| Approval of Meeting Minutes from June 21 and July 12 |
| Minutes were approved with no changes. |
| Bicycles and Transit |
| Pace |
| Ms. Ladner described Pace's bikes on buses project.
Currently, racks are on two routes that operate between Elgin and Aurora. They were
chosen, in part, because they run through Geneva, which is promoting cycling this year
through "Pedal Geneva." Pace is keeping track of rack usage. Racks were used 93
time during the months of July and August. Pace’s goal is to have its fleet equipped
with racks by 2002. The racks are being funded through their capital budget as well as
discretionary funds. To date, there have been no recorded instances of cyclists not being
able to board a bus because the rack was already full. They do expect some problems
because the limit of two bikes per bus is strict. |
| Pace will be surveying the users of this program. They
would like to measure recreational vs. utilitarian usage. For example, they have noted
that more people are boarding northbound than southbound on route 802; perhaps people are
taking the bus to Geneva and then riding along the Fox river back to Aurora. Other
questions will address whether people have been unable to get on the bus because the rack
was full and whether they had ridden a Pace bus before. It was suggested they also ask if
the bus diverted a car trip. Even if the trip is recreation based, it might be saving car
trips because people often drive their bikes to trails. |
| The program has been promoted through their website, press
releases and a partnership with Pedal Geneva and the Herald. |
| CTA |
| Mr. Estes discussed the success of CTA’s weekend bikes
on trains program. It is not easy for CTA to get user counts (which involves station
attendants counting boardings). During one weekend on the red line, about 130 people
brought their bikes on board. The program has been very manageable so far, and there is
talk of extending it to the weekdays during off-peak hours. The problem with peak hour
service is that the trains are so often filled to capacity. In New York City, bikes are
allowed on the trains 24 hours a day, seven days a week; however, they are not allowed on
if the train is full. Mr. Neufeld proposed CTA consider allowing bikes on the blue line
from O’Hare to Jefferson Park. The trains are not as crowded between those stops, and
it would help cyclists get out of O’Hare. |
| CTA is also beginning to pilot a bikes on bus program on
two routes. One question they are dealing with is how to measure program success. |
| Metra |
| Mr. Foyle introduced Mr. Oppenheim, who provided an
overview of Metra’s policies regarding bikes on their cars. Two years ago, their
Citizen’s Advisory Board evaluated the feasibility of accommodating bikes on Metra
cars. CBF was involved in this process. He explained that after a major crash on a
commuter rail line in Washington D.C., providers had to begin following much stricter
safety guidelines. Because aisles must not be blocked in the event of an emergency, it was
determined that the only safe way to accommodate a bicycle on a Metra car would be to
provide a storage area. This would involve the removal of seats. San Francisco, which has
similar rolling stock, has removed 24 seats from its cars to accommodate bicycles.
Bringing Metra cars into compliance with the ADA has already resulted in the loss of 16
seats. It was determined that it is not feasible to remove more seats to accommodate
bicycles. New cars cost 2 million a piece. Metra is purchasing more cars, all of which are
ADA accessible, in part due to an infusion of Illinois FIRST dollars. |
| Mr. Neufeld stated that the evaluation process two years
ago was sound. There were serious operational considerations. However, the possibility of
cyclists using the ADA space was not discussed. He brought up a German rail line he was on
recently where the cars are marked as a having a shared wheel chair and bike area. First
priority goes to users with disabilities, just like on CTA. There is a strap that can
secure both wheelchairs and bikes. |
| Mr. Oppenheim expressed concern that trains run
infrequently during off-peak times. If only one car on the train is accessible, how do you
prevent a conflict from arising between a disabled passenger and a cyclist? The cyclist
can't wait around another ten minutes for the next train. Ms. Redden suggested analyzing
the utilization of the ADA spaces to assess the risk of conflicts. Also, if all new cars
are accessible, eventually the Metra trains will have more than one accessible car. |
| Mr. Rickert asked if Metra can run longer trains and Mr.
