The Municipal Services Committee is meeting 11/08/2021 at 4:30PM.
They will be receiving a presentation from a BIRD Scooter representative regarding the E-Scooter pilot program.
There’s a funny split in how the safety of the electric scooters is viewed and it looks like there are some intense feelings on both ends of the spectrum regarding the perceived safety of the scooters.
There were 23 pages of comments that people provided regarding the scooters. There are a lot of complaints regarding scooters being left lying around, making the sidewalks less accessible. Plenty of people also express that they’re very fun modes of transportation. There seems to be split in the comments on how “green” the scooters are with some people taking it for a given while others point out that since they’re electric and rechargeable they’re getting their electricity from non-green sources.
The committee also has 4 action items.
The first is proposed changes to the Municipal Code regarding Central Business District Street Vendors. Apparently, concerns have arisen regarding food trucks specifically (1) the number of licenses allowed for on-street food trucks and (2) where the on-street food trucks are allowed to park.
Staff is recommending that the number of licenses that may be issued for on-street units be increased from 4 to 8.
The Attorney’s Office also has concerns regarding the current prohibition on parking within 50 feet of the main entrance of any business selling the same or similar products. Per the Attorney’s Office, it is difficult to define “same or similar product” so they are recommending that that language be deleted from the municipal code all together.
The second action item is a request to develop a Parklet Policy for the City of Appleton. In July the Common Council approved a street occupancy permit for a parklet on State Street near Muncheez Pizza and the Mile of Music mural. This was a pilot program to see how it worked. All involved departments and Appleton Downtown Inc agree that the pilot was a success, so staff is now requesting approval to develop a Parklet Policy for the committee and the Common Council to consider.
The third item is a request to limit the speed of the 800 block of Washington Street to 15MPH. This follows on a 6 month trial period. The street is quite narrow and feels like an alley even if it has been designated as a “street”. With the completion of the 6-month trial, staff is recommending that that decrease to 15MPH be made permanent. [I can attest it’s a really narrow street and 25 miles per hour seems too fast for it.]
The fourth and final action item is follow up to a 6-month trial of parking restrictions on Atlantic Street west of Lawe Street. Staff is recommending that the 1 hour parking restriction that existed in that section of street be removed. It was originally created because a credit union was located there and wanted to ensure that their walk-up customers had places to park. The credit union, however, no longer exists, so the restriction is not needed.
The committee will also be receiving a couple information items including and Inspections Division Permit Summary Comparison Report for October, and a BIRD E-Scooter Report for October. Sidewalk riding on College Avenue and improper parking continue to be the top complaints.
View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=897659&GUID=879EBE8D-D582-4943-A153-1A5AD0ABE0FB
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