Meeting Summary, February 6, 2020

Attending: Clark, Hultgren, Palmer, Weinland, O’Keefe, Yakovleff, Manizza, Serazo (Eastern Highlands Health District)

The meeting was begun at 6:30 pm in the lobby of the Transportation Center. After the meeting notes from November 7th’s meeting were reviewed, Hultgren reported that there was $915 available (and not obligated) in the Bike Mansfield checking account as well as the $1,000 that was received from the Mansfield Lions Club for training in bike education for the Mansfield Schools’ PE teachers. He said that he has been unsuccessful getting a meeting with the Mansfield School Administrators to discuss sending the PE teachers to the next BikeWalkCT training session, but was encouraged by members to keep trying.

A discussion of the routes and points of interest map was held for the first part of the meeting. Points discussed included:

  • CME Engineering (just a stone’s throw away on Royce Circle) has agreed to draw the map in electronic format from the paper draft we are preparing … without charge!
  • The recent bike parking survey at parks and points of interest and whether/how to show this information on the map. It was suggested that this could be shown in the legends if putting bike parking symbols out on the map makes it too cluttered.
  • Symbols for off-road trail heads and bike parking (suggested to use those on the state bicycle and greenway maps)
  • How to include a few recommended rides and their descriptions. It was suggested these be shown on the map with shading/colors with QR codes shown to send users to the actual description/downloadable files.
  • Size and formatting options for distribution of/use of the finished map. It was suggested that to save space the legends and text information could be put on the reverse side of the map, if the map or portions of the map end up being printed or printable. Another suggestion was to make sections of the map downloadable/printable – perhaps for the recommended ride loops.
  • The need to contact business members to renew/begin their 2020 memberships, and approve the wording for their descriptions in the legend.

Clark updated members on the Bicycle Friendly University working group at UConn which she is facilitating. She reported to UConn’s Transportation Advisory Board that in a recent survey she found that there are approximately 2200 bike rack parking spots on the UConn campus but many of these rack spaces are not able to be used because of the way most people park their bikes. She said that according to parking standards for university campuses, a minimum of 4300 spaces are needed at UConn, and this could really be as many as 7,000! She said that the cost of permanent bike racks as costed out by the UConn Facilities office was staggeringly high, and she was suggesting the use of some less expensive temporary bike racks as other campuses have done. She also said that UConn may be able to map their bike parking facilities in GIS.

Yakovleff reported on his recent seasonal ride with kids from Ashford on the East Bay Bike Trail in Rhode Island. He reported they had 13 riders between 12 and 14 years old, and invited others to ride along on the ride later this year. He also reported that the effort to allow Ashford children to ride to their bikes to school (on Route 89) was successful, and now it is permitted.

The meeting ended at about 7:30 pm. A follow-up mapping meeting will be scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

Lon Hultgren, Secretary Treasurer