Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator

[Winston Lumpkins]

Hi everyone,

Last night we voted to send a letter that Emma Scudder & I have been working on to advise the city to reinstate the bicycle & pedestrian coordinator, after cleaning it up & polishing a bit more.

There was some discussion about whether or not we should suggest raising downtown parking fees, or the hours that those fees are collected to pay for it.  The city has not, historically, gone for that kind of thing, but this council is not the old council.

Currently those fees are not collected past 6 pm, which does seem like an opportunity...

Here is the document, written by Emma & myself thus far, looking for feedback!

 Notes on Bike Ped coordinator.

Thanks everyone! 

~Winston W. Lumpkins IV

72 Waterville Street,

Apt 1

Portland, Maine,
04101

207-408-1508

[Christian MilNeil]

FWIW, the Council has been willing to raise parking rates in recent years to help balance the city budget without raising property taxes. However, they historically haven't been willing to "earmark" parking revenues for a specific purpose.

I still think that extending paid parking hours past 6 pm makes a whole lot of sense – especially in the Old Port. Employee parking is sometimes raised as a concern, but there are obvious ways to mitigate that – the city could designate some parking areas with low evening demand, like the spaces in front of the courthouse, or along western Commercial Street, as permit-only parking for Old Port employees after 6 pm. Or they could use some of the additional meter revenue to add METRO service later into the evenings, so that restaurant workers could actually rely on the bus. 

Christian MilNeil
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[Zack Barowitz]

I think parking meter hours should be a separate letter. 

Thanks 

Zack 

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207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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[Winston Lumpkins]

It looks like from the letter that Steven shared that that's what we did in 2015. 

I think it makes sense... I think it's something the city should do, BP coordinator or no BP coordinator. 

Most of my co-workers who commute into Portland don't park in downtown parking as it is.  One rides his skateboard from the eastern prom.  Most of the others just walk from the east or west ends, if they can find long term parking somewhere over there.  It might be nice if the city sold commuter passes for parking, as it would acknowledge that we do need those people to park somewhere for the city to run at this point, and they they could just buy something once.

Would we need to vote on that letter separately? 

My understanding of the bylaws is that we could hold a special meeting just to vote on that issue, and if we had Quorum, that would count.  Wouldn't necessarily have to be a very long meeting.

It might be nice to send the 2 letters to finance at the same time. 

Would either of you, Zack & Christian, be up for drafting that second letter?  It could probably be pretty short & sweet. 

~Winston

Winston W. Lumpkins IV

Portland, Maine,
04101

207-408-1508

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[Scsmedia]

I have drafts of that letter also.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

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[al...@citymouse.us]

This Council is different from others, and I think it would do good to start a conversation with them, about Parking. I believe that there might be a majority who would do progressive things with our transportation. They need to hear from us, especially those who already have their ear.

Food service employees: if pay meters stop at 6pm - for these workers - then I wonder where everyone else who drives during the day parks?

The City-owned garages charge more ($3/hr, I believe) than meters ($2/hr), which flips the Donald Shoup-inspired parking on its head. The City should lead on this, to make on-street parking the most per-hour, because it's the most valuable. Parking Div. webpages mention "turnover parking" a few times.

Finally, I think that this Council might look at tying an increase to parking rates to one 'thing', unlike other Councils in the past. If it weren't this Coordinator position, then perhaps for the Metro budget.

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[Winston Lumpkins]

Hmm. 

Could you put that draft from 2015  in this google document? 

Probably will need some re-working of course, but it would be interesting at the very least to see what exactly we recommended at the time.

 Parking scheme

I think I just fixed it so you should be able to access it without any faffing with google. 

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[Winston Lumpkins]

I have long put off reading Donald Shoup's book... 

I've been watching some youtube videos of little clips of him & will start with one of the hour plus presentations on it that are out there. 

I feel like there is a need to actually fully recommend the city fully change the entire way that they manage their parking.... 

~Winston W. Lumpkins IV

72 Waterville Street,

Apt 1

Portland, Maine,
04101

207-408-1508

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/PBPAC/1062166169.1372820.1645036542179%40mail.yahoo.com.

