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9/18/2023 - Meeting Minutes SALT LAKE CITY BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Minutes of the September 18, 2023 Meeting BAC Members Present for this meeting were Ashley Lodmell, Ben Trueman, and Martin Cuma. BAC Members Electronically Present for this meeting were Alla Chernenko, Greta Sommerfeld, Joshua Poppel, Laura Lewis, Raymond Reynolds, and Sarah Johnson. BAC Members Absent for this meeting were Matthew Morriss, Max McLeod, Pat Casey, and Rachel Manko. Also present were Ginger Cannon, Jon Larsen, Heather McLaughlin-Kolb, and Alexandra. Also present electronically were Stacey Luna, Steve Wooldridge, Becka Roolf, Dave Iltis, and Hugh Van Wagenen. The meeting was held both electronically via WebEx and in person and was called to order at 5:03 p.m. by Martin Cuma. Martin welcomed everyone and the members introduced themselves. Approval of Minutes Motion: Martin Cuma moved to approve the minutes of the July 17, 2023 meeting. Ben Trueman seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Public Comment — Dave encouraged the BAC to have Public Utilities talk to them about City Creek Canyon closing to bikes for three years because of a Water Treatment Plant rebuild. He thinks there's a compromise to sort of allow bikes and peds on weekends,but they have no plan to allow cyclists there in the early morning or evening when they aren't actively working on the rebuild. He asked Public Utilities at the Avenues Street Fair to come give BAC a presentation. He also said SLC has a huge problem with blocked bike lanes and sidewalks in the downtown area. There is currently one at South Temple, University Street, and Soo North, among others. He's e- mailed Transportation but hasn't received a satisfying response for who is responsible for asking contractors not to block bike lanes or at least put-up proper signage if they're going to. One of the bike lanes has a forklift parked in the middle which is an unnecessary situation. This is a continual problem with bikes getting the short shrift on construction projects which puts them in danger in terms of putting themselves in traffic to go around. Another is the coordination between Streets and Transportation is not good at all. There are issues like bike lanes on 600 East, i000 East, Indiana Street, llth Avenue, 3rd Avenue and others,where the streets have been re-paved and the bike lanes have not been redone even though the car lanes are complete. 600 East needs some sort of special machine,but it's been over two years since the bike lanes have worn off. Despite numerous e-mails and SLC Mobile requests, Streets never responds. BAC Page 1 of 8 BAC 09-18-2023 Minutes may want to bring Streets in to ask why. goo South has a beautiful new bike path; however,the timing of the bike lights on goo South is terrible. You must unilaterally press the button to cross even though the light is green. If they really want people to use it and have decent flow in their ride on this great new pathway, the light timing and the push button stuff need fixed. He believes BAC needs to be involved in and get regular updates from the Vision Zero task force. While he's the one who pushed this forward,he has not received an invite but at the very least, someone from BAC should be a standing member. It is a failure in the organization of that Task Force if you don't have bicycle and pedestrian people it. Alexandra said she's lived in Glendale for over io years and is an avid cyclist. At the beginning of August, she was the target of aggravated assault when she was struck by a road raging driver who deliberately drove into the bike lane, opened their passenger door, and knocked her off her cargo bike. She showed her injuries and said where she was struck is one of the most horrific bike lanes and is on the 1300 South overpass from 300 West to 700 West. She was going westward after picking up a ceiling fan from Lowes. The overpass is a 4-lane overpass and there is a sign in both directions showing it is a car/bike shared lane. She imagines people don't understand that it means a cyclist can take over the entire lane when riding it. Many people think cyclists should just veer themselves to the far corner of the lane but the driver that she encountered was determined that she shouldn't be in that lane. After honking at her, they made a point to strike her with their car and drive off after she fell to the ground and her leg was bleeding profusely. She would encourage this committee to reconsider the efficacy of those signs at that location. In addition to the signage, there's also other large signs on polls that say cyclist takes over entire lane or other infrastructure but in the io years that she's been riding that overpass, it has always frightened her and there is always a driver that thinks she shouldn't be there. She would be thrilled