Oppenheim explained that platform length constrains how many cars can be added. |
| Ms. Metzger asked if the question could be reopened and if
any cyclists were on the citizen's advisory committee. Because the committee is a standing
one, there are no representatives from specific groups. Mr. Sturges expressed distress
that Metra seems comfortable with not figuring out a way to accommodate bikes on their
trains. Mr. Anderson suggested that instead of thinking of lost seats, Metra should
consider the possibility of increasing new ridership, especially during off-peak times. |
| A motion was introduced and passed to send a letter from
the task force asking Metra to reevaluate its policy now that more of its cars are
accessible and those numbers are increasing. |
| Mr. Estes offered that one of the biggest challenges to
implementing the bikes on board program at CTA was overcoming internal skepticism that it
could work. Doing a demonstration project helped assuage those concerns. |
| Mr. Sturges suggested asking Metra passengers who bike to
the stations what kind of policy they would like to see. Mr. Foyle explained that Metra is
collecting data on bike parking utilization around stations and that he would send it to
CATS. |
| Mr. Rickert asked if RTA has a stance on the bikes and
transit issue and Mr. Moriarty explained that such decisions are made by the operators,
not RTA. |
| Municipal Planning Guide and CATS Bike/Ped Web Page |
| An ad hoc working group was formed to provide feedback. The
need to communicate local efforts and not let bicycle issues overshadow pedestrian ones
was brought up. |
| Soles and Spokes Debriefing |
| Ms. Kilgore summarized the evaluations from the conference,
noting that the technical training workshops had been received very well. Mr. Williams
suggested that frequent, targeted technical training sessions would be useful. Different
audiences were identified. On one hand, planners, engineers and consultants need to be
informed of the latest examples of good facility design. On the other, village trustees,
board members and concerned citizens need to be informed about the benefits of planning
for and promoting non-motorized travel. Ms. Metzger suggested these workshops would be a
good way to address pedestrian issues. For example, many communities are interested in
safe routes to schools. Mr. Neufeld endorsed the ongoing education of decision-makers, and
mentioned Dan Burden's pedestrian audit as an example. However, he also thinks a
conference is important because it provides a forum for communities to be awarded for good
projects and brings in experts from other places. He also suggested taking workshops out
to different parts of the region. Mr. Neufeld reminded that CBF developed a slide show and
power point presentation on local bicycle planning that is available from CATS. It was
suggested that a future task force meeting discuss the details of regional workshops at a
later date. |
| Bikeways GIS |
| Ms. Kilgore provided an overview of CATS' bikeways GIS. She
suggested types of data it should include and the information it should be able to
produce, particularly as the region develops a bicycle and pedestrian plan. She suggested
the inclusion of local planning and implementation efforts, what systems the facility
belongs to (a facility might be part of the Grand Illinois Trail, a sub-regional plan and
a local network), and the implementing agency. Mr. Bury added that standardized criteria
need to be developed. Mr. Chew suggested that in order for a facility to be included, it
should meet certain standards. Mr. Barsotti distributed information about work he has been
doing to determine the "bicycle-friendliness" of roadways. The data standards
working group scheduled a meeting to discuss these issues in more detail. |
| RTP Update |
| Ms. Bolte called attention to the bike/ped sections of the
RTP and noted that text about providing information on regional, sub-regional and local
plans on the web site had not yet been added to the implementation section. The Grand
Illinois Trail also needs to be added to the table summarizing regional and sub-regional
planning. |
| Other Business |
| Ms. Moore shared the results of a survey of transportation
issues conducted in the Palatine/Willow Road corridor. 4,000 surveys were sent to
residents in eight villages. The response rate was 28%. 83% of the respondents stated they
never or rarely walk along Palatine/Willow Road. Of those, 49% stated walking feels unsafe
because of traffic and 38% because intersections seem unsafe or difficult to cross.
However, 74% indicated they would consider walking to destinations within 1/2 a mile if
conditions were improved. Ms. Moore suggested those results reveal a great potential for
people to use non-motorized modes more often for transportation. |
| Mr. Sturges noted that October 4 is International Walk Our
Children to School Day and suggested the task force consider doing something for the event
next year. |
| Mr. Privett announced that Chicago is beginning its south
lakefront access study, which will improve access to the lake from the museum campus to
the state border for people using transit and non-motorized modes. |
| The next meeting was set for October 18, 2000, 10am. |