MINUTES. BROWARD COUNTY BICYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC) MEETING WEDNESDAY, March 9 th, :30 PM

Transcription

1 MINUTES BROWARD COUNTY BICYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC) MEETING WEDNESDAY, March 9 th, :30 PM BROWARD COUNTY GOVERNMENTAL CENTER 115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 329 F Ft. Lauderdale, FL Members Present Mr. Henry Hochmair, Chair Appointed by Commissioner Ritter, District 3 Mr. Dave Marshall Appointed by Commissioner Wexler, District 5 Mr. Steve Lim Appointed by Vice Mayor Kiar, District 1 Mr. Art Seitz Appointed by Commissioner LaMarca, District 4 Mr. Howard Kaplan Appointed by Mayor Ryan, District 7 Members Absent County Staff Guests Mr. Michael Kroll, Vice Chair Appointed by League of Cities Kevin Fischer Broward County Planning and Development Management Sara Forelle Broward County Planning and Development Management Mark Horowitz Broward County Highway Construction and Engineering Stewart Robertson Kimley-Horn and Associates Amie Goddeau Florida Department of Transportation, District 4 Steve Cook Visitor John McCoy Visitor I. CALL TO ORDER The Chair introduced himself and called the meeting to order at 6:38 PM. II. III. ROLL CALL Board members introduced themselves. INTRODUCTION OF BOARD, GUESTS AND VISITIORS The sign-in sheet was distributed and guests introduced themselves. BROWARD COUNTY BICYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Page 2

2 IV. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES MOTION: It was moved by Dave Marshall to approve the minutes for the February 13 th, 2016 BPAC meeting and seconded by Steve Lim. The motion was approved by unanimous voice vote. V. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR Henry Hochmair mentioned ongoing events for Bike Month, including the upcoming bike rodeo on Saturday at Firefighters Memorial Park in Margate. He also discussed the bike month proclamation which was presented by Commissioner Dale Holness at the Broward County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, March 8 th. Mr. Hochmair announced that the 2016 Benchmarking Report from the Alliance for Biking and Walking was just released. The report identifies the rate of commuters walking or biking to work, safety statistics, and other bike and pedestrian related statistics. The committee then discussed fatality rates in Florida and the Country. (The report can be downloaded at: Mr. Art Seitz discussed the importance of highlighting these statistics and mentioned that the City of Fort Lauderdale recently discussed bike safety at a City Commission meeting as well as the City s Vision Zero Plan. VI. RESIDENTS FORUM Further discussion on bicycle and pedestrian safety statistics ensued. It was noted by Mark Horowitz that while crashes are still a concern in Broward County (and Florida as a whole), the trend in our area has been a decrease in crashes and fatalities. There was a discussion about east west bicycle travel and gaps in the bicycle lane network. Mark Horowitz discussed the Broward MPOs Bicycle Suitability Map, an online application to assist with bike route planning, and Mr. Hochmair mentioned that this database is currently undergoing an update. Pedestrian crossing issues at I-95 interchanges was discussed. The example of Broward Boulevard and I-95 was highlighted. In particular, heading westbound on Broward Boulevard and attempting to cross the acceleration lane leading to the northbound I- 95 on-ramp was discussed as a particular area of concern. Amie Goddeau and Stewart Robertson discussed upcoming interchange studies and improvements to these intersections that will better address bicycle and pedestrian needs. A discussion about modifying interchanges from a rural configuration to urban configurations occurred and how this shift will assist with eliminating the automobile and bicycle/pedestrian conflicts. Ms. Goddeau stated that a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study is planned for the Broward Boulevard/I-95 Interchange and would provide a general timeframe for this project. BROWARD COUNTY BICYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Page 3