to help encourage or be part of a team to research other infrastructure to make that overpass safer even if that means that lane is just designated permanently to a cyclist pathway. It is truly concerning considering traffic is coming off the highway and already diminishing their speed from 70-8o mph. She said the imaging of the cyclist on the lane has been repainted since her assault,but she doesn't see this as really implementing any sort of helpful change. The authorities were called, her insurance isn't paying because she went to an out of network hospital, and the driver has not been found. Martin said they should consider having that overpass as a dedicated bike lane. Jon said if they designed it today, there would have been a bike lane in both directions but it's going to be awhile before it's replaced. Alexandra said the eastward journey is where much less aggression has occurred, it's always westward because its traffic getting off the highway. Jon said it's on their list to look at short-term lower cost solutions but that longer term it will be examined as part of an East/West Connectivity Study and looked at to see how it can be improved so it's not such a dangerous experience. Ben said there's really no way for cyclists to get safely across the train tracks. Jon said on 400 South they got some state money to put in a trail, so they'll narrow all the lanes on 400 South and put in a barrier protected pathway on the south side of 400 South. They also received funds to extend the 300 West protected bike lane to 300 south. Jon said he's sorry for what happened to Alexandra, and they are hoping to get that fixed so it'll be safe and comfortable for everyone to cross there. He also said they will be lowering speed limits citywide. Becka said there are not"bicycles may use full lane" signs on that bridge and adding those signs seems like a possibility but may also conflict with pedestrian headspace,but they'll look at that. Sara thanked Alexandra for coming to the meeting, she's sorry for what happened, and has brought up that bridge in the past several times. She's really thinking about what it takes to move expeditiously on Page 2 of 8 BAC 09-18-2023 Minutes treacherous roads. Everyone on this Committee knows this is a treacherous road and asked what needs to happen to say we need to address this now. Jon said no one wants to move projects faster than him and his team, and they do make a lot of stuff happen but that's all relative, it still never feels like it's fast enough. Heather asked if any of the Committee has considered a constituent CIP application to improve this area. Jon explained what's happening with Vision Zero and asked if any BAC member would like to represent on the Task Force. Ben said he's interested in attending. Steve Wooldridge said he would be happy to look up Alexandra's case and get back to her with an update. Since it's an aggravated assault, she may be eligible for crime victim's compensation. Alexandra said she has applied for that, and it takes go days to hear from them. Committee Announcements and Updates Martin saw something cool in his summer travels to Croatia. He explained the double- sided bike path and showed a picture to those in the room. He thinks it would be a perfect treatment for the 70o East bike path that UDOT is designing and hopes SLC will share this idea with them. U of U Active Transportation Updates Ginger Cannon, U of UActive Transportation Manager Ginger introduced herself and said she usually comes on a quarterly basis to give BAC updates. She has 4 updates and the first is related to plans that have been adopted or are about to be adopted. The U of U has finished a transportation and parking study which is really a strategic plan for the Department of Commuter Services who help support parking and transportation. Over the next io years they will decide what they're going to do around parking and work on strategies around transportation demand management. That means a lot of different strategies that will help, hopefully reduce vehicle use to the university and help them attain their goals around mode shift. The U of U really wants to see more sustainable modes and already has a high active transportation mode; they average around 11% for all faculty and the students have a much higher use of bicycles during the day to get to their destinations. They are trying to be climate neutral by 2040. That date was 205o but the new U of U president moved that climate neutrality date to 204o and as part of their commitments,they need a climate action plan. They've gone through a long process centered around equity to get to the strategies in that plan. The plan has not yet been adopted but it will be presented to their leadership soon. The plan talks about operations, education, research, and infrastructure, all those things play a big part. When you think about