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HomeMy WebLinkAbout090704summaryBozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board September 7, 2004 Meeting Summary Attendance Cort Felts, Susan Gallagher, David Baumbauer, Jon Henderson, Jim Nallick, Matt Rognlie Discussion with Bozeman Police Matt invited an officer from the BPD to join our meeting. Officer Munter attended our meeting and the Board discussed bike issues important to Bozeman. Officer Munter was asked what the Police see as the most important bicycling issues. He said that (1) bicyclists need to understand that they have to follow the same traffic laws as motorists. (2) Bicyclists need to be respected more, so they need to be following those laws. (3) There are too many cyclists without headlights after dark. (4) Sidewalk riding, especially in the downtown area, is a problem. When asked about bicycle thefts, Officer Munter explained that it is a problem in Bozeman, although the majority are due to unlocked bikes. He stressed that it is important to have your bike description and serial number recorded. Bicycles found abandoned in Bozeman often have been previously stolen. In response to a question about the biggest needs in Bozeman, Officer Munter said that bike lanes, bike routes and bike awareness are at the top. A question was also asked about the possibility of obtaining bicycle accident data. Officer Munter wasn’t aware of an easy way to obtain Bozeman data, but perhaps the Montana Highway Patrol or the NHTSA might be a place to start. His feeling is that the majority of accidents are due to bicyclists failing to yield. The Board greatly appreciates the Bozeman Police taking time to meet and hope the dialog continues. Web Site BABAB now has a web site at http://www.bozeman.net/bikeboard. David requests that the Board members review the site and get input and comments to Matt, who is authoring the site. Bike Route Sign Update Jon gave an update on the bike route project. The signs have been delivered, and the bike racks are currently being galvanized and painted for delivery in two weeks. The contracts for the signing will be signed by the City Manager this week. The engineers from SHE are keeping the contract through the end of September, but the status in October is not known. Two temporary city employees will be hired September 20 to install the signs. The locating process starts this week as well. The bike racks will be located tomorrow and pouring of concrete starts this week. Subdivision Review Jon brought information on planned subdivisions for the board to examine and comment on. -Alder Annexation. The board recommended no action. -Flanders Creek. There was discussion regarding previous BABAB comments on this subdivision. It was documented that comments had been made on the pre-application plan. Discussion continued on the suitability of bike lanes vs. shared-use paths for the Oak Street corridor. While some easterly sections of Oak are committed to lanes, the Board has consensus that a shared- use path is more important in the area under discussion. The Board feels that because of parks, shopping and abundance of youth in the area, a path is the safer and more attractive option to recommend. The Bozeman Transportation Plan already calls for a path on Cottonwood Road. -Rosa. The Board agreed on a similar approach to recommend. -Kenyon Noble construction. The Board again recommends a shared-use path be created. In response to the extended discussion, David said that he would put some things together for the next meeting to help the Board come up with a single “shared-use path plan.” Bike Route Map Update DTM Consulting has offered to do the art, piecing and production of the map for an estimated $7000. The actual printing costs are separate and are approximately $5000. It was mentioned that a change order for up to 20% can be requested from CTEP for the small additional cost, but members were unsure if it was worth the time. David will bring the issue up at the next CTEP meeting and report back to the Board. The Board also will be preparing an update on the Bozeman trail system before the bike route map design is finished. Bozeman Staff Training David has suggested bringing Phil Smith, the Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Missoula to Bozeman for a training/communication event. David will bring up the idea with Steve Kirchoff when he meets with him soon.