Special Bd. of Aldermen — 06-25-2019 Page 8
Alderwoman Melizzi-Golja
This really isn’t a question for you so I’m going to look at the audience, where are we with developing our bike
and pedestrian program and how is this fitting in and how is this all coming together.
Ms. Chizmas We are actually in discussion with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission right now to see
about getting some help for a bike/ped plan. Definitely high on my list of things to do; and also working with
DPW to make sure that all the right people are at the table when we develop this plan. But we are having talks
with NRPC right now to develop a scope of work to develop that plan. | think it involves public outreach, it
involves a lot of analysis of the existing infrastructure that we have and where people are and where they want
to go. And making sure that we develop our bike lanes appropriately, so it is ongoing, actively, currently | don’t
have a plan in-hand right now though. But again we get the data about where these devices are being used, so
more to the bikes. So that helps inform us as to where people are using them so again we can prioritize our
investments appropriately.
Alderwoman Melizzi-Golja
First of all Julie thank you, and | knew it was in process, but | wasn’t quite sure where it was. And | ask because
when the lanes appeared the Courthouse Oval, | know some of us got phone calls about those. Like how was it
determined to put them there and certainly there is safer than Main Street to Alderman Dowd’s point. But | think
people also look at that as it is a real crazy place to drive, so adding one more lane may not actually be the most
helpful thing there. But people have to get around Main Street some way. So in listening to the discussion
where these are going to be driven, | just think it is really important and | know you understand this, what we
look at the traffic and where these are going because they are going to move quicker. | don’t know how much
noise they generate but you know people are playing their music, and sometimes with my windows up | can
hear their music and they have their windows up too. So we know that they are not going to hear this and that is
just a fact of life. So for the rider safety as much as anything else, | think we just need to think about where
these are going to be operating. And then as we move forward with that plan, how we make sure the riders,
these or the bicycles know where it is perceived to be safer to ride. | am not going to say “safe” but safer to ride.
So that’s my concern about these operating with nothing being very well defined yet.
Ms. Chizmas | think the education that Matt spoke of will be a really important part to the success of this and
any program involving whether it is bikes or trails or new technology that we are bringing in. We are kind of
seeing where this educates us on the development side, as to where we should be putting in bike lanes and that
is part of the NRPC analysis. They had done one a couple years ago looking at origins and destinations and
hey if you fix the sidewalk then kids could get from here to there more safely. So we will be continuing that kind
of analysis again using the data from the devices themselves.
Alderman Tencza
| just have a question. So Alderman Laws brought up about people who were drinking and may hop on one of
these scooters. Have you consulted with the Division of Motor Vehicles about whether someone needs a
license or some kind of special moped license in order to ride one of these. | hate to see someone get in trouble
because they rent one and then their license in suspended or something and then they are pulled over.
Mr. Briggs One of the, and this is across multiple states, one of the benefits of this technology is giving access
to those even if they don’t have a vehicle or don’t have access to a vehicle.
