HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-02-10 Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board Minutes
Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board
City of Bozeman, Montana
BABAB Meeting Minutes
6:00pm, June 2, 2010, Commission Room, Bozeman City Hall
Call to Order, 6pm
Members Present: Baker Lyon, Rebecca Gleason, Elizabeth Bird, Jason Delmue, Bill Cochran, Eliz
Williamson, John VanDelinder, Bill Bartlett
Visitors: Brenda Truman, Ed Benz (patrol sergeant for City of Bzn), Paul Burns (parking manager City of
Bzn)
Approval of May 5, 2010 Minutes approved
Disclosure of Comments or Information Received None
Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
1. Paul Burns (pburns@bozeman.net, 582-2903) asked for BABAB for advice regarding bike facilities
outside the downtown parking garage - east end on Black. The City is considering options for utilizing
the area more fully. Options they have considered: set up opportunity to have tools for repairs (bolted
to the wall), or an air compressor; and getting sponsorships from different businesses.
Comments from BABAB members:
Don’t need to worry about competition with downtown bike shops, as people fixing their own bikes
tends to create business for bike repair shops. Also, the shops like to have people do easy stuff on
their own.
An air compressor would be very helpful. Could have hose coming through the wall. Talk to
Owenhouse about a compressor.
Tools, even bolted, would be easy to steal –it would require constant maintenance and frequent
replacements.
Trek set up bike stations at gas stations – have a vending machine for a flat repair kit or other items.
BABAB strongly supports and is willing to help with having a map posted on the wall.
It would be helpful to have bike lockers inside the parking garage.
Businesses looking to assist: REI; Schnees.
BABAB could use our Ning website to do a survey of needs/preferences.
Action commitments:
Bill C. will check what other cities do with their parking garage. Also, will talk to Carl at Stark Raven
about what happened with their outside tool board.
Eliz will put an invite for input on ning
BABAB could commit to finding a sponsor for the map.
Paul Burns will talk to Owenhouse about a compressor.
2. Also, Ed Benz commented that Bike Officers love to go to grade schools – kids love anything to do
with bikes. He encourages the Board to get involved in the schools.
Current Business
The Impact of Group Process & Group Dynamics on BABAB Brenda Truman
Report on Brenda’s thesis study and recommendations for BABAB meeting process:
Humor is a helpful and subtle tool of communication.
Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board
City of Bozeman, Montana
Engage BABAB members in agenda setting .
Ask the board to collectively prioritize agenda items.
Add time allotments to agenda items.
Create more opportunities for socializing outside meetings.
Create an orientation for new members – expectations, roles, mission, manual, Minutes from past
meetings, letters, documents.
Hands-free Cell Phone Ordinance Letter of Support Sam Miller, Bill Bartlett
The Board reached consensus that it supports an ordinance that would be primary, apply to bicyclists,
and include both texting and talking with hand-held phones. The letter should stress the benefits of
such an ordinance to everybody on the road, but bicyclists are particularly vulnerable because they’re
riding in traffic but unprotected, and the ordinance should place some priority on texting.
Also, although it’s great for us to take a stand, but our goal should include educating the public, to bring
the rest of the community around to this viewpoint. We should educate the public as to importance of
reduced cell phone use through safety events, bike week, bringing statistics into the dialogue. Even if
the Commission passes an ordinance that authorizes only secondary citations, this has the potential to
change behavior by changing cultural expectations and opinions, similarly to the way the seatbelt
culture has changed even though it’s a secondary law governing seatbelt use.
There was also discussion of a series of letters to the editor, or OpEds. For example, explaining issues
from the bikers’ point of view, such as why we don’t always ride to the right of the white line.
Ed suggested the letter shouldn’t leave out pedestrians, as more are killed by traffic than bicyclists.
This brought up the issue that Police dept statistics keeping process makes it difficult to separate
between bicycling and motorcycling. Neither city nor state databases differentiate between motorized
and non-motorized. The Board asked Ed to look into what might be done to correct this.
Action commitments:
Rebecca will find stats to help make the case.
Bill B. will get us a review draft of a letter to the Commission; vote in July.
LaHood sign-on letter with Transportation for America – unanimous approval (though we were too
late).
Bike Week 2010 Wrap-up Rebecca Gleason
Around 100 people showed up every morning.
Sponsors were excited about it.
18 businesses donated raffle prizes.
Eliz got 20 pizzas from McKenzie River; gallons of soup from Garage.
Streamline didn’t show up. (Apologized.) Lee Hazelbaker will consider another option.
Milton Menasco and the Big Fiasco and was excited to play.
GVBC donated $700.
Only two sponsors submitted bills to the city.
It was really helpful to have the teams involved. It helped get things done to delegate a lot.
Taylor did kids stuff separately for SRTS (need to integrate more).
NECO (ASMSU) wants to be involved next year.
Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board
City of Bozeman, Montana
Action commitments:
Committee will meet to follow up.
Send out thank-you notes.
o
Create documentation for future event planning.
o
Review the comments sheet.
o
Ning/Web Presence Elizabeth Williamson
Eliz – Ning is going to 100% fee-based policy this summer. For what we do, she expects it to cost
$20/year.
Expenditure Decision: approved
Action commitments:
Bill Bartlett offered to pay the bill.
Eliz will take care of keeping us on-line.
FY 2011 Budget Request and Board Priorities
This brought up discussion of the purchase and distribution of bike lights. The Board agreed to provide
them to the Police to carry lights and pass them out to bicyclists they stop at night for failure to have
lights. Ed felt that having the lights to hand out is a big deal.
At July meeting – strategize what we’re going to do for the whole next year. How we’re going to track
how it’s working?
Bicycle Map Update Steve Bretson
(not present; contract with City being finalized per John)
Status of Bicycle Benefits, Division of Duties Rebecca Gleason
During Bike Week we sold 51 BB stickers ($255). Close to breaking even. Bought 250 stickers for $312.
Action commitments:
Rebecca will set up a listserve for Bicycle Benefits; will send an email to the businesses as a starting
point. She will provide businesses with BABAB contact info.
BABAB members will ride bike to each business member. We’ll check out the deals currently listed.
BABAB members will try to recruit new businesses.
Rebecca will Email around the list of businesses and have members volunteer for specific businesses
on the list.
The list will be posted on Google.docs
Rebecca will get the updated spreadsheet to Ian (BB organizer).
Future Meeting Agenda Items
Winter Plowing and Parking Proposal Elizabeth Bird
Presentation: Two-way and One-way streets for Cyclists Joe Gilpin
There was agreement that we could postpone this discussion. The City is reconsidering turning the
one-ways to two-ways downtown, because two-ways with no bike lanes will be contrary to
complete streets policy.
Capital Improvement Projects: Peach Street Bike Lanes
Adjourn 8:15pm