Bike-Ped Roundtable Agenda | May 2011

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NOTICE OF MEETING

Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)Central Iowa Bicycle Pedestrian Roundtable (Roundtable)

***************************Tuesday, May 17, 2011 12:00 p.m.St. Etienne Room, Armory Building

602 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines, IA

***************************TENTATIVEAGENDA

I. Call to Order

II. Introductions

III. Approval of Agenda

IV. Approval of the Roundtables Apr il 19, 2011, Meeting Minutes......................Page 3

V. Discussion ItemsA. Department of J ustice Trail Usage Ruling.......................................................Page 8

B. Smart Codes....................................................................................................Page 9C. Bike to Work Week........................................................................................Page 10

VI. Informational Item

A. Bike and Ride Data........................................................................................Page 11B. CONNECT Update.....................................................................................Page 12

VII. Other Non-Action Items of Interest to the Committee

VIII. Next Roundtable Meeting Date

12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, J une 21, 2011, St. Etienne Room, Armory Building, DesMoines

IX. Adjournment


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MEETING NOTES

DES MOINES AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO)CENTRAL IOWA BICYCLE-PEDESTRIAN ROUNDTABLE (ROUNDTABLE)

April 19, 2011 City of Des Moines, St. Etienne Room

12:00 PM Des Moines, Iowa

Roundtable Attendees Present:

Marco Alvarez, City of West Des MoinesAndrea Chase, Natural Heritage FoundationJim Lane, City of Norwalk, ChairLoren Lown, Polk County ConservationHeath Ellis, City of Pleasant HillDustin Delvaux, City of BondurantRuth Randleman, City of Carlisle/MACKelly Canfield, City of CliveTodd Redenius, City of AnkenyBen Landhauser, City of WaukeeTina M. Hadden, Bike MonthLisa Hein, Natural Heritage FoundationJosh Heggen, City of Windsor Heights

Jan Herke, City of UrbandaleScott Hock, City of UrbandaleGlen Cowan, City of IndianolaJim Priebe, Warren County ConservationDayne Magneson, U.S. Army CorpsMindy Moore, City of Des MoinesButch Niebuhr, City of PerryStefanie Toftey, DARTCarl Voss, Trails and Greenways CommitteeCarol Williams, Story County ConservationGay Lea Wilson, Citizen AdvisorJonathan Wuebker, U.S. Army Corps

Roundtable Staff Present:

Dylan Mullenix, Senior Transportation PlannerZach Young, Associate Transportation Planner

I. Call to Order

Chair Jim Lane called the April 19, 2011, Roundtable meeting to order at 12:00 p.m.,at the St. Etienne Room, Armory Building, 602 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines, IA.

II. Introduction

Participants introduced themselves.

III. Approval of Agenda

Participants approved the April 19, 2011, Roundtable meeting agenda.

IV. Approval o f the Roundtab les March 15, 2011, Meeting Notes

Participants approved the Roundtables March 15, 2011, meeting notes.

V. (A.) Bike Month

Tina Mowry provided an update on events that will take place during bike month.This year they are working with City View and will have a pullout in the April 27, 2011edition ofCity View. The pullout will have educational material on cycling as well as


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FY 2011 Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Please call (515) 334-0075 to obtain permission for use

a list of Bike Month events. Ms. Mowry encouraged the group to send events to herso they could be included in this publication. She asked that roundtable members

bring her extra copies of the April 27, 2011 edition of City View if available.

Ms. Mowry reminded the roundtable that some members have not yet contributed their$500 and that they depend on these contributions to have a successful program. Shealso encouraged people to go to the website and register for Bike Month. Ms. Mowry

emphasized that Bike Month is no longer just about commuters; Bike Month is foreveryone.

V. (B.) Update Unified Bicycle Ordinance Draft

Ruth Randleman updated the committee on the Unified Bicycle Ordinance, noting thatthe Metropolitan Advisory Council presented the ordinance at the April meeting andhas sent UBO to the communities. MAC strongly encouraged all communities toadopt the ordinance in its current language. The next step is to wait for thecommunities to comment on the content of the ordinance.

Chair Jim Lane reported that he had discussed the ordinance with his police chief,mayor, and city administration, and they did not see any issues with the document.

Kelly Canfield voiced his concern about current ordinances that require cyclists to usethe trail or shared use path rather than ride in the roadway. Mr. Canfield noted that theUBO does not address this issue and his police chief thinks we should considerrequiring cyclists to take the trail when available.

Chair Lane pointed out that several communities have ordinances that already makethis a requirement, including West Des Moines.

Marco Alvarez confirmed that it was currently a requirement; however, the City ofWest Des Moines is planning to update the ordinance to remove this requirement.

Mr. Alvarez also noted that the West Des Moines City Council has approved thecreation of a nine-member bicycle commission that will provide recommendations onall bicycle related issues.

Ms. Randleman noted that the UBO honors both street and trail uses pointing out thatin a 24-hour period one user could easily experience all jurisdictions and, therefore,the ordinances need to match as closely as possible.

