Minutes from the Feb 10th, 2005 Mayor’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force Meeting
Meeting Attendees: Roger Alig, Ken Carlson, Meg Chico, Susan Conlon, Arnold Kelly, Barry Keppard, Daryl MacMillan, Alison Miller, Ken Naglak, Art Pope, Sandy Shapiro
Web site: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/bikeped/
GENERAL BUSINESS
o Previous Action Items-
ü Establish monthly update meetings with Chris Marion- Ken C and Ken N
ü Follow-up with Rush Holt’s office on support letter for Zaitz trail application- Roger
o Welcome Barry Keppard- Barry Keppard, a newly hired Transportation Planner at the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association, attended tonight’s meeting and will be the new GMTMA representative to the Task Force.
o Update Meeting with Chris Marion
o Purpose of Update Meetings: Ken C. and Ken N. met with Township Business Administrator Chris Marion, Mayor Hsueh, and Pat Ward on Feb. 10th at the first of what will be monthly update meetings. The goal of these meetings is to increase communication between the township administration and the Task Force chairs and to provide a mechanism for the Kens to communicate emerging bicycle and pedestrian projects, issues, or questions that arise from the monthly Task Force meetings. Chris Marion will arrange to have the appropriate staff present at future meetings.
o The following is a summary of the update meeting which Ken and Ken relayed to the Task Force:
o Planning Board Adoption of Orth-Rodger’s Recommendations- Ken and Ken inquired about the process by which the recommendations of the Orth-Rodgers Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan will be reviewed for adoption into the West Windsor Master Plan. Chris and the Mayor explained that transportation consultants hired by the township reviewed the Orth-Rodgers recommendations and are now in the process of integrating the recommendations with all of the other ongoing transportation projects in town. The information will then be conveyed to the Planning Board which will hold a meeting in April to consider adoption of the recommendations into the Master Plan. This meeting will be open to the public and will include public comment.
o Progress on Acme Sidewalk and Moving of Newspaper Boxes- Ken and Ken asked about the Township’s progress with the owner of the Acme on the repositioning of the newspaper boxes so they don’t obstruct the sidewalk and on the construction of a sidewalk that will allow for safer access to the shopping center from Alexander Road. They also informed Chris, the Mayor, and Pat about the dangerous condition of the cyclone fence at the back of the Acme property. Chris and the Mayor said they have not received a written response from the owner but they did hear back from the owner’s lawyer stating that removal of the newspaper boxes would violate freedom of speech. The township has turned this matter over to special counsel who will contact the owner’s attorney to pursue this matter. As for the sidewalk and the fence, Chris, the Mayor and Pat agreed that having a meeting with the owner or the management company should be the next step, since there may now be code violations.
o Bike/Ped Projects in 2005 Budget- Ken and Ken asked about the process by which the bike/ped improvement projects were selected for the 2005-2010 capital budget. Chris stated that $250,000 was included in the budget for bicycle and pedestrian improvements for 2005, but that bike/ped projects beyond 2005 were not specified in this budget. The projects that were selected for funding were bikelanes on Edinburg Road, South Mill Road, Rabbit Hill Road, Southfield Road, and Lanwin Boulevard. Ken and Ken asked why there were no pedestrian projects in the 2005 project, since a list of pedestrian projects was listed in the bicycle and pedestrian project priorities that were generated by the Task Force. Chris said that the priority projects were taken into consideration, but that the township chose to take on the bikelane projects listed in the Orth-Rodgers report since these were relatively straightforward to accomplish in the short-term for 2005. Chris stated that the construction of additional bicycle and pedestrian projects will be easier to implement once the recommendations of the Orth-Rodgers report are adopted into the Master Plan. Chris stated that he would like to work with the Task Force for projecting future bicycle and pedestrian projects for the 2006-2011 budget. From our conversation, it became clear that there currently is no mechanism for the construction of new sidewalks in the township, as there is no sidewalk installation program for the township, only a sidewalk repair program. Chris will work on establishing a Sidewalk Construction program for future budgets. Chris will attend the next Bike/Ped task Force meeting and further explain the budget process.
Funding: Bike/Ped Projects
o Alison described the capital budget process. Now that the Mayor has delivered the capital budget to Council, the next steps are for Council to review the budget and recommend changes as needed.
o Ken C handed out copies of the Bicycle/Pedestrian portion of the 2005 Capital budget. As stated above, the administration has selected five bikelane projects for 2005 for a total budget of $250,000. Task Force members look forward to working with Chris Marion and other members of the administration to discuss the inclusion of additional bicycle and pedestrian projects for the 2006 to 2011 Capital budget. The development of a Sidewalk Construction program will be important to enable funding for the pedestrian projects, many of which call for the construction of new sidewalks.
Sidewalks
o Update to Sidewalk Inventory- Roger presented a recently updated sidewalk inventory. The Task Force reviewed the Inventory and made several additional changes. It was discussed that the next step with the Inventory is to show it to township residents and get additional feedback. A mechanism to disseminate the inventory to residents should be discussed with the township. Suggestions were to add a note about the availability of the inventory on the township’s web site and to contact neighborhood associations.
Bikelanes/Bikes
o Pedals for Progress- Susan gave an update on the Pedals for Progress (P4P) Bike Drive. The West Windsor Community Farmer’s market has graciously agreed to host the event on Saturday, June 18th from 9 AM to 1 PM. Susan has a number of next steps including soliciting volunteers for the event from schools and community organizations, and inviting the president of P4P to give a presentation to residents who are interested in participating/volunteering. There was a discussion of whether the Pedals for Progress Event is consistent with the mission of the Bike/Ped Task Force. It was decided that this should be brought up with Chris Marion.
Action Items:
o Agenda/Action items for next Update Meeting with Chris Marion- Ken C and Ken N
§ Discuss mechanism to communicate sidewalk inventory to township residents
§ Inform township of Pedals for Progress Program and plans for June 18th event. Determine if township is supportive of Task Force involvement in event
§ Discuss details of improved communication process between Task Force and Township (e.g., notification of grant approvals, budget recommendations…)
§ Discuss Bear Brook Trail project- Roger Alig would like to work with Sam Surtees on brainstorming of the project (project idea was originally Sam’s).
§ Timing of 2005 Bike/Ped Projects (e.g., PSE&G trail, Southfield Road bikelanes, Millstone Road improvements)
§ Progress on Acme property issues (new item- damage by PSE&G workers to crosswalk on Alexander Road)
§ Determine if there is a township ordinance about obstruction of sidewalks
Upcoming Meetings:
o March 10th: TASK FORCE MEETING, 7:30 PM
o Chris Marion: budget process and future priorities
o Sidewalk and bikelane maintenance
o Review List of 2005 Bike/Ped Projects
o Review of Orth-Rodger’s final bicycle and pedestrian plan and recommendations
o March 16th: Planning Board- Rt. 571 Princeton Junction Concept Plan Review