Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

 

TO:

Mayor and City Commission

FROM:

City Manager David Corliss

DATE:

February 16, 2015

RE:

Complete Street – Pedestrian/Bicycle Issues Task Force

 

The City Commission has received several requests for the establishment of a task force or permanent city advisory body to consider pedestrian issues in the community, including funding, sidewalk standards and maintenance and related issues.   Additionally, the entire spectrum of transportation uses – sidewalks, bicycle transportation, transit and other uses – is viewed as increasingly important in city transportation issues.    This was seen in the adoption of the Complete Street Policy by the City in 2012.   During the consideration of the 2015 budget last summer the City Commission directed the formation of a task force on this issue. This memo provides some additional background on the issue and provides a staff recommendation for a next step on this important issue.

 

Current City Boards and Commission with some impact on Pedestrian/Sidewalk related issues

There are several existing City boards and commissions which provide advice, review issues, or recommend funding related to pedestrian-related issues, however, there is not a single board exclusive to pedestrian issues nor an institutionalized coordination related to pedestrian issues among these boards and commissions.   Among the City boards and commissions working on this issue to varying degree:

 

·         The Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) reviews requests for traffic control devices ( parking, speed limits, etc.) and also reviews requests for traffic calming devices, including pedestrian crossings, school crossings, etc.

·         The Lawrence-Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) provides policy and project advice to the City Commission, including review of proposed street capital and maintenance projects in relation to bike lane/route issues

·         Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Commission has State law responsibility to recommend certain land use items to the City Commission (zoning, plat, comprehensive plan), including subdivision regulations (location, specifications for sidewalks in new plats, etc.)

·         Public Transit Advisory Committee (PTAC) advises on transit routes, policies and related items, including some pedestrian related issues as transit users walk to bus routes, etc.

·         Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (and the Parks and Recreation Department) advises the Department and the Commission on parks/recreation related issues, including trail-related issues

·         Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB)advises staff and the City Commission on environmental and sustainability promotion policies and programs, which  has included pedestrian and walkability advocacy

·         Community Development Advisory Committee ( CDAC) advises the City Commission on community development policies, and makes recommendations on CDBG and HOME funding, including funding for gap sidewalk projects in certain parts of the community

·         Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the State designated entity for transportation planning and coordination and has included review of sidewalk and pedestrian issues.

 

As can be viewed, the City has a number of boards and commissions which can/should speak toward pedestrian related issues, but not a board with a specific mandate for the issue.   Additionally, outside of the formal City organization there are a number of other groups/entities related to pedestrian/sidewalk issues:    Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, USD #497,  Safe Routes to Schools, LiveWell Lawrence, the Pedestrian Coalition, and other interested groups. 

 

Current Sidewalk Inventory and Challenges for Maintenance and Funding Additional Sidewalks

The 2014 review of sidewalks provided an overview of the condition of City sidewalks and general estimate on the cost for replacement.     While the City does respond to complaints about sidewalk defects and provides notification to responsible adjacent property owners, the compliance level to current City efforts does not provide assurance that all sidewalks are timely repaired.  Reliance upon the complaint method for addressing this issue means that many sidewalk defects do not receive attention because appropriate City staff is unaware of the defect and lacks staff time to provide a comprehensive review.   Additionally, the City does not have a comprehensive method of prioritization for sidewalk improvements.   Gap sidewalk projects – as funded from CDBG or other City sources – are prioritized based upon neighborhood input, staff review and the desire to place sidewalks near known pedestrian corridors, such as along collector streets.  There is also a desire to place new sidewalks where they will receive substantial use – such as near known routes to schools or other high volume areas or those known to have a high safety interest.

 

Bicycle Interests

The City currently benefits from the advice, advocacy and recommendations from the Lawrence-Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC).    This group already exists, has developed a history of reviewing City projects for bicycle needs, and has actively participated in several bicycle issues for the City.  Designation and building of bike facilities and bike lanes is now considered in the review of subdivision plans and new road construction/reconstruction projects.    One area of need which has been identified is a funding source for new bike facilities (e.g. bike lanes) particularly in situations where a bike lane need has been acknowledged, but there are no plans for City reconstruction of the street.  There has been some progress in the community for the creation of bike lanes in conjunction with City street improvements (reconstruction, mill/overlay) such as 9th Street, Princeton Avenue, etc. ; however, the driving force for these bike improvements has been street needs versus bike needs.  One important topic for the task force could be research, discussion and recommendation on funding sources for bicycling needs, focused on this issue and other bike issues (education, enforcement, etc.)    The creation of a task force should not be viewed as an interruption for the BAC existing responsibilities.  The BAC should receive appropriate representation on any task force which includes these issues within their scope of work.

 

Possible Next Steps 

There are at least four major policy issues that a Complete Street Issues Task Force could review:

 

1)    Advisory Board structure for pedestrian issues.  As seen earlier in the memo, there are a number of existing City boards which have some level of interest/responsibility for pedestrian issues.  Should pedestrian issues be more clearly established with an existing board?   Are there certain responsibilities that should be removed from an existing board and placed with a permanent pedestrian issues board?

2)    What criteria should be used to recommending possible future sidewalk projects –where a sidewalk does not currently exist?   What funding sources should be used to fund future gap sidewalk projects?

3)    By State law and City Code, the adjacent property owner has financial responsibility for the maintenance of the sidewalk on their property.  Other communities place this responsibility in whole or in part on the city; however, the lack of City resources will make this a substantial financial burden on the City.  How should the City make better progress on sidewalk maintenance within Lawrence?

4)    Bike lane promotion, particularly prioritization of new bike lanes in situations where street construction or street reconstruction is unlikely in the near future.  What streets should be rebuilt to provide for adequate bike facilities?   Possible funding sources for this work?

 

Name for New Task Force

There have been several names submitted for possible consideration of a new task force:   Bicycle-Pedestrian Task Force,  Complete Street Task Force,  Active Transportation,  Non-Motorized Transportation.  

 

Obviously, one of the benefits of a task force and the opportunity for citizen input, is that other issues and be reviewed, discussed, and recommendations considered.

 

Action

Consider adoption of Resolution No. 7106, creating Bicycle-Pedestrian Task Force, if appropriate,