Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Transcription

1 Blake Trask, Chair Max Hepp-Buchanan, Vice Chair Ann Byd Allegra Calder Jdi Cnnlly Matthew Crane Sean Cryan Gabe Grijalva Kelsey Jnes-Casey Neal Kmedal Liz Nixn Jean White Seattle Bicycle Advisry Bard Meeting Minutes Date/Time: Nvember 2, 2011 / 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Chair: Blake Trask Vice Chair: Max Hepp-Buchanan Recrder: Allegra Calder Lcatin: Seattle City Hall, L280 Minutes Distributin List: See Attachment A Members Present: Allegra Calder; Jdi Cnnlly; Max Hepp-Buchanan (Vice Chair); Neal Kmedal; Liz Nixn; Blake Trask (Chair); Jean White; Ann Byd; Gabe Grijalva; Kelsey Jnes-Casey; Members Absent: Sean Cryan; Matthew Crane Guests: Sandra (Sam) Wds, Seattle Dept. f Transprtatin (SDOT); Dug Cx, SDOT; Eric Tweit, SDOT; Devr Bartn, Seattle Pedestrian Advisry Bard (SPAB); Tm Fuclr, Seattle Bike Blg; Merlin Rainwater; Jhn Maur (Cascade Bike Club); Dylan Ahearn (Beacn Bikes); Bb Edmistn, Madisn Park; Zachary Hward (Cmmute Seattle); Michael Snyder (Cascade Bike Club Bard f Directrs); Rbin Randalls MEETING CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called t rder at 6:00 p.m. by Blake Trask. The Seattle Bicycle Advisry Bard shall advise the City Cuncil, the Mayr, and all departments and ffices f the city n matters related t bicycling, and the impacts which actins by the city may have upn bicycling; and shall have pprtunity t cntribute t all aspects f the city s planning prcesses insfar as they relate t bicycling. -City Cuncil Reslutin OPENING COMMENTS SBAB Retreat: Discussin arund scheduling a Retreat t talk thrugh wrk plan, leadership, the Bike Master Plan, and ther items. Ann requested sme cnversatin abut what is cming dwn the pipe a few years ut what are the big prjects. Octber Bikeability Tur: Discussin arund bikeability tur reprt and next steps. Grup will review the dcument, draft a letter and schedule a meeting. Cuncilmember Meetings: Cuncilmember Clark passed ut the Green Sheet n the Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) update and was very interested in getting cnversatins started arund biking dwntwn in cnjunctin with the Transit Master Plan (TMP). SMT, 700 5th Avenue, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA Web Address: bikebard@seattle.gv An equal-emplyment pprtunity, affirmative actin emplyer. Accmmdatins fr peple with disabilities prvided n request. Page 1 f 7

