East Bay Bicycle Coalition
Minutes of the General Membership Meeting on February 17, 2009
Rockridge Library, Oakland
7:30pm
Draft for approval
Board members present: Dave Campbell, Dave Favello, Bruce “Ole” Ohlson, Craig Hagelin, Mary Norton, Leo DuBose; also Robert Raburn, ED.
Others include: (see attendance sheet for full list of those present)
Minutes from the Board & General Membership Meeting of January 20, 2009 were approved.
Review of 2009 Event Calendar
Robert passed around the list of 2009 outreach events for signup, with emphasis on April Earth Day events as key publicity opportunities for Bike to Work Day. There are approximately 25 events, which will be posted to EBBC.org by the end of the week. Please notify Robert if any important outreach opportunities are missing from the list, so they may be added. Volunteers still needed – if you didn’t sign up at the meeting, it’s not too late!!
Approval of Job Description for new EBBC staff person
Dave had sent out a draft to the Board, and also posted it as a comment on the EBBC website. Discussion centered on job title, favoring “Outreach Coordinator” over “Outreach Director,” as well as a few clarifications for location of work and online/database duties. Seeking a volunteer to pre-screen applicants. Job to be posted on March 1st.
Routine Accommodation Checklist
The federal stimulus package will require that 3% of transportation funds go to bike/ped improvements, and the Routine Accommodation policy will apply to all projects that receive transportation funding through MTC – success! Checklists for these projects can be found online and are great tools for thanking and also pressuring agencies to incorporation bike/ped improvements into projects. Flaws remain – for example, the information doesn’t tell you what agency to contact for each project, and it doesn’t list projects that don’t have checklists – but this is a great step forward, and we should all take a look at the projects and make sure implementation reflects the assessments of the checklists.
Bike to Work Day Update
The next planning meeting is Friday, February 20 from 3-5pm, all are invited to help make B2WD 2009 a success. Energizer stations are signing up now, and the crew is also looking for info about cool events to go on the website and maybe even the poster. Next goal: City Council Resolutions that wax poetic about cycling and walking, identify “bike leaders,” and contribute to regional publicity efforts. Local groups are needed to approach City Councils and get resolutions on the agenda, preferably for April. Further discussion included emphasizing kids and “bike to school,” increased advanced media and the need for more PR volunteers, and ways to personalize City resolutions.
Bike Safety Classes
Coming up soon! Posters and fliers were passed around to be distributed far and wide.
Albany Update (Nick Pilch)
Glad to see Green Albany (5/17) on the calendar, and nominates Amy Smolens for notable bike leader in Albany. Biggest news is that UC is working on a big redevelopment project at Buchanan and San Pablo, which needs rezoning to incorporate a Whole Foods and other retail. They will be working with the City Council to leverage the rezoning needs for sorely needed bike/ped improvements called for in the bike plan, including a signal at Dartmouth St. and a path along Cordonices Creek.
Guest Speaker: Nathan Landau of AC Transit on Bike Parking on Bus Routes
Mr. Landau described AC Transit’s work to evaluate the needs and potential solutions for bike parking near bus stops throughout their service area. They are finishing up a study that breaks down the issue into three main questions:
1. Where? There are 6500 bus stops and they can’t put a bike rack at all of them (yet). The need is greater near TransBay stops, Rapid route stops, and stops visited by several lines. The study has identified a set of “top stops” and also analyzed existing bike parking to find the locations with the greatest need.
2. How? AC Transit doesn’t own a lot of real estate, and sidewalks are narrow in most places. Though desirable, it’s difficult to convert car parking. So, the type of facilities to be used will depend on the area, space available, and needs of the users. Many types of facilities, from U-racks to lockers, have been considered.
3. Who? This isn’t just AC Transit’s responsibility, and other entities will need to be involved in implementing these plans. Cities, property owners, and other stakeholders (such as businesses near targeted stops) are needed partners for funding and for solving the “Where?” and “How?” questions. AC Transit will be talking to BPACs and could use some help in outreach to the smaller cities.
Discussion and questions included increasing bike transport on buses, which is underway via transition to 3-bike carriers on the front of the fleet, as well as questions about specific areas. For further information or questions, contact Nathan Landau at 510-891-4792 or nlandau@actransit.org.