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Bicycle Friendly Community Leadership AppointmentMasterpiece on the Mississippi Dubuque ilittil All- Ametica City 1 I I ! I ® ' 2007 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Bicycle Friendly Community Application - Leadership Appointments DATE: May 3, 2011 As part of the application process to be designated as Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is recommending she be appointed as the City of Dubuque Bicycle Program Manager. Laura then plans to appoint the Tri -State Trail Vision group as the Bicycle Advisory Committee to the Bicycle Program Manager. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. MCVM:jk Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager Michael C. Van Milligen Masterpiece on the Mississippi TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager �/ FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager._;; U SUBJECT: Bicycle Friendly Community Application — Leadership Appointments DATE: May 2, 2011 Dubuque AB- Amedcactty 2007 Introduction The purpose of this memorandum is to request City Council concurrence with leadership appointments necessary to submit a Bicycle Friendly Community application to the League of American Bicyclists. The Dubuque application is a collaborative effort of Tri -State Trail Vision and the City of Dubuque that will be submitted for City Council review and approval in June 2011. A BFC brochure is enclosed. Background The mission of the League of American Bicyclists is: To promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle - friendly America. The League's Bicycle Friendly Community Program (BFC) provides incentives, hands - on assistance, and award recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. A Bicycle Friendly Community welcomes bicyclists by providing safe accommodation for cycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. The BFC application is an audit of the engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation efforts in your municipality. This comprehensive inquiry is designed to yield a holistic picture of your community's work to promote bicycling. A League of American Bicyclists committee reviews and scores the BFC application and consults with local cyclists in the community. An award of platinum, gold, silver or bronze status is designated for 4 years. Renewals are due every 4 years and require a short annual update. Award levels may change based on the renewal feedback. Discussion Tri -State Trail Vision was formed from the Envision 2010 (Ten Community Projects by 2010) effort. The mission of this non - profit group is to develop an integrated trail system to enhance the life of the residents in the Tri -State region. The group was instrumental in the creation of the Tri -State Area Integrated Walking, Bicycling, and Hiking Plan. Friendly Community Application — Leadership Appointments Page 2 Tri -State Trail Vision's current initiative is submission of a BFC application for the city of Dubuque. The BFC application requires support from the City Council to be successful. The City Council already has taken major steps in support with adoption of the Tri -State Trail Plan and a Complete Streets Policy. Recommendation Two leadership appointments for submission of the BFC application also must be made: a Bicycle Program Manager and a Bicycle Advisory Committee. Bicycle Program Manager City staff supports the appointment by the City Council of the Planning Services Manager to serve as the Bicycle Program Manager for Dubuque. Planning is a major part of the local and regional efforts for the area's trail system development. As is done currently, the Planning Services Manager would continue to attend bicycle facility design workshops and conferences, and to work closely with staff in other City Departments as well as community stakeholders like Tri -State Trail Vision, to support bicycle friendly plans, policies, programs and projects in Dubuque and the surrounding area. Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) The position of the League of American Bicyclists is that having an effective BAC is critical to building public support for bicycle improvements. It creates a systematic method for ongoing citizen input into development of important policies, plans, and projects. A BAC should be involved in developing relevant policy and planning documents, setting priorities, reviewing annual pedestrian program work plans, and reviewing major public and private projects. As noted in their enclosed letter, Tri -State Trail Vision has offered to serve as the Bicycle Advisory Committee. City staff supports this request, since the group meets regularly, works with City Departments on various bike /hike initiatives, and has formed partnerships with local bike clubs and other organizations that support bike /hike trails. Tri -State Trail Vision would not be the only source of information for the City's bike /hike trail plans and designs. Additional input would be sought from other stakeholders. Requested Action The requested action is for the City Council's appointment of the Planning Services Manager as the Bicycle Program Manager. Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens will then appoint the Tri -State Trail Vision as the Bicycle Advisory Committee to the Bicycle Program Manager to facilitate submission of a Bicycle Friendly Community application to the League of American Bicyclists. Enclosures cc: Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer F: \USERS \LCARSTEN \WP \Complete Streets \Bike Friendly Community \BFC Application - Initial Memo to MVM.doc April 29, 2011 Dear City Council members, On behalf of Tri -State Trail Vision Board of Directors, our organization requests that the City Council assign Tri -State Trail Vision to the role of Bicycle Advisory Committee, for the Bike - Friendly Community application from the City of Dubuque. Assigning a Bicycle Advisory Committee is a requirement of the application. We also encourage you to appoint City Planner Laura Carstens as the Bicycle Program Manager. Having these two key appointments in place will enhance the City of Dubuque application to be recognized as a Bike - Friendly Community. We thank you for the recent adoption of the Complete Streets Initiative. Along with Tri -State Trail Vision's funding and securing of bike rack installation on city buses, and our efforts with Bike to Work Week, these initiatives place Dubuque on the path to becoming a leader in sustainability, as we actively develop bicycling, hiking, and walking opportunities and amenities. Thank you for your consideration of Tri -State Trail Vision as the Bicycle Advisory Committee for the City of Dubuque application for the Bike - Friendly Community Application. Sincerely, J I • Michael A. (Tony) Zelinskas President Bicycle Friendly Community Program Partners: The League of American Bicyclists pro- motes bicycling for fun, fitness and trans- portation and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle - friendly Ameri- ca. The League represents the interests of the nation's 57 million cyclists. With a current membership of 300,000 affiliated cyclists, including 25,000 individuals and 700 affiliated organizations, the League works to bring better bicycling to your community. Learn more about the League at www.bikeleague.org. This type of recognition for the region enhances Tucson's image as a great destination for bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts. When people visit the Tucson region, they have an opportunity to experience all the natural and cultural amenities we offer. We are proud of the gold award, and we will continue to improve in the future. - Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup League of American Bicyclists a� Bikes Belong OHO 1 WORLD 2 WHEELS A IREK COMMITMENT LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS ........... 2 K Street, NW, S DC 200 www .bicyclefriendlycommunity.org The Bicycle Friendly Community Program inspires communities to improve conditions and opportunities for bicycling. League of America Bicyclists A Bicycle Friendly Community welcomes cyclists by providing well - engineered bicycle facilities, creating new places to ride, educating motorists and cyclists on the rules of the road, and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. Bicycle Friendly Communities have a high quality of life that translates into sustainable development, tourism, business growth and even increased property values. Encouraging bicycling is an effective way to increase physical activity, improve air quality, reduce traffic con- gestion and foreign oil dependence, and tackle climate change and obesity. Benefits for the more than 200 communities that have applied for BFC status include: • Inspiration to do more Technical assistance and training Grants and funding notification • Recognition and promotion The Bicycle Friendly Community application is an audit of a community's efforts to create a bicycling culture. The audit reviews engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation and planning efforts for bicycling. Each application is reviewed by national ex- perts and local cyclists to determine whether the community should get a BFC designation. Feedback from the reviewers creates a valuable roadmap for action. my community, The League will recognize deserving com- munities at one of four award levels: bronze, silver, gold, or platinum. The League will issue a press release, and will present an award and two highway - quality road signs at a local ceremony or celebration. What if my community doesn't Get involved with your local bike club or advocacy organization, join your community's bicycle advisory committee and work with your city staff. Use the BFC application as a task list to improve the state of cycling in your community. The BFC application is available at www. bicyclefriendlycommunity.org. The site also provides resources and technical assistance to help you with the on -line application. Contact the League of American Bicyclists at 202 - 822 -1333 or info @bicyclefriendlycommu - nity.org to receive more information. for more info, visit www .bicyclefriendlycommunity.org or call 202- 822 -1333 What are the next steps? 0 Access the application and resources at www .bicyclefriendlycommunity.org. O Create a partnership between local government and advocates to com- plete the application. o Submit a completed application at www . bicyclefriendlycommunity.org.