[ndcf] Bike commuter meetings summary - resend

Fri Oct 20 20:56:48 EDT 2006

Hello,

I'm resending a message (minus the attachment) that I'm not sure made it out to the listserve this past Tuesday.  If you'd like a copy of the six page summary, e-mail me and I'll send you the attachment.  As a substitute, the synopsis is appended below.

Hope to see a big group for the follow-up meeting on November 6th!

Have a great weekend!

Mark

****************************************
Greetings!

Attached is a record of comments from last month's bike commuter meetings in Bismarck and Mandan.  The comments are organized into three sections.  The first section is comprised of two pages and represents input organized by potential action items.  If you have time to review only one section, make it this one.  The second and third sections are what was captured off the flip charts for the Bismarck and Mandan meetings, respectively.  Those sections are pretty rough.  My apologies to those of you who attended the meetings if I didn't capture exactly what you meant.

Speaking of attendees, I'd like to thank Brian Beattie, Alan Dohrmann, Ben Ehreth, Jason Gross, Ben Kubischta, Bob Scarlet, Anita Thomas, and Mark Zimmerman for providing input on bike commuting issues during the first round of meetings.  Many important issues were brought forth, and as you'll see in the attached document, there are plenty of opportunities to improve the climate for bike commuters in Bismarck and Mandan.

Now, for the next step...

Room B in the Bismarck Public Library has been reserved for Monday, November 6th from 7-9 p.m. to allow everyone who's interested to provide input on prioritizing the action items listed in the first section.  Given that there's a long list, it will be important we focus our efforts to increase the chance of having a meaningful impact.  If you'd like to attend, but cannot due to your schedule, please send me your suggestions for prioritization via e-mail.

Best regards,

Mark Liebig

***************************************
Bismarck/Mandan Bike Commuter Brainstorming Sessions

September 2006

Potential action items related to bike commuting on roads:

  a.. There is a need to inventory rumble strips (width, orientation) on North Dakota's roads.
  b.. There is a need for 'Share the Road' signs on roads commonly traveled by cyclists (River Road, 1804, Hwy 10, UMary Loop, etc.).  Local money will need to be sought out to fund the placement of these signs.  A possible granting option includes Recreational Trail funds (spring timeframe for proposals).
  c.. The sidepath rule needs to be revisted.  There is a current effort by Justin Kristan (Fargo) to repeal the sidepath rule in North Dakota.  Mr. Kristan is working with a legislator in Fargo on this.
  d.. There is a need to identify safe bike commuting routes in Bismarck and Mandan.  Some routes may follow well-traveled traffic corridors; others may not.  Such routes need to be identified prior to a major outreach/education effort (such as 'Bike to Work' week).  It is important to show current and future commuters safe routes for bike commuting in our cities.
  e.. There is a need to develop a traffic rule entitling cyclists to a 'safe zone' in which motorists must give cyclists a designated amount of space on roads.  In Utah and parts of Texas, bicyclists on roads are entitled to a three foot distance from automobiles.  This law is an effective way to manage belligerent as well as overly-polite drivers.
  f.. Dedicated bike lanes are needed for main traffic arteries in Bismarck and Mandan.  While there are bike paths in both cities, ideal commuter routes are often the same routes that cars take.  Within Bismarck, such lanes are especially needed for north-south corridors (Washington, 3rd, 7th, 9th, 16th, and 26th streets).  Currently, it is difficult to travel by bike quickly and safely in Bismarck going north or south.  Bike lanes are also needed for east-west corridors, but the need is not as great for north-south corridors.  There is a need to query appropriate organizations and individuals to identify ways to develop dedicated bike lanes for current (and new) roads.  What is needed is a five foot lane within the traffic corridor.

