HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/09/2025 - Regular Minutes - Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board
MINUTES
BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS
ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
June 9, 2025
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairperson Scott Shafer, Board Members Kathy Langlotz, Neo
Jang, Joy Chmelar, Matthew Jackson and Carla Robinson.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Thomas Woodfin
STAFF PRESENT: Transportation Planning Administrator Jason Schubert, Senior
Planner Jesse DiMeolo, Staff Planner Carl Ahrens, Staff Planner
Joe Allen, Graduate Traffic Engineer II DeAnna Ordonez, and
Staff Assistant II Grecia Fuentes
AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Call to Order, introductions and consider absence requests.
Chairperson Shafer called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Hear Visitors.
David Neshyba, employee at JMT Engineering, stated he had been imbedded in the TxDOT
Bryan District office and had the opportunity to develop transportation alternative applications,
one of which was selected for funding for FM 2818. He also mentioned he had worked for
TxDOT as a planning engineer for 31 years and wanted to observe and learn more about this
Board to see how he could assist.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Agenda Items.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.1: Consideration, discussion, and possible action to approve meeting
minutes.
Board Member Robinson stated that the May minutes needed to be revised to reflect that she was present at the meeting but had to leave part way through. Board Member Langlotz motioned to approve the meeting minutes from May as revised,
Board Member Jang seconded the motion, minutes were approved 6-0.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.2: Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding the status
of existing programs identified in the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Mater Plan.
Planner Ahrens presented this item.
Chairperson Shafer said that he liked the idea of the campus bicycle tours. He asked if staff was
aware of any campus where that had been done and what steps were needed to make that happen.
Planner Ahrens responded that he was not aware of another campus currently implementing this, though he believed it had likely happened elsewhere. He suggested that a possible solution would involve collaboration between staff and the campus Transportation Services department.
Board Member Jang said that he had a friend reach out to the campus tour, but he did not get a positive connection back. Chairperson Shafer said it seemed that we would have to find a way to integrate this idea into
new student orientation and if people were willing to sign up for it in the first month of classes.
That way staff would have a contact list and could reach back out if they were able to come do it. Board Member Jang said he felt there could be different kinds of tours like for new student orientation, parents’ weekend and ring day.
Chairperson Shafer said he would be a in favor of keeping it in a form that included all those ideas as the Board moves forward. Board Member Jang brought up a point concerning the Share the Road campaign. He said that
the implied message for the bike route sign that read, “bike lane ends,” would be to share the
lane with the cars, but the language communicates to drivers that the cyclists no longer belong in that space. He asked staff if that could possibly be revised. Graduate Engineer Ordonez stated that the sign and the language used specifically come from the
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), and it was the regulated sign.
Chairperson Shafer asked if there was any way to supplement it with another sign. Board Member Langlotz suggested adding a sign on the same post that said “share the road.”
Senior Planner DiMeolo said he had spoken to the Senior City Traffic Engineer, Randell Smith, about wayfinding signage and making a more comprehensive system. He suggested that this should be a part of the new master plan on how to improve signage. He added that Senior Engineer Smith told him that another plaque could be added right below the first one on the sign.
Board Member Jackson mentioned that some cities treat bike routes like the bus routes. They assign numbers that way people know the safest routes to bike. Board Member Robinson asked if there was any interest from the school district to promote a
walking school bus.
Board Member Jang said he currently volunteers in the school’s Health Advisory Council and he had already reached out to the superintendent who said there needed to be a combined
partnership from the ISD as well as the City to make this into a holistic program that was offered to the families and students.
Chairperson Shafer said that it was going to take an individual to figure out how to make the connection with the schools and make it all happen. Board Member Jang mentioned that there was already a family at Oakwood Elementary doing
the bike bus of twelve kids that was slowly growing.
Chairperson Shafer said it seemed that something that would be helpful that the schools might have access to, was identifying the neighborhoods where there is a concentration of kids attending that school and speak to their parents about the possibility of participation.
Board Member Jang said on the enforcement side that a friend got a ticket on a bike for running a stop sign and that it was an expensive ticket. Chairperson Shafer and Board Member Langlotz mentioned traffic laws differ in other states.
Senior Planner DiMeolo stated a bike education class like defensive driving could be created. Chairperson Shafer asked what the duties of the City’s park rangers were.
