Burlington Walk Bike Council — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-10-01
Time: 17:30

AGENDA - Burlington Walk / Bike Council
 October 1st, 2025, 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=YzFFQ1Q3Y3J4bzcwR2VNYWRFWnhtUT0
 9 Passcode: 091788

AGENDA:

1. Announcements and Updates (10 min)

2. Updates on Current Demonstration Projects and Ordinance Updates (15 min)
We’ll hear updates on the proposed demonstration projects for protected bike lanes on North
Ave and Bike Corals downtown, as well as efforts to update city ordinances regarding biking
and pedestrians.

3. BWBC Priorities for coming year (60 min)
We’ll start a discussion on priorities for the remainder of this year and 2026. What’s the best
and most effective way for the BWBC to help improve conditions for walking and biking? And
how can we engage more people?

Previous Meeting – At our Sept 3 meeting, we got an update on the demonstration projects we have
proposed, and then reviewed takeaways from the Regional Advocates Meetup in August. We also
briefly started talking about future priorities.

Next Month: BWBC meets Wednesday, November 5th, 2025, 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 Webpage and Meeting Minutes and Agendas

BWBC Coordinating Committee
Erik Brown Brotz,(erik@burlingtontelecom.net), Chair, Jason Stuffle, Jak Tiano, Gordon Dragoon, with Jack Evans (Local Motion)

Burlington Walk Bike Council (BWBC)
 October 1st, 2025 Meeting Notes
The monthly meeting took place 5:30- 7:00 pm via Zoom and at the DPW Conference Room.

In-Person Attendees: Erik Brotz*, Bob Leidy, Philip Peterson (DPW), Jack Evans* (Local
Motion), Jak Tiano*, Gabe Nelson, Liza Boyle, Andy Tracy, Ellery Ames, Nolan Rogers

Online Attendees: Jason Stuffle*, Gordon Dragoon*, Jason Segelman, Jackson Carroll, Cindy
Cook, Serill Flash

* BWBC Coordinating Committee members


1. Announcements & Updates
 ●​ Main St Scoping Study: project starting soon, Jack Evans will be BWBC advisory
 committee rep
 ●​ PlanBTV mobility: Visioning workshops scheduled

2. Updates on Current Demonstration Projects and Ordinance Updates
 -​ Demonstration Project - North Ave Protected Bike Lanes
 -​ October 19th - October 26th
 -​ We are at the public engagement stage at this point, having made it through
 Application Phases 1 & 2
 -​ We need volunteers to support the “traffic studies”, install, maintenance, and
 break-down
 -​ Demonstration Project - Bike Corrals
 -​ This has stalled because the city does not have the equipment available, we’ll
 need to find it elsewhere
 -​ Phillip mentioned the Farmer’s Market racks, which are “wheelbender”
 racks
 -​ Ordinances
 -​ Erik: BWBC proposed a few changes to the bicycle and pedestrian ordinances a
 couple years ago. The DPW is currently bringing a more limited proposal that is
 mostly redefining terms and “what can ride where” in order to ensure that the
 Main Street path (near Church Street) can be used as intended. BWBC and
 Local Motion met with DPW last week to discuss their proposal and provide
 comments, and the discussion became somewhat heated.
 -​ Phillip said that the proposal is a legal document and has been reviewed by
 lawyers already. Suggested that BWBC’s recommendations are “fast and loose”
 and not viable to be incorporated quickly.

