Ashwaubenon committee reviews updates to bike and pedestrian plan, flags policy and mapping details

The Village of Ashwaubenon Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee reviewed proposed updates to the village's bicycle and pedestrian comprehensive plan during its meeting. Planner Devin (presenter) gave a chapter‑by‑chapter overview of edits, including updated mileage and facility descriptions, revised crash and traffic data, policy language changes and new material on implementation tools and funding sources.

The proposed edits retain much of the current plan but remove references to "visually narrowed lanes" and consolidate several goals, while adding an acknowledgement of the village's recently adopted high‑visibility crosswalk policy and a new policy item to monitor e‑bikes and e‑scooters. "I thought that seemed like something, in my mind, relevant going forward that you might want to keep an eye on," Devin said when describing the new e‑mobility language. He apologized earlier for sending the wrong attachment and asked members to review the full draft once it is redistributed.

Why it matters: committee members said the maps and policy wording will guide which projects the village pursues and how staff prioritizes investments. Several members warned that removing language about visually narrowed lanes could create expectation or maintenance gaps for existing pavement markings. One member said the village should be clear whether the intention is to maintain those lane markings as an "edge line" standard or let them fade when roads are reconstructed.

Key details and debate: Devin explained that the change is primarily editorial and that most policy language remains the same; two specific provisions referencing visually narrowed lanes were removed because the committee had previously discussed using standard edge or fog lines instead. A committee member read the old plan language aloud to illustrate what was being removed: "Existing visually narrowed lanes should be maintained over the long term as shared spaces for walking, bicycling, and vehicle parking where no other bicycle or pedestrian facilities are planned," language Devin said was in the earlier plan and is now proposed for deletion. Members pressed staff on who would maintain markings if the policy language is removed; staff and others said marking decisions should follow engineering guidance.

Maps and metrics drew focused attention. Devin pointed to Map 7 and Map 8 as the implementation guides showing candidate crossing enhancements and bicycle routes; staff reminded members that the purple dashed lines represent signed bicycle routes rather than dedicated bicycle lanes. A member questioned the plan's listed bike lane total (4.64 miles); Devin clarified how lane mileage is measured, noting sidewalks are counted per side while bike lane mileage is not doubled.

Missing and corrected items: a member noted the Ashwaubenon Sports Complex exterior trail and a newer Argonne Park boardwalk/trail were absent from the draft; Devin agreed to add those segments and update the totals. The committee also flagged a table numbering error in the engineering actions that staff said would be corrected.

Implementation and funding: Chapter 6's implementation section was reviewed and described as intentionally more general; funding sources were updated to the most current federal and state programs staff could locate. Members raised uncertainty about the status of a stewardship program and noted it could lapse (one member said it may expire in mid‑2026 if not renewed); Devin said he would double‑check and ensure the plan language reflects current program status.

Equity and training: Several members recommended adding language about equity — identifying underserved neighborhoods and populations — in the encouragement or action sections so older or lower‑resourced areas are not overlooked. Staff (Joel) encouraged committee members and village planning/engineering staff (Aaron Schutte; engineering: Brian Rickard, Steve Berg) to attend relevant county and state trainings such as Brown County's Safe Streets for All open houses.

Next steps: Devin offered to resend the complete draft to committee members for detailed review and asked them to annotate map priorities and any items they want retained or reworded before the committee forwards a final plan to the village board. The committee set the next meeting for January 12 at 3:30 p.m.

The meeting included routine procedural votes to approve the agenda and prior meeting minutes and adjourned following a motion and voice vote.