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From: "Tommy Eden" Thu., November 13, 2003, at 6:30 p.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:42 p.m.
2. PROPOSAL TO ADD PRIORITY ONE BICYCLE LANES ON LIVE OAK STREET TO THE AUSTIN BICYCLE PLAN Stuart Werbner requested that the subcommittee consider adding Live Oak Street to the Austin Bicycle Plan. He explained that the City of Austin has had bicycle lanes on the street east of East Side Drive, and that they will soon be installing speed cushions at the request of the neighborhood, but that a single uphill bicycle lane is needed on the section of East Live Oak between South Congress Avenue and East Side Drive. The Bicycle-Pedestrian Subcommittee recommends the following treatments for Live Oak Street: 1. Add the stretch of Live Oak Street from East Side Drive to South 5th Street as a priority 1 bicycle route in the Austin Bicycle Plan. 2. The recommended facility is as follows: a. Bicycle lane on westbound Live Oak Street from East Side Drive to South Congress Avenue (the uphill side of the street). b. Traffic calming on the remainder of the route. Tommy Eden agreed to have the issue placed on the agenda of the Urban Transportation Commission meeting in December.
3. PROPOSAL FOR IMPROVING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ON LAVACA STREET DOWNTOWN Tommy Eden reported that the city was trying to avoid using flashing lights embedded in pavement and to move toward the use of overhead flashing lights. He agreed to request overhead lights for the intersection of 13th St. and Lavaca.
4. PROPOSAL FOR SHARROWS OR BICYCLE LANES ON GUADALUPE AND LAVACA STREETS DOWNTOWN Tommy Eden had previously reported that sharrows are not being given full consideration, because such markings are not in the Texas Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). He offered the following proposal for either sharrows or bicycle lanes to be placed on the agenda of the Urban Transportation Commission meeting in December. The subcommittee approved the proposal. PROPOSED RESOLUTION FOR BICYCLE FACILITIES ON GUADALUPE AND LAVACA STREETS WHEREAS the Austin Bicycle Plan lists the downtown segments of Guadalupe and Lavaca Streets as priority 1 bicycle routes, and WHEREAS Guadalupe and Lavaca Streets have a significant volume of bicycle traffic, and WHEREAS bicycle lanes on the downtown segments of Guadalupe and Lavaca Streets would encourage more people to use bicycles for transportation, and WHEREAS "sharrows," painted arrows used as lane markers within a traffic lane, would also encourage more bicycle usage without removing a lane for motor vehicles, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: The Urban Transportation Commission recommends that the City Council direct the City Manager to establish either bicycle lanes or sharrows on the downtown segments of Guadalupe and Lavaca Streets. If the City Manager chooses to establish bicycle lanes, the bicycle lanes may be installed when the streets are resurfaced for normal maintenance, due to the high cost of resurfacing. If the City Manager chooses to establish sharrows, they should be installed using a small portion of the Capital Metro quarter cent refund.
5. REQUEST TO REMOVE SIGNS WHICH PROHIBIT PEDESTRIANS FROM CROSSING TXDOT HIGHWAYS Tommy Eden reported that he had contacted city staffers and was still awaiting a reply. He agreed to contact them again and report back in December.
6. DISCUSSION ABOUT SETTING PRIORITIES FOR NEW BICYCLE LANES Stuart Werbner expressed an interest in seeing bicycle lanes striped on Burleson Rd., according to a resolution which the Urban Transportation Commission had passed recently. Mike Dahmus brought a printout from the spreadsheet showing the fields representing criteria being considered for setting priorities. He explained that the weighting criteria still need to be established. He agreed to post a link to the spreadsheet on the austin-bikes email forum, so that it would be publicly available. He would ask people to suggest a meaningful set of weightings for the criteria, and the subcommittee could consider any suggestions offered. Tommy Eden agreed to offer a possible set of weightings by the December subcommittee meeting. The issue will be considered again in December.
7. DISCUSSION ABOUT REPAINTING CROSSWALKS Tommy Eden pointed out the fact that many crosswalks had been repainted whenever streets have been resurfaced in recent months. Subcommittee members reported seeing new crosswalks on Guadalupe St., North Loop Blvd., and Shoal Creek Blvd. The subcommittee agreed that the city staff had done well with many street restriping projects throughout the city. Mike Dahmus suggested that the minutes should report that the subcommittee heartily approves of the striping of bicycle lanes on North Loop Blvd., particulary at Burnet Rd. The subcommittee agreed by consensus. |