Mr. Canfield stated that he was unsure where they would end up on the issue. They arecurrently waiting to hear comments from the parks board next month before the issuegoes before the council.

Lisa Hein commended the MAC for all their work on the UBO. Chair Lane agreed

pointing out that whatever the communities end up doing would be an improvementand that the region is heading in the right direction.

V. (C.) Trails Marketing

Andrea Chase recapped the trails marketing meeting that took place in April, notingthat the sub-committee is focusing on how to move forward the concept of brandingCentral Iowa the trails capital of the world

The sub-committee discussed how best to get the committees name out and had theopportunity to preview Bike Iowas new website. The sub-committee determined that


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the next steps include reaching out to like-minded groups and using the Bike Iowawebpage as a foundation to expand what trails mean as a concept.

Ms. Chase explained that the region has approximately 8,000 miles of trails when youconsider water, equestrian, dirt track, snowmobile, cycling trails. The region also hasover 300 annual events that center around these trails. She stressed that these numbersare critical to carrying our message forward from both the policy and tourism

standpoints.

Chair Lane pointed out that nobody is really promoting the regional trail system to theextent that it could be promoted. He stressed that roundtable needs to provide aweb-based medium for the promotion of trails that will allow each trail entity to

promote themselves.

Carl Voss asked if there is an existing model for what we are planning and whether ornot we expect to get state agencies involved.

Ms. Chase explained that there are examples in several states but nothing to the extentthat we are trying to accomplish.

Discussion ensued about the role of state agencies in promoting trails. Past attempts toget these agencies involved have gained little traction. However, the roundtableagreed that it was time to attempt to reach out to these agencies once again.

Chair Lane pointed out that the key issue for getting these agencies on board camedown to convincing them of the economic development potential of trails. He pointedout that the Iowa Bike Coalition is collaborating with University of Northern Iowa toconduct an economic impact assessment of trails. This study will provide us withnumbers to support our case.

V. (D.) Bicycle-Pedestrian Project Updates

Staff noted that they have requested updated trail information from the membergovernments and agencies. These updates have been trickling in over the last month.Most jurisdictions have provided this information. However, staff is still waiting for

a few of these updates to arrive. Staff asked if the roundtable wanted a formaldocument produced that outline system gaps.

Chair Lane confirmed that a formal document was not necessary. The roundtable justwants to be able to visualize the gaps, inform the jurisdictions where the gaps arelocated, and potentially connect the existing gaps.

Carol Williams asked if it is possible to distinguish between viable and unviableabandoned rail on the map. Staff commented that it is possible and that they would

benefit from the roundtables members knowledge of where abandoned rail is still

viable for potential trials. Discussion ensued regarding the roundtablesdisappointment regarding the failure to bank more of the abandoned lines.

Chair Lane expressed that the roundtable needed more time at a future meeting to lookat the maps more closely. This would allow the roundtable to identify specific areaswhere connections can be made between existing facilities.

Loren Lown suggested that staff provide maps in higher resolution.

Mindy Moore commented that the maps did not distinguish between on-street andoff-street facility and that staff should not call an on-street facility a trail.


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VI. (A.) Bike-and-Ride Counts

Roundtable participants reviewed the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority(DART) and CyRide bike-and-ride counts for March 2011.

VII. Other Items of Interest to the Roundtable

Mindy Moore reminded the roundtable to RSVP for Dr. John Cromptonspresentations. She encouraged the group to invite elected officials and policy makersto attend one of the presentations.

VIII. Next MPO Roundtable Meeting Date

The next Roundtable meeting is scheduled for May 17, 2011, at noon.

IX. Adjournment

The April 19, 2011, Roundtable meeting adjourned at 1:09 p.m.


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V. (A.) Department of Justice Trail Usage Ruling

Discussion Item

The Central Iowa Bicycle-Pedestrian Roundtable:

At its February 2011 meeting, discussed the US Department of Justicesrecent ruling under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) dealingwith the use of power-driven mobility devices on trails;

Notes the new regulation took effect on March 15, 2011; Notes the new regulation permits persons with mobility disabilities to use

power-driven mobility devices on trails without restrictions on thedevices size or horsepower;

Notes the new regulation places limitations on a public entitys ability toinquire about ones disability status or need for a power-driven mobilitydevice; and,

Expressed concern that the new regulation could result in the use of

four-wheelers or other all-terrain vehicles on trails by persons that do nothave a true disability.

The MPO staff:

Has shared this information with the Metropolitan Planning Organizationand the Central Iowa Regional Transportation Planning Alliance;

Notes the organization American Trails held a webinar on February 23,2011, to provide additional information to trail managers;

Notes the Iowa Department of Transportation sent an email on February21, 2011, noting they are working to become more familiar with the newregulation and will soon put together discussion items and possible

implementation options for input; Will continue to update MPO member communities as new information

becomes available; Notes some communities have expressed the need for local jurisdictions to

work together to develop uniform assessment metrics to ensure localprovisions regarding power-driven mobility devices are consistent alongtrails that cross jurisdictional boundaries; and,

Requests that members update the roundtable on the status of assessmentsin their jurisdictions.

