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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.10.2020 RTBC PacketMEETING AGENDA MPO Regional Trails & Bicycling Committee Tuesday, March 10, 1:00PM --- MPO Offices, Lower Level, Iowa City City Hall 410 East Washington Street Iowa City 1.Call to order; recognize alternates; consider approval of minutes 2.Public discussion* 3.Updates from communities on adoption of the Metro Bicycle Plan 4.Report on opportunities for MPO communities/entities to coordinate on bicycle education & encouragement a.Bicycle Basics Translation b.Bike Etiquette Signs c.Bike Bell / Light Giveaway d. People Friendly Driver Program 5.Bike to Work Week/Month—Preliminary Planning 6.Update on Trail Count Program a.Completed Counts for 2019 b. Proposed Locations for 2020 7.Update on Metro Area Trails Map 8.Other Business – 9.Adjournment *Public input is permitted on any agenda item during discussion of the item. Please indicate to Sarah Walz if you wish to comment. To request any disability-related accommodations, please contact MPOJC staff at least 48 hours in advance at 319.356.5239 or email Sarah-Walz@iowa-city.org. 2 Date: March 6, 2020 To: MPO Regional Trails and Bicycle Committee From: Sarah Walz, Assistant Transportation Planner Re: March 10 Agenda Items: Item #4: Report on opportunities for MPO communities/entities to coordinate on bicycle education & encouragement. The Metro Area Bicycle Master Plan included a list of projects for which the Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee (RTBC) is uniquely suited (see page 57 attached). Working collectively, MPO entities may have more impact with these efforts. Since drafting the plan, MPO staff have been working on a number of these items for possible implementation in 2020. We have focused in particular on educational and encouragement goals. a.Bicycle Basics Translation The Metro Area is home to a large immigrant population and the University of Iowa’s student body has, in recent years, become more international as well. Just as the rules of the road may be different for motorists from other countries, the expectations for bicyclists in the U.S. may also be different. The attached brochure is intended to provide people with limited English language proficiency a concise explanation of the basic rules of the road and those habits or behaviors that will help them be more visible and their movements more predictable to other road users. The brochure can be provided as a PDF to MPO entities and well as bicycle organizations and community groups who work with immigrant populations or international students and visitors. By posting it on community web sites and with links on social media it can be widely disseminated and serve as a resource year after year. The MPO has funds to pay for translation of the brochure into Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, French, and Swahili—five of the most commonly spoke foreign languages in the Metro Area. We would like to get your feedback on the brochure and whether/how your organization can make use of it. The MPO would use the translated brochure as the basis for a set of translated “Bicycle Shorts” videos that could also be shared with MPO entities and community organizations. 3 4 5 b.Trail Etiquette Signs Conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians are a concern along popular metro trails and sidepaths. A sign with consistent messaging may encourage awareness among trail users, especially along heavily used trail sections. The location of such signs would be at the discretion of local entities. Below is an example of a standard trail etiquette sign along with a design reinforcing “Bicycle Friendly” as a concept that applies to the behaviors of bicyclists. We would like to explore whether MPO communities are interested in coordinated bicycle etiquette signs and, if so, desired messaging or design. c.Bike Bell/Light Giveaway: Bicyclists are encouraged to use bells in areas where there is heavy traffic to alert pedestrians as well as motorists and other bikers that they are present or about to pass. The MPO has funding to provide free bicycle bells during Bike Month (May). RTBC members may want to coordinate the types of events where bell giveaways would have the greatest impact—adult and family rides, bike breakfasts, bike rodeos, etc. Iowa City will put together very short videos to promote the use of bicycle bells to enhance safety and bicycle friendliness. Bike light promotions are encouraged in the fall, when daylight hours are shorter. If MPO entities are interested in coordinating such an effort with local law enforcement, MPO can research costs and best practices as well as joint promotion for a program. 