Bike/Walk Commission

CITY OF NORWALK BIKE/WALK COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4, 2025 ATTENDANCE: Emily Burnaman, Chair; Nicholas Pappas; Manny Salgado; Rebecca Stoll OTHERS: Greg Pacelli, Transportation Planner, TMP; Jaleah Green, Norwalk Health Department; Jodi Trendler, Director of Sustainability and Resilience To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone, Zoom, and/or the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. Specific instructions and links can be found at http://www.norwalkct.org/meetings. I. CALL TO ORDER Ms. Burnaman called the meeting to order at 6:04 PM. II. ROLL CALL Ms. Burnaman called the roll, and all those listed in the attendance were present. III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Kelly Skarzynski Ms. Skarzynski said that she is a resident of East Norwalk, and she was recently riding on the Harbor Loop Trail, but unfortunately, the building located at 148 East Avenue has opted to install a chain link fence around their parking lot, which cuts off the trail. She lodged a complaint at City Hall. Mr. Pacelli suggested she submit a service request through the click and request app so that it is sent to the correct department. Ms. Stoll noted that this may be a safety concern because it appears the area is in a fire lane, so she would imagine access through both of the parking lots is essential. Jack Pavia Mr. Pavia said he is in attendance on behalf of the Norwalk Transit District and noted that there is a new bus network next week and is doing a volunteer push from August 11th through August 13th to canvas riders at the various hubs, particularly at the South Norwalk Station, the East Norwalk Station, and the Wheels hub on Burnell Blvd. For anyone who is interested, can email jpavia@norwalktransit.com 1 Jacob Wearing Mr. Wearing said he is a freelance reporter who contributes to Nancy on Norwalk. He is covering the Ride the Tide event that will take place in September and would love to connect with any of the commissioners to discuss how the commission plans to support or partner with Ride the Tide. Philip Chiaia Mr. Chiaia said he is confident that the Ride the Tide will be a successful launch. The website has been launched today, and it is ridethetide.net. Updates will be shared there. The tentative dates for the launch are September 20th, September 21st, September 27th, or September 28th. IV. GUEST SPEAKER: JODI TRENDLER, CITY OF NORWALK’S FIRST DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE. A. -Sustainability and Resilience Plan (SRP) - Community Sustainability and Resilience Task Force (Mobility) - Bronze status with the League of American Bicyclists Ms. Burnaman introduced Ms. Jodi Trendler. She is the City of Norwalk’s first Director of Suitability and Resilience. She said she has met with her briefly to discuss the mutual goal of improving the bike league's honorable mention to a bronze status. Ms. Trendler started in Norwalk in February and has been amazed at how much Norwalk has going on in all of the different suitability arenas. She said she was hired to begin implementing the sustainability resilience plan that was opened in 2024, and has been reaching out to people in the community. The plan will be broken down into various sectors, including mobility. Based on the greenhouse gas inventory conducted as part of the 2024 plan, transportation was the highest contributor to emissions in our community and is a critical area that needs to be addressed. There is a task force made up of community members, and they are inviting anyone in the community who is interested in participating to join. She envisions taking the existing entities, such as the Bike/Walk Commission, and coordinating efforts across the spectrum of suitability. Ms. Trendler asked the commission for their thoughts on becoming a bicycle-friendly America community, which was listed in the POCD in 2019 to become a bronze certified community through this program, and also ties into Sustainable Connecticut. She said Norwalk is currently at the bronze level, but she will be resubmitting the application, and the goal is to be at a much higher level. 2  Ms. Burnaman is happy to hear that Ms. Trendler is working on the application and has connected with the League of American Bicyclists. The commission has a past application from 2023, and earlier this year, one of the commission's strategic goals was to resubmit the application to achieve a bronze status from the honorable mention. The commission is happy to collaborate. `V. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES OF JULY 14, 2025, SPECIAL MEETING ** MR. SALGADO MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS SUBMITTED. ** MS. STOLL SECONDED THE MOTION. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. SONO Market Saturday - Recap July 26th 10AM-4PM Mr. Pappas said the event was a good event overall and is fulfilling its vision of getting bigger each time they hold the event. The number of cyclists who use the bike valet is comparable to last month, with approximately six people. There is a need for a tent, preferably branded with the commission's logo, and it is recommended to have two commissioners. Ms. Burnaman thanked Mr. Pappas for volunteering at the event. She also said she is happy to report that Mr. Travers contacted her and was able to acquire a tent, and thanked him as well. - Next Event August 30th 10AM-4PM Ms. Burnaman asked if any of the commissioners would be available for the event on August 30th. Ms. Stoll said she may be available, and Mr. Salgado said that he would let Ms. Burnaman know if he will be available via e-mail. Mr. Pappas said he would not be available. Ms. Burnaman said she will also send an email to the commission’s subscribers to get some volunteer help, but it is important to have at least one commissioner manning the bike valet station at all times. 