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City of Houston Bicycle Advisory Committee Education Subcommittee met Sept. 27.
Here are the minutes provided by the subcommittee:
Call to Order. Co-Chair Leah Chambers called the meeting to order at 2:30pm.
Roll Call:
Tom Compson, Chair BAC (A)
Jessica Wiggins, Co-Chair (P)
Leah Chambers, Co-Chair (P)
Com. Kristine Anthony-Miller (A)
Ben Drews(P)
Lisa Graiff(A)
Carl B. Salazar(A)
Joe Cutrufo(P)
Robin Holzer (P)
Ex-Officio Members:
David Fields (P)
Ian Hlavacek (A)
Juvenal Robles (A)
1) Director’s Report. David Fields gave the Chair’s Report:
• Director Fields updated the committee on two items, One being an agenda item from the last meeting. Providing the BAC with certain data sets of information. The committee will have some time to go back and think about what is wanted. We ended up tabling in last meeting, but I think we're going to go with a little more detail about what we're already going to provide in the biannual report and then use a little bit of time for Y'all to tell us if there's something missing from that data set. So that is coming up on today's agenda.
• The other item is working with companies with fleets. About their driver training for safety on multimodal streets, we've been in conversations with Center Point. They're definitely interested, right. As we were about to have a meeting, their safety department leadership actually turned over. So they asked us if they if they can pause and get their new people in and let them understand you know where everything is that they've got to do on their day-to-day and then we will be revisiting with them. So I don't have more of an update other than they are partners and they will be working with us just not yet.
2) Chair’s Report. Co-Chair Chambers gave the Chair’s Report:
• Co-Chair Chambers today to kind of think about where we are as a committee and what we want to be accomplishing next.
3) Public Comment:
• Brent Janss - Hello, I live in Sunset heights, and I would like to propose d adding a bike lane to the highlighted area below to the Committee: It would help reduce traffic congestion on these roads, It would enable current trails to connect with each other, The highlighted area has a lot of pedestrians who use these streets to transit between commercial areas. People frequently walk across main street without great cross walks. I see cyclists ride with cars going 35-40mph down main. The above will ideally reduce car use over-time which will result in less fumes/pollution.
4) Discussion: Priority of Datasets Needed to Educate the Community
• Every 2 years Bike Plan Report, ready next month
• Could do more focused things year by year
• What is missing?
o Percentage/number of scheduled closures without adequate detour— problematic in terms of safety, things that are approved by COH
1. Infrastructure Committee make sure Public Works has resources for non-auto users.
o Can we compare different council districts? Bicycle and pedestrian crashes and fatalities, bike lane sweeping (active days of the sweeper or miles swept)
o HOLD idea about BCycle.
o Breakdown of types of bike facilities—will be in Complete Streets report, can easily incorporate here too.
o Ways to count counters like transit stations.
o Approved bicycle education program—also include bike friendly driver trainings.
• Vision Zero has developed a quarterly report including by council districts.
o is there a way to integrate this into the Bike Plan website? And the BAC website
5) Discussion: Committee Vision and Key Actions
• Increase Bike Friendly trainings by 25% by both private and COH side.
o Understand who and how many people are taking training currently, assess survey to see whether people are finding it useful.
o Regular updates on how we are reaching out to other fleets.
• Update the BAC website.
o Need to be current.
o Email us button.
• Bike safety classes
o Promote Precinct 1 classes at community centers (Fernando)—COH Bike Plan site, use that to promote the Precinct 1 Learn to Ride, Bike Rodeos
o HGAC just got funding for bike safety classes / LCI / American Bicycling Education Association / Driver specific courses thank you—next month.
• Updated, interactive, informative.
• Bike Month
o Get more people out riding during Bike Month
6) Presentation: Bike to Work Expansion (Tabled from June’s Meeting)
• Summary of what we’ve done with Bike to Work—COH can provide.
o History: last 2 years picked a point outside of downtown and organized group ride to City Hall with reception
o If more volunteers, could do more locations.
o COVID: bike to anywhere
o Previous to that, had a festival—if there’s interest, we could go back in that direction
o Expand to be more of an event that applies to others.
• Brainstorm more how we can celebrate Bike Month more generally.
o How to support other organizations doing bike events, with communication
1. Bike Houston
2. Mountain Bike race in Sugarland, 3rd annual next year—800 competitors
• Build the calendar and know what’s happening in the bike community.
• Bike to school initiative expansion into May
• Bike to Workday beyond the national one
o No Car Friday, Earth Day, World Car Free Day—Year Round considerations?
o Love to Ride—get better data than Strava b/c fewer group rides.
o Biketober
• Leah volunteered to compile events.
• Systematize how we support organizations.
• When, Why, and How we are coordinating these events—targeted and strategic.
o MS-150: could have a concerted effort to broaden how they think about bikes.
o Coordinate with HGAC, Metro on same messaging at the same time.
7) Open Forum
• Robin: TIRZ 27 project in Montrose to reconstruct Montrose Blvd—drainage improvements, but initial idea transit and walking street, and tried to add bike infrastructure, however people are now starting to oppose because of trees. Project is proposing to Remove 50, largely damaged, trees, planting 150.
• Look at the project, and if you support, please share thoughts with City Councilperson
(https://montrosehtx.org/zone-studies/)
• APA Texas just honored the Walk+Bike Montrose study with their Gold award for Transportation Planning!
8) Announcements and Events:
• Staff is encouraging all BAC committee members to be in person at the October 2023 meeting. Reason being, we're taking a picture so we can update our website and there would be an ethics training facilitated by PD legal staff.
• BikeHouston: Axelrad, October 12—documentary screening, The Engine Inside (https://www.bikehouston.org/events/the-engine-inside)
• Love to Ride: H-GAC has engaged Love to Ride for bike engagement for the entire region this year and next. There are plans for regionwide support for October, Biketober next month as well as Bike Month in May 2024 with lots of opportunities to collaborate. https://www.lovetoride.net/bikethegulf
• Next BAC meetings
o 10/25/2023: Bicycle Advisory Committee
o 11/15/2023: Infrastructure Subcommittee
o 12/20/2023: Education Subcommittee
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 3:44pm
https://houstonbikeplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BAC-Education-Minutes_September-2023.pdf