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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-09-LBAC-min APPROVED MEETING MINUTES Committee Name : Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Date, Time and Location of Meeting : January 9, 2013 Town Office Building, Parker Room, 7:00 PM Members Present : Peggy Enders (Chair), Stew Kennedy, Laurel Carpenter, Bob Dangel, Sandra Shaw (Recreation Liaison), Mike Tabaczynski, Bob Hausslein (FoLB Chair), John Frey, George Gagliardi, Joe Pato (Selectmen Liaison), Richard Canale (Planning Board Liaison) Members Absent : Marita Hartshorn Others Present : Sgt. Paul Callahan, Deb Mauger Minutes : The November 2013 minutes were accepted as corrected. Joe Pato was introduced as the new Liaison with the Board of Selectmen. 2014 Open Space and Recreation Map : Laurel will work with Emily Schadler and others to show the major bike trails in Lexington on the Open and Recreation Space Map, including Arlington’s Great Meadows; the Western Greenway, the bike path at Avalon Hills; Lincoln Field; Lower Vine Brook, the Battle Road, and the path from the Minuteman Bikeway at Garfield Street. Bike Friendly Community Application : Peggy reported progress on the application to the League of American Bicyclists. Intention is to complete and submit by the end of January. Laurel, Stew, Mike, Bob Dangel, and Richard Canale are contributing their expertise, and Peggy is working with many town staff for their input, as well. Work on the application has reinforced importance of a town employed bike program manager as well as revealed where the town might improve its bike friendliness. For example, there are a large number of bike racks in town that don’t conform to professional standards, much more should be done in the way of “cycle smart” education, etc. Richard Canale said that Engineering should specify the types of racks for all areas in the town. Peggy has been visiting some of the corporate sites with large parking areas such as Shire and Cubist and the Hartwell Avenue businesses to count the number of racks and determine the adequacy of their provisions for bicycle parking, keeping Melissa Tintocalis informed. Toole Design Group Report: We discussed the specifics of endorsing and recommending acceptance of the Toole Report by the Board of Selectmen at their January 13 meeting. Regarding execution of the recommendations in the report, the committee unanimously agreed that the primary short-term priority should be the resolution of pavement issues such as root upheavals and pavement erosion. Second priority is improvement of intersection safety, and third priority is development of a signage master plan to address wayfinding, bikeway behavior, and public safety. The committee also agreed to be prepared to advocate for the creation of a position of bicycle program coordinator/manager on the town staff, possibly with the Planning department. The committee voted unanimously to present a statement of priorities to the Board of Selectmen, along with the recommendation for a town bicycle program coordinator and to return to the latter issue with the Selectmen in a few months. The committee agreed, as per the Toole recommendations, that communication between the three towns on bicycle matters is highly desirable, bearing in mind that no town would cede decision-making power to any tri-town committee. Peggy noted that John Livsey, the Lexington Town Engineer, has reached out to his counterparts in Arlington and Bedford as a step in the right direction. Richard commented that he thought a Bikeway pavement plan ought to be part of the Town pavement program; he also feels that a plan to widen the trail might qualify for federal funds. Town Center Streetscape Meeting : The committee compared impressions of the Streetscape Meeting of December 5. Peggy and others who attended agreed that inadequate attention was given to bicycle as well as pedestrian matters - parking and movement. It was agreed that the committee should provide input to the Selectmen that the current plan outlined at the meeting has not solved the “mobility problem in the Center.” Liaison Reports: Joe Pato said that the Community Center planning group would welcome recommendations on how to implement a bike fixit shop. George commented that there are good models that involve student help. Peggy agreed to be in touch with members of the ad hoc Community Center committee.Maybe a repair stand with tools is all that is needed. Stew Kennedy reported tree cutting vandalism in Parker Meadow and encouraged us to be on the lookout for perpetrators when in the area. Richard Canale talked about legislation to create Complete Streets being folded into a bond bill; the chances for this are very good. He mentioned that Maynard has already adopted by-laws. The committee agreed to cancel the February meeting owing to the chair’s long vacation. The next meeting will be Thursday, March 13. The meeting was adjourned at 9 PM. Record of the Discussions of the Friends of Lexington Bikeways Bob Hausslein reported that as of this date, 53 donors have donated a total of $4,000 to the FoLB this year for snow removal, in response to a combination of Peggy's letter to the Minuteman, emails to groups and individuals, and the ten Bikeway signs. He also reported that we have lost our Federal Tax-Exempt status, because of neglect to file annual reports triggered by an error in establishing our financial year. He is working with Sue Rockwell to get us retroactively reinstated. Peggy reported on activities proposed for Bike Walk 'n Bus Week, which has been extended by three days to May 9-18, in order to encompass two weekends; this year the week coincides with Bay State Bike Week. The planning group will welcome help from the Friends to plan and lead bike rides, help staff the Friday morning commuter breakfasts at the Depot, plan a bike safety event, etc. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 PM. Bob Hausslein: Recorder Peggy Enders: Editor Next Meeting: Thursday, March 13, 2014, 7 pm in the Parker Room.