HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoards & Commissions - Bicycle Advisory Board - 07/29/2024 (2) Kent Bicycle Advisory Board Meeting July 29, 2024
Minutes Held In-Person
APPROVED August 26, 2024
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: (10) Julie Dunn, Maria Castro, Erik Jacobs (remote), Prem
Subedi (remote), Gordon Dona, Tim Irwin, Allison Hopstad (remote), Connie Stolpp, Baron
You, Thom Bader.
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: (1) Wendy Graves (excused)
CITY STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Erik Preston, Rob Brown.
Guests: None.
1. Call-to-Order - Graves
The meeting was called to order at 5:45 pm with Maria Castro presiding.
2. Roll Call - Preston
10 of it members present. Two staff present.
3. Changes to the Agenda - Castro
Julie asked to add Board support to promote bicycling in schools. This will be item 10.
4. June 2024 Meeting - Minutes Approval - Graves
Tim makes motion to approve minutes, Thom seconds. Vote 10-0 in favor. Approved.
S. Week Without Driving Proclamation - Subedi
Prem wrote a draft proclamation for KBAB to share with the Mayor. (Attached) Started
with the Gov. Inslee proclamation.
• Erik P: only says bicycling once. May want to add more about bicycling since this
is coming from the Bicycle Advisory Board.
• Maria: This is a little lengthy. Can is be shortened a little?
• Erik P shares the 2022 Bike Everywhere Month proclamation for comparison
(attached). 7 Whereas in Bike Everywhere. 9 Whereas in WWOD so it's close.
• Thom: Can this be a bike through Kent Station and have a cross promotion with
Kent station? Some kind of incentive for people to bike to Kent Station.
• Connie: Find the proclamation very restrictive. Bikes are only in here once. Not
sure this is proposing something realistic.
• Tim: Two easy changes are to move the bike Whereas toward the top and change
walking to biking.
• Prem: Can add Kent and KBAB to one/some of the bullets.
• Maria: Encourage people to think about the week without driving. Not
necessarily to not drive, but think about what it would take to go a whole week
without driving. Replace one activity on a bike instead of driving.
• Connie: The reality is if you live on a hill and have to get to the valley for work,
it's not practical.
• Erik P: May want to modify language.
• Julie: Combine 4,5 and 7,8 would make it not as long.
• Allison: The language at the end does encourage people to think about travel
without car. Do not like the negative wording of the 3rd Whereas. Don't want to
make people feel bad about not being able to participate. The rest of it is great
and the Board should support it.
• Gordon: Would like to put something in the proclamation to be aware of what it
would be like if you couldn't drive. Really would like to tell people to think about
how travel would be if you couldn't drive
• Thom: East Hill is still hard to get to. Not great bike facilities at the bottom of
the Canyon Drive hill.
• Baron: Any statistics on the number of bikes or length of bike routes in Kent?
• Erik P: How many miles of bike lanes or trails?
• Julie: make it positive about the non-motorized option. Agree with Allison about
the negativity in #3.
• Maria: Change some wording to alternative forms of transportation including
biking.
• Rob: May be able to tie some of this to the current multimodal TMP.
• Maria: The new bike lanes downtown are great.
• Connie: This could spiral out of control.
• Maria: This is the first draft.
• Prem: Don't tell people to stop driving. Just start thinking about it
• Allison: Concerned about moving too far away from the original concept of week
without driving. Don't want to go too far away from that theme. The language
in the proclamation is good and the overall message is strong. DO not want to
move away from the powerful message.
• Maria: Should we write a new draft?
• Julie: That will be too late.
• Erik P: Mayor would need to make it the second council meeting in September.
Could approve in the August meeting. Suggest a subcommittee to move this
along. (Thom, Baron, Erik J)
• Maria will work through this with the subcommittee so it will be final for the next
meeting.
6. Road Diet Support - Castro
KBAB support for the bike lanes. Wendy wanted to provide support.
• Julie: Where can we support?
• Rob: emails, Facebook, other social media.
• Tim: Bellevue had a proposed plan on Bel-Red Rd and one planner got fired due to
pushback from the business community.
• Some travel time is a little longer, but better from bicyclists
• Erik J: Drive 4t" Ave twice on most days. Not a significant increase in time. Doing
what is was supposed to do.
• Allison: Is this public perception?
• Rob: People complaining about not getting through signals, reduced capacity. City
could have done a better job of outreach.
7. Festival & Events Sub-Committee Report — Castro
Winterfest is the next event. Need to set a date for the subcommittee to meet.
8. Bicycle Infrastructure Sub-Committee Report — Jacobs
Not too much going on with infrastructure. The shoulder on 256t" west of Soos Creek Trail
was paved. One block of Covington is not paved. Much better than it was. Not a bike
lane, just a wide shoulder.
• Allison: rode 256t" this weekend and it was great. The bridge and block in
Covington was stressful.
Nothing new to report in infrastructure gap map.
9. Monthly Rides and Promotion — Jacobs
Nothing new.
• Connie: working on updating an existing ride with pictures.
10.Promoting Bicycles in Schools — Dunn
Want to send a Board letter to KSD asking them to promote bicycling in schools. Will try
to connect with some PE teachers in the schools. Will try to connect with Sara Wood in
PD for her events in schools this fall.
11.Communications — Preston
The Meeker St bridge will be under construction. The trail underneath will be detoured.
• Connie: Which bridge? The Green car bridge.
• (Erik P shows the detour map).
• Prem: Some of the barriers are knocked lose. Will they be put back?
12.Notice of upcoming meetings - Preston
August 26, September 30, October 28. These are regularly scheduled meetings.
13.Items for the next meeting - Castro
• Week without Driving Proclamation
• Campaigning for speed reductions (Allison)
14.Adiournment — Castro
Maria Castro adjourned the meeting at 6:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted by: Erik Preston, Staff Liaison/Secretary, Kent Bicycle Advisory Board