CITY OF MILWAUKEE
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN TASK FORCE MEETING
ROOM 708, ZEIDLER MUNICIPAL BUILDING
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2009
MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: / MEMBERS ABSENT: / GUESTSMark Beutow / Shirin Cabraal / Mike Brady
Steve Brachman / Claude Krawczyk / Tory Kress
Keith Holt / Guy Smith / Jill Mrotek-Glenzinski
Shea Schachameyer / Angie Tornes / Tom Winter
Dave Schlabowske / Bob Trimmier
Maurice Williams
1. Accept Minutes of December 2008 Meeting
The minutes were accepted as written.
2. Blind Vote for New Chair
Dave has stepped down as chair. The task force unanimously approved Keith as chair and Shea as vice chair. Dave will continue to handle the general administrative end of things.
3. Bicycle Commuter Benefit Update
A methodology for administering the program in Milwaukee needs to be identified. The program is going to be a difficult sale politically because the City of Milwaukee already offers a commuter value plan, negotiated by the union, where the city pays half the price of a monthly bus pass and the employee pays the other half and the employer can use the pass whenever they choose.
The task force will 1) monitor this new legislation to find out what other municipalities across the country are doing to implement this program, and report findings back at the next meeting; 2)refine exactly what we are asking for before we ask for it. Note whether this program has to be negotiated with the union.
4. Wheel and Sprocket Bike Expo
The city and county will be sharing a table again this year. More bike maps will be handed out and the table will be staffed with at least one person from both organizations at all times. The dates are as follows: April 2 and 3, 4PM - 9PM; April 4, 9AM - 6PM and April 5, 10AM - 5PM.
If task force members want to volunteer, the Bike Fed needs help staffing their table. Also, we should have something prepared for this Thursday’s Love Your Bike Party so people can sign and we can also e-mail some thing around.
5. Bike Lanes Update
WisDOT had agreed to stripe initial bike lanes if DPW would agree to maintain them. The common council voted against allowing DPW to sign a maintenance agreement because 1) we have not been able to maintain existing lines so why agree to maintain more; 2) why maintain something on someone else’s roads. The city will not move current CMAQ projects forward to council until maintenance/equipment issues are resolved. DPW plans to purchase a new pavement marking machine but the purchase of the new equipment will have to be approved by council first.
It is more cost effective if we striped our own lines versus private bids. Paperwork has been filed with WisDOT to have a Local Force Account. With each CMAQ project we’ll have to submit a specific cost effectiveness study in order for us to be able to do the striping ourselves.
There is general council opposition regarding this issue. Line maintenance is a problem in general but bike lanes have exacerbated the problem. Also, Forest Home is time sensitive. The final production of the plans was last week and WisDOT is literally waiting for the maintenance agreement. Shea and one other person from the task force will meet with Jeff, Clark and Dave to gather facts/information regarding time sensitivity and what are the perimeters. Information will then be reported back to the task force.
6. Task Force Goals for 2009
The purpose of the Task Force has been clarified and a list of goals for 2009 was distributed along with deadlines for each goal.
We should deliver our message throughout the year. When we are talking to the aldermen or the mayor about issues we need to have bullet points that state reasons why. Not just saying this is a good idea and you should do it.
A draft newsletter was distributed and comments are due by the April meeting. Cecilia has agreed to send the newsletter to a couple of press people, the council and mayor, and also put it on the DPW website. Dave will look into getting the task force meetings televised on Channel 25 for the June meeting.
Note: Mayor Barrett’s idea for Bicycle Friendly Business Awards. We should jump on this and give a couple businesses bike friendly awards for at least this upcoming Bike to Work Week.
7. Snow clearing efforts this winter
Tabled
8. Bike Racks on Buses update
There was a planning meeting with the Bike Fed and Milwaukee County Transit. The roll out of the program is focused on the press conference to be held on Earth Day in April. All of the racks should be on all buses by the middle of April, including Ozaukee routes as well.
9. Subcommittees
Subcommittees will no longer officially exist. All agreed to take an ad-hoc approach. As the need arises there will be extra meetings on those issues only; but there will be a beginning, middle and end. The extra meetings will not be perpetual.
10. 2008 Annual Report
Members still have a couple more days to give comments if they want to add any thing; if not, Dave will send out one more e-mailing saying he’s going to submit the report. Dave will find out when the next Safety Committee meeting is so members could attend. If you haven’t received the initial e-mail containing the report let Dave know.
11. CMAQ Grant Applications for 2009
Angie wants the task force to recommend that the city apply for a CMAQ grant to build a trail on the south side power line corridor, prompted by two reasons: 1) the City of Greenfield is doing a bike plan and they were looking at it and 2) the Cousins Center sale and the fact that some access points might go away if no one has a plan for it. The city will apply for this CMAQ along with other projects.
It would help the task force in deciding whether to make the recommendation if they could see all of the CMAQ projects being submitted. Dave will mention in the DPW’s meeting that the task force has interest in this and afterwards report back with the city’s decision. The task force can then rate the projects.
12. Other
There is a Love Your Bike party this Thursday.
DreamBikes and the Milwaukee Major Taylor Cycling Club have formed a partnership with the ultimate goal of promoting cycling in communities of color and building camaraderie among all cyclists. DreamBikes is about to sign a lease off of King Dr and North Ave. in Milwaukee. There is no press release for this yet. Keith, Maurice and Mark Serik (spelling?) from DreamBikes have been meeting for a while to lay out the ground works of partnership. They are also developing a Major Taylor bike club. Hopefully one of the kick-offs will be the weekend of June 6, bringing in folks from the upper Midwest, from different bike clubs, who will come to Milwaukee and ride for the weekend. Keith has already talked to folks in Chicago and is going to reach out to Minneapolis.
13. Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force is scheduled April 13, 2009 at 9:00 AM in Room 708 of the Zeidler Municipal Building.
Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Arline M. Holliday