Potential action items related to bike commuting on paths:

  a.. Vegetation along the path near Merriweathers blocks the horizontal site distance.  Should this be addressed with signing (e.g., 'caution', 'slow', etc.) or through vegetation management?
  b.. Identify a win-win solution regarding the placement of mailboxes within bike paths.  They are a hazard to path users.
  c.. Cracks on bike paths continue to be a safety issue.
  d.. Determine the status of Haycreek Path.  Is this a legitimate commuter trail?
  e.. Stop signs on trails are generally ignored by bicyclists.  It is now the practice of NDDOT to use yield signs instead of stop signs.  Can there be an effort made to change some of the current stop signs to yield signs?

Potential action items for developing bike commuting infrastructure:

  a.. There is a need to increase the number of bike racks throughout Bismarck and Mandan.  Most existing racks are old and inadequate by current standards.

Potential education/outreach activities related to bike commuting:

  a.. General, overarching issue: There are different issues for different types of bikers.  Who do we serve?  How do we best serve a particular group or groups?  There are many examples where education efforts need to be made.  We'll need to focus to be effective.
  b.. Traffic safety education for bikers by local, state, and/or federal organizations is limited because there are few biker fatalities in North Dakota.
  c.. Address the needs for school-aged bikers (elementary through high school).
  d.. Work to expand media coverage of 'Bike to Work' week in 2007 (generally held during the third week of May).
  e.. Encourage businesses to consider providing incentives for employees to bike to work.  Promote the idea of individual/company recognition for employees who commute by bike.
  f.. Consider holding 'Helmet Parties' (essentially, bike helmet giveaways) to encourage responsible cycling habits.
  g.. Write an article for North Dakota Living.  Increase awareness of bicycle travel across the state.  This is important given that there are two major Adventure Cycling routes that pass through North Dakota.
  h.. Invite New Belgian Brewery for 'Tour de Fat' in Bismarck.

Potential partners for bike commuting advocacy:

  a.. Metro Planning Organization (Funded by DOT.  Steve Saunders is a contact)
  b.. Safe Routes to School (SRTS).  A federal program designed for school-aged children K-8.  The focus is on promoting health-related activities.  $1 million allocated to North Dakota annually.  10-30% dedicated to non-infrastructure activities; the balance to infrastructure.  Funds allocated through competitive process.  There is a new SRTS coordinator for North Dakota.
  c.. Bismarck Traffic Engineer (Mark Berg)
  d.. Mandan City Engineer (Tom Little)
  e.. Bismarck police (bike safety education)
  f.. Bismarck Parks and Recreation
  g.. Mandan Parks and Recreation
  h.. Medcenter One and St. Alexius
  i.. North Dakota Safety Council
  j.. Bis-Man Transit (city buses)
  k.. Activate Bismarck/Mandan
  l.. The Optimist Club (school age bike safety curriculum)

Bike commuting information and resources:

  a.. Resources for bike commuters:
    a.. AASHTO - A resource for proper design of bicycle facilities.
    b.. League of American Bicyclists
    c.. Bikes Belong
  b.. The ND State Bicyclist Plan is scheduled to be revised.
  c.. National and state survey results:
    a.. Census data from 1990 to 2000 indicates people who are biking or walking to work in Bismarck and Mandan has decreased.  The trend holds true statewide.
    b.. NDDOT Survey (Summer 2006) found that there was a lack of bicycle facilities and a general lack of awareness of bicyclist by drivers of motor vehicles.  There were many more findings from the survey, and they will be shared within the appendix of the statewide transportation plan.

Organizational issues:

  a.. Should the commuter group operate within the structure of NDCF, or outside of it?  Will it provide legitimacy, or will there be a stigma that will limit participation?  This needs to be addressed.
  b.. The separate biking groups in Bismarck/Mandan need to be brought together to provide input on commuting issues.  Additionally, involvement by major players in the community (e.g., traffic engineers, NDDOT, and potential partners listed above) should help the effectiveness of this effort significantly.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/ndcf_ndcycling.com/attachments/20061020/9aa34d8c/attachment-0001.html 