City staff told the Transportation Commission on Jan. 15 that the Maxwell Avenue Ped/Bike Safe project, funded through a state bike‑and‑pedestrian safety grant, is at a design stage where detailed advisory review and neighborhood outreach are needed.

Staff described the Maxwell project as primarily a protected bike lane with planned crossings at Belt and Elm and said they would like the Bicycle Advisory Board (BAB) to examine technical details and draft a resolution the commission could use when forwarding a recommendation to City Council. Commissioners supported that approach and requested early, visible public outreach at corridor locations and bus‑stop notations in materials.

The staff presentation said Maxwell’s layout remains under discussion and that neighborhood meetings are underway. Staff asked the commission to recommend that BAB dive into design details, crosswalk and bus‑stop locations, and outreach strategy before the Transportation Commission takes a recommendation to council. Several commissioners said they preferred giving BAB the initial technical review rather than asking the commission to approve design tweaks immediately.

Staff noted the project’s funding source — a state bike‑ped safety grant — and that Maxwell will serve as a test case for other projects. Commissioners suggested ways to publicize design meetings (signage at businesses and community‑center bulletin boards, brief pop‑up events) and asked staff to ensure bus stops and transit pull‑outs are marked in any public materials because those stops could affect crossing designs.

Next steps: staff will plan additional neighborhood outreach, forward the design package to the Bicycle Advisory Board for detailed review, and return to the Transportation Commission with BAB’s advice and a more developed packet for the commission’s recommendation to council.

Discussion highlights

- Project: Maxwell Avenue, grant‑funded through the state bike/ped safety program; intended to be a largely protected bike lane with crossings at Belt and Elm.
- Process: staff requested the Transportation Commission recommend that BAB perform the detailed design review and prepare comments or a resolution to the commission.
- Public outreach: commissioners requested prominent signage at affected businesses, transit stop notation in materials, and localized pop‑in engagement events.