C-U Metro Unemployment and Transportation

In this post we have the latest area unemployment data and comparisons (also what the federal statisticans call our metropolitan statistical area"), MCORE updates with links to getting around closures and construction, and new electric rental bikes from VeoRide.

First the local unemployment in the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan statistical area remains low even compared to other area areas. Champaign and Urbana are even lower:

February jobless rate up in C-U, down in Danville over 2018
The unemployment rate in the Champaign-Urbana metro area increased slightly in February compared with a year ago, from 4.4 to 4.8 percent...

The Champaign-Urbana metro area lost 400 nonfarm jobs in the past year, declining from 111,200 to 110,800, and the Danville metro area lost 600, declining from 27,600 to 27,000.

In the C-U metro area, job gains were reported in the government, financial activities, professional and business services, and other services sectors, while declines were reported in the education and health services, wholesale trade, retail trade, and manufacturing sectors.

More information at the full article here. The federal statistics define the "Champaign-Urbana metropolitan statistical area" as a fairly large area that includes Ford and Piatt Counties as well. Here's a snip from the Census map of MSA's in our area:

Nobody could blame you if you consider whoever came up with that "metropolitan" description to be a few metros short of a metropolis.


Closer to what some of us might call a metropolitan area, albeit with a chuckle, there was also some news updates on transportation in the Champaign-Urbana local area. This includes an MCORE project update and electric rental bikes coming this week from VeoRide in the News-Gazette today. On MCORE:

Latest phase of MCORE work creating chaos for UI pedestrians
Phase 4 of the MCORE transportation project has taken over a well-traveled section of the University of Illinois campus, and it appears to have caught lots of people off guard.
UI communications instructor Tom Costello, who works in Lincoln Hall, has witnessed students and faculty climbing over chains used to rope off areas and struggling to find a way into buildings, with "no signs and no idea of where to go or how to get there."
...
The $47 million MCORE project — short for Multimodal Corridor Enhancement — is designed to improve safety and transit for pedestrians, bikes and buses in central Champaign-Urbana, with help from a $16 million federal grant. Three phases are complete, including sections of Green Street from the Illini Union to Lincoln Avenue in Urbana and from First and Neil streets in Champaign...

This new $13.2 million phase — repaving Wright from Springfield Avenue to Armory and repaving Armory from Wright to Fourth Street — is scheduled to last through December 2020. But the sections now being worked on will be completed by next fall, she said...

The Facilities and Services website has an item about the project with links to maps for each building and accessible routes, as well as the MCORE website. 

More information at the full article here. Accessibility information and maps at the Facilities and Services website here and the MCORE website here. [UPDATE: Tom's Mailbag had a specific question and answer on bagged parking meters and wheelchair access with the MCORE work on campus here.]


On VeoRide launching electric rental bikes:

VeoRide's electric bikes make C-U debut near UI Undergraduate Library
...
A few of the bikes were available near the University of Illinois' Undergraduate Library Monday, and a full launch is planned for Wednesday, said Ben Thomas, the company's local general manager.

"We are putting bikes out starting today," he said Monday. "We are having a launch this Wednesday on campus."

The electric bikes are identified in the VeoRide app with a lightning bolt symbol and cost a dollar to unlock.

After that, they run 15 cents a minute...

VeoRide plans to replace 150 of its 500 bikes in Champaign-Urbana with the electric models.
The company doesn't need permission from the cities of Champaign and Urbana or the University of Illinois, as the intergovernmental agreement that created the dockless bike-sharing license allowed for electric versions...

The cities and the UI would need to approve adding electric scooters, which have popped up in cities around the country in the past year, including in Indianapolis.

Full article with more details here.

UIUC News Roundup: Title IX and More

This is another roundup of news items as I catch up from last month while attempting to stay reasonable current on local government news. This post covers a few areas of news from University governance, starting with Title IX, but you can also click to jump to more on renewable energy, the recent UI trustees meeting on hiring and health insurance, or a list of other topics covered in previous posts.

There have been a few stories on Title IX regulations on the rights and protections for accusers and accused in sexual misconduct investigations at schools. News-Gazette coverage of a panel discussion on the issue summed up the concerns:

UI '#MeToo and Academia' panel: 'Title IX is shrinking rather than growing'
Just as colleges and universities are shaping the future of how sexual-misconduct and -assault allegations are handled on campuses, one professor fears historical protections for victims are being chipped away at, as well.

"Title IX is shrinking rather than growing," University of Illinois law Professor Lesley Wexler said of the protections against sex discrimination during a "#MeToo and Academia" panel discussion Wednesday on campus.

That's how she views U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' recently announced plan to rework the definition of sexual harassment and narrow the types of cases colleges and universities are required to investigate under Title IX.

DeVos has said changes are needed in order to balance the rights of assault victims with those who are accused.

More at the full article here. The University sent a letter expressing its concerns with the changes available here and the News-Gazette broke down the issues addressed in that letter in an explainer here. The paper also ran an AP story last month explaining the concerns about off-campus assaults no longer falling under university obligations to investigate:

Sexual assaults at major colleges are more likely to be off campus, report says
At some of the nation's largest universities, the vast majority of sexual assaults take place not in dorm rooms or anywhere else on school property but in the neighborhoods beyond campus boundaries, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.

But the schools' obligation to investigate and respond to those off-campus attacks could be dramatically reduced by the Education Department's proposed overhaul of campus sexual assault rules. And that's alarmed advocacy groups and school officials who say it would strip students of important protections in the areas where most of them live.

