Metro East Sun

City of Edwardsville Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee met April 5.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Committee Members 

Jo Gibson, Chair 

Susan Hume, Vice Chair 

Mary Vandevord, Secretary-Absent 

Danielle Adair-Absent 

Paul Brazier 

Greg Brumitt 

Musonda Kapatamoyo 

Emily Morrison 

Stephanie Robbins 

Jason Stacy 

Steve Stuart 

I.  ROLL CALL 

See above. 

II. PUBLIC COMMENT 

None 

III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 

Greg Brumitt had two additions to the minutes-1) the "Marketing Committee" is in fact the "Event Committee"; 2) he requested to add city staff to the list of participants 

Jo Gibson inquired about volunteers needing background checks for the Bike Bus program. Jason Stacy indicated that two volunteers per bus would be needed. Jeff Manual, it seems, would be the only volunteer without an existing background check, and Jason doesn't think it will be a problem. Eric Williams confirmed that any designated volunteer (parent volunteers not withstanding) could/should go to the Police Department for a free background check. 

Greg Brumitt made a motion to approve the March meeting minutes as amended. Jason Stacy seconded the motion. 

IV. OLD BUSINESS 

a. BPAC 2023 Strategies and Funding Updates 

i. Marketing Efforts 

Cathy, Sherrie, Jo, and Greg met on 4/4 to discuss the Marketing materials for the Bike and Hike event. They revealed the poster design (featuring a diverse group of cyclists/pedestrians riding/walking past an enormous stack of pancakes), and the committee agreed that it was a homerun. Registration can be completed online. Sherrie Hickman (graphic designer) has priced other marketing materials, and it's looking like the costs to the organization will be around $1,310. 

Cathy indicated the press release for the event will be posted on Friday (4/7) as well as a social media campaign. She asked that the committee members share that information on their individual accounts. Stephanie Robbins inquired about the timeline on a more formal, shareable logo, and Greg and Cathy confirmed that the finishing touches are well under way. 

Jo and Greg relayed that there are 7 planned rides, 1 run, and 4 walks that are slated to participate in the event, including the EHS Mountain Biking Club. Neighborhoods will be encouraged to form a walk/ride too. A site map for the event will be printed on the back of the rack card and on social media, and VIP Chefs are being secured. 

Jo reminded committee members that all in attendance at the event take and share photos so that we'll have both records and incentives for future events. 

The event committee has been meeting every 2 weeks since the beginning of March, and productivity has abounded. 

Greg asked about certificates of insurance for the various property owners adjacent to the site-Eric Williams advised that all businesses/property owners involved should be listed. 

ii. Bike and Hike Event 

Greg Brumitt provided a brief update for the event. ACT provided a $5,000 grant to the event. Event is going to strive to be "zero waste" (in conjunction with the Good Dirt Composting Organization). Budget is at $7,500. We've increased the number of pancake servings and are partnering with Source Juicery to provide smoothies via Blender Bikes (using Source's and Pedal the Cause's machines) and Goshen Coffee to provide caffeination to the event in an in-kind donation capacity. 

11 Exhibitors will be present, including Pedal the Cause, ACT, Whisker Bones, the Cyclery, Bike Factory, and others that will provide relevant content to event goers. Greg's also identified 9 supervisory volunteer positions and is working to get those positions filled. Stephanie Robbins and Steve Stuart will be working on securing reliable high school students to serve as volunteers. 

iii. Bike Friendly Business Program 

Susan Hume's student, Evan Theising, has made contact with the Cyclery in their quest to submit their application to become a Bike-Friendly Business. The student is also trying to make contact with Bike Factory. Susan asked for additional suggestions, and Global Brew, Source Juicery, American Kolache, 

Goshen Coffee, Lewis Brisbois were mentioned. For future applicants, Susan indicated that the business owner should meet with her student to assess the business's current status/infrastructure/needs. 

Evan also did a GIS map of bike rack sites that will be sent to the committee shortly and would like feedback suggestions for additional locations and spaces. He's also interested in looking at how other cities are publishing/displaying their bike rack placement maps (e.g., interactive, static website map, etc.), including Champaign and Chicago. 

Since Evan is graduating in May, Susan asked if the committee would like for Evan to come and present at the May meeting. Greg pointed out that Evan's work is part of our overall initiative, and so, considering our upcoming event, it will be important for us all to be abreast on where we are in the process. Paul Brazier asked if anyone from the Bicycle League would be available to attend the event, and Greg said because of the busy-ness of the season, it was unlikely, but other regional organization representatives were thrown out. 

iv. School Bike/Walk Bus 

Jason Stacy indicated that fall dates were set and that the formal announcement would come at the beginning of next school year for the rides. Paul and Jason are waiting for the next available sunny day that they can map the route and identify safe crossings. The Lincoln Middle School route is going to be a little tricky because of possible construction, but Jason and Paul believe the Liberty route will be fairly straightforward and simple. Steve Stuart asked about crossings from Ebbett's Field and Hawthorne Hills; Jason indicated that there were a few options, but again, they'd need to ride the routes to solidify the plans. Minimal to no crossings will be the priority on each route. One volunteer will be at the front of the bike bus, and one volunteer will be at the back. Ultimately, Jason hopes that it will be well-attended (but not gigantic) and build from there for the Spring. 

Jo asked about a name for the events-"Fun Fridays" was thrown out. Jason Stacy made the suggestion that the bike bus could comprise 4 of the Fridays, and other BPAC events could be featured on other weeks. 

v. Policy Development 

Emily Morrison reported that she and Danielle Adair had discussed signal leads and were debating the ultimate safety of doing so. In addition, she updated the committee on their desire to kickstart the "Slow Down Downtown" campaign, potentially in conjunction with the Police Department (and other City Departments/staff). Greg suggested including the police department in the community ride. The committee discussed policy priorities. Suggestions of marketing materials (the downtown. banners!) → education (through events)→infrastructure enforcement. 

The issue of e-bikes and speed limits on trails and sidewalks also arose as a point of consideration. 

b. Wheels and Walk Partnership with Campus to Community Committee Update 

Jo Gibson sent out a message from the chair of the event to committee members who volunteered. Jo plans to distribute flyers for BPAC's Bike & Hike event at Iron Works at the end of the walk. 

c. Request from Watershed Nature Center Foundation for presence at Earth Day Event 

BPAC will be staffing a table at the event. The event will be 7:30-12:30 at Watershed Nature Center. 

Members suggested including an opportunity for event goers to jot down what they'd like to see from BPAC and perhaps even volunteers for the Bike and Hike Event. 

V. NEW BUSINESS 

Musonda shared that he met a city planner from Morton, IL who showed him some bike racks that included business logos, which he thought could be a possibility for BPAC's efforts. 

VI. ADJOURNMENT 

Jason Stacy made a motion to adjourn. Paul Brazier seconded the motion. 

https://www.cityofedwardsville.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04052023-2943