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Coffee and bike parking, Blue Moose 8 am tomorrow, Friday
by Frank Gmeindl 08 Oct '09

08 Oct '09

Bicycle Board Members, Please join me and Chip tomorrow at 8 am at the Blue Moose for coffee and a review of the High Street bike parking map that the city developed. See attached. After coffee, we'll walk up and down High Street to ensure that the locations and orientations are correct and record any changes if necessary. The City and Mainstreet Morgantown are converging on a High Street parking plan. After this, our job could be done. I apologize for not sending this out earlier. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Delete report to TC!
by Frank Gmeindl 08 Oct '09

08 Oct '09

Bicycle Board Members, Please delete from your files the report that I sent you that is the October 8 report from the BB to the TC. Attached is a revised report. The one I sent you yesterday has the first draft of the State College trip report. The file attached to this message has the final version of the trip report. The original draft contains some embarrassing errors and I would like to ensure that it doesn't get around. Sorry for the inconvenience. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Re: [Bikeboard] Report to Traffic Commission
by Greg Good 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

Frank and all, great work you folks are still doing! My only problem: there must have been a better looking model for those photographs. (Sorry, Betsy). I'm now involved in bicycle activism with my employer in College Park. We're building a critical mass of cyclists and lobbying for better, sheltered parking. Greg >>> Frank Gmeindl 10/07/09 2:43 PM >>> Bicycle Board Members, Attached is a report from the Bicycle Board that I'm going to presentto the Traffic Commission tonight. Please forgive me for not givingyou much time to review it. I've already submitted it to the TCsecretary for printing and distribution to the TC members. However, if you see anything wrong or if I missed anything, please letme know as I can state the corrections or additions while I'mpresenting it tonight. Excuse I usually send this to you a few days before the Traffic Commissionmeeting to give you a chance to correct my mistakes and add input. TheTC meeting is the first Wednesday of the month and the BB meeting isthe first Thursday of the month, so the TC meeting is usually the daybefore our BB meeting. Since the first Thursday of this month was10/1, that put the TC meeting tonight. Unfortunately, with ourcanceling the BB meeting last week and with the TC meeting being theweek after the BB meeting, I forgot about the TC meeting until I saw itannounced in the Dominion Post today. Frank Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers ofvehicles

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Report to Traffic Commission
by Frank Gmeindl 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

Bicycle Board Members, Attached is a report from the Bicycle Board that I'm going to present to the Traffic Commission tonight. Please forgive me for not giving you much time to review it. I've already submitted it to the TC secretary for printing and distribution to the TC members. However, if you see anything wrong or if I missed anything, please let me know as I can state the corrections or additions while I'm presenting it tonight. *Excuse *I usually send this to you a few days before the Traffic Commission meeting to give you a chance to correct my mistakes and add input. The TC meeting is the first Wednesday of the month and the BB meeting is the first Thursday of the month, so the TC meeting is usually the day before our BB meeting. Since the first Thursday of this month was 10/1, that put the TC meeting tonight. Unfortunately, with our canceling the BB meeting last week and with the TC meeting being the week after the BB meeting, I forgot about the TC meeting until I saw it announced in the Dominion Post today. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Something for "Bike/Walk to School" week
by director 05 Oct '09

