HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoards & Commissions - Bicycle Advisory Board - 05/20/2024 (2) Kent Bicycle Advisory Board Meeting May 20, 2024
Minutes Held In-Person
APPROVED June 26, 2024
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: (10) Julie Dunn, Erik Jacobs, Gordon Dona, Connie Stolpp,
Wendy Graves, Tim Irwin, Maria Castro (remote), Prem Subedi, Baron You, Allison Hopstad
(remote).
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: (1) Tom Bader.
CITY STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Erik Preston and Rob Brown.
Guests: Valerie Hitch.
1. Call-to-Order - Graves
The meeting was called to order at 5:45 pm with Wendy Graves presiding.
2. Roll Call - Preston
10 present, 1 absent. Two staff present. One guest was introduced - Valerie Hitch
3. April 2024 Meeting - Minutes Approval - Graves
Erik J. motion to approve minutes, Tim second. Vote 10-0 in favor. Minutes approved.
4. Willis Street Road Diet - Preston
Erik P. presents the project purpose and preliminary design. An RRFB crosswalk will be
installed crossing Willis St at 2nd Ave S. 2nd Ave N/S is planned to be a future bike
street. The crosswalk will require one of the westbound lanes to be removed for the
median island. There will be a bikeable shoulder from east of 2nd Ave S to Central Ave
S. This project will support the future quiet zone. Construction will likely occur in 2026
due to the time needed to coordinate with the railroad.
• Tim: Will the bikeable shoulder be continuous between 2nd Ave S and Central? The
project is still in design but it should be from east of 2nd Ave S to Central
• Erik J: When is the 4t" Ave road diet being constructed? Erik P: James St to S 228t"
St will be constructed this summer.
• Erik P: This project will have a public outreach and comment period.
S. Bike Rodeo Review - Graves
The bike rodeo was a big success.
• Connie: 33 kids on bikes. Additional kids showed up without bikes but not counted
• 26 signed waivers
• 2023 had 19 kids on bikes
• 2022 had 19 kids on bikes
• 20 surveys completed.
o #4 How did you hear about the rodeo?
■ Social Media 3
■ School
■ Library 0
■ Yard Signs 1
• Kent Commons 2
■ Local Business 0
■ YMCA Healthy Kids 9
■ Mayor Friday Email 1
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■ KBAB Board Member 1
■ Bike Rider at Trader Joe's 1
■ Friend 1
• At least 30 without bikes. Ofc. Dan Ross will have loaner bikes next year. Need to
coordinate with him. Jahn had bikes set aside but REI sold them all.
• Julie: Need more and bigger yard signs next year.
• Wendy: Have a timeline for next year. Thanks to all the Board members that were
there. PD was amazing, as always. Council President Kaur stopped by.
• Connie: Kids liked riding the bikes with the police. Many comments commented on
how much they liked the Board members.
• Erik J: We should put up the banner at the YMCA a week or two early
• Julie: Banner needs a note for Kids to bring their bike. Wendy: not sure it would be
readable when driving by but it was on the flyer.
• Connie: Parents said they didn't have a way to get the bikes there.
• Tim: There were many families that stopped by after the swim lessons at the YMCA
• Gordon: The weather was better last year. Wendy: there were many events last year.
Rob: Kherson Park opened same day last year.
6. TZAP Advisory Group - Irwin
The last meeting was an update not some much of new business. Tim reminded the
group about the purpose of Target Zero and what the City is doing with the grant
funding. Kent is soliciting a lot of public input around the City. Next meeting will have a
first draft of the plan. There will be a big focus on equity. There is a disproportionate
impact to equity communities. City is trying to engage equity communities with this
effort. There are about 6-7 crashes per day in Kent. City is identifying a High Injury
Network. Tim asked about roads with stretches without a pedestrian crossing. There is
a distance inventory evaluation that looks at how far someone has to walk to get to
something of interest.
• Wendy: When they talked about equity, did they talk about specific areas? Specific
areas or is there populations? Tim: More about specific populations. Erik P: There are
many ways to slice it but Kent always ranks highly in equity. Tim: When his kids went
to Meridian MS there were 57 primary languages.
• Wendy: How is the City trying to reach equity populations or looking at geographic
areas? Erik P: Our crash data doesn't have race data. It could be geographically
referenced.
• Tim: Does the City have demographic data? Erik P: Yes, we have a lot of data. Erik J:
Census data has a lot of data. Erik P: Yes.