how big that can be, the U of U is the loth largest city in Utah. She said there are expansions of the university on the healthcare side and with additional campuses. The next update is on infrastructure (map.utah.edu). She shared the map and said you can turn on different layers related to biking. Martin brought up the map and Ginger pointed out a few secure bike parking areas that are coming online largely because the BAC helped support changes to the roadway on North Medical Drive. They wrote a letter of support asking for shared use paths on both sides of the roadway and some additional safe crossings. Those pathways are largely complete along with the roadway project. There will be ioo+ new secure bike parking areas at the entrance of the hospital. There is also a new women's cancer center opening with a parking garage which will have a secure outdoor parking area as well as an area in the garage. The health educator's building and the new bridge have new secure bike parking. She showed how to access the bike parking areas. Ginger's 3rd update is on events, and they sponsor a lot of student focused events in the fall semester including bike week for the students. They do a lot of Page 3 of 8 BAC 09-18-2023 Minutes educational pieces and try to incentivize students to ride their bikes. Bike Week is happening October end through the 6th this year and she invited everyone to come join them for any of the events. The events are online at sustainabilitly.utah.edu. In 2017 she was hired to do several different things but in her new role, she is focused solely on education, and she will be potentially upping a lot of the education related work and partnership she does with several entities like Bike Utah and UTA. She welcomes any input on educational ideas. Ray is a medical student at the U of U and tries to bicycle as often as possible. He appreciates all the progress he's seen over the year and said there are a lot of shifts towards wanting to have e-bikes which he believes will keep growing. He thinks there are a lot of great efforts happening around the hospital towards upper campus as far as creating infrastructure. He often feels a bit unsafe in the junction between off campus and on campus, specifically at Foothill going onto Mario Capecchi and down by President's Circle. He asked if there are any campaigns to make that a smoother transition and a bit safer and as a student, in what ways can he double dip as a BAC member and be an advocate on campus. Ginger said they are working closely the City and UDOT on intersection improvements, on things like below grade tunnels, research, preliminary design, all the things they need to do to make those safer more convenient connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Jon said someday maybe they'll be able to punch a trail through the golf course. Martin said the worst place is below the Bonneville Golf Course. There are trees growing into it and the sidewalk is not being maintained. Other Committee members brought up other areas where the sidewalks are overgrown. Martin would like to have someone from Parks come to the Committee and talk about the overgrown sidewalks. Jon said there is a chance they could take all that out and put a trail in there. Ginger said the BAC is supposed to be working with the PEANUT Board according to their bylaws. She also told him to reach out to her with more opportunities to advocate cycling. Bikeway Gaps Becka Roolf, SLC Transportation Becka wanted to discuss bikeway gaps with the Committee as Transportation is prioritizing various future projects. SLC has just gone through a lot of investment in bikeways adjacent to corridors that were under reconstruction. Many of those investments were made in specific corridors mostly based on pavement conditions but she's mindful that there are places where there are gaps. Sometimes it's a few blocks or just an intersection in the bikeway network and are kind of the consequences of the projects being selected in large measure based on pavement. SLC would like to come back and do a little cleanup so there is connectivity from the point of view of cyclists. She said there already were discussions about the 1300 South viaduct and some things on Foothill. She showed a map of SLC bikeways and asked the members to view it and add their suggestions to the map, she shared the link in the chat and showed them how to use it. The Committee discussed and added some bikeway gaps to the map but will spend more time reviewing it outside the meeting. Motion: Martin Cuma motioned to adjourn the meeting; Ben Trueman seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Meeting Chat Greta 17:09 Page 4 of 8 BAC 09-18-2023 Minutes ugh agreed about the blocked bike lanes - I primarily bike downtown &it's been especially scary this summer with the construction Sarah Johnson D5 17:10 Yes, this has been a problem