05 Oct '09

---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Brooke Driesse" <brooke(a)saferoutespartnership.org> Reply-To: "Brooke Driesse" <brooke(a)saferoutespartnership.org> Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 09:32:53 -0700 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2009 Resource Helps Locals Address School Bicycling and Walking Policies to Encourage Safe Routes to School Contact: Deb Hubsmith <mailto:deb@saferoutespartnership.org> , Director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, deb(a)saferoutespartnership.org, 415-454-7430 Lauren Marchetti <mailto:lauren_marchetti@unc.edu> , Director, National Center for Safe Routes to School, marchet(a)claire.hsrc.unc.edu, 919-962-7412 Boulder, CO - Children across the US are back in school, and many communities are seeing the traffic jams that result from parents driving their children to schools. To help encourage more walking and bicycling, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and the National Center for Safe Routes to School have released a jointly-developed resource, School <http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/media/file/barrier_policy_tip_sheet.pd f> Bicycling and Walking Policies: Addressing Policies that Hinder and Implementing Policies that Help. This tip sheet was developed in response to numerous requests from across the country. School policies that encourage and support bicycling and walking can substantially boost a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, both within individual schools and throughout the community. In contrast, a policy that discourages or prohibits bicycling or walking can stop a SRTS program in its tracks. The tip sheet provides simple steps explaining how to approach and overturn barrier policies that prohibit walking and/or bicycling to school, and encouraging supportive policies, which support and enable bicycling and walking to school programs. Congress provided $612 million for Safe Routes to School in the 2005 SAFETEA-LU federal transportation bill. Communities in all 50 states are now using this funding to construct new bike lanes, pathways, and sidewalks, as well as to launch Safe Routes to School education, promotion and enforcement campaigns in elementary and middle schools. The demand for the program far outreaches the funding available. By making it safe, convenient, and fun for children to walk and bicycle to and from school, SRTS is helping communities find solutions to traffic congestion, poor air quality, and high rates of childhood obesity and related diseases. The Safe Routes to School National <http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/home> Partnership, hosted by the non-profit Bikes Belong Foundation, is a network of more than 400 nonprofit organizations, government agencies, schools, and professionals working together to advance the SRTS movement in the United States. The Partnership focuses on building partnerships, changing policies, advancing legislation, and improving the built environment. The National Center for Safe Routes to <http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/> School assists communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bicycle to school. The Center strives to equip Safe Routes to School programs with the knowledge and technical information to implement safe and successful strategies. The National Center for Safe Routes to School is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. ### --- Note: If you want to send an email to the entire list serve of more than 300 subscribers, please send your message to saferoutestoschool(a)saferoutes.listserve.us. -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Legislation
by Frank Gmeindl 02 Oct '09

02 Oct '09

Bicycle Board Members, This morning, I participated by telephone in a meeting in Charleston of a forming BikeWV legislative committee. The committee decided to pursue legislation to change WV code 17C-1-2 that defines "vehicle". Currently, 17C-1-2 explicitly excludes "devices moved by human power". The committee will draft a change that explicitly includes bicycles in the definition of "vehicle". Then, they will meet with representatives of the WVDOH, the Governor, some State and local police, and congressmen Oliverio and Foster to identify any pockets of resistance to the change. The following attended the meeting: * Kim Broughton - BikeWV coordinator * Steve Fowler - Lawyer, proponent of 3-foot passing law * Dennis Strawn - Charleston bicycling advocate * John Francis - Greenbrier Bicycling Club and active bicycling political advocate * Todd West - WVDOH * Bill Nottingham - Owner of Charleston bike shop and former tobacco lobbyist * Greg Garrett - Blennerhassett Bicycle Club * Frank Gmeindl - Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board, League Cycling Instructor As you know, the meeting was preceded by a bike commute from Scott Depot to Charleston. Among the 6 participants were Rich Warner and Perry Keller, both employees of WVDOT and members of the Greater Morgantown MPO TAC. Where they could, they rode on shoulders and sidewalks. Paul Maddox, WVDOT Secretary offered to provide a SAG vehicle for the ride. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Re: [Bikeboard] MapFest next Tuesday
by director 01 Oct '09

01 Oct '09

I'll be there too. Nick ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:08:12 -0400 >Bicycle Board Members, > >Next Tuesday, October 6, 6-9 pm we will review the first draft >comprehensive Morgantown Bicycle Route map and try to complete it so we >can produce it and distribute it at the Oct. 19 grand opening of the >Mountaineer Station. > >We will meet in the Training Room in the Public Safety Center. > >Please come and contribute to perfecting the map. Or, just to give >thanks to Derek for all the tremendous work that he's done pulling this >together. > >Frank > >_______________________________________________ >Bikeboard mailing list >Bikeboard(a)cheat.org >http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard > -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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[Fwd: WVU football game next Thurs night]
by Frank Gmeindl 29 Sep '09

