Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2023 04 12

Home Browse Search

Open Space Advisory Board Minutes March 8, 2023 Page 6 of 9 Jessamine recommended keeping the application language very standard and simple for people who might be turned off by a complex application process. But she liked the idea of prioritizing people with qualified income and/or mobility issues. Jojo asked if the application would be available in English and Spanish. Kayla said yes. David asked how the city would gauge whether the program was successful. Kayla said the survey would be helpful for determining whether the rebates were helpful. Charles said he was all for supporting local bike shops with the rebates but asked if there were cheaper options for E-bikes. Kayla said that the program includes an online retailer, to provide a lower -cost option. 9. Discussion Item: Past Trail Etiquette Education Materials. Presented by Ember Brignull, Open Space Superintendent Ember shared old etiquette materials and signs from campaigns in 2015 and 2020. She mentioned that the 2020 campaign highlighted kindness and respect for each other, as during COVID there had been an uptick in bad behavior on the City's trail network. She shared a "Do's and Don'ts" brochure, and talked about how people could sign a trail etiquette pledge and get an Open Space mask during 2020. The current concern is about bike speeds on city trails. Ember felt that this is a behavior issue, rather than a E-bike vs. classic bike issue. Ember reported that rangers do not chase cyclists going too fast, so controlling speed on the city trails must be about education, not issuing citations to speeders. Helen said that the "Yield" signs at Hall Ranch open space work well. David noted that those signs are for single track mountain bikers. Jessamine noted that as a pedestrian on city trails, she still has cyclists yell at her. Helen and Jessamine thought that a version of the yield sign (without equestrians) would be helpful to establish the expectation that bikes always yield to pedestrians. Michiko asked whether there was a way to separate bikes and pedestrians. In Boulder, concrete trails are sometimes striped to separate bikes and pedestrians. Ember asked if the board thought educational events for kids would be useful. Charles said that he remembered education events from his childhood about bike safety and rules of the road. Jessamine suggested combining it with Bike to Work Day. Ginger cautions that any sign message needs to be short ("Peds have right of way"). Charles asked if bikes yielding to pedestrians is state law, and Ember answered that it is. Charles felt that a lot of the worst behavior isn't from regular, experienced cyclists: it is more from irregular users. David suggested moving the signs around so they stay fresh.