2015-06-06-LBAC-min (Tri-community meeting)

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Winter 2014-15 snow and ice (and communicating about Bikeway conditions). There was a miscommunication about the plowing of the Bikeway in Arlington last winter. The problem was eventually corrected although there was then a problem with ice. Because Arlington is unable to use salt on most of the length of the Bikeway, there is a perennial problem with ice in shady areas. Hopefully there will be better communication in future winters and the Bikeway will be plowed shortly after snowfalls. We discussed the problem of snow being dumped on the Bikeway from parking lots along the right-of-way. Even snow near the Bikeway causes a problem when it melts. We concluded that the Bikeway should be plowed shortly after every snowfall and scraped very close to the pavement. We next discussed implementing a system of notification for conditions along the Bikeway. We concluded that Twitter provides the quickest communication and that these notifications should use #Minuteman Bikeway. There is currently an account named @bikeminuteman that can be accessed if necessary. Bikeway counts past and future. Arlington has been doing Bikeway counts for about five years. They are taken three times a year in May, July and September. Joey told us that the increase in the number of Bicycles using the Bikeway has tapered off but the number of pedestrians and joggers continues to increase. This use tends to drive the cyclists off the path. We were told that there is also a need for roadway counts. Currently, the roadway counts can be done electronically. At some point in the future we should discuss how to do roadway counts over long periods of time. We discussed the idea that the predominant mode of transportation should have the right of way at an intersection as the Federal Guidelines imply. We suspected that, at some intersections on the Bikeway, bicycle traffic predominates. We concluded that a presentation by someone knowledgeable about the technology of counting traffic would be instructive. Wayfinding and etiquette signage on the Bikeway. Toole Design was hired by Lexington to do a Signage Master Plan to be completed by the next Town Meeting. The plan will be implemented in the next year. Bedford and Arlington chose not to participate. We discussed mile marker signs to facilitate emergency response which were requested by the Arlington Police. Lexington would like to see Toole work this into their plan. Arlington has just approved the CPA so they are just beginning to form the apparatus to deal with planning community innovations. We were told that projects that cut across multiple towns will facilitate the competition for CPA funds. Lastly, Lexington is planning on putting multiple Burma Shave type signs along the Bikeway to encourage empathic behavior. Communication: Websites, email lists and social media. It was the general consensus that the website needs to be modernized so that information is easier to locate. There is also a need for direct links to the social media sites that have information about the Bikeway. We decided that we must have a longer discussion about communications in general. There was also the suggestion that we meet with more local bike committees to coordinate regional bicycle facilities and activities. We could for instance, contact the Bike to the Sea organization for information on their activities. Future meetings and topics. We decided that eBikes is a topic that needs an informed discussion. We than decided to have another meeting in January, date to be determined at a later time. The meeting was adjourned 11:05 am Minutes submitted by Stephan Miller