Transportation Committee Meeting
May 15, 2007
Present: Jillian Buckholz, Sustainability Coordinator; Lesley Curry, Parking; Beverly Gentry, Strategic Planning; Jim Jessee, APO, Billie Kanter, Staff Council; Amy Miller, AS Sustainability Coordinator; Glennda Morse, FMS; Eric Reichel, University Police; Joel Trenalone, Facilities Planning; Marvin Pratt, EH&S.
Meeting started at 3:30. Last meeting of semester.
Review draft of TAPS (Transportation and Parking Services) Quick Guide for Students/Employees
Bev Gentry has been appointed Director of Transportation and Parking Services. She has full time support help, Lindsay Cunningham. Bev said her concept for this newly organized department is to leave things alone that are working, and only tackle the things that are not working.
The ad hoc committee decided to produce two different Quick Guide flyers, one for students, one for employees. The reason behind this is that eventually they may be different, and especially as it relates to the car pool program. The student version will be copied to include in all student orientation packets.
Jillian will send employee version to Brett in HR, as well as to Foundation HR so it can also be included in new hire packets. Amy will make sure the AS HR will have a copy for their new hire packets. Deborah will send electronic versions to this committee.
Update of TAPS website. Bev reported the new TAPS website address is on bottom of the Quick Guides. Currently, the directory is up; they are still working on the site itself, and will get it up ASAP. Once the site is up, she said, we will feel more comfortable with advertising all the modes of transportation.
Bike Signage - Glennda reported that she and UPD Chief Reichel presented to the cabinet the new signage for walking bikes and boards on the campus core. Alan Rellaford had a class project working on the new design. Chief Reichel took the signs to the traffic commissioner who approved them.
The yellow signs will be posted at the borders of the core. Once in the core area, the white signs with black border and red labels will be posted. The idea is that yellow sign is universally a caution sign. These will be posted at the outskirts of the campus core, “warning” folks that they are about to enter the campus core and they need to walk bikes, carry boards. The white signs with red and black are universally enforcement signs. These will be posted at the border of the campus core. During summer, all other signs will be removed and new signs will be posted everywhere. FMS will also be posting signs on the ground, either medallions that are thermal plastic heat sensitive, or buttons that are glued down. They are experimenting with both right now. These will also be along the border of the campus core. These ground markers will also have arrows pointing inward, toward where the campus core is located.
Rellaford’s class conducted surveys and shared results with Chief Reichel and Glennda. These results showed that many people do not read signs…and that bikers and skateboarders are typically looking down…that is where the idea of having the ground markers came from.
Chief Reichel report the next phase is the education phase. Summer Orientation presentations will include the campus riding rules; will also be presented during Freshman Safestart presentations, at all new employee emergency planning presentations; and RA training at UHFS.
Billie presented a flyer regarding generic bicycle rules and safety that came from Chico Velo Cycling Club and suggested it be used in any manner possible. It was suggested it be posted on the TAPS website. Bev Gentry to follow up.
Bike Parking Survey & Map
Bev obtained the bike parking map which will be put on the website.
The bike parking survey, which is conducted every year around the same time, on the same day of the week, around the same time of day, shows that bicycle riding to campus has declined. It was concluded that the program itself needs to be promoted more. There are no instant solutions, but Bev is hopeful we can start working on promoting bike riding to campus more.
Many different issues surrounding the findings were discussed. Questions like, does it correlate with free bus ride program? Does it surround gas prices? were also discussed.
Bev said as we try to develop more of the transportation-related programs, and especially getting the students involved, we can probably improve the ridership of bikes to campus. Information needs to get out. Bev is hopeful we can make bike riding “cool” again to our students. Bev would like to use classes, with faculty help, to conduct surveys, and find out what the barriers are preventing more people from riding bikes to campus, as well as utilizing all other means of non-automobile transportation. Many suggestions were discussed including that some of the residential areas surrounding campus where students traditionally lived have changing elements. Not as many students living in areas where they once lived. City streets may be perceived as more treacherous to ride through traffic, roadways are pitted more. Bev said their goal is to find out what the obstacles are. It would be pointless, for example, to purchase bike lockers for campus if that isn’t the reason why people aren’t riding their bikes to campus. Glennda suggested a lot of these questions can be added to our existing faculty, staff, and student surveys. Joel said the City of
Lesley suggested we hand out the bike parking map with bike registrations. Also post a blown-up version of the map in the information center in BMU, have copies available in UPD lobby and other strategic places around campus. Bev wondered if the printing of the maps could be paid for out of the Fines & Forfeitures budget. She will look into that.
Marvin asked if the bikes chained to trees are still being cited. Lesley said, no, they never were being cited, but they are pink tagged with a warning that the bike may be impounded.
Amy asked if there is any plan to have more bike racks along the perimeter of the campus core. Glennda said that was the plan, however, last semester student reps walked around with FMS rep and looked at where they are now, and made suggestions regarding where to put additional racks, as well as where to move existing ones. Many were, indeed moved or added. Glennda said FMS analyzes the spring bike survey, and uses that information in order to add and/or remove bike racks, and that it can change from year to year.
Chief Reichel announced this is the last meeting of the Spring semester. The committee will reconvene in September. Deborah will contact folks to make sure they are still on the committee and if not, who is. New meeting days/times will be proposed. He thanked everyone for their hard work this semester.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:20 pm.