3 B. Norwalk Night Out - Rescheduled to August 13th at 4PM Mr. Pappas said this is a nice community event that is held outside the police department and is well attended, and there should preferably be more than two people at the table., It is a perfect opportunity to give the swag away. He will verify the time and report back to the commission. Ms. Burnaman asked if any of the commissioners are available to attend the event to contact her or Mr. Pappas. VII. NEW BUSINESS a. Lockwood Lane Sidewalks/Cyclist Safety Mr. Meskunas said they have discovered that the city plans to install commercial-grade sidewalks in their residential neighborhood under the guidelines of the Complete Streets Initiative and noted that Complete Streets were approved, not sidewalks, for Lockwood Lane. The specific design of these commercial-grade sidewalks poses significant risks to the residents. The squeezing of space is particularly alarming, as vehicles frequently speed and ignore the three-way stop sign that currently exists. The city has said that the sidewalks are needed for ADA connectivity, which we can all appreciate; however, it is a complete disregard of the real traffic dynamics that are occurring on Lockwood Lane, including the needs of the residents who enjoy the street. The slope and the curb make it inaccessible to people with wheelchairs, which raises questions about the effectiveness of the connectivity goal. Bicyclists will face increased danger navigating the tighter roadways amid faster-moving traffic. Currently, there is no definitive plan for sidewalks, but Mr. Stanton has sent him a detailed drawing of where the sidewalk will be in front of their house. Clearly, the plan does exist, but it has not been shared with them. Mr. Stanton had stated that in 2026, they are designing the complete street but have not finalized the sidewalk design; however, the city intends to install a sidewalk on the north side of Lockwood Lane for continuous sidewalks from East Avenue to George Avenue. The connection will provide a safe ADA route and be enclosed in the drawing. Mr. Meskunas requested a copy of the preliminary drawing so they could see how much property they would be losing and what the sidewalks would look like. He noted that most 4  residents on Lockwood Lane Park their cars on the street, so narrowing the road will eliminate the vast majority, if not all, of the on-street parking, causing a hazard for bicyclists. He also noted that the drainage on the street should be fixed before adding sidewalks or any other variables. The residents think that Lockwood Lane is a charming street and treasure it, and don’t want to see that ruined, and want the city to reconsider and revisit this in consultation with the community and transportation safety experts, because at best this seems ill-advised and ill-designed. Mr. Pacelli said the project is being constructed by DPW and Mr. Stanton is assigned to the project. They will be hosting a public information meeting once the plans are further along. This is not a decision that would be made by the Bike/Walk commission. He said that TMP has been working with DPW on the plans and clarified the proposed road width and curb height, and said that as long as the grade of the road is matched, it is ADA compliant. He noted that Lockwood Lane is a wide street as it exists today, and wider roads promote higher speeds, so narrowing the road will help reduce the speed and will help with people stopping at the three-way stop sign. Installing sidewalks will provide a safe and dedicated space for pedestrians. The next phase of the project will be to install sidewalks on George Avenue as well, which have been desperately wanted by the residents on George Avenue for years, which will be a future connection to the sidewalks on Lockwood Lane, and all of the parallel streets that connect to East Avenue have a sidewalk, except for Lockwood Lane. Ms. Burnaman asked if there is another opportunity for the public to submit feedback. Mr. Pacelli said that Mr. Stanton is the lead on the project, so all questions or concerns should be sent to him. TMP has received some emails, good and bad, as well, and has been coordinating with DPW. b. SONO School Walk Event Friday, August 22nd, 1PM-1:30PM Mr. Salgado said the commission had been invited to attend the grand opening of the new SONO School, and he had coordinated with Ms. Zanvettor and encouraged the commission to attend the event. It will be held on Friday, August 22nd, from 1:00 PM to 1:30PM. 5  VIII. DISCUSSION a. Bike/Walk/ Ordinance Committee Next Steps Ms. Stoll said she has not yet received any information from Mr. Thompson, so she does not have any updates. b. 2025 CTDOT Active Transportation Microgrant Program- Third Quarter The commission reviewed and discussed the spending that was received from the last grant. Ms. Burman said that she would follow up with Mr. Pacelli on the locks and helmets, so they have them for the Norwalk Night Out Event. Mr. Pacelli said they also have the headlights and taillights that are in their possession. Ms. Stoll asked if there is a deadline to spend the money from the grant. Mr. Pacelli said “No”, but they would not be able to apply for another grant until he funds have been spent. Ms. Burnaman said she will add the budget spending to the next agenda as a discussion item. Ms. Green said the Norwalk Health Department is partnering with the Norwalk River Valley Trail to host walks that will be held each Wednesday in September at 5:30 PM. The information can be found on the NorWalker page on the Health Department’s website. IX. ADJOURNMENT ** MS. STOLL MOVED TO ADJOURN. ** MR. SALGADO SECONDED THE MOTION. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting was adjourned at 7:38 PM. Respectfully submitted, Dilene Byrd 6