Burlington Walk-Bike Council — Burlington, VT
Date: 2023-06-07
Time: 17:30

AGENDA - Burlington Walk / Bike Council
 June 7, 2023, Wednesday 5:30 – 7:00 pm
MEETING OPTIONS:
 1. In-person - DPW conference room at 645 Pine Street, Burlington
 2. Virtually - using Zoom:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88225473951?pwd=YzFFQ1Q3Y3J4bzcwR2VNYWRFWnht
 UT09
 Passcode: 091788 (See other remote access options below)

AGENDA:
1. Introductions, Announcements, Updates and Public Comments (10 min)

2. Updates from Department of Public Works (DPW) (40 min)
Staff from DPW will offer updates and invite discussion on the scope and timing of their
Walk/Bike Action Plan, and how to engage on it. They will also provide an overview of
their current plans for additional public bike parking. See also the map DPW created for
the public to provide input on bike parking needs.

3. Proposed Updates to City Ordinances Affecting Walking and Biking (35 min)
The BWBC Ordinance Committee will provide an overview of the changes proposed for
the city’s walk bike ordinances for discussion and possible action. This is a culmination of
discussion from multiple BWBC meetings this year. See proposed changes here:
 ● Bike Ordinance Updates
 ● Pedestrian Ordinance Updates.

4. Next Steps (5 min)


Previous Meeting – At the May 3, 2023 meeting participants met at City Hall and conducted a
Walk and Talk session from Church St., down Main, walking two blocks on St. Paul Street and
continuing down Main to Battery, and along Battery St. to Cherry, discussing streetscapes and
improvements BWBC members would like to support for the Battery Street Scoping Study.

Next Month: BWBC Meets Wednesday, July 5, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 pm

The BWBC is an all-volunteer advisory council to the City of Burlington. We work closely with and advise the Department
of Public Works and the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Waterfront on infrastructure improvements and policy
changes for walking and bicycling. The council also leads advocacy efforts and organizes events and activities that
promote and celebrate walking and biking in Burlington and beyond.

See BWBC Minutes and Agendas.
BWBC Community Liaisons
Erik Brown Brotz*, Ward 5, erik@burlingtontelecom.net, Chair
Greg Hostetler, Ward 2
Faith Ingulsrud*, Ward 6
Peter Keating, Ward 6
Karen Sentoff, Ward 4
Jason Stuffle*, Ward 1
Kerry Swift, Ward 4
Allegra Williams, Ward 3
* = BWBC Coordinating Committee
 Burlington Walk Bike Council (BWBC)
 June 7, 2023 Meeting Notes
The monthly meeting took place 5:30- 7:00 pm via Zoom and at the DPW Office.

In-Person Attendees: Erik Brotz - Chair (Ward 5), Faith Ingulsrud (Ward 6), Bob Leidy, Ravi
Venkataraman and Dayton Crites from DPW.

Online Attendees: Jak Tiano (VPOP), Gordon Dragoon (VPOP), Jonathon Weber (Local
Motion), Peter Keating (Ward 6)

The link to a recording of the meeting is available on this page.

1. Introductions, Announcements, Updates and Public Comments
 ● Erik acknowledged the passing of Mary Manghis, who was a founding member of the
 Walk/Bike Council, and a local walk/bike advocate
 ● Bob mentioned that the City has many great walking events (Farmer’s Market, South
 End Art Hop) and asked about the process for shutting down a road.
 ○ Dayton responded that he does not know the process but that there is one and
 he can provide more information.
 ○ Peter Keating mentioned one block party which happens regularly
 ○ Bob emphasized that having more of these events would be a great way to get
 more people out on foot enjoying the community.

2. Updates from Department of Public Works (DPW) Staff from DPW offered updates and
invited discussion on the scope and timing of their Walk/Bike Action Plan, and how to engage on
it. They also provided an overview of their current plans for additional public bike parking. See
also the map DPW created for the public to provide input on bike parking needs.