Planner Ahrens stated staff would follow up with Municipal Judge Ed Spillane on the topic.
Planner Ahrens answered that from his understanding they would respond to people needing help and making sure everyone was following all the parks’ rules.
Board Member Robinson asked if the park rangers could enforce the local ordinances and cite
people. Planner Ahrens said he was not sure what the legality of their enforcement was exactly.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.3: Presentation, discussion and possible action regarding the Corridor Feasibility Study being performed as part of the Active Transportation Master Plan.
Senior Planner DiMeolo presented this item.
Chairperson Shafer said he wanted to hold on his comments and wait until after they had
feedback ideas to see how some of the ideas would work. Senior Planner DiMeolo said they would also have it posted on the city website in case people were not able to make it to the in-person meeting.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.4: Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding an update
of grant applications planned to be submitted related to walking and biking.
Engineer Ordonez informed the Board that staff had applied for the Transportation Alternatives grant through TxDOT. She said that the purpose of this grant would be to study safety issues
concerning bicycle and pedestrians in the Northgate area. The grant would cover 80% of the cost
and the City would have a minimum local match of 20%. Administrator Schubert informed the Board that staff were in the process of submitting two grant applications to the Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Call for Projects
for Category 9 funding, which is for bicycle and pedestrian-related projects. One is for bike and
pedestrian safety improvements at the intersection of George Bush Dr at Timber St. The other is a new sidewalk on the south side of University Oaks Blvd between Stalling Dr and Munson Ave. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.5: Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding
considerations of bicycle and pedestrian connections to transit stops and an initial evaluation of existing conditions.
Planner Allen presented this item. Board Member Robinson asked if the ridership data would be able to break down information
between pedestrians and bicyclists.
Planner Allen said they had not clarified if that information would be separated, but staff will definitely ask and find out.
Board Member Robinson said that pedestrians always using public transportation, but the concept
of bicycles using it is new. Planner Allen said that it might be a situation where a number of these transit stops have bicycle parking. He said it would be a three-mode journey where they are biking to the stop, riding the bus
and then walking to their destination.
Chairperson Shafer asked if there was a plan to do this specifically, was this going to be integrated into the Active Transportation Master Plan.
Planner Allen stated that the idea was for it to be integrated into the new Active Transportation
Master Plan. Board Member Jang said he had met Wendy Weedon at Bryan Transit District (BTD) and she said funding had always been a struggle. He asked if there was a way that the City budget could be
allocated to support BTD in their operation.
Administrator Schubert stated he had mentioned before about the local MPO now being designated as a Transportation Management Area which resulted in reduced federal transit funding for BTD. Local jurisdictions are being asked to contribute to BTD to make up the shortfall. The City and
other local jurisdiction have not had to contribute in the past because BTD was able to use Texas
A&M’s transit service as a type of local match.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.6: Presentation and discussion regarding the following items related
to biking, walking, and greenways.
a)Public Meetings of Interest –
Administrator Schubert stated the Council Transportation and Mobility Committee is
scheduled to meet on June 17th at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall. He also stated a public meeting
for the Corridor Feasibility Study for the Active Transportation Master Plan would be
held on June 25th from 6:00 -7:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Recreation Center.
b)Capital and Private Project Updates –Administrator Schubert stated the Foster Avenue sidewalk project is halfway complete.
This project was identified and funded through CDBG funds.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 3.7: Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board calendar of upcoming meetings.
a)July 21, 2025 ~ Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenways Advisory Board Meeting
AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Discussion and possible action on future agenda items.
A Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board Member may inquire about a subject
for which notice has not been given. A statement of specific factual information or the
recitation of existing policy may be given. Any deliberation shall be limited to a proposal to
place the subject on an agenda for a subsequent meeting.
Board Member Jackson reminded staff he had inquired about an update on the State Highway 6 construction.
Administrator Schubert stated that TxDOT was planning to provide an update to the City Council or Council Transportation & Mobility Committee and an update would be after that.
Board Member Langlotz inquired about a reasonable expectation of a conversation on local safe
passing ordinance.
Administrator Schubert stated that an item would be scheduled at the end of summer or beginning of fall of this year.
AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 4:58 p.m.
APPROVED: ATTEST:
____________________________ ____________________________
Scott Shafer, Chairperson Grecia Fuentes, Board Secretary