[winston.lumpkins]

I sat down to shrink the letter a bit, and only succeeded in generating an additional paragraph...
Just bumping this thread in case anyone wants to copy edit it a bit, and suggest some cuts!
It would be nice to send it out fairly soon, and I think it's mostly done!
Here's the link for the document- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cds_wmTusV-yODr3K_LSVLqHkTygWLHaShchHc0XSbk/edit?usp=sharing

Here's the text so far, though it's missing comments which can be viewed on the google doc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Members of the Finance Committee, Councilors Mark Dion, Anna Trevorrow & April Fournier,
&
Dear Members of the Sustainability & transportation Committee, Councilors Andrew Zarro, Victoria Pelletier & Roberto Rodriguez,

The Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee would like to suggest that the position of Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator be added into the city’s budget either in the Planning Department or in the DPWin the planning department to help navigate and support the complex web of city-wide, regional, and statewide plans that are all striving to make our transportation system safer and more equitable.  This individual could not only prioritize, fund, and manage projects, but could facilitate the inclusion of all road users, whether they are New Mainers, members of the unhoused community, visitors using Portland’s new bike share to see the sights, or a family that swapped their minivan for an e-Bike.

A Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator could pay for itself by bringing in planning and infrastructure funding far exceeding the cost of the position, and may even save the city money in the long run by moving projects forward in a more timely manner, cutting down on contract hiring, and reducing the amount of asphalt that the city is responsible for maintaining. This position has a proven track record of effectiveness and cost efficiency. Between 2010 and 2015, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator brought in more than $1 million in infrastructure funding, and additional funding for traffic studies. 

The City has already demonstrated tremendous leadership in its efforts to support active transportation. The One Climate Future plan is a much needed roadmap for cutting carbon emissions, and changes to the city’s land use code allow for increased housing density and fewer parking requirements, all in support of greater climate and transportation goals. With Portland’s Plan 2030, PACTS’ Destination 2040 Plan, MaineDOT’s Active Transportation Plan, and the City’s Better Bikeways Initiative, as well as numerous infrastructure improvement projects on the docket, we see that important progress is on the horizon.  

However, progress cannot come soon enough. Pedestrian deaths are at crisis levels, both nationally and locally. A record twenty pedestrians were killed on the road in Maine in 2021. In Portland, three pedestrians were hit by cars in just a two-week span in January 2022, resulting in serious injuries and one fatality. These deaths are tragic and avoidable. We need a Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator in City Hall now because procedural slow-downs and delays are not just inconvenient. They cost lives. 

Portland employs many people who only work on infrastructure that serves cars alone- While many of the city's employees do excellent work supporting active transportation, the inclusion of infrastructure that serves active transportation just makes sense.

In addition, Portland residents have expressed a need for bolstering safe, alternative modes of transportation. According to a December 2021 poll conducted by the city, the majority of respondents stated that they either do not drive to work or school or do not drive at all. When asked which important transportation problems the city should tackle, the vast majority said “ease of getting around without a car.”

We believe that Portland is poised to become a national model as a climate-resilient, pedestrian-friendly city. In order to get there, we need to prioritize pedestrian safety programs and bicycle infrastructure projects now.  Every new project that the city undertakes should be built for the future, when we will need to depend less on the automobile.  Hiring a Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator would be a great step towards making sure that happens.

[Scsmedia]

I took a quick stab a cleaning it up.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

Dear Members of the Finance Committee, Councilors Mark Dion, Anna Trevorrow & April Fournier,

& the Sustainability & Transportation Committee, Councilors Andrew Zarro, Victoria Pelletier & Roberto Rodriguez,

The Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee would like to suggest that the position of Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator be added into the city’s budget either in the Planning Department [or in the DPWin the planning department]* to help navigate and support the complex web of city-wide, regional, and statewide plans that are all striving to make our transportation system safer and more equitable.  This individual could not only prioritize, fund, and manage projects, but could facilitate the inclusion of all road users, whether they are including New Mainers, members of the unhoused community, visitors and tourists using Portland’s new bike share to see the sights, or a family that swapped their minivan for an e-Bike.

