Bicyclist and Pedestrian Commission

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 Attendees: Michelle Dunlap, co-chair; Alyse Kondrat, co-chair; Commission members: Rita Nathanson, Nancy Allured, George Schmidt, Bob Van Valzah Visitors: Officer Joe Dimas, police liaison to commission I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:04 pm. II. Approval of Minutes The minutes from the August 2021 meeting were unanimously approved by raised hand. Nancy moved to accept the minutes as written. Michelle seconded the motion. III. Chair Report • Laurel had a proposal and question for Officer Dimas but could not attend. Michelle acted as Laurel's proxy for the discussion. • Laurel proposed doing a spring 2022 Bike Rodeo for kids, a small part of previous Bike Festivals. This would be a one-hour safety class in a fun format for kids. Discussion included possible helmet give aways as was supported by Elks in the past. Laurel's invited police participation. Officer Dimas thought participation would very likely be approved by the department. He suggested contacting Crystal Mirrobali, Community Relations Officer, who also happens to be a bike officer. • Rita and other commission members briefed Officer Dimas on Bill's work so far on Safe Routes to School. Parents have requested access to Hawthorn Lane, but it’s a private road. • George asked if Officer Dimas was seeing trouble with E-Bikes, but he reported only close calls so far. Wheaton officers would not have jurisdiction on the Prairie Path since it’s administered by DuPage County. • Chairs of all city boards and commissions received a letter from the mayor outlining a pending review of the city code for as it is applied to each commission and board. Annual reports and minutes from the past year will be reviewed. Planning sessions will be held and commissions will be invited to attend for their review. • In addition to sending our proposals to the City Manager, we should attend City Council meetings and present our proposals during public comment time. The council will take no action on the spot, but this will have the desirable side effect of our proposals becoming part of the public record. The next council meeting is September 27 at 7:00 pm. Our co-chairs will attend and present our proposal for improvements for bicycle and pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Main St. and Roosevelt Rd. Attendance of other council members would add to the show of support. IV. Ongoing Business BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Month Date, Year • Nancy Flannery, our docent for the history ride may not be able to ride, even though she will be available to guide attendees on the appointed date. Michelle is making contingency plans so that she can still appear at each historical site. We are working to get her historical remarks captured so that they can become part of a virtual ride that can be accessed through the web. • The history ride test ride went well. Laurel recored the route using the Ride with GPS app. • All signs are that the history ride will be well attended again this year. A large group could present traffic concerns. Michelle will contact Crystal Mirrobali to see if a bike officer could attend the ride. • Bob reported that the September French Market booth went well. Consensus was that October 16 is the next date with good staffing potential. Bob will coordinate with French Market managers. V. New Business • The work along Liberty Dr will straighten out the Prairie Path main stem, likely increasing cyclists speeds. Bob checked commission member sentiment and found support for proposing distinctive painting to alert pedestrians and cyclists to the hazards, especially around the Metra station. The path is managed by DuPage County, so Bob agreed to contact Sidney Kenyon to examine ways we could draft a formal proposal. • Founding member and former Chair Nancy plans to resign from the commission with the October meeting, though she would still like to be involved as a volunteer. We will miss her and thank her for her service. VI. Adjournment • The meeting was adjourned at 8:18 pm. 2