2 Cuncilmember Harrell has sme cncerns arund remving parking and was generally supprtive f neighbrhd greenways. Cuncilmembers Burgess and O Brien cncur with SBAB s pririties and the meetings went well. Cuncilmember Licata was very supprtive and had sme questins arund the Natinal Assciatin f City Transprtatin Officials (NACTO) Urban Bikeway Design Guide and hw that fits with Cmplete Streets and ther guidance. PUBLIC COMMENT Merlin Rainwater The Vel-city Glbal cnference in Vancuver, B.C. nly had driving directins when the website went live, but biking directins are nw included. Als, as part f the undrive-a-thn, pledged t get Nrdstrm t talk abut having light rail in the basement. Idea is t make it embarrassing fr anyne t talk abut transprtatin withut mentining all available mdes t get there. Rbin Randalls Please advise SDOT engineers t use the tls frm Prtland s greenways. It is imprtant t prtect the crssings and Prtland has dne this right, s let s get it right s that peple d nt get hurt. Dylan Ahearn Hping that greenways are ging t happen next year. The idea that they are nt in the BMP is nt really accurate. The current plan has infrmatin that culd be interpreted as supprtive f greenways. Cnversely, in Beacn Hill there have been facilities put in that d nt wrk (climbing lane n 23 rd ) r are nt used, but if it s in the Plan, it gets dne. We need smart implementatin. WhistleStp Bike Cp at Othell Statin pening Saturday at 5pm. Rad Safety Summit Bike Wrks will hst the Nvember 14 meeting frm 6-8 pm at BikeWrks. Nvember 3 Open Huse abut Myrtle and Othell starts at 6 pm at New Hlly Gathering Place. PRESENTATIONS Tpic: Mercer West Prject Update Presenters: Eric Tweit (SDOT) Purpse: Prvide a briefing n the Mercer West prject Findings/Critical Pints: Mercer Street Funding $90M verall, there is abut a $24M gap, hwever, this shuld be filled by the time the City ges t bid in early spring. Lake t Bay Lp trail cnnects Suth Lake Unin t Mercer t 5 th t Denny t the waterfrnt. With bred tunnel, Jhn, Thmas and Harrisn Streets will cnnect acrss Aurra as a surface street. Mercer is being widened t 3 lanes in each directin. Widening will cntinue acrss Aurra alng with wider sidewalks and bike lanes. Mercer will have tw way bike lanes t 5 th, after that bike riders will take Ry St t Queen Anne Ave t 2 nd Ave t cntinue heading west. There might be a multi-use trail cming t Kinnear Park. Fcus n Mercer and Nrth Suth cnnectins n west side f 5 th (tw-way bike path). Crss sectin detail f Mercer: Existing retaining wall wn t change. There is 25 feet allcated fr bikes and peds. Sidewalk is cntinuus because street trees are alng the rad and there are n active uses. Cncrete may be black, but there will be n physical barriers. Blake why the need fr 12-ft lanes? Page 2 f 7

3 Eric: This is ur standard; there will be trucks alng here as well. There culd be buses in the future as well. Suth Lake Unin Cnnectins East west cnnectin thrugh Suth Lake Unin has been under discussin fr sme time. Mercer Stakehlder Grup was cnvened t discuss the fllwing questin: Given new cnnectins acrss Aurra, what shuld the design f these streets be? There are sme challenges with Harrisn Street. First, it will be ne f the first places peple turn nt cming int dwntwn. Secnd, access t a parking garage at Seattle Center will be alng Harrisn. Stakehlder Grup has decided that Thmas Street is the right cnnectr. As a quiet street, we are leaning t bike lanes, but cycle tracks are nt ttally ff the table. Buffer and shrt blcks culd be challenges. SDOT is lking at Thmas being a 2 lane street with bike lanes and parking and any additinal space wuld be fr landscaping and sidewalk. Fifth Avenue Suth f KCTS is a prperty that Seattle Center has incrprated int Master Plan but is wned by Seattle Schl District. 5 th Ave and Mercer Intersectin Bikes will crss 5 th at Mercer and then crss Mercer t get t the west side f 5 th avenue nrth. There is currently an extra lane suth f Mercer n 5 th and this will be used fr the bike path with a railing t separate it frm traffic. There has been sme discussin f cntinuing the tw way cnnectin nrth f Mercer but nthing has been decided yet. A large existing tree is a prblem t make this wrk. Gabe D yu think there is adequate space fr a bike queuing area? There are a lt f ples and hydrants and may nt be enugh space t hld bikes waiting (NW crner f 5 and Mercer). Als, are cars ging t g arund the curbs t fast? Can we tighten it up? Mike Synder culd yu use bike bxes fr peple t queue in? Eric: We have cnsidered it and we will g ver it again. Ann 5 th avenue bike lanes is that the final psitin. Eric: Yes, we are taking advantage f the existing 11 ft lane. Jdi Wuld smene crssing in a wheelchair have t g int the bike lane due t the angle f the curb cut? Eric: this will be lked at. Hw will Gates emplyees access this intersectin? Eric: There will be a bike entrance n Mercer. Cming frm Suth Lake Unin r Ry, yu wuld crss at the crss walk and enter n the suth side f Mercer. Bikes, pedestrians and cars turning right wuld all cmpete at the intersectin f Mercer and Taylr. Distance and radius f the curb culd be used t cntrl this. Culd yu use a sensr t trigger the bike signal? Eric: There are sme questins raised abut signaling arund a tw way lane. Green will be predminant signal, yu ll have t wait t crss Mercer. Gabe Being able t bring the crssings and crsswalks in clser wuld help visibility and culd imprve safety and ther benefits. With wide curb radiuses, when yu bring them in the crssing is wider. Bike path starts at Dexter and Mercer. There will be a ramp fr bikes cming suthbund n Dexter if they are heading west. Page 3 f 7

