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Home My WebLink About2009-02-26-LBAC-min o� ti`Ov1775gN�5 MOc (� ? Qj{ PD APRIL I T �FXlrvGTO� MEETING MINUTES Committee Name Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Date, Time and Location of Meeting February 26, 2009, 7 pm, Room G15 of the Town Office Building Members Present Peggy Enders (Chair), Stew Kennedy, Mike Tabaczynski, John Frey, Jerry Van Hook, Manta Hartshorn, George Gagliardi Others Present Bob Hausslein Members Absent Richard Canale (Planning Board Liaison), Abe Shenker (FoLB Chair), Hank Manz, (Selectmen's Liaison), Laurel Carpenter, Sandra Shaw, Recreation Committee Liaison Minutes Reviewed and approved February 12, 2009, meeting minutes. Snow Plowing Peggy reported that at their February 23 meeting, the Selectmen approved adjustments to the Bikeway snow plowing arrangement based on a proposal read by the Town Manager Peggy and Stew had met earlier in the month with Carl Valente and Bill Hadley to arrive at these changes Highlights of the new arrangement include 1) The Bikeway gates may be opened by LBAC members 24 hours prior to a storm and must be closed 24 hours after plowing 2) John DiNapoli will be hired at a cost of$70/hour He will use a small cat with an 8-foot plow blade 3) Five keys were given to Peggy Enders, who entrust one each to John Frey, Jerry Van Hook, Hank Manz, and Stew Kennedy until the end of the winter season Mike suggested that gate openers bring something to thaw the lock(s) It was also agreed that each gateman should take a shovel along, too Spring Street Jerry reported on his conversations with John Livsey about the allowable street widths of arterials and collector roads, saying that John was firm in his belief that an exception to the current plan has to be granted by the Selectmen Jerry also reported on the Sidewalk Committee's recommendations for Spring Street. LBAC members voted unanimously to recommend striping the entire length on 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 paved shoulder for cyclists As an additional safety measure, we further voted to recommend that the curbing on Spring Street be the Cape Cod style asphalt berm instead of upright granite curbing, allowing cyclists to exit the road in an emergency Peggy agreed to draft a letter to the Selectmen, stating ` s MOgN/ oo 1775 tic Q7 � r - °w VI 3 g APRIL 19T FXI NGT°� the unanimous sentiment of the committee and to run it by Jerry and Stew prior to sending it. The next public hearing on Spring Street will be March 10, 2009 Hartwell Avenue Peggy's letter to the Planning Board, regarding the proposed zoning changes on Hartwell Avenue was approved without changes A copy is included with these notes Rails to Trails will host a forum at Tufts University on March 3, 2009 Laurel Carpenter and Bob Hausslein will attend Minuteman National Historic Park will host a kid's event on Sunday June 21, 2009 Mike Tabaczynski said that the West Lexington Greenway group will be there, and he will keep us posted Record of the Friends of Lexington Bikeways Discussion Stew reported that the Farmer's Market has asked if we wanted to again support/underwrite Bike-to-Market Days The group had a discussion about whether the activity was worth the effort, there was some sense that it was a good thing to do and provided good publicity for the Friends Stew said the proposal was to host two bike corrals — June 16 and June 23 The decision was tabled until our next meeting Spring Clean-up will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2009 Sample Signs showing motion activated intersection warning signs will the sent to the committee by Stew Kennedy in a pdf file The meeting was adjourned at 8 30 pm. Information Distributed • Agenda for February 28 meeting • Draft minutes from the February 12 meeting • Draft letter from Peggy Enders to Charles Hornig regarding Hartwell Rezoning Recorder Manta Hartshorn Editor Peggy Enders Next Meeting March 12, 2009, 7 pm, in a room TBA. `Ov5 gN/ o� 1775MOtic Q j{ - ga� APRIL 14 Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee February 28, 2009 Mr Charles Hornig Chairman, Lexington Planning Board Dear Charles The Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee (LBAC) has watched with interest the Planning Board's progress this past year in formulating proposed zoning changes for the CM District as well as your proposal for creation of Transportation Management Overlay Districts While the LBAC recognizes the importance of allowing increased business development in the CM District, we strongly favor measures to keep development interests balanced with effects on the transportation infrastructure As the Minuteman Bikeway crosses through the Hartwell Avenue CM district, the LBAC is of course most eager to see commuters to buildings in the area afforded easy access to the Bikeway The existing bicycle lanes on Hartwell Avenue from the Bikeway southward to the Air Force Base should be maintained. Similar bike lanes should be provided from the Bikeway northward to Bedford Street as well, or else a generous-width off-road combination bike path and sidewalk should be built on one or both sides of Hartwell to connect the Bikeway with Bedford Street The off-road choice is preferable A safe pedestrian and bicycle crossing at the Bedford Street intersection of Hartwell Avenue should be required. Also, the abandoned railroad spur line that connected the B & M railroad bed (where the Bikeway is) to Hanscom AFB should be considered as an additional connector for the buildings whose parking lots back onto that spur line right of way To make bicycle commuting and bicycling in general safer in the CM district, traffic calming measures on the connector streets of Maguire Road and Wood Street should be implemented. The LBAC sent a letter to the Selectmen on January 16, 2009 recommending sideline striping practices on all busy roadways Those practices should be applied on Wood Street and Maguire Road. The LBAC also favors zoning requirements for the buildings that will encourage and facilitate bicycle commuting by workers in the district Adequate automobile parking to bicycle parking facility ratios should be included a ratio of ten to one is recommended, with a minimum of two bike parking spaces for any size commercial manufacturing building. Shower facilities for bicycle commuters should be provided in buildings of a minimum size c tic`O1775v5 MOgN� r ? Q2iorj{ -� D AJ The LBAC is very interested in enhancing all possible tie-ins between the Hartwell Avenue CM district and the West Lexington Greenway, which threads through the Page Two district We concur with the recommendations proposed in the WLG Task Force letter to you of this same date Please let me know if the LBAC can be of assistance as you move forward with these efforts Sincerely, Peggy Enders Chair, Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Copies to Norman Cohen, Chair, Board of Selectmen John Livsey, Town Engineer Carl Valente, Town Manager