Salem Bike Path Committee
Minutes of Meeting
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
A regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem Bike Path Committee was held on Wednesday, June 12, 2012 at 7:00 PM in Meeting Room 313 at City Hall Annex, 120 Washington Street.
Members Present: Dan Shuman, Will Peck, Ernest DeMaio, Brad Sandler, and Dan Cooper. Also present was Staff Planner/Harbor Coordinator Frank Taormina
Members Absent: David Hallowes, Jeff Bellin, and David Bowie
Public in Attendance: Bruce Mabbott (Salem Resident) and Steve Tgettis (Salem Resident)
Chairman Shuman called the meeting to order at 7:10PM. He acknowledged those members absent and present for the record.
Chairman Shuman pointed out an error on page 3 of the minutes and a spelling mistake on page 4. He asked if there were any other comments from the Committee, there being not he asked for a motion to approve as amended. E. DeMaio made that motion, seconded by D. Cooper and approved unanimously.
Chairman Shuman welcomed those in attendance and asked their names for the record.
Bruce Mabbott (Salem Resident) introduced himself to the Committee and expressed his interest in biking wanted to hear more about what the City and the Committee is working on and how he could get more involved.
Steve Tgettis (Salem Resident) has attended several Committee Meetings and stated that he is here tonight to speak on agenda item #3.
Salem Bike Routes Map – Vote to Approve
F. Taormina informed the Committee that he has obtained quotes from various area printing companies. He informed them that Gangi Printing supplied the lowest quote and send him a proof of the final product. He passed the proof around to the Committee for their review and approval. He also informed the Committee that he was able to obtain a combination of funding (Green Communities Grant, Community Development Block Grant Funding, and funding from the Park & Recreation Dept) to pay for 1,000 bike routes maps to be printed. Discussion ensued.
Chairman Shuman asked if the text of the parks could be sharpened or darkened so that they are more legible. F. Taormina stated that he will relay that to the printing company.
F. Taormina noted that the new Salem Ferry Operator, Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC), operates in a slightly different location out of Boston. The Maps state that the Ferry location in Boston is at Long Wharf, near Christopher Columbus Park, however BHC now operates out of Long Wharf near the New England Aquarium. He suggested that “near Christopher Columbus Park” be removed and just keep “Long Wharf” so that the maps are accurate. The Committee agreed.
W. Peck asked if the bike law text on the back side of the map be shadowed so that it is more visible. Discussion ensued. The Committee agreed that a shadow would not work as the background is gray, perhaps the background color could be changed so that there is better contrast. F. Taormina stated that the printers would not be able to do that. That would require FST Engineers to change the layout of the map and then resend the revised InDesign files to the printing company. At this point the only thing the printing company can do is change or remove text, everything else requires having to redesign the map. He recommended not changing the layout as the maps are ready to be printed. The Committee agreed.
Chairman Shuman asked if there were any further comments or suggestions from the Committee on the proof. He then asked the public in attendance if they had any comments or suggestions. There being none, he asked for a motion to approve Salem Bike Routes Map as revised. A motion was made by W. Peck and seconded by W. DeMaio and approved unanimously.
F. Taormina stated that he will have the printing company make those minor changes and authorize them to print the maps. However, he will not disseminate the maps until the Lafayette St Bike Lane and the Bridge Street Bike Sharrows are completed, which are both expected to be completed in the next month or so.
Discussion regarding former Ocean Avenue Bridge Boston Bike Path in Danvers. He stated that he is working with the East Coast Greenway Alliance to interconnect and regionalize bike routes in the area.
E. DeMaio asked if F. Taormina could bring a large map of Salem showing all the streets and the existing bike routes to the next meeting so that the Committee could can start looking at how the bike routes could be extended west toward Peabody.
Chairman Shuman asked if there were any other comments or questions for Mr. Tgettis. There being none, he thanked him for coming in and stated that the Committee will start to look at expanding bike routes west to try and support the potential future connection.
S. Tgettis thanked the Committee for there time and told them that he will continue to keep them in the loop as he finds more out about the former bridge and progress he makes on his end.
Salem Bike Path Informational Kiosks d separated parking from it with jersey barriers. He asked if the same could be done in Salem.
F. Taormina showed him the engineered plans and reiterated that the plans meet the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devises (MUTCD) standards with respect to set back requirements for the travel lane width, bike lane width, parking lane width which includes the door zone. FST Engineers engineered and laid out the bike lane with that in mind. He agreed that his ideas to further protect riders makes sense but is not aware of any instances in this country where that is done and would not be feasible in this instance, but assured him that the bike lane was engineered to meet MUTCD standards.
F. Taormina told the Committee that the work should start in the next month and will connect to the Lafayette Street Improvements Project fronting St. Joes Church, which he also manages for the City, and will include bike sharrows through both intersections to Harbor Street.
E. DeMaio asked if the sharrows could be extended to Derby Street and or if the bike lane extension on Lafayette Street to connect to the existing bike routes on Congress Street via Dow or Leach Street so that it loops back to the network of bike routes.
F. Taormina stated that that wasn’t considered. The destination for the bike lane is downtown. Once a rider reaches the lower part of Lafayette Street they have reached downtown Salem. He informed the Committee that there is no additional money to extend the bike lane in other directions. He suggested that the Committee ride the routes once it is striped and determine what the best way to loop the bike route is.
B. Mabbott (Salem Resident) asked if as part of the St. Joe’s Church redevelopment they could pay for the cost of the bike lane on Dow Street to connect back to Congress St.
F. Taormina stated that St. Joe’s has already obtained all their regulatory permits and it is to late to suggest such a thing. He clarified that the City could not require such a thing per say, as they do not have a City Ordinance that requires private property owners through site plan review or subdivision regulations to make bike accommodations. He stated that during the permitting process the City could suggest that they contribute to such a cause and if St. Joes agrees then that could happen, but the City could not outright require such a thing, unless an Bike Accommodation Ordinance of some kind was created.
F. Taormina stated that after the Lafayette Street Bike Lane Extension and the Bridge Street Bike Sharrows are completed that the Committee regroup, review the City of Salem Bicycle Circulation Master Plan, and prioritize its wants and needs. Perhaps taking into consideration what E. DeMaio said and creating a 5 year or 10 year plan. The Committee agreed.
Update on Bridge Street Bike Sharrows 000" style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:11pt;color:#000000;">Chairman Shuman also mentioned that once the City has printed all the maps and is ready to disseminate them, perhaps the Committee would invite Tom Dalton at the Salem News to a meeting to do a piece on bike education and on the new bike routes map. The Committee liked the idea.
Chairman Shuman asked if there is any further old or new business to discuss tonight. There being none, he asked for a motion to adjourn. D. Cooper makes that motion, seconded by W. Peck and approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:32 PM.
Respectfully submitted by:
Frank Taormina,
Planner/Harbor Coordinator
Minutes approved by the Salem Bike Path Committee at their October 10, 2012 Meeting
| 
