RECORD OF MEETING

BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ISSUES TASK FORCE

 

 

DATE/TIME/PLACE:  Wednesday, December 28, 1994, 5:30 - 7:00 PM, Colonie Community Center

 

 

IN ATTENDANCE:  Brad Birge (CDRPC), Emily H. Goodman (citizen member), Don Odell (Albany County Planning Department), Don Robertson (NYSDOT - Region 1), Ivan Vamos (Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council), Steve Allocco (CDTC)

 

 

DISCUSSION SUMMARY

 

Note:  Any handouts referenced in the summary are attached for those who did not attend the meeting.

 

 

Vision Statement:  As noted in past meetings, a vision statement which describes the Year 2015 cycling/walking environment in a single sentence or two can provide transportation decisionmakers with a reference point -- a direction in which to go in the coming years.  As it might be applied in the CDTC process, the statement could be a "reality check" for Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) candidate projects, by considering the question of whether a given candidate would further or at least not conflict with the vision statement.

 

The group reviewed a list of six possible vision statements, eventually modifying one of them to come up with the following:

 

"The Capital District will be a place where people can choose to bicycle or walk with confidence, safety and security, such that both modes will become integral parts of the transportation system."

 

This statement implies a need for several changes both in the region's mindset regarding cycling and walking and in the transportation planning and investment processes.  The Task Force's recommendation package provides the tools for achieving these changes.

 

During work on the vision statement, a question was raised as to whether USDOT's national goal of doubling the percentage of all transportation trips made by bicycling and walking while also reducing by 10 percent the number of injuries and fatalities to bicyclists and pedestrians would in itself be a key part of a vision statement.  While it was decided instead to go with the statement presented above, there was support for the idea that the Task Force endorse the national goal in its recommendations and present it as a goal for the Capital District.

 

Priority Bicycle Network:  The +341 mile draft Priority Bicycle Network, with modifications suggested at the November meeting, was reviewed.  The distribution of Network mileage about the four counties correlates fairly well with the distribution of total highway mileage;1 still, it was suggested that a few more miles be designated for Schenectady County.  CDTC staff will review the network and identify a small number of additional streets which will improve coverage in Schenectady and Rotterdam.  Beyond these desired additions and the suggestion that the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail be added to the map as a reference (and to clarify why the Priority Network is largely blank in the Niskayuna/Colonie area), the group concurred with the general coverage and logic of the Network.

 

The handout providing information on the content and purpose of the Network is intended to answer some of the basic questions which other Task Forces will likely raise regarding the role of the Network as a planning guide.  Recommendations as to clarifications/wording changes are welcome.  Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force members should give some thought to the question raised on the second page of that handout -- what is the Task Force recommending for action on the Priority Network -- to ensure that the functions of the Network as previously discussed will give it real "teeth" in the planning process. 

 

Upcoming Staff Work:  At this point, the Task Force has generated all of the basic products required of it for Phase Two of the New Visions effort.  During January and February, CDTC staff will work on compiling this material into a plan document, using the handout on long-range plan contents developed to date as an outline.  There will not be a January meeting.  CDTC will solicit input, particularly from NYSDOT, on the viability of a lot of what the Task Force is proposing, as much of it would fall on NYSDOT for implementation.  The present aim is to send out (to Task Force members and those other interested parties on the Task Force mailing list) a draft plan for comment at about the time the group would have met in late January. 

 

During January and February, CDTC staff will also work on the "number crunching" end of the New Visions process, establishing plan costs and benefits and applying the core and supplemental performance measures discussed at the March, May and June meetings.  The results of this work will in large part be the sorts of quantitative analyses which the Task Force has not gotten much into in the course of its work; still, the findings will be provided to the Task Force for informational purposes.

 

Other Items:

1.    Don Odell reported that he received from NYSDOT Region 1 Design a reply to his October 21 letter on the Route 20 project in Guilderland; a copy of the reply is attached.

 

2.    Ivan Vamos reported that he received from NYSDOT Region 1 Director Dick Maitino a reply to his October 20 letter on the proposed I-787 Riverfront Access bridge; a copy of the reply will be sent out to Task Force members when available.

 

3.    Emily Goodman reported that the New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) has reorganized, established a new board of directors and expects to resume shortly its efforts at pushing for better cycling conditions.

 

 

ACTION ITEMS

 

*          CDTC to:

*          compile Task Force Phase Two products into a plan document

*          contact NYSDOT and others as necessary to get early input on the viability of the Task Force's proposals

*          send draft plan document out to Task Force mailing list for review and comment (see below), probably around the end of January

*          develop plan cost and benefit figures, apply core and supplemental performance measures to generate objective evaluations of the plan

 

*          Task Force members to:

*          consider question of whether functions of Priority Network as discussed to date are sufficient (see Page 2 of handout entitled "The Priority Bicycle Network" for some possible functions not discussed in past meetings); get comments to CDTC

*          review draft plan when available; get comments in to CDTC prior to February 22 meeting using "red pen approach" (mark up draft with any suggestions and send back) suggested at December meeting

 

*          Next Task Force meeting:  Wednesday, February 22, 1995, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, Colonie Community Center, 1653 Central Avenue (across from Lake Electronics).  Meeting to concentrate on discussion of draft plan, with short report on quantitative evaluations of plan.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  TO:  Members of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Issues Task Force

       Other Interested Parties

 

FROM:  Steve Allocco

 

DATE:  January 4, 1995

 

  RE:  December 28 Meeting Summary; Details on Next Meeting

 

 

Enclosed please find a summary of the December 28 meeting.  For those of you who did not attend, handouts from that meeting are also provided.

 

At this point, the Task Force has generated all of the basic products required of it for Phase Two of the New Visions effort.  During January and February, CDTC staff will work on compiling these products into a plan document and on the necessary number crunching -- cost and benefit calculation, as well as application of the performance measures discussed at the March, May and June meetings.  As it currently appears that the next New Visions conference may not take place until after May, we will have some time to take "second and third looks" at the plan to ensure that it covers all the issues brought up since the start of this effort.

 

The next meeting of the Task Force will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 1995, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Colonie Community Center, 1653 Central Avenue, Colonie (across from Lake Electronics).  At this meeting, we will discuss the content of the draft plan along with any early results of the quantitative evaluations.  In the meantime, please feel free to call, fax or write if any questions or comments come up.

 

 

Enclosure(s, for 12/28 meeting non-attendees)

 

 



1For those who may be interested, several regression analyses were run comparing land area, total roadway mileage, Regional Bicycle Network mileage and Priority Network mileage.  The R2 (correlation coefficient) for Priority Network mileage versus total roadway mileage is .70; by comparison, the R2 for total Regional Network mileage versus total roadway mileage is .62.  The strongest correlation was found between total Regional Network mileage and land area, at .91; the coefficient for Priority Network mileage versus land area was .43.