29 Sep '09

Bicycle Board Members, Of the 9 members that responded to my message below, 5 said they wouldn't come to this Thursday's Bicycle Board meeting and 4 said they would come. Since more than half of the respondents said they wouldn't come and 7 members didn't reply to the message below, it appears we wouldn't have a quorum. Therefore, I am canceling the meeting. Attached are the minutes from our September meeting. Thanks to Hugh Kierig for recording them. *Good News* We have had some good news since the last meeting: *Mon Blvd Bike Lane and Share the Road Signs *Damien Davis, Assistant City Engineer did a wonderful job creating a presentation package of the Bike Lane including superb drawings. He delivered the presentation to the MPO TAC which included 3 members of the WVDOT. Damien, David Bruffy, Bill Austin (new MPO Director) and Terry Hough all spoke very strongly positively for the bike lane. Both Damien and David emphasized that cyclists have a right to ride on Mon Blvd whether or not there is a bike lane. The DOT resisted the bike lane saying that since MUB's closing the rail trail, MUB should put in the bike lane. Terry Hough clearly stated to the DOT that the idea of a bike lane on Mon Blvd has been discussed with DOT for 15 years; it was actually approved at one time but got tangled up in consideration for pedestrians and the state money got spent on the sidewalks on Patteson Drive instead. The DOT agreed to evaluate Damien's package and notify the City if it satisfies technical standards. After the MPO meeting, Terry Hough asked me if the Bicycle Board would agree with applying to the bike lane and Share the Road signs $13K of the $35K that was budgeted for Shared Lane Markings. I responded that we would probably be OK with the City's borrowing $13K for the bike lane and then restoring it when we have an approved SLM plan. My conclusion is that the bike lane satisfies technical standards and the City's committed to do the bike lane and Share the Road signs whether the State pays for them or not. *Downtown Parking* Thanks to the persistent efforts and negotiation skills of Chip Wamsley and the Parking Committee, today we received a letter (attached) from the Mainstreet Morgantown Board of Directors approving the Mainstreet Morgantown Design Committee's recommendation "that bike racks be located in offsets and setbacks that do not interfere with pedestrian traffic. This recommendation has three goals: 1. Provide a safe, secure and convenient place for bicycles to be parked. 2. Do not interfere with pedestrian traffic. 3. Do not take up motor vehicle parking spaces. The Design Committee asks that the Bicycle Board to present to the Design Committee locations that support these goals." A couple weeks ago, I received from Terry Hough detailed drawings showing bicycle parking locations that for the most part are exactly what we recommended to the Design Committee months ago. If the Design Committee agrees that the City Engineer's drawings satisfy their goals, the next step will be for the Public Works Dept. to purchase and install the racks. The funds for them have already been budgeted. See you in November. Go Mountaineers. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/ -------- Original Message -------- Subject: WVU football game next Thurs night Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:32:59 -0400 From: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> To: Bicycle Board <bikeboard(a)cheat.org> Bicycle Board Members, Will next Thursday's 7:30 pm WVU home football game affect your attendance at the Bicycle Board meeting? Frank

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Bike Route Classification
by Frank Gmeindl 28 Sep '09

