PBAC Meeting April 14, 2026: Lime Scooter Concerns, Connectivity Framework, and Downtown Vision Plan
PBAC Meeting April 14, 2026
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) met on April 14, 2026, to discuss public comments, a connectivity gap prioritization framework, Lime scooter follow-up, and a downtown commercial district vision plan. The meeting was chaired by David Olson with members present: Mike Schmidt, Erin Buckley, Paula Lover Shell, Mike Jou, Ethan Swanson, and David Olson. Sarah Stevens and Dave Pesh were absent. The meeting began with roll call and public comment, followed by consent agenda items pulled for discussion, new business, and informational items. The construction transportation update was postponed due to weather.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Barry expressed frustration over the city's lack of enforcement of laws prohibiting scooters on sidewalks, citing frequent violations in the downtown area and safety concerns for elderly residents. He urged the committee to request data on summons and warnings issued.
- John Besan (returning speaker) noted that Lime's follow-up information submitted after the March 9th meeting was insufficient and lacked detailed, data-driven responses. He encouraged PBAC to continue pressing for rigorous data, including trip routing and incident reporting details.
- A third speaker (unnamed) supported the previous comments and emphasized the need for Lime to demonstrate proactive measures, such as addressing underage riders and sidewalk riding, and to provide statistical analysis of their follow-through.
Discussion Items
- Consent Agenda Pulled (4A & 4B): The committee voted to pull the minutes from March 9, 2026, and the Lime update from the consent agenda for discussion. A motion by Aaron, seconded by Mike Zhu, passed unanimously.
- Agenda Setting: A motion to set the agenda for the April 13, 2026 meeting (note: the meeting date is April 14, 2026; the transcript shows a discrepancy) was passed.
- 6A: Connectivity Gap Prioritization Framework (Matt Lynch, Mode Shift Coordinator): Staff presented a draft framework to prioritize connectivity gaps beyond simple mapping, considering access to key destinations, safety barriers, equity, transit support, land use alignment, and year-round usability. PBAC provided feedback on criteria, including the need for safety lighting, better data on user demand, focus on high-potential areas (e.g., downtown, schools), and inclusion of safe routes to school. Staff will use the feedback to refine the framework and determine which criteria can be modeled in GIS.
- 4B: Lime Scooter Follow-Up: After public comments, the committee discussed the need for more detailed data from Lime. Members expressed concerns about the company's incident reporting (minor/moderate/alleged) and the lack of enforcement mechanisms. A motion was made to invite Lime back for the June meeting with specific data: a breakdown of how they define and collect safety incident data (minor, moderate, severe) and origin-destination/start-stop data for trips. The motion passed 5-1, with Ethan Swanson voting nay.
- Downtown Commercial Historic District Vision Plan (Molly Patterson Lundgren, City Planner): The plan, adopted by City Council in early 2024, aims to enhance the public realm and mobility in the historic district. Key proposals include reimagining Third Street (e.g., dedicated bike lane, flexible event space), Broadway traffic calming, First Avenue bikeway options, and activation of alleyways. The plan is intended to guide future capital improvements and support economic vitality while preserving historic character. No action was required; the presentation was informational.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda Items Pulled: The minutes from March 9, 2026, and the Lime update were removed from the consent agenda for discussion.
- Lime Scooter Data Request: The committee voted to invite Lime representatives to the June 2026 meeting and requested: (1) detailed safety incident data including definitions of minor, moderate, and severe incidents and how those reports are collected; (2) trip origin-destination data (start/stop locations) to better understand usage patterns. The motion passed 5-1.
- Construction Transportation Update Postponed: Due to approaching severe weather, the committee voted to reschedule the Bold Forward Unbound construction update to the May 11, 2026 meeting (6:30 PM, City Hall Room 320). Motion passed unanimously.
- Next Steps: Staff will incorporate PBAC feedback on the connectivity framework and report back at a future meeting. The committee will also follow up on the Lime data request.
Meeting Transcript
All right, call the meeting to order and go through roll call. Mike Schmidt. Here. Sarah Stevens. She told us that she's not able to make it today. And Dave Pesh is also unable to make it today. Erin Buckley, present. Paula Lover Shell. Present. Mike Jou. Ethan Swanson. And David Olson. President. Okay. Do we have another people for quorum? One, two. One, two, five. Yeah, that's really not coming. Because it's five by eight. Okay. All right. Then we will move on to an open time period. We do have some people who have signed up today. We have three people on the sign-up sheet. We will give each attendee two minutes, man. So two or three minutes. Okay. So first on the list here is Barry. Yeah, hi. I was square but upset and when I read the agenda first, they left my neighbor because you have a speaker and the last meeting. So I was hoping to manage the minutes of the last meeting to include my name with somebody who did speaking during the meeting. All wanted board committee of the uh moving violations of line on the side. They all brought it up. I think a couple of people in the committee commented on it. Yet why ignored completely they didn't answer any of that, or maybe the staff investment tool, but whatever it is. Once again, try for five years to get the city police and the line to enforce the state and city laws. That's to clearly say that line scooters are not allowed on the sidewalk unless they're leaving directly from a parking squad. They're not allowed to do a city and state law. And after repeated requests, it's almost like a mount phase of walk with this feedback as well. I would say to sort of to sort of do that. I strongly believe that to get the community should ask one how many times was the summons given out in the last two or three years. What are then how many times the warnings given out for people who are violating the work? And especially bad in the downtown district with a lot of people. I've spoken to old people like in Charterhouse and other places, and they're saying that they feel uncomfortable there, and it's not right for that people. I would say this is put in harm's way by people who are writing weaving in and out of the moment on the sidewalk. It's irresponsible, and it and the city should not ignore it totally. Well, not even for a lot, just a little bit of warnings here or there. It's not a lot. I also think as far as my thing goes, uh I I agree with most of that. I do think that they should see what happens in the winter time because there's nothing in there about winter activities.
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