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Brookings Bicycling Advisory Committee
November 18, 2015 Minutes
A meeting of the Brookings Bicycling Advisory Committee was held on Wednesday, November 18,
2015 at 4:00 p.m. in the Brookings City and County Government Center. Members present: Emily
Braun, Caleb Finck, Ben Vukovich, Joanie Holm, Steve Paula, Vern Olson and Meghan Thoreau.
Members absent: Van Fishback and Julie Hendricks. Liaisons: Mike Lockrem, SDSU &
Sustainability Council and Steve Berseth, Park and Recreation Board. City staff present: Jackie
Lanning, City Engineer; Mike Struck, Community Development Director; Shari Thornes, City Clerk;
and Laurie Carruthers, Communications Specialist.
Chair Caleb Finck called the meeting to order at 4:05 pm. A motion was made by Holm,
seconded by Braun, to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. A motion was
made by Holm, seconded by Vukovich, to approve the October 14, 2015 minutes. All present
voted yes; motion carried.
Schedule next meeting. Thursday, December 3, 2015 at 4pm. Braun not available.
Discussion and possible action regarding city building bike parking locations and proposed bike
rack designs. The Infrastructure Subcommittee reported the city’s current bike rack locations
near main buildings use by the public and advised Hoff would be preparing a more detailed list.
Within parks, specific areas must be identified for future bike rack locations. The subcommittee
outlined items that should be considered when determining where to place bike racks: location;
snow removal; covered racks; landscaping; cars parked nearby; requirements when new city
facility is built or receiving funds. The subcommittee also reported on Nashville’s bike
rack/public art project. Nashville provided an example of their Call to Artists, which outlined
many project details. The committee discussed outlining best practices, including, but not
limited to: signage if not near a main entrance, accessibility, standard upside-down U shape
(more versatile for adding more racks), and identification where needed. Paula stated Brookings
needs to install bike racks now, and can work on the art project at a future date. The committee
agreed. The Infrastructure Subcommittee will develop bike rack standards prior to the next
meeting. Art Alley could collaborate on the project to get businesses involved.
Subcommittee Reports.
Community Support – The subcommittee met and is working on education and encouragement.
Each member is reviewing other cities’ master plans and will regroup at the next meeting.
Infrastructure – The subcommittee met and discussed the bike rack project and City Council
Resolution. A best practices standard needs to be set. For example, a precedent needs to be
established in Brookings for the striping and signage for bike lanes. From SDSU’s perspective, 6th
Street needs to be a connector, not a barrier. Currently, it is a barrier as well as the railroad
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tracks. This needs to be considered when rebuilding 6th Street. One way streets have been
discussed for 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue.
The City Council asked the SD DOT to consider a ‘road diet’ from Western Avenue to 20th Avenue
along 6th Street. If the lanes were reduced to 3, several traffic signals would need to be
removed. However, there is a strong support to keep the 7th Avenue traffic signal. The SD DOT
reported back that 3 lanes are not feasible due to the queueing times. The 6th Street Project
from Main Avenue to Medary Avenue has been tabled to the December 8th City Council Agenda.
The current recommendation from the SD DOT is 5 – 11’ lanes. This section of 6th Street is
flanked by two historic districts. The Bicycle Advisory Committee could make a recommendation
for this meeting.
Student representative update. Ben Vukovich is the new Brookings High School Student
Representative. Ben is a junior and has been biking for 10 years.
Meeting adjourned at 5:11 p.m.
Submitted by Laurie Carruthers