4 Als, lking at right n red restrictins here but we have n answers yet Dexter prject ges t Ry Street ne blck nrth. There may als be a transit stp here s we are wrking n hw t make it fit. Lked at a bike bx n NE crner, but there are sme cnflicts and there may be crwding waiting n the crners with pedestrians and bikes waiting t crss. The painted chevrns culd be cnfusing with crss walks and ther markings nt sure what the slutin is, but it culd be cnfusing. 5 th Ave between Mercer and Ry Sme interest in having tw-way bike lane nrth f Mercer beynd Ry but there were sme challenges arund level f service, and vehicle delay. S there will be a lane n each side f 5 th. This is a majr King Cunty Metr rute and they have 15 minute headway gals. There are s many dglegs that it lks cnfusing t bth cyclists and drivers. There is incnsistent treatment and it s als an area where there are a lt f drivers frm utside Seattle. 5 th Ave between Mercer and Republican The existing lane ends and the bike lane will have t shift behind a tree. It slws bikes dwn, but it might be pssible t send bikes rund n each side s that the tree can still be saved. There is als a bus stp here that may get shifted further suth. T get n and ff the bus pedestrians will have t crss the path. What abut using the bus cnfiguratins that are n Dexter s that bus peple dn t have t crss? Nt enugh space as cnfigured fr the shelter, but then they d still have t crss the bike path. Trying t avid the extra cst f cutting curbs, plus there is a tree lined median which gives less flexibility arund shifting the lanes. Parking is a revenue surce fr the Seattle Schl District s City wuld have t buy them ut. They are als in negtiatins arund selling stadium and parking which culd prduce a delay. At Harrisn, yu have t jg ver t Taylr t head suth. On the bikeability tur we went t Thmas and crssed ver t Taylr Taylr has plenty f rm. SBAB Cmments/Recmmendatins: Blake Trask thanked Eric fr his presentatin. The fllwing were highlighted as areas fr investigatin: Curb radius and tightening up crssings t the extent pssible ADA issues and ther pssible cnflicts Recnsidering reducing lane widths Right n red restrictins Operatins and maintenance cncerns Hw is prject verall lking at bike design Questin abut sanctity f trees Cntrtins f hw we are shehrning multi-mdal cncerns int a $90M prject Tw-way bike traffic right next t crss walks is similar t putting them n sidewalks and the speed has led t crashes in ther places Signing and marking in general Page 4 f 7

