EAU CLAIRE
BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMISSION

Meeting of August 16, 2011

The meeting was chaired by Bob Eierman and called to order at 7:05 p.m. 

Members Present: Bob Eierman, Derek Parr, William Barry, Walter Reid, Dan May, Marian Ritland, Jeff Lorentz, Christine Kondrasuk, Beth Norquist

Members Absent:   Libby Stupak

Staff Present:  Ross Spitz, Pat Ivory

Visitors Present: None

Minutes.    The minutes from the July 19, 2011 meeting were approved with the changes noting Christine Kondrasuk as present and Marian Ritland as absent.

1. Discussion of Bicycling/Pedestrian Encouragement Activities.  Derek Parr discussed the Summerfest booth that he worked at providing bicycling and pedestrian information to the public.  He indicated that he talked to over 150 individuals on a variety of bicycling and pedestrian related topics.  He also distributed trail maps provided by Pat that seemed to be very popular.  The booth gave good exposure for BPAC.  Matt Andrews from the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin also assisted at the informational booth.

Derek stated that the three most common questions or concerns discussed at the booth related to: repairing the section of damaged DNR trail southwest of the City, timeframe for Chippewa Falls to complete their section of the trail, and concerns related to vehicles not stopping for pedestrians.

Beth Norquist indicated that she would check into the status of the Chippewa Falls trail segment.

The Commission then discussed issues related to the vehicles not properly yielding to pedestrians.  They indicated that continued efforts of education, engineering, and enforcement will slowly change the “culture” relating to motorists yielding to pedestrians.  They noted that larger metro areas seem to have a “culture” where motorists do yield to pedestrians, which may be difficult to achieve, but it should be a goal of the community.  The Commission suggested that a representative of the police department be invited to one of the up-coming BPAC meetings to discuss the issue of enforcement and what strategies could be undertaken.  The Commission also suggested that they contact the newspaper to request an article be written about pedestrian awareness issues, particularly since school will soon be starting again.

Bob Eierman indicated that he still planned to meet with Dan May to discuss other encouragement events such as a “Ride the Drive” event or cylo-via event and contact Volume One and DECI.

2. South Barstow Street Update.  Ross Spitz provided an update regarding the design plans for the reconstruction of South Barstow Street.  Plans also include the reconstruction of Eau Claire Street and riverfront improvements along the east side of the Chippewa River.  An informational meeting was held on August 4th and the City is still accepting comments and suggestions on the design plans.  The Commission discussed the plan and whether it addressed the need for bicycle parking, including the possibility of some on-street bicycle parking.  Ross suggested that BPAC members add these comments to the public input website for the project. The design plans will be discussed again at the September BPAC meeting.

3. Letter to WIDOT Regarding Clairemont Avenue Bicycle Trail Signals.  The Commission reviewed a revised draft of a letter going to Wisconsin DOT regarding the crosswalk signals and the setup for the push buttons/actuators which makes it difficult for bicyclists to get a “proceed to cross” signal for intersecting streets.  This includes such streets as Fairfax Street, Rudolph Road, and Craig Road.   The Commission suggested one change to the letter relating to removal of the stop signs for the trail.

ACTION TAKEN:  Walter Reid moved to accept the letter with the additional change and send it to DOT.  Jeff Lorentz seconded the motion.  All votes were in favor.  Motion carried.

4. Review of Draft Bicycle Parking Provisions.  Derek Parr provided an overview of the draft provisions related to requiring bicycle parking for new development.  The provisions include design standards for the parking spaces and standards for required spaces to be provided.  The required spaces are based on a percentage of the required vehicle parking.  The Commission discussed the provisions and asked Pat to provide some examples of how the standards would have applied to some existing buildings.  This will be discussed further at the next meeting.

5. Other Updates and Future Agenda Items.
A. None

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Walter Reid, Secretary