 ● Dayton mentioned that DPW is developing an updated PlanBTV Walk/Bike Action PLan
 focused on progress to date, where improvements are needed. CCRPC will likely be
 involved in providing data and engagement. The Action Plan will identify equity and
 safety-focused priorities which will drive a future SS4A grant application. No timeline for
 getting the plan started yet but before the end of the year..
 ● DPW applying for Bike/Ped Grant for implementation of ONE Greenway
 ● Working with BCA on an asphalt art grant that would support placemaking by wrapping
 planters
 ● Staff continue to work on bike parking map to evaluate where bike parking exists and is
 needed around town. Dayton is looking specifically at the area around Church Street
 and said he feels it’s problematic that the racks disappear in the winter.
 ● Dayton also mentioned that DPW is studying bicycle compliance with the stop-controlled
 intersection at Union and North St., as information gathering for a possible stop-as-yield
 law.
3. Proposed Updates to City Ordinances Affecting Walking and Biking The BWBC
Ordinance Committee provided an overview of the changes proposed for the city’s walk bike
ordinances for discussion and possible action. This is a culmination of discussions from multiple
BWBC meetings this year. See proposed changes here:
  • Bike Ordinance Updates
  • Pedestrian Ordinance Updates.

Jonathon led the group through the proposed changes. Most of the existing Pedestrian
ordinances are copies of or equivalent to state statute and are proposed to be removed as
duplicative. One section prohibiting coasting and sledding on sidewalks and roads is not in state
law but seems unnecessary. The proposed bike ordinance changes include:
 ● updating definitions to match the state, including electric bicycles. The state definitions
 better reflect the types of mobility devices available today.
 ● redefining Motor-Driven Micro-mobility Devices to cover electric scooters, boards, and
 one-wheel devices, which would otherwise fall into the Motor-Driven Cycle category and
 be treated as motor vehicles.
 ● Removing the section that prohibits bicyclists over 16 from riding on sidewalks in the
 inner fire district. The sections prohibiting riding by all in the core downtown and limiting
 riding on Church St marketplace are unaffected.
 ● Removing restriction on micro mobility devices on sidewalks with the new definition
 ● Removing several sections that are repeats of state law
 ● Removing the restriction on riding two abreast; state law allows it
 ● Removing the requirement for bike shops to disseminate info on bike laws, since it is not
 being done

Comments:
  ● Bob: saw mopeds on the bike path where they do not belong. Erik noted that mopeds
 would be considered motor-driven cycles and would be prohibited. Enforcement is a
 separate topic, and hasn’t been a priority for the Police or Parks Departments.
  ● Erik clarified that motor-driven cycles can’t be ridden on sidewalks but a scooter or board
 can.
  ● Dayton suggested that the submission to the Ordinance Committee include a summary
 of changes - such as a spreadsheet explaining the rationale for the changes. Jon noted
 that a spreadsheet already exists and will update it for submission.
  ● In order to make the regulations more accessible, all agreed there should be a summary
 of applicable state and local laws readily available. At a minimum BWBC could add a
 page to its web pages with that info. Jonathan said Local Motion is doing mailing now
 informing people of the walk/bike rules.

Erik asked if there were any objections to these proposals. No one had objections. Erik asked
who agreed that we should bring these proposals to the city (starting with the TEUC). All
agreed (with DPW staff abstaining).
Next steps: add summary, clean up spreadsheet comparing state and local law, add cover letter
(Jonathon working on that), talk to TEUC.

4. Additional Discussion - College Street
Because the agenda items were completed early, discussion turned to the College St. proposal
raised at the Walk and Talk session in May. Gordon summarized the idea under discussion by
Vermonters for People Oriented Places (VPOP) to convert College Street to one-way with a
protected bike lane from Church St. to the UVM green.
 ● Dayton responded that DPW will be concerned about impacts of diverted traffic to
 surrounding neighborhood streets, and noted the following:
 ○ Converting a street from 2-to-1 way has implications for emergency response -
 that would need to be studied
 ○ Folks interested in pursuing this proposal should map out the street dimensions
 of the proposal
 ● Jak mentioned that the motivation for this is about the City’s capacity to move curbs, that
 this could be a relatively quick-build method of creating a major cycling artery and
 connection between downtown and the paths at UVM, which in turn can lead to regional
 connections (e.g., the new bike/ped bridge over I89)
 ● Discussion then opened up to other possibilities for College St. such as retaining the
 2-way but providing a greenway treatment; more frequent transit service, focussing on
 Main St as the primary bike artery, etc.

Erik closed the meeting.