* This makes no sense

A Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator could pay for itself by bringing in planning and infrastructure funding far exceeding the cost of the position, and may even save the city money in the long run by moving projects forward in a more timely manner., cutting down on contract hiring, and reducing the amount of asphalt that the city is responsible for maintaining. This position has a proven track record of effectiveness and cost efficiency. Between 2010 and 2015, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator brought in more than $1 million in infrastructure funding, and additional funding for traffic studies. [Where s this info from?]

The City has already demonstrated tremendous leadership in its efforts to support active transportation. The One Climate Future plan is a much needed roadmap for cutting carbon emissions, and changes to the city’s land use code allow for increased housing density and fewer parking requirements, all in support of greater climate and transportation goals. With Portland’s Plan 2030, PACTS’ Destination 2040 Plan, MaineDOT’s Active Transportation Plan, and the City’s Better Bikeways Initiative, as well as numerous infrastructure improvement projects on the docket, we see that important progress is on the horizon.

However, progress cannot come soon enough. Pedestrian deaths are at crisis levels, both nationally and locally. A record twenty pedestrians were killed on the road in Maine in 2021. In Portland, three pedestrians were hit by cars in just a two-week span in January 2022, resulting in serious injuries and one fatality. These deaths are tragic and avoidable. We need a Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator in City Hall now because procedural slow-downs and delays are not just inconvenient. T they can cost lives.

Portland employs many people who only work on infrastructure that serves cars alone- While many of the city's employees do excellent work supporting active transportation, the inclusion of infrastructure that serves active transportation just makes sense.

In addition, Additionally, Portland residents have expressed a need for bolstering safe, alternative modes of transportation. According to a December 2021 poll conducted by the city, the majority of respondents stated that they either do not drive to work or school or do not drive at all. When asked which important transportation problems the city should tackle, the vast majority said “ease of getting around without a car.”

[Winston Lumpkins]

Thanks Steven!
I've incorporated some of your edits-
I'll just respond to the questions-
We've heard differing ideas re the Planning Department vs. Department of Public Works.

Kristine Keeney, who last held the position, said it would be ideally part of public works. It was part of the planning department when she had the job though, and she thought it went fairly well, until they nixed it of course.  Ultimately, if they were to take this up, I'm sure they would look into where it would be the most effective, so what we recommend may not matter.  Recommending either seems the easiest thing to me.  I certainly don't know which would be more effective, you have a much better feel for those departments than I do, Steven. 

Looking through our sources, I think the 1 million number comes from this blog post: https://cushmanconsult.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/why-portland-cant-afford-to-axe-its-bike-ped-coordinator/ it would probably be ideal to have it from wherever she got it from...
"City staff have put together a list of bike-pedestrian infrastructure projects that were brought in over the past 4 years of the coordinator position and it was about $1 million. And that’s just infrastructure – it doesn’t reflect different study monies like the EPA Bikeshare Feasibility Study, etc. that the position secured as well. Cutting the cost of this position actually means cutting long-term planning and infrastructure revenue." ~ https://cushmanconsult.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/why-portland-cant-afford-to-axe-its-bike-ped-coordinator/

 

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[al...@citymouse.us]

I believe Bruce H, in his various positions, started in Planning and later moved to Public Works (or Public Services). It may benefit to have one in each department. Why don't we just write "Planning or Public Works department"?

Alex

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

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[George Rheault]

Ask the Charter Commission to change the title of "City Manager" to "City Manager/Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator" - this way it will be clear this way of thinking goes straight to the top and we don't have to worry about which department hosts the position.

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[Zack Barowitz]

Bruce is in Planning. He was in PW, but as far as I know he is still in planning. 

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[winston.lumpkins]

Here is a PDF of how it looks at the moment. 
It doesn't recommend a department & includes all paragraphs. 
I figure I'll just make 2 copies, one addressed to the finance committee & one the sustainability & transportation committee.
I removed the website from the letterhead, as it didn't seem to go anywhere, but, hopefully we'll have one again soon and it can go back. 

Google doc version for editing or commenting, though feel free to respond here if you want:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cds_wmTusV-yODr3K_LSVLqHkTygWLHaShchHc0XSbk/edit

Sending it on Thursday  or Friday probably makes sense. 

I think there was a little discussion of a chair email, did that happen?