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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-02-12-LBAC-min ` s MOgN/ oo 1775 tic Q7 � r - °w VI 3 g APRIL 14 FXI NO ° MEETING MINUTES Committee Name Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Date, Time and Location of Meeting February 12, 2009, 7 pm, Room 111 of the Town Office Building Members Present Peggy Enders (Chair), Richard Canale (Planning Board Liaison), Stew Kennedy, Mike Tabaczynski, Abe Shenker (FoLB Chair), John Frey, Jerry Van Hook, Laurel Carpenter, George Gagliardi Others Present Susan Yanofsky, Dave Cannon, Rich Spencer, Bob Hausslein, Bob Dangel Members Absent Manta Hartshorn, Sandra Shaw (Recreation Liaison), Hank Manz (Selectmen's Liaison) Minutes Reviewed and approved December 28 and January 9 meeting minutes Snow Plowing Peggy said that she, Stew, and Abe had met with John DeNapoli, a contractor from Arlington, who is prepared to take on Bikeway plowing once the town approves his insurance credentials He will charge $70 per hour and will use a small snow-cat with an 8-foot blade The gates will need to be opened, and Peggy and Stew plan to talk with Carl Valente and Bill Hadley later in the week to ask for approval to open the gates At the present time, she said, there is too much ice on the Bikeway to resume plowing The committee was in agreement that they would rather wait on clearing the Bikeway until conditions improved Spring Street Jerry said that the Sidewalk Committee had made recommendations to the Traffic Mitigation Group regarding aspects of the Spring Street project. 1 The maximum pedestrian signal delay at the Marrett Rd/Spring Street intersection should never be longer than 30 seconds following the Mass Highway Manual stipulation for Level of Service, 2 Sidewalk alignment "Option 3" (west-side sidewalk to Hudson and then on the east-side from there) as approved by committee with the possible alternative of "Option 1" (sidewalk only on the west side) also being an attractive option, "OvMOgN� e( Si775 tic ? Qj{ PD APRIL 19T 3 Crosswalks along Spring Street at the intersections with Grasslands, Hudson, and Underwood, with a) a textured or painted surface as well as hatched crossing lines on each crosswalk, b) combined vehicle speed limit and actual vehicle speed displays on a post at roadside in at least one location, c) Appropriate signs of warning approach and at actual crosswalk locations 4 White sideline striping along both sides of Spring Street indicating the outside edge of the travel lane at 10 feet from the centerline This would serve to calm traffic and provide a safe lane for cyclists With respect to the widening of Marrett Road as another aspect of the Spring Street plan, Abe said he thought the problems on 2A are an example of what can happen when widening and striping isn't properly planned If there are two lanes for traffic, he said, bike lanes need to be provided so that there is at least 3 feet inside the stripe The committee proceeded to have a general discussion with guests Dave Cannon and Sue Yanofsky about sideline striping on Spring Street. Dave Cannon said that the town conforms to Mass Highway guidelines, 11 foot lanes conform with those policy standards, since the road is classified as a minor arterial Lexington will not recommend 10 foot lanes, he said Sue Yanofsky added that the town engineers would not narrow lanes to 10 feet unless town authorities changed general policies Richard Canale said that the town needs to look at context and on "what roads should look like " The Planning Board is key, he said, and used the Hartwell Avenue rezoning as an example of general examination of traffic calming This is an extremely important policy issue, he said how do you ensure equitable treatment of different modes of traffic on our streets and roads? Dave Cannon said that, if the town deviates from current policy, it will want to justify that departure He then asked the committee for advice on a specific issue on Spring Street related to saving several oak trees in order to save the trees, the town will want to narrow the roadway from 24 feet to 22 feet of pavement (allowing 10 foot lanes at a short stretch) Committee members had several suggestions, including leaving more space on the uphill side of the street. Other discussion focused on bike lanes on the sidewalks, "share the street" signs, other visual cues to show that bikes would be forced closer to the traffic, etc Peggy said she would email members and remind them to take a look at the area being discussed and provide feedback to Dave o� ti`Ov1775gN�5 MOc Qj{ PD APRIL 14 �FXI NGT°� Hartwell Avenue Stew reported briefly on the Planning Board discussion about the rezoning of Hartwell Avenue He has drafted a letter and read the initial version at the Planning Board meeting He would like to submit a formal position letter from the LBAC, members were asked to review the current draft and provide their feedback. Other Business Richard said that he had seen the economic stimulus budget allocations for Massachusetts, and that $3M had been allocated for a Minuteman Bikeway "Arlington-Boston-Somerville" project. Arlington and Waltham also received an allocation for sidewalks Richard said there would be a second round for shovel-ready projects, with a deadline in August. Members thought it might be appropriate for a Bikeway improvement project based on some of the design ideas that have been discussed (new bollard system, better drainage, new signals and intersection warnings, repaving and other improvements consistent with modern bikeway design) Dave Cannon said that design plans had not yet been drawn up, Peggy and Stew said they would raise this idea with Carl and Bill when they meet. Laurel asked about the Lexington Gardens proposal and about plans for bicycle accommodation The LBAC meeting was adjourned at 7 PM Record of Friends of Lexington Bikeways Discussion Treasurer's Report Rich Spencer reported a current balance of $6,696 32 Friends Website No progress to report, said Laurel Peggy asked members to look at the improvements to the LBAC town website, where some content has been added February Newsletter No progress as yet, said Laurel, she would appreciate receiving some content. Planning for a First Annual Potluck Laurel promised to check with churches (Follen and Redeemer) about availability on a weekend night, with dates in late March or April Members agreed that the meeting was too short to properly address a number of outstanding agenda items Another February meeting was scheduled for Thursday, February 26, at 7 pm `Ov5 gN1 o° 1775MOtic ? Q II .rD 3 g R a� APRIL 14 FXI NGTO� The meeting was hastily adjourned at about 7 10 pm to provide some members an opportunity to attend the LWV candidates' night. Information Distributed • Agenda for February 12 meeting • Draft minutes from December 29 and January 8 meetings • Draft letter (February 4, 2009) from Stew Kennedy to Charles Hornig regarding Hartwell Rezoning Recorders Peggy Enders and Abe Shenker Editor Peggy Enders Next Meeting February 26, 2009, 7 pm, in a room TBA.