3. BWBC Priorities for coming year
-​ Cindy - Wants to work with the council to do an education campaign on bicycles going
 too fast on the bike path and sidewalks, motorized and non-motorized.
-​ Ellery - In California (where he had previously lived), there was a group that was
 responsible for trail maintenance. The program was successful because it had strong
 support from City representatives to support the work and provide structure/direction.
 Greenway has overgrowth along the train tracks in the Lakeside neighborhood. He
 wants to know if there is appetite for a volunteer program that would maintain trails or
 bike paths in Burlington. Trimming overgrowth, picking up trash, such and such.
 -​ Phillip: We could talk to DJ at Parks to see how we can help.
 -​ Erik: There is overgrowth along sidewalks, too.
 -​ Phillip: Alice Schwenke would be the contact for that, but this is a more
 difficult place to do work because it is more directly connected to private
 property.
-​ Phillip: Plenty of meetings that need to be supported by advocates. Supporting small
 projects that face backlash in local meetings we should show up en masse (or even just
 a little). Both project meetings and regular meetings of commissions
 -​ Gordon & Nolan: Mentioned that showing up is a good goal, but there are some
 gaps in knowing what meetings need to be supported, or even exist.
-​ Bob: South End Art Hop seemed like it had a thousands bikes with the street closure.
 London transit strike led to more people biking. People don’t see streets as safe but do
 it for events.
 -​ Jack: More block parties that can show active transportation. We need to find
 ways to support Block Parties, and maybe have a designation for 2 weekends
 that bookend “Summer”, or micro-grants could be a great way to foster this.
-​ Jak: We should consider formalizing. We exist between a grass-roots advocacy group
 and an official advisory committee for the City. Have no teeth as advisors but less
 effective than full volunteer organization. Formalization needs a lot of work, and it is
 unclear what that means. Maybe we keep watch over the work of the walk/bike plan.
-​ Jason Stuffle: The timeline of advocacy in transportation is glacial. Work that shows
 progress in a short time-line is better to engage people. Also group bike rides, walking
 events
-​ Gordon: Don’t see choice between formalization and disbanding - sees attendance
 growing. Also thinks formalization could be good - South Burlington BPC has 10
 members with staggered terms, has some greater influence in DRB and CIP work, and
 help direct the Penny for Paths fund.
-​ Gabe strongly supports formalization.
-​ Nolan strongly supports formalization. SB BPC have more people, including a City
 Council member. Also shouts out Bike Park at Leddy. We’ve had a small group talking
 about the bike-ped bridge. It’s really important to get in on the beginning of all of the
 Scoping Studies along the Route 2 corridor—need institutional support (such as via
 DPW, CCRPC, SB DPW, VTrans). Need DPW to be liaison that allows us to engage in
 connecting all three projects (Main St., Bike/Ped Bridge, South Burlington)
 -​ Phillip: Main St scoping study
-​ Jack said that Burlington is in the grace period for a Bicycle Friendly Community award,
 and the BWBC could do the work to complete the application. Currently in Silver (South
 Burlington is Bronze)
 -​ Jak questions if the juice is worth the squeeze.
-​ Nolan: we’ve done a lot, but with Local Motion also how much of what’s happened would
 have happened anyway without BWBC?
 -​ Gordon: probably helped improve some projects even if they would have
 happened without BWBC
-​ Summary of ideas so far:
 -​ Education on sidewalk safety
 -​ Trail maintenance, etc.
 -​ Going to other meetings to support projects
 -​ Connecting with other committees
 -​ Formalization
 -​ Block party events
-​ Nolan: BED had an EV event - what about an e-bike event?
 -​ Jack: maybe we should be tabling at more events/e-bike demos.
 -​ Maybe an alternative transportation festival - active transportation, vendors
-​ Jak: VPOP put together a car-free day. They just did the thing. We (advocates) would
 benefit from a formal channel in the City to have more legitimate influence in the
 City—that should be BWBC. Other stuff can happen in other groups; trying to do it in
 BWBC may be diffusive of energy. There is a bit of harm to have grass-roots energy be
 funneled into this, because it could go to more direct outcomes with an actual
 grass-roots group. Building engagement may not be as important as focusing on our
 role.
-​ Erik: We didn’t talk about demonstration projects. Interested to see how this North Ave
 project goes, but more focused on the process.
-​ Philip: How would you formalize, what would that look like?
-​ Erik: BWBC as it exists now (not formalized) can assess and work on more
 demonstration projects (and streamlining the process). A focus should be on traffic
 calming in general.
-​ Serrill: Will email DPW about sharrows on East Ave, and generally about annual painting
 projects.
-​ Bob: Center of cities in the UK are walkable. What is the City's goal for expanding the
 pedestrian network downtown/elsewhere? One more block south on Church St would be
 great. In Rome, the city is shut down one city per month.
-​ Jak: Worthy advocacy, but not within the scope of BWBC. Traffic calming is good, but
 also wants focus on connectivity of networks for both walking and biking. Connectivity is
 biggest failing
-​ Nolan: Goal connecting downtown to UVM with car-free space - maybe demonstration
 project on College St.
-​ Jason Segelman: Trend that is making Burlington better for pedestrians but harder for
 bikes: curb extensions. Names Pearl & Elmwood, Pine & King, Pine & Main, Pine & Main
Meeting adjourned at 7:00 PM