• Erik J: Are the medians on Pac Highway there to stop people from crossing? Erik P:
The medians are there to prevent vehicles from crossing and turning left.
• Wendy: Trying to stop people from crossing is difficult. Is anything being done to try
to prohibit people from crossing. Like the northbound left turn from Benson to
westbound 240th. Erik P: that's for vehicles.
• Prem: People just cross where they want to. Allison: Studies show people cross where
they want to. Prem: City needs to focus on installing more crosswalks.
• Erik P: Tomorrow I'm presenting the draft Safety Policy to the Council. Council
Workshop starts at 5:15 pm. Erik is second, should be about 5:45 pm.
7. Week Without Driving - Subedi
The Week without Driving is coming up. September 30 - October 6. Erik P reads the
statement from the America Walks web page.
https://americawaIks.org/campaigns/week-without-driving/ Prem would like the Mayor
to proclaim Week Without Driving.
• Erik J: Do we want to ask the Mayor to make the proclamation?
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• Prem: We want to make as much noise about it as possible.
• Baron: Do the dates coincide with any events in Kent School District? Other school
districts have walk/bike to work weeks. Julie: Sara Wood wants to do a project with a
few schools for a walking school bus or riding/skating bus. It was in October.
• Wendy: would be good to tie into KSD events.
• Erik P: Quick search shows the events are at different times of the year.
• Valerie Hitch: Sunrise Elementary has not done Anything. It's getting dark in October
• Maria: Would tie into Sara's Cruisin' Kent event.
• Wendy: Valerie's comment about getting dark doesn't seem like October is a good
time.
• Gordon: Sunrise in October is 7:09 am. Sunset in around 6 pm
• Erik J; There was a quick banner on the America Walks web page about a week without
getting to school without a car.
• Wendy: We can ask the Mayor to make a proclamation, or KBAB could work with a
specific school. It doesn't have to be an either/or. Prem: Agree. Want people to get
involved.
• Julie: The Board should research and come back in June.
• Erik P: We have almost 3 months until it starts.
• Prem: Only 3 months to get it in front of the Mayor
• Erik P: That's plenty of time to get it in front of the Mayor
• Prem: Is there a Washington-specific program? Erik P: yes. Will include the web site
S. Festival & Events Sub-Committee — Graves
There was the Mayoral proclamation earlier this month. Happy with the attendance. We
do not have any upcoming events. We don't think there will be tables at the 4th of July
Splash.
• Erik J: It would be nice to do a Ride to Work Day station next year.
• Julie: Cascade Bike will give us all the materials and tell us how to run it.
• Erik J: Table it until February?
• Wendy: The subcommittee is starting to get overwhelmed with other things. Should
get someone else to take the lead? Erik J volunteers to take the lead.
9. Bicycle Infrastructure Sub-Committee — Jacobs
Erik J discussed the gap map.
10.Monthly Rides and Promotion — Jacobs
Erik J: Nothing currently going on for that. Erik J can do a Zoom class on how to put
rides in Ride With GPS. Need photos and other things.
• Wendy: How long would a class take?
• Erik J: About an hour.
• Wendy: too long for a KBAB meeting.
11.Communications — Preston
Boards and Commissions meeting is Tuesday, May 28th. Erik P is presenting Safety
Policy at the Workshop tomorrow. Anyone else want to share their phone number for
the KBAB list. This is optional.
• Wendy: Open discussion about projects around Kent.
• Valerie Hitch: Would like to have a bicycle safety assembly and involve the PTA.
• Julie: Having a hard time getting into the Kent School district. But have an in and
trying to get in contact. Want bike buses. WSDOT has a program called Let's Go.
Would like to get this into Kent School District. Call for grants has closed but may
reopen in 2025.
• Valerie: I have a child wants to ride to Meridian MS but they have to cross 132nd.
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• Erik J: There is a web page with a video.
• Julie: Sent it out to all the PE teachers in KSD. Will send it out again. Valerie: Will
need the to go through KSD
12.Notice of Upcoming Meetings - Preston
Next meetings is: June 24t". Then July 29t" and August 26t"
13.Items for the Next Meeting - Graves
Week Without Driving
14.Adiournment - Graves
Wendy Graves adjourned the meeting at 6:54 pm.
Respectfully submitted by: Erik Preston, Staff Liaison/Secretary, Kent Bicycle Advisory Board
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