2024/07/22 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee MinutesMembers Present:
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)
Meeting Minutes
5:30 PM, Monday, July 22, 2024
Rohnert Park City Hall, City Council Chambers
130 Avram Avenue, Rohnert Park, California
Jan Ogren (Chair) X Steve Keith (Vice Chair) X
Gary Gutierrez X Tim Hensel X Shirley Johnson X
Non -Voting Participants: Eydie Tacata (Senior Public Works Analyst, City of Rohnert Park); Alisa
Rossetti (Sustainability Intern, City of Rohnert Park); Jahfer Aguirre (GIS Technician, City of
Rohnert Park); Jim Barrios (Parks and Recreation Commissioner, City of Rohnert Park); Emily
Shartin (Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition)
1. Call to Order
Chair Jan Ogren called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM.
2. Introductions
Chair Ogren commenced self -introductions.
3. Reading of the Land Acknowledgement
Gary Gutierrez, BPAC Member, read the Land Acknowledgement on the Meeting Agenda.
4. Public Comments
Jim Barrios, City of Rohnert Park Parks and Recreation Commissioner, asked if the BPAC was
finished reviewing projects proposed for the Active Transportation Plan update.
5. Consideration of Approval of Minutes for 6/26/24 meeting
Corrections to the June 26, 2024 BPAC meeting minutes were provided by the committee.
Action: Moved/seconded (Johnson/Keith) to approve the corrected 6/24/2024 meeting minutes.
Motion carried by the following 4-0-1-0 vote: Ayes: Gutierrez, Johnson, Ogren, Keith; Noes:
None; Abstentions: Hensel; Absences: None.
6. Bicycle Parking Inventory Update
Eydie Tacata, staff to the BPAC, provided a background on the bicycle parking inventory. The
Rohnert Park Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan contains lists and descriptions of bicycle
parking on City property, schools and commercial developments. The lists are now outdated. In
the past, the BPAC helped to take the inventory. BPAC members have also recently requested
discussing an update. Furthermore, the City's sustainability division wants to provide a bike
parking map on the sustainability webpage to promote zero -emission transportation options. Ms.
Tacata introduced Alisa Rossetti, Sustainability Intern, who will assist in the bike parking
inventory update. All five of the BPAC members indicated that they could help.
There was discussion about inadequate bike parking throughout the City. Emily Shartin,
Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition (SCBC) said that
SCBC advocates an inverted U rack, which provides three points of contact to securely lock
bicycles. She mentioned that City of Petaluma has a program that provides funding for bike
Rohnert Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
July 22, 2024 Meeting Minutes
racks. Ms. Shartin asked if the City had bike parking standards, and she offered to share the bike
parking standards with City staff and the BPAC.
There was discussion about bike racks accommodating scooters, e-bikes and cargo bikes.
Regarding the bike parking inventory, Ms. Tacata said that City staff was working on a form for
a smartphone so that photos could also be taken and locations could be marked, which would
provide geographic data for the online map. She offered however that if paper is easier for the
inventory takers, that could be provided. Vice Chair Keith and Mr. Gutierrez said that they
would prefer paper forms. There was also discussion also about how to take data about the
various forms of racks that exist, actual number of adequate bike spaces provided, and rack
placement and access (which is sometimes more of an issue than the rack itself). Ms. Tacata said
that in all likelihood, photos are needed for all entries, and staff would look at them to determine
if there is any categorization that could be done. She said she would get back to the BPAC on
the inventory/survey forms and dividing up the city areas among them.
7. Pathway Experience Survey
Ms. Tacata provided the most recent iteration of the Pathway Experience Survey. She asked the
BPAC to test it out in the field, and provide feedback about the survey form functionality as
well as the questions. She wanted feedback by 7/29/24 so that changes could be made and
volunteers could be recruited to survey in August/September. Ms. Shartin offered that QR codes
could be used to distribute the survey for interested survey takers.
8. Amendment to Rohnert Park Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Handbook
Regarding Meeting Minutes
Ms. Tacata provided proposed amended language to the Rohnert Park Bicycle & Pedestrian
Advisory Committee Handbook (which functions as the BPAC "bylaws") that specifies the
meeting minutes format to be "discussion" format. There was brief discussion among the BPAC
members about the discussion format providing more transparency to the public.
Action: Moved/seconded (Johnson/Gutierrez) to approve the amended language provided in the
memorandum included in the July 22, 2024 meeting agenda packet. Motion carried by the
following unanimous 5-0-0-0 vote: Ayes: Gutierrez, Hensel, Johnson, Ogren, Keith; Noes:
None; Abstains: None; Absences: None.
9. Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District (CRPUSD) 2 x 2 x 2 Committee
Vice Chair Keith gave a background of why he thought there might be opportunity for the
BPAC to work in some way with the "2 x 2 x 2 Committee" — a committee comprised of
representatives from City Council and City staff, CRPUSD, and Rohnert Park Public Safety
representatives — to address traffic and safety issues related to school drop-offs and pickup. He
has noticed that the school district has been implementing changes at the schools that promote
more car drop-offs and pickup, which is counter to encouraging active transportation and
meeting climate action goals of the City. He feels it would be beneficial to focus efforts on
getting the school district and individual schools reduce car usage.
Chair Ogren asked if it would be more appropriate to instead support SCBC's work with the
schools. Ms. Shartin explained that SCBC's Safe Routes to Schools program works directly with
the individual schools that invite them. In SCBC's experience, the success of Safe Routes to
Schools work is highly dependent on "champions" at the schools, which are usually the
principal and involved parents.
Rohnert Park Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
July 22, 2024 Meeting Minutes
There was discussion about whether the 2 x 2 x 2 Committee has met recently, and whether the
Safe Routes to Schools Task Force might be a better option for action around school traffic and
safety. Ms. Johnson said that she could look into the SRTS Task Force.
10. Future Agenda Items List
Ms. Tacata reviewed the future agenda items list, noting the completed items and asking for
clarification on remaining agenda items requests. The BPAC provided the following
clarifications and prioritizations:
• The requested item regarding "ongoing maintenance" is about getting information or a
schedule of ongoing trail maintenance
• Prioritization of agenda items:
1. Signage: Regulatory/Warning/Guide and Wayfinding
2. Southwest Boulevard and Burton Avenue intersection: Concerns from school
superintendent
3. Ongoing trail maintenance
4. Visibility of Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFB)
5. SRTS Task Force
• Removal of storm drain inlet discussion
There was general concurrence on the remainder of the future agenda items list, including
continuing / in -progress items.
11. Project Updates and Announcements
Ms. Tacata mentioned that regional bikeshare program is expected to launch in September or
October.
12. Adjournment
Action: moved/seconded (Johnson/Gutierrez) to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried by the following unanimous 5-0-0-0 vote: Ayes: Gutierrez, Hensel, Johnson,
Ogren, Keith; Noes: None; Abstains: None; Absences: None.
Meeting was adjourned at 7:34 PM.
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