3 There was a discussion of the Sun Trolley in downtown Fort Lauderdale and the upcoming WAVE streetcar. The permanence of rail versus bus or trolley routes, which can be modified, was discussed and the impact this can have on redevelopment activities by providing assurance that the transit will remain in place. Mention was made that Tri-Rail has recently added bicycle cars and bicycle lockers at stations to support bicycling to rail stations. A discussion regarding the Broward Boulevard/I-95 interchange study continued, and Sara Forelle recommended that future studies evaluate a larger area of Broward Boulevard, particularly access to the Tri-Rail Station and impacts of the recently completed Walmart at Broward Boulevard and SW 31 st Avenue. It was noted that pedestrian access to the Tri-Rail Station is difficult and access is currently geared toward driving to the station or using a shuttle/bus. Ms. Goddeau noted that pedestrian connections to the station from Broward Boulevard are being planned. Ms. Goddeau noted that a mid-block crossing is going to be installed on Broward Boulevard east of Andrews Avenue in downtown Fort Lauderdale. VII. NEW BUSINESS Broward County Complete Streets Design Guidelines Typical Sections Discussion Kevin Fischer and Mark Horowitz discussed the Broward County Complete Streets design guidelines. These were adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2014 to support and implement Complete Streets projects, and includes reduced travel lane widths, bicycle lane and buffer standards, on-street parking, etc. Mr. Horowitz discussed how previous engineering standards were automobile-oriented and that Complete Streets projects would require a waiver from the adopted standards. The updated standards adopted in 2014 addressed this issue. There was a discussion regarding County requirements for a door zone buffer to be included when bicycle lanes are located adjacent to on-street parking, in order to provide adequate space between bicyclists and opening car doors. Mr. Horowitz discussed examples of recent projects with limited right-of-way that have proposed to eliminate the door zone, which the County has not supported. These topics led into a discussion about Broward County considering developing a subset of engineering standards for right-of-way constrained facilities, particularly in the more urban areas of Broward County. Mr. Fischer mentioned that at the last Broward County Staff Complete Streets Team there was discussion to begin evaluating the development of these standards, and feedback from the BPAC would be beneficial. A discussion ensued regarding the balancing that must occur to meet various mobility needs. Mr. Marshall mentioned that the engineering standards table includes principal arterials of 55 mph or less, noted that this type of facility is not desired and questioned the need for inclusion in the table. Mr. Horowitz used the example of SR 84 in the BROWARD COUNTY BICYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Page 4

4 western portion of the County. Mr. Marshall made a motion to request removal of this category from the table but the motion was not seconded. Mr. Fischer noted that this discussion will continue with the Broward County Staff Complete Streets Team and he will keep the BPAC informed moving forward. [Howard Kaplan left the meeting at approximately 7:45 pm.] TIGER Grant Letter of Support Mr. Fischer provided brief background, noting that the Broward MPO submitted a TIGER Grant application in 2015 to implement Complete Streets projects to enhance the overall Complete Streets network. The application did not receive funding, but was well received by US DOT and the MPO is resubmitting this fiscal year. The request of the BPAC is to provide a letter of support, as was done by the BPAC for the 2015 award. Mr. Seitz noted that projects in eastern Fort Lauderdale should be incorporated into the application. It was noted that this is a refinement of the application submitted last year. MOTION: It was moved by Steve Lim to issue a letter of support for the TIGER Grant application and seconded by Dave Marshall. The motion passed 3-1, with Mr. Seitz dissenting. FDOT Projects Review Follow-up Discussion The discussion focused on US 1, between Broward Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard, and Sunrise Boulevard between Searstown and Gateway. The resurfacing project proposes to reduce lane widths to ten feet and incorporate shared lane markings for bicyclists on US 1, and 11 foot outside lanes and 12 foot inside lanes with shared lane marking for bicyclists on Sunrise Boulevard. Mr. Robertson provided a follow-up from the previous meeting regarding a variance for the Sunrise Boulevard resurfacing project, since bicycle lanes were not included. He noted that a design variance was not required, as determined by the District Engineer, because the project included bicycle components: alternate bicycle lane networks off of Sunrise Boulevard as well as shared lane markings on Sunrise Boulevard. A discussion ensued regarding the use of an alternate routes and sharrows on slower speed streets. The City of Fort Lauderdale has reached out to FDOT regarding this project and Mr. Robertson requested the BPAC s feedback for the Sunrise Boulevard component concerning whether or not to maintain the design plans for shared markings, or not include them (and instead rely on the alternate routes). Mr. Marshall noted that the BPAC s position has been consistent with preferring the inclusion of bicycle lanes on Sunrise Boulevard. Mr. Hochmair noted safety studies have shown safety benefits when dedicated bicycle lanes are added; not with shared lane markings. Mr. Seitz noted the desirability of alternate routes due to being safer than bicycling on BROWARD COUNTY BICYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Page 5

5 Sunrise Boulevard. The BPAC noted that it passed a motion at its previous meeting regarding this segment of Sunrise Boulevard and that the signed letter would be sent to FDOT shortly. [Mr. Seitz left the meeting at approximately 8:30 pm and quorum was lost.] VIII. ADJOURN The March 9 th, 2016 BPAC meeting concluded at 8:35 pm. Disclosure: The above captioned Minutes are transcribed in a summary format. To hear the full meeting, a compact disk of the meeting, (Audio file #16-SC-25), can be provided after a 24 hour notice to the Document Control and Minutes Section at BROWARD COUNTY BICYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING Page 6