6:40 p.m.
Just got this update from the Chatham Cycling Counsel
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: March 11 meeting followup
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:56:50 -0400
From: Member Services CCK <memberservices(a)cycleck.ca>
We could have continued our meeting all night and not run out of issues
to discuss :-). Here are some updates on what we discussed:
1) 2009 cost of pavement markings: The municipal website shows that
contract awarded at approx $48,500 which presumable was charged to our
$750,000 2009 budget.
2) Priority projects and costings: Attached is a table listing the
priority projects we identified and my cost estimates based on standard
consultant's cost tables and also showing how the list relates to the
funding available. It would be great if we could get all this done in
2010, especially if we could avoid the big cost hit for Victoria Ave.!
3) *Bike* rack costs: The report going to Council Monday night
confirms the cost of post-and-ring racks at $181.65, or $90.83/bike space.
*However, there is a reference to "200 racks for $60,000" later in Leo's
report and Tom Beaton mentioned those figures at the January ACSC
meeting. Does that mean that installation is expected to cost $120/unit?
In my humble opinion that would be nuts!*
*There is no mention in Leo's report of the project being spread over 5
years as indicated in the RFQ.*
*There is no mention of another RFQ being issued for inverted-U racks as
agreed to by Don Shropshire at the February ACSC meeting.*
*The ACSC is a party to this deal, but is not being treated as a full
partner. *
-Did the ACSC approve the details of the $100,000
program that was the basis for the TDM grant application? Leo has said
that the money will have to be spent as shown in the submission.
-Did you have any say in who was asked to bid on the
racks contract? None of the major suppliers of bike racks in Canada or
the USA were included and would almost certainly have had lower bids.
Toronto is installing 3000 post-and-rings in 2010 and their supplier
could probably run off another 100 for us at very low cost. Other
suppliers will have to retool to do this job.
-Does the ACSC know how the municipality is deciding
how many racks they need and at what locations? There are standard
guidelines agreed on by many municipalities that indicate how much bike
parking is needed for various type3s and sizes of property. John J
researched those guidelines. Is Administration using them or ignoring them?
-I know that the ACSC wasn't told that the RFQ
specifies 100 racks/yr over 5 years. When I emailed Don S about this he
replied: "While this issue was not discussed last night (Feb 16), the
Active Communities Steering Committee has in the past discussed the need
to maintain our momentum and move ahead with the roll out of the bike
rack program. While wanting to maintain a sense of urgency on this file
I am not concerned with our current rate of progress". That of course is
not his decision to make.
The ACSC was created to give Council and the community initiative,
advice, and action beyond what the municipality would get from staff
alone. That won't happen if the ACSC simply agrees to whatever staff
says or does. Initiatives from citizen members of the ACSC are needed
and must come in the form of motions that get passed and so become ACSC
policy. Anything short of that is just conversation
I believe that Leo, Don, and Laurel are trying to move this initiative
forward in a professional manner. That doesn't mean that they will
always have the right answers or the same level of commitment and sense
of urgency that the ACSC should bring. .Also, they are the interface
with their staff and with Council, and get push-back from both.
Sometimes it may be helpful to them to be able to go back to these
bodies and say
"I initially disagreed, but this is the ACSC decision".
Those at our March 11 meeting who are not ACSC members, and others
receiving copies of this email, are representative of the cycling
community you have been appointed to represent. They are counting on you.
Thanks for bearing with me on this. Best of luck at the ACSC meeting
Tuesday.
**Regards**
**John Sigurjonsson**