5 Tpic: SDOT 2012 Bicycle Master Plan Implementatin Wrk Plan Presenters: Sam Wds (SDOT) and Dug Cx (SDOT) Purpse: Prvide an update n next year s Bicycle Master Plan implementatin wrk plan Findings/Critical Pints: Wrk Plan Sam Wds shared that several f the big prjects cming up fr 2010 are Neighbrhd Street Fund prjects. NSF prjects that feature bikes is new as past prjects were mre fcused n sidewalks. Many f the prjects n the tp half are nes SBAB has already heard abut and leverage ther prjects. Ravenna is an unimprved rad where we wuld be adding a paved shulder. BMP will be cntributing funds t Myrtle and Othell because it s a really lng bike facility and we wanted t shw leverage. Pine Street will be challenging because it may invlve sme lane recnfiguratin. Genesee Street is a great prject but wrking with metr arund 10 ft lanes will be a challenge. Parking cnslidatin may be a challenge in sme prjects as well. Every time SDOT des ne f these facilities the signaling is included and paid fr if the bike facilities caused a shift. Assuming the same deliverable but there culd be sme changes if Prp 1 passes 15 miles f n-street facilities and 30 miles f signed rutes are assumed. We have a number f big CIP prjects Ballard Bridge, fr example. Anther big CIP prject is the SODO trail with cmpletin f Spkane Street this is a pririty. Delridge cnnectr t W Seattle Trail is als a pririty. There was a bikeability tur there with sme Cuncilmembers and it wuld be great t have a reprt. Westlake Avenue is a ptential place we will lk at. West Duwamish Trail is ging t Capital Prjects frm Pr Parks Levy. BMP update will depend smewhat n funding. After study fr 125 th will als be dne next year. Bike Parking Arts ffice is interested in pursuing the squid rack mre art than bike rack, may be installed at Seattle Center fr Next 50. D yu have a back lg f requests fr n street parking? We get a lt f requests fr them, but smetimes we dig int it and there is either nt enugh demand r supprt. On street bike parking csts arund $6000 all in versus $600 fr a standard bike rack n the sidewalk. Greenways Directin frm Cuncil shuld be cming and that culd shift allcatins Neighbrhd Greenways signs under develpment. Kathy Tuttle has been wrking n the signs. Beacn Hill has 80 trees cnfirmed t be planted as part f the Greenway. In Wallingfrd we may d imprvements t existing traffic circles. Wuld be gd t have the signs in the circles warning crssing drivers that they are abut t crss a greenway. There will be duble arrws underneath t dente Greenway crssing. In Wallingfrd they are all traffic circles thery is that this is an all way yield. Taking parking t imprve sight lines at circles and adding parking n sme streets that dn t have parking currently this will add parking and als slw dwn traffic. Page 5 f 7

6 SBAB Recmmendatins: Dn t want t add sharrws t N/NW 85 th Street repaving prject as they wn t encurage any new cyclists t ride n a busy fur lane rad. Repaving will help thse bikers wh already ride there but sharrws wn t bring new riders. Request fr Carl t d a briefing n SDOT best practices and prject updates in January. Wuld be great t hear abut after studies f Nickersn and Fauntlery and pssibilities fr future studies. Hwell at REI wuld be a gd ne. MEETING ADJOURNMENT Blake Trask adjurned the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Page 6 f 7

7 ATTACHMENT A Nvember Meeting Minutes Distributin List: Michael McGinn, Mayr, City f Seattle Rebecca Deehr, Strategic Advisr fr Plicy and Outreach, Office f the Mayr City Cuncilmember Tm Rasmussen, Transprtatin Cmmittee Chair Peter Hahn, Directr, Seattle Department f Transprtatin (SDOT) Sam Wds, Manager, Bicycle, Pedestrian & Neighbrhd Prgram & Prject Develpment, SDOT Allie Gerlach, SDOT Cmmunicatins Diane Sugimura, Directr, Department f Planning and Develpment (DPD) Bernie Agr Matsun, Interim Directr, Department f Neighbrhds (DN) Dug Cx, Assistant Transprtatin Planner, SDOT Liaisn Luke Krpi, Acting Traffic Operatins manager, SDOT Brian Kemper, Interim City Traffic Engineer, SDOT Meeting Presenters: Eric Tweit, SDOT City f Seattle Cuncil Transprtatin Cmmittee Members City f Seattle Neighbrhd District Crdinatrs SBAB Members Individual Meeting Attendees Page 7 f 7