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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-10-10 Bicycle Pedrestrian Committee MinutesTown of Ocean City, Maryland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 3 OCEAN CITY BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (OC BPAC) Meeting Minutes DATE: Wednesday, October 10, 2018 TIME: 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM LOCATION: City Hall, Executive Conference Room 301 Baltimore Avenue Ocean City, MD 21842 RE: OC BPAC Meeting #3 ATTENDEES: See Sign-In Sheet for all attendees (only Members are shown below) Joe Marx X Sandy Gillis X Mike Steinen X Paul Mauser (President) X Hal Adkins X Cpl. Allen Hawk (Vice President) X Glenn Irwin X Tony Deluca X Jana Potvin (SHA Member) X = In Attendance at Meeting ACTION ITEMS: #: Name: Action Item: Due By: 1 Cpl. Allen Hawk Provide data from “Bike Accidents” in Town for the previous 3 years. Wed. 11.14 2 Paul Mauser Revise Complete Streets Policy Wed. 10.11 3 Paul Mauser Complete Design of 146th Street to Dukes Avenue Bike Route for In- House construction by PW. Wed. 12.12 4 Karen Zera Develop aerial map of Downtown (Inlet to 27th Street) showing physical impediments, private properties requiring easements, and a potential bike route on the east side of Baltimore Avenue. Wed. 11.14 DISCUSSION ITEMS: 1. 09.19 Meeting Minutes: The September 19, 2018 BPAC Meeting Minutes were reviewed by the committee. Tony confirmed the Minutes were reviewed and approved by Council. Tony pointed out that the Meeting Minutes (6.b) were revised on October 9th to reflect a correction to the ownership of Baltimore Avenue. 2. Membership Status (SHA Member): Jana Potvin, SHA Assistant District Engineer, attended the meeting and discussed that she will be representing SHA and may assign the role of the OC BPAC Member to another SHA staff member in the future. 3. Online Collaboration (Slack): The OC BPAC Members have been provided a link to the Slack platform in the event that group discussions need to take place prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. Town of Ocean City, Maryland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 3 4. “Lights on Bikes” Update (Cpl. Allen Hawk): Cpl. Hawk provided an update that 35 bike lights were installed in the month of September. The subject of “Bike Accidents” was also brought up. The OCPD maintains data on bike related accidents that may be helpful in evaluating and improving the safety of bicycling activities in Town. Cpl. Hawk is planning to provide data from “Bike Accidents” in Town dating back the previous 3 years (see Action Item #1). This will be an Agenda item for the November 14, 2018 BPAC meeting. 5. Review DRAFT Complete Streets Policy: As a follow-up to the 09.19 BPAC Meeting, a DRAFT Complete Streets Policy was developed for comment. Each BPAC Member was provided the opportunity to comment on the DRAFT policy and the following comments were provided: a. The Complete Streets Policy, when completed, will be referenced in the Town’s Sustainable Communities Plan. b. Clarify that the policy applies only to Town owned roads as there are state owned roads in Town that are subject to SHA’s Complete Streets Policy. c. Consider adding in a clause under Design Criteria for signage and wayfinding. d. The policy should be incorporated into Site Plan Review such that development projects are required to provide an enhancement to biking infrastructure, especially when granted a parking variance. e. The Annual Report should include information on safety analysis, length of bike routes added, policies passed, etc. f. The DRAFT policy should be revised based on these comments (see Action Item #2). 6. Connectivity to DE: a. Currently Route 50 has some connectivity to Ocean City. Route 90 bike use is appropriately prohibited due to lane widths. Route 54 and Coastal Highway have opportunity for improvements, specifically connecting the existing bike routes on Route 54 and Sinepuxent Avenue via 146th Street and Dukes Road. Town of Ocean City, Maryland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 3 b. Hal discussed that 146th Street existing asphalt surface is not in the best condition and applying for a grant to install thermoplastic pavement markings is not recommended given the condition of the pavement. Instead, it is suggested for the Town Engineering Department to complete a bike route design and provide to PW for implementation using In-House resources of paint striping and signage. This achieves 2 things: a new bike route in Town providing the desired connectivity and a design for when the street is reconstructed and thermoplastic can be installed. As a follow-up, the Engineering Department will develop a design for the bike route and present to the BPAC for review (see Action Item #3). The goal is to have this bike route completed by Memorial Day 2019 (05.27). 7. Review GIS Maps of Downtown (Inlet to 27th Street): As a follow-up to the 09.19 Meeting, Karen Zera provided the BPAC Members with an aerial map showing existing bike routes (St. Louis Avenue), Potential bike routes, and the Seasonal bike route on the Boardwalk. The map provides a medium for discussing what would be required to develop a bike route on the east side of Baltimore Avenue, utilizing existing Town owned alleys and acquiring easements through private property. Tony requested Karen to provide a breakdown on the map of physical impediments, private properties that would require an easement, and a potential bike route on the east side of Baltimore Avenue that does not need to utilize the Boardwalk (see Action Item #4). 8. Bike Route 59th Street to 64th Street and use of sidewalks: Referencing the 2017 Maryland Transportation Code (Title 21 - Vehicle Laws -- Rules of the Road, Subtitle 11 - Miscellaneous Rules, § 21-1103. Driving on sidewalk), “(2) Where allowed by local ordinance, a person may ride a bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle on a sidewalk or sidewalk area.” (https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2017/transportation/title-21/subtitle- 11/section-21-1103/). All options short of allowing bikes on the sidewalk from 59th Street to 64th Street have been exhausted. As such, the BPAC plans to provide a recommendation to Town Council to pass an Ordinance that would allow bikes on sidewalks in this specific area. If passed, the specific area would require installing appropriate signage. 9. Bike Route from MD Route 611 east to the Route 50 Bridge: This discussion is planned to take place at the November 13th Council Work Session. If there are any corrections to the Meeting Minutes, please notify the author within seven (7) calendar days. Attachments: (2018.10.11) BPAC_Complete Streets Resolution (DRAFT) (2018.10.11) BPAC_Complete Streets Policy (DRAFT) Best Regards, Paul B. Mauser, P.E. Engineering Manager Town of Ocean City