28 Sep '09

Bicycle Board Members, The Federal Highway Administration has a course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning: http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pedbike/pubs/05085/chapt4.htm that suggests considering the following when classifying bike routes. * Accessibility: This is measured by the distance a bicycle facility is from a specified trip origin or destination, the ease by which this distance can be traveled by bicycle, and the extent to which all likely origins and destinations are served. Some communities (e.g., Arlington, VA) have adopted a criterion of having a bicycle facility within 1.61 kilometer (km) (1 mile (mi)) of every residence. More importantly, no residential area or high-priority destination (school, shopping center, business center, or park) should be denied reasonable access by bicycle. * Directness: Studies have shown that most bicyclists will not use even the best bicycle facility if it greatly increases the travel distance or trip time over that provided by less desirable alternatives. Therefore, routes should still be reasonably direct. The ratio of directness to comfort/perceived safety involved in this trade-off will vary depending on the characteristics of the bicycle facility (how desirable is it?), its more direct alternatives (how unpleasant are they?), and the typical user's needs (in a hurry? is it a business or pleasure trip?). * Continuity: The proposed network should have as few missing links as possible. If gaps exist, they should not include traffic environments that are unpleasant or threatening to group B/C (basic and child) riders, such as high-volume or high-speed motor vehicle traffic with narrow outside lanes. * Route attractiveness: This can encompass such factors as separation from motor traffic, visual aesthetics, and the real or perceived threat to personal safety along the facility. * Low conflict: The route should present few conflicts between bicyclists and motor vehicle operators. * Cost: This would include the costs both to establish and to maintain the system. * Ease of implementation: The ease or difficulty in implementing proposed changes depends on available space and existing traffic operations and patterns. In another section of the course, they recommend using a "Level of Service" (LOS) model similar to LOS models used for decades for motor transportation. They provide an equation that gives a LOS numerical score and A thru F rating for each street depending on inputs including traffic volume, speed, percentage of heavy vehicles, pavement surface condition and outside lane width. Those of us who are geeky enough to enjoy such a thing might be able to get a Transportation Enhancement Program grant for a 3 phase project. In phase 1, we would use the FHWA method to determine bicycle LOS for Morgantown streets. In phase 2, we could use LOS and its components to define a bicycle route improvement plan that would constitute the proposal for phase 3, implementing the high priority improvements. Anybody want to work on this? The Intent to Apply forms for the 2010 TEP cycle are due November 15. 2 months away. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Re: [Bikeboard] WVU football game next Thurs night
by Derek Springston 28 Sep '09

28 Sep '09

Frank, It may be a little late now, but including you and I, other folks who contributed to the mapping were: Jacob Brown Alice Vernon Jonathan Rosenbaum Betsy Shogren?? (one map isn't labelled with a name; might be Jonathan's or Betsy's) I think this covers all who gave me maps. Did anyone else contribute a map? ~Derek “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:26:20 -0400 From: fgmeindl(a)verizon.net To: guitardeek(a)hotmail.com Subject: Re: [Bikeboard] WVU football game next Thurs night Derek, Based on my past experience, rescheduling the BB meeting to earlier won't work. First, there's the issue of finding a location. Then, I would expect that members' schedules may be more full earlier than later. I'm afraid we won't have an October meeting if I try to reschedule it. If I had a grandfather, or even a father, I'd choose to spend time with him rather than attend the BB meeting so totally I understand if you choose not to come. However, I think we must press forward with the map. Who gave you input? Below is a list of those who said they'd be there. If these are the people that gave you input, I'd prefer to proceed. Attend? 1. Donald Dickerson, Vice Chairman n 2. Paul Becker 3. Hugh Kierig n 4. Jacob Brown y 5. Elizabeth Shogren, Secretary y 6. Gunnar Shogren y 7. Frank Gmeindl, Chairman y 8. Marilyn Newcome 9. Jonathan Rosenbaum 10. Don Spencer 11. Chet Parsons 12. Jim Rye 13. Derek Springston n 14. Chip Wamsley 15. Alice Vernon y 16. Janel Bedard y 5 n 3 I would be happy to play your role as much as I am capable. Or, if someone else that will be in attendance would be better at that, please ask them if they'd stand in for you. What can you give us to work with for Thursday? Frank On 9/24/2009 5:03 PM, Derek Springston wrote: Frank et al, I was hoping to go to the game to spend a little time with my grandfather but didn't realize they were on the same evening. Think we could re-schedule the Bike Board meeting to Tuesday or Wednesday? I'd don't want to suggest scheduling it later! Let me know... ~Derek “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells > Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:32:59 -0400 > From: fgmeindl(a)verizon.net > To: bikeboard(a)cheat.org > Subject: [Bikeboard] WVU football game next Thurs night > > Bicycle Board Members, > > Will next Thursday's 7:30 pm WVU home football game affect your > attendance at the Bicycle Board meeting? > > Frank > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikeboard mailing list > Bikeboard(a)cheat.org > http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard Microsoft brings you a new way to search the web. Try Bing™ now _________________________________________________________________ Bing™ brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. Try it now. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MLOGEN&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT…

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