Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Active Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Active Transportation commission reports bike-friendly application and mobile pedestrian counters to council
Summary
The Active Transportation Advisory Commission gave a quarterly update on March 3, reporting plans to submit a Bike Friendly Community application for bronze-level renewal, the acquisition of three mobile pedestrian/bicycle counters and coordination with Public Works to place the units at locations such as Republic Street.
The Batavia Active Transportation Advisory Commission told the City Council on March 3 that it will seek to renew bronze-level recognition under the League of American Bicyclists’ Bike Friendly Community program and has acquired three mobile pedestrian/bicycle counting devices for short-term deployment across the city.
Regan Bull, chair of the commission, said the group — which has substantial turnover since its 2023 formation under Ordinance 23-35 — is working with Public Works to prepare a bike-friendly application that the commission expects to submit by June. Bull said the commission’s longer-term goal is to reach silver level in the city’s 10-year plan.
The commission also described a small pilot of three mobile counting units, obtained through the public-works team, that will be rotated to locations where the city lacks systematic pedestrian and bicycle counts. "We have 3 of these cameras, and we're still reviewing where we're going to put those," Bull said, adding the units are mobile and intended to substantiate future sidewalk and bike-related projects.
Gary Holm of Public Works clarified the devices are counting units, not permanent high-mounted surveillance cameras, and said at least one unit will be pole-mounted at approximately head height because the counters operate by a beam and must be installed at pedestrian/bike level. The commission has discussed placing units near Republic Street to measure walking-to-school patterns and to support grant or design decisions.
Commission members said the units will be used to gather baseline counts — for example to show whether a proposed sidewalk or crossing is supported by observed pedestrian usage — and that the devices are not intended to collect general vehicular traffic volumes. The commission also flagged public-notice concerns and recommended a web address for resident information rather than an exposed QR code.
Why it matters: Reliable counts can strengthen grant applications and help Public Works prioritize sidewalk and bicycle improvements. The commission’s stated bronze-level application and the pilot counts are early steps toward evidence-based active-transportation planning in Batavia.
Provenance: Regan Bull provided the commission report and Gary Holm answered technical questions during the March 3 meeting. The commission report referenced Ordinance 23-35 (formation of the commission).