Staff Contact: Zach Young, [email protected];(515) 334-0075, extension #208


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V. (B.) Smart Codes

Discussion Item

The Central Iowa Bicycle-Pedestrian Roundtable:

At its April 2011 meeting discussed the possibility of using Form-BasedCodes to promote pedestrian-, bicycly-, and transit-oriented developmentas called for in Chapter 1, Action 5.2, Benchmark 5.2.1 of the CentralIowa Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan; and,

Agreed that addressing land-use and transportation is an important issuesthat should be discussed further at future meetings;

The MPO staff:

Has received feedback expressing concerns over the use of terminology; Has, therefore, decided to refer to Form-Based Codes as Smart Codes to

align with the elements outlined in Iowas Smart Planning bill (SF 2389); Has included, as a supplemental item, a list of municipalities that

have adopted or are currently in the process of adopting Smart

Codes;

Has included, as a supplemental item, the freeware template

SmartCode version 9.2 as an example of what a Smart Code entails;

Notes that smart codes are a divergence from business-as-usual andtherefore the logical next step is to inform local decision makers about thesmart codes; and

Requests that roundtable members discuss how to move the issue forward

at the May 17, 2011 meeting;

Staff Contact: Zach Young, [email protected];(515) 334-0075, extension #208.


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V. (C.) Bike to Work Week, 2011 May 16-20

Discussion Item

Bike Month:

Encourages people to try riding their bicycle for transportation,increases cycling awareness, and promotes a healthy alternative todriving a car in the month of May;

Is nationally recognized and endorsed through the League ofAmerican Bicyclists;

Bike to Work Week is May 16-20, 2011, with the following events:

Monday, May 16, 2011

o Two-Wheel Caucus - 7:00 a.m., 39th and Grand to300 East Locust Street, Des Moines;

Tuesday, May 17, 2011o Shop for Groceries via Bike 6:00-8:00 p.m., west

end of Union Railway Bridge (red bridge), DesMoines; and,

o Bike to Yoga 6:00-7:00 p.m., 3629 Beaver Ave,Des Moines;

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

o Ride of Silence 6:30-7:45 p.m., 600 E. Locust St,Des Moines;

Thursday, May 19, 2011

o ARTCRANK 7:00-10:00 p.m., Social

Club/Kirkwood Hotel, Des Moines;Friday, May 20, 2011

o Bike to Work Day: Breakfast Celebration 6:30-8:30 a.m., Nollen Plaza, Des Moines;

o Bike Rodeo- 3:30-5:30 p.m., 2200 East Court, IowaCity; and,

o Handlebar Happy Hour 4:00-7:00 p.m., 200 SW2

ndStreet, Des Moines

o

Visit the Bike to Work Week 2010 website for additional eventsduring the month at http://www.bikeiowa.com/asp/bike/Events.asp



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VI. (A.) Bike and Ride Data

Informational Item

Below are the most recent Bike & Ride Counts for the Des Moines AreaRegional Transit Authority (DART) and CyRide (Ames):

TABLE 1.DART Bike & Ride User Counts per Month by Year

Source: DART

TABLE 2. CyRide Bike & Ride User Counts per Month by Year

Source: CyRide

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

JANUARY - 334 717 718 521 341 636

FEBRUARY - 425 378 623 973 356 868

MARCH - 553 833 1,183 1,935 N/A 2,252

APRIL - 771 1,256 1,904 2,792 2,902 3,075

MAY - 1,240 1,934 2,739 3,454 3,333

JUNE - 1,718 2,632 3,297 4,228 3,828

JULY - 1,803 2,823 3,968 4,446 4,174

AUGUST - 2,077 3,202 6,636 4,385 4,425SEPTEMBER - 1,898 2,823 3,844 4,156 3,945

OCTOBER 485 1,623 5,873 3,797 N/A 3,862

NOVEMBER 321 1,255 2,282 2,248 2,367 2,623

DECEMBER 99 1,064 701 701 910 1,316

TOTAL 905 14,761 25,454 31,658 30,167 31,105

2008 2009 2010 2011JANUARY 17 22 134

FEBRUARY 38 63

MARCH 54 232

APRIL 53 322

MAY 189 248

JUNE 284 335

JULY 336 482

AUGUST 429 582

SEPTEMBER 87 401 576

OCTOBER 169 289 507

NOVEMBER 79 139 293

DECEMBER 36 53 146

TOTAL 370 2,282 3,808 134


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FY 2011D M i A M t lit Pl i O i ti Pl ll (515)334 0075 t bt i i i f

VI. (B.) CONNECT Update

Informational Item

The MPO Staff:

Will provide the roundtable with an update on progress towardsaddressing the benchmarks set out in the Central Iowa Bicycle andPedestrian Action Plan.


Documents

Bike-Ped Roundtable Agenda | May 2011