6 d.Bike Friendly/People Friendly Driver Program: The Bike Friendly Driver Program was designed by bicycle advocates in Fort Collins, CO. The curriculum aims to educate drivers about how and why bicyclists travel the roadways in the ways they do with the objective of developing a shared understanding for all road users. The program has been endorsed by the League of American Bicyclists, which also promotes its use. Fort Collins makes available all their materials and content for other communities to copy or adapt for local use. In Spring, 2019, Iowa City Transit drivers completed an adapted version of the program called “People Friendly Driver”. The MPO is offering to bring the program to other communities. The program takes about an hour and is particularly appropriate for employees who drive as part of their work. We will arrange to provide training to staff of MPO entities who are interested. Item#5: Bike Month/ Bike to Work Week—Preliminary Planning Each year, the MPO assists with the coordination and promotion of Bike Month and Bike to Work Week. Local businesses and bicycle advocacy groups along with governments, schools, and neighborhood groups organize most of the events. The MPO assists with promotion of events by placing posters on public transit and distributing them for posting in public facilities. The MPO also assists communities with local proclamations for Bike to Work Week and Bike Month. In the past the MPO has also helped Think Bicycles with the “Bike, Bus, Car Race” for local elected officials. That event was discontinued last year. Think Bicycles held a brainstorming session on February 24th with the theme of "20 Things We Can do in 2020.” Liz Hubing provided the following summary of ideas generated at the event: Ideas from the Bike Month Brainstorm session: Themed Weeks We have identified four "themed weeks." While we'll encourage any and all events, we hope to have events more targeted towards that week's theme. May 3–10: Kids Week May 11–17: Commuter Week (Bike to Work Week) May 18–24: Climate + Community Week 7 May 25–31: Curiosity Week Ideas for Events •14-ers of biking •All-inclusive ride through metro with stops along the way •After party Saturday •Sip N’ Swap •Used bike sale/swap- accessories •Fueling stations/commutes meals at lunchtime or later in the day •The smoothie bicycle- bring it to Johnson County, downtown or other •Log miles - all Johnson county riders •Sub 48 bike packing event in may •Fiesta •Comprehensive bike fest/conference •Ped mall party-leverage •Creating and identify and aligning it •Master community ride list and pump it out there 2020 •Advertising by bike- pedal power online •Basic bike maintenance- all repair stations on a Saturday in May •Books-partner with library and bikes •Summer of the arts type festival •Bicycle gallery (downtown) •Bike bag building/making •Bike hacks •Partner with law enforcement and new chief in Iowa City •Winter/Indoor bike rally •Create bike education for drivers •Create bike ambassador volunteer •Kids Bike Race •A comprehensive website local “bike Iowa” •Make more effective advisory committee and city/county connection •Bike outreach to low income and minority •Bike List giveaway- esp for people who really need and affix for them to bike •Donation of bikers to at risk teens •Bike ride followed by bike film showing •Gravel curious ride •Largest night ride per capita •Car free open streets day •Largest commute to work day per capita Think Bicycles is officially accepting applications for Bike Month grants-- up to $200 per event. Applications are due Friday, April 17th. Grant applications are available on their website at ThinkBicycles.org. If you wish to have your event listed on the poster for Bike Month calendar, have your event and/or application submitted to Think Bicycles by April 1st. 8 Item# 6: Update on Trail Count Program a.Completed Counts for 2019 Between May and October each year, the MPO collects bicycle and pedestrian counts along the regional network of trails and sidepaths (wide sidewalks) and other off-street facilities. Data is collected using an infrared device; the device does not differentiate between bicycles and pedestrians. Each count lasts one week. A number of factors influence the counts: the month or week the count was taken, wea ther, nearby trail or road construction or closures, the opening of additional trail access points, or increased development in the area. These variables make it difficult to draw conclusions based on year-over-year comparisons, though it may be possible to see trends over longer periods of time. All counts represent daily averages based on weeklong counts. Count locations are based on requests from the RTBC representatives. Because we have more locations than we can count in a single year, we rotate locations to ensure that points are measured every 2nd or 3rd year. For your reference, counts taken in 2019 are shown below. First-time counts were taken at the following locations. The counts represent average daily trips measured during a one-week period. •Woodpecker Single Track Course in Coralville— 54 •IRC Trail near the I-80 Pedestrian Bridge on North Dubuque St.— 89 Second year counts were taken at the following locations: •Clear Creek Trail at the railroad underpass to Hwy 6 in Coralville 94 (2016); 101 (2019) •IRC Trail near Liberty High School 130 (2017); 155 (2019) •The North Ridge Trail at Holiday Road, east of Park Ridge Dr. 83 (2015); 61 (2019) •Court Hill Trail, east of Scott Blvd. 81 (2016); 225 (2019) The following charts show data for those locations that have more than 2 years of data: 301 386 153 258 2009 2010 2017 2019 Finkbine Trail 9 286 326 548 425 2013 2015 2017 2019 IRC TRAIL at Terry Trueblood Rec Area 195 144 247 161 213 360 2009 2010 2015 2016 2017 2019 Ped Bridge from Iowa River Power to Peninsula Neighborhood 218 270 214 130 207 336 126 2008 2009 2010 2011 2014 2015 2019 IRC TRAIL near Hancher/Park Rd Some variation in activity along areas of the IRC Trail may be attributed to construction along North Dubuque Street and Park Road as part of the Gateway project. 