for me as well. Dave Iltis 17:20 PIP will cover some/most of medical bills up to policy limits ($3000 +) Dave Iltis 17:21 If someone in the meeting could let the woman know about this. Her own car insurance will cover this. Roolf, Becka 17:21 I don't think Alexandra has a car, Dave. Roolf, Becka 17:22 Critical Connections Ray Reynolds 17:23 Thank you so much for sharing. I am so sorry this happened to you. I completely agree that public knowledge about shared car/bike lanes is not disseminated well. There needs to be a cultural and street design shift in our city. Sarah Johnson D5 17:26 Can we have someone monitor hands raised please? I've had mine up for about 5 mins. I understand we need to move on now. Dave Iltis 17:31 See: https://www.cyclingutah.com/columns/editorials/editorial-salt-lake-city-needs-a- better-and-bikeable-40 o-south/ Roolf, Becka 17:32 we could do glue-on delineators and striping fairly simply. Roolf, Becka 17:32 bicycles may use full lane Dave Iltis 17:33 What I brought up is still unsolved and a continual problem. Sarah Johnson D5 17:34 Steve has had his hand up for awhile Dave Iltis 17:35 Page 5 of 8 BAC 09-18-2023 Minutes Here is the editorial that prompted Vision Zero in SLC: https://www.cyclingutah.com/columns/editorials/editorial-salt-lake-city-needs-to- adopt-vision-zero-for-no-more-traffic-deaths-and-injuries/ Sarah Johnson D5 17:36 Yes, I would like more info about Vision Zero involvement. Thank you! Sarah Johnson D5 17:43 Very cool! Wooldridge, Steve 17:45 steve.wooldridge@slcgov.com I was a bike Sgt,but now I'm over traffic enforcement/Motors, special events planning, I'm the senior PD rep on the SLC's Vision Zero Fatalies Task Force.We don't have a bike person specifically. Wooldridge, Steve 17:46 We have 3 bike squads but are more oriented to criminal behavior not traffic issues. Wooldridge, Steve 17:49 What's this person's who speaking's contact info? Dave Iltis 17:49 ginger.cannon@utah.edu Roolf, Becka 17:49 Ginger Cannon <ginger.cannon@utah.edu> Sarah Johnson D5 17:49 Ginger Cannon,Active Transportation Manager at U of U Wooldridge, Steve 17:50 Thank you Roolf, Becka 17:52 This would be welcome to add to bikeway gaps discussion next up. Wooldridge, Steve 17:55 Report it the SLC Mobile App on the "Trees on Public Property" in the select a report type Martin Cuma 17:57 https://photos.app.goo.gl/aUmQ7MdeAhfrNyuo6 Roolf, Becka 18:o6 Page 6 of 8 BAC 09-18-2023 Minutes https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=lagHbCew5hViERgw8v5UdTdI4LgNSQ6s &usp=sharing Dave Iltis 18:og 3rd Avenue and B Street needs a dashed line where the bike lane breaks apart for 100 feet. This is not due to Streets lack of restriping. Dave Iltis 18:10 Gap: Terminus of g-Line trail at This is the Place State Park to Research Park. My understanding is that Transportation is working on this as a pilot project. Dave Iltis 18:11 Gap: missing bike sharrow markings on University between 10o S and S. Temple Dave Iltis18:12 Gap: S. Temple crossings to the Avenues at every street Dave Iltis 18:12 Top of the hill Ray Reynolds 18:13 Side note: I reached out to Ashyln in the Parks, Natural Lands, Urban Forestry&Trails Advisory Board to open up a discussion with connecting wasatch dr and sunnyside ave. Laura Lewis 18:15 On Pioneer Road/276o West to Milestone/3200 West, on the west side. Dave Iltis 18:16 Gap: S. Temple crossings to the Avenues at every street- Especially I St, J St, K St, L St, M St, through T St. Dave Iltis 18:16 Gap: Gladiola Dave Iltis 18:17 Gap: goo W from about 1700 S to 2100 S. Dave Iltis 18:23 Becka, I just emailed you again details of the Sunnyside connector trail. Dave Iltis 18:24 Jon told me that SLC did not want to. Dave Iltis 18:25 Page 7 of 8 BAC 09-18-2023 Minutes So, have things changed on goo W where SLC will consider adding bike lanes from 1700 S to 2100 S? Roolf, Becka 18:26 Dave, we added those shared lane markings. Did they not get repainted after a repaving? Roolf, Becka 18:26 Sorry, Dave, I meant on Univ by virginia/ 1oo S Dave Iltis 18:27 Becka, University has not been repainted. I've brought this up with SLC/Jon several times to no avail Sarah Johnson D5 18:30 I need to drop. Thank you! Dave Iltis 18:30 too S needs bike lanes too! Dave Iltis 18:31 https://www.cyclingutah.com/advocacy/advocacy-alert-salt-lake-city-looks-set-to- violate-the-complete-streets-ordinance-on-loo-south-again/ Roolf, Becka 18:34 11oo East Roolf, Becka 18:34 1700 S shared lane markings 50o E to State St. to bike lane. Dave Iltis 18:34 70o E from S. Temple to goo S. Dave Iltis 18:35 Most of this is city street, and there's room to add bike lanes with the next resurfacing. Roolf, Becka 18:35 boo E has bike lanes 800 S to goo S. Dave Iltis 18:35 Ok, so S. Temple to 800 S. Roolf, Becka 18:35 Half of that is UDOT. Approved by Committee io-16-23. 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