as a spreadsheet explaining the rationale for the changes. Jon noted that a spreadsheet already exists and will update it for submission. ● In order to make the regulations more accessible, all agreed there should be a summary of applicable state and local laws readily available. At a minimum BWBC could add a page to its web pages with that info. Jonathan said Local Motion is doing mailing now informing people of the walk/bike rules. Erik asked if there were any objections to these proposals. No one had objections. Erik asked who agreed that we should bring these proposals to the city (starting with the TEUC). All agreed (with DPW staff abstaining). Next steps: add summary, clean up spreadsheet comparing state and local law, add cover letter (Jonathon working on that), talk to TEUC. 4. Additional Discussion - College Street Because the agenda items were completed early, discussion turned to the College St. proposal raised at the Walk and Talk session in May. Gordon summarized the idea under discussion by Vermonters for People Oriented Places (VPOP) to convert College Street to one-way with a protected bike lane from Church St. to the UVM green. ● Dayton responded that DPW will be concerned about impacts of diverted traffic to surrounding neighborhood streets, and noted the following: ○ Converting a street from 2-to-1 way has implications for emergency response - that would need to be studied ○ Folks interested in pursuing this proposal should map out the street dimensions of the proposal ● Jak mentioned that the motivation for this is about the City’s capacity to move curbs, that this could be a relatively quick-build method of creating a major cycling artery and connection between downtown and the paths at UVM, which in turn can lead to regional connections (e.g., the new bike/ped bridge over I89) ● Discussion then opened up to other possibilities for College St. such as retaining the 2-way but providing a greenway treatment; more frequent transit service, focussing on Main St as the primary bike artery, etc. Erik closed the meeting.