10 186 224 105 765 182 705 145 2009 2010 2011 2014 2015 2016 2019 IRC TRAIL near Taft Speedway 118 118 97 71 176 237 2009 2010 2014 2015 2016 2019 IRC TRAIL near West Overlook 95 151 221 2013 2016 2019 IRC Trail at Penn Meadows 11 53 71 86 63 2013 2015 2017 2019 IRL Trail near Marriott Hotel 363 181 185 281 205 235 333 285 2008 2009 2010 2013 2014 2016 2017 2019 North Liberty Trail near Rec Center Use of the trail may be affected by ongoing construction projects in the area and the lack of a trail connection across Clear Creek. We anticipate use to increase after reconstruction of the bridge in 2020 and with continued residential development along 1st Avenue and 5th Street. 12 Map of 2019 Count Locations: b.Proposed Locations for 2020 In preparation for the 2020 trail count season, MPO staff developed a list of locations we’re asking the committee to review. As shown in the tables below, the trail locations we anticipate counting in 2020 are shown in grey. In addition, there are a few trail locations we’re asking the committee to reevaluate given that the regional trail network continues to expand. Please be prepared to discuss the locations for calendar year 2020 keeping in mind there are a limited number of weeks available between May and October. 13 Location J urisdiction 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Iowa River Corridor Trail (at Trueblood Park)Iowa City x x x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (near Napoleon Park)Iowa City x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (between dam and Myrtle)Iowa City x Iowa River Corridor Trail (near City Park entrance)Iowa City x x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (at Taft Spdwy.)Iowa City x x x x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (trail to I80 Ped Bridge)Iowa City x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (near I-80 tunnel)Iowa City x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (at N Dubuque/W Overlook Rd.)County x x x x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (Penn Elem)North Liberty x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (just nw of new high school)North Liberty x x x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (Mehaffey Bridge rd near Southslope)North Liberty x x Iowa River Corridor Trail at CRANDIC Park Iowa CIty x Ped bridge from Peninsula to Iowa River Power Iowa City x x x x x Iowa River Corridor Trail (behind Iowa River Power)Coralville x Iowa River Landing (south of Marriott)Coralville x x x x Cherry St/ Dubuque St/ Front St near gazebo in Penn Meadows North LIberty x x Clear Creek Trail at RR underpass to 1st Ave Coralville x x Clear Creek Trail (near University soccer fields)Iowa City Clear Creek Trail (at Camp Cardinal)Coralville x x x x x Clear Creek Trail (near Comfort Suites)Coralville x x x Clear Creek Trail west of Tiffin Tiffin x x Finkbine Trail between Hawkins and Mormon Trek Iowa City x x x North Ridge Trail (near I-80 Tunnel)Coralville x x North Ridge Trail (at Holiday Rd, west of Parkway Dr)Coralville x North Ridge Trail (at Holiday Rd., east of Park Ridge Dr.)Coralville x x North Ridge Trail (near Oakdale Campus)Coralville x x x x North Liberty Trail (at Forevergreen Rd.)North Liberty x x x North Liberty Trail (near Rec Center)North Liberty x x x x x North Liberty Trail (near Penn St.)North Liberty x North Liberty Trail (near Centro)North Liberty x North Liberty Trail (at Penn Meadows Park)North Liberty x x Court Hill Trail (near/east of 1st Ave.)Iowa City x x x Courthill Trail (east of Scott Blvd.)Iowa City x x x Highway 1 at Sunset Iowa City x x x Highway 1 (at Hawk Ridge)Iowa City x x x Highway 6 (East of Keokuk)Iowa City x x Highway 6 near Pepperwood Plaza Iowa City x x Highway 6 near Chilis in Coralville (wide sidewalk)Coralville x Sycamore Greenway (near Grant Wood Elem.)Iowa City x x x Sycamore Greenway (near Soccer Park Rd./Lehman)Iowa City x x x Sycamore Greenway at Soccer Park entrance gate Iowa City Sycamore Street wide sidewalk north of Alexander Iowa City x Willow Creek Trail (at Willow Creek Park)Iowa City x Willow Creek Trail (near West High/Mormon Trek)Iowa City x x North Dodge ped bridge Iowa City x x Weatherby Park Loop (near park entrance)Iowa City x x Auburn Hills Trail Coralville x Muddy Creek Trail near Wickham Elementary x One University Place wide sidewalk University Heights x 6th Street near new development Coralville x Oakdale Blvd wide sidewalk Coralville x Scott Blvd wide sidewalk Iowa City x Woodpecker Single Track x OTHER MISC WILLOW CREEK Reevaluate I-80/380 Reevaluate Reevaluate HIGHWAY 1 and HIGHWAY 6 Trail Count Locations IOWA RIVER TRAIL CLEAR CREEK TRAIL NORTH RIDGE/ NORTH LIBERTY COURT HILL SYCAMORE GREENWAY 14 Item #7: Update on Metro Area Bicycle Maps MPO staff have begun to update the maps for 2020. We would like to have all updates or suggestions from MPO entities by April 1 in order to have maps printed by early May. Please let us know of projects that are planned for completion during the 2020 construction season. Also, if you have added any special bicycle facilities, such as fix-it stations or special bicycle storage, please forward these locations to us for inclusion on the map.