More at the full AP article available here on NBC's website.


In other U of I news the past month:

The University is taking bids for its second solar farm project:

UI issues request for bids for Solar Farm 2.0 project
By next spring, a sea of blue solar panels could occupy a 54-acre farm field at the northwest corner of First Street and Curtis Road.

The University of Illinois has issued a request for proposals for a second large solar array to help meet its clean-energy targets.

UI Facilities and Services issued the RFP for the Solar Farm 2.0 project on Monday, seeking a 10- or 20-year power-purchase agreement with a private developer who would design, build and operate the facility and sell the energy to the campus at a fixed rate each year.

The UI's first solar farm, a smaller array that went online in 2015 along Windsor Road, was built under a similar 10-year agreement with Phoenix Solar Inc. The UI will buy that facility from the company at the end of the agreement.

More details at the full article here. This week the Daily Illini highlighted the University's role in the State "going green" by 2050:

UI leads Illinois going green
The state of Illinois will move to using 100 percent renewable energy, which includes solar, wind and other naturally replenished energy sources, by 2050, according to the Clean Energy Jobs Act that passed Feb. 27.

Rizwan Uddin, director of the energy systems program, said Illinois is the most nuclear state in the country, as almost 50 percent of its energy comes from nuclear power...

Currently, a small amount of energy used in the state comes from solar and wind, which cuts down the carbon, Uddin said. Nuclear is currently counted as non-renewable, but it is carbon-free, which makes Illinois a wonderful green state.

“If it is not nuclear, they can rely on batteries,” he said. “But the battery technologies are not at a stage where you can store a huge amount of electricity that you can supply the entire state.”

The University in its turn has always been a big proponent of renewable energy. Uddin said this bill will be in line with what the University already has a policy on, which pushes toward carbon-free.

“But the challenge is not how much electricity we can produce with solar and wind, but the time when there is no wind and sun,” Uddin said. “The University will need something to back it up.”

More at the full article here.


The News-Gazette also had an overview of the most recent UI Board of Trustees meeting that covered issues like increased hiring as well as increased health insurance rates for students:

UI to hire hundreds more faculty over next 5 years to handle rise in enrollment
The University of Illinois plans to hire hundreds of new faculty members across its three campuses over the next five years to accommodate rising enrollment and invest in strategic areas.

That would mean 168 new positions for the Urbana campus, in addition to faculty hired to replace professors who leave or retire...

Agenda items approved by University of Illinois trustees Thursday:

— New student health insurance rates, including a 20 percent hike at Urbana to $544 a semester, though students can opt out if they're covered on their parents' plans.

— A new travel safety policy requiring all undergraduates traveling outside the U.S. as part of a UI activity to register their plans with the university, carry approved international insurance and attend mandatory orientations.

— A designation to name the new running track at Demirjian Park Stadium after legendary Illini track coach Gary Wieneke.

— A $4.4 million contract with CannonDesign, a New York-based consultant, to help prevent budget overruns for building projects at Altgeld Hall and Illini Hall. Several budget increases for other projects were also approved, including another $4 million for the Illinois Street Residence Halls renovation, to $59.5 million.

— A new dean for the UI College of Medicine in Chicago, Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, surgeon and head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

More at the full article here. The News-Gazette had more on the health insurance rate hikes the day before in an article previewing the board meeting:

On UI trustees' agenda: Student health-insurance rate increase, mascot ideas
...
If trustees approve, undergraduates at the Urbana campus would pay $544 a semester for health insurance next school year, $89 more than before — a 20 percent rate increase. Graduate students would pay $696, up from $582 this year.

The health insurance, which is provided by United Healthcare, is optional for students who are covered under their parents' plans. About 54 percent of Urbana students opted out this year.

Executive Vice President Barbara Wilson said the insurer paid out $1.09 for every $1 it collected in premiums, with a rising number of claims and the average cost for each going up. That includes increases for prescription drugs, digestive-health and mental-health needs.

Undergraduate rates at the Urbana campus are second-lowest in the Big Ten, behind only Purdue, Wilson said. The graduate rate is higher because the Graduate Employees' Organization negotiated a top-tier health plan in their contract, she said. It falls in the middle among Big Ten schools.

But Urbana students also pay a mandatory $238 health-service fee each semester for the McKinley Health Center, which provides basic health services, counseling and generic prescription drugs without dipping into insurance.

More at that full article here.

Previous U of I related posts this month:

• UI Student Government and Elections
• U of I Research Park and Spygames
• VeoRide Dockless Bike Updates

VeoRide Dockless Bike Updates

Well, first off, some of them are going to be electric now. From the Daily Illini:

VeoRide introduces electric bikes to campus
VeoRide announced its plans to replace 150 of its 500 bicycles in Champaign-Urbana with electric models after students return from spring break.

This arrives after Champaign City Council members decided to renew the dockless bike sharing program for another year.

Bruce Knight, planning and development director for Champaign, said VeoRide reported nearly 165,000 rides have been taken within the community as of Feb. 5, making Champaign-Urbana the top performing VeoRide market nationally. 

Linda Jackson, media representative for VeoRide, said the 150 bicycles will arrive in March.

“VeoRide aims to serve a variety of customers, and some prefer e-bikes because it’s easier to pedal longer distances,” Jackson said. “The front-drive motor can assist e-bike riders to pedal up to 18 miles per hour and responsively adjust torque to match riding conditions.”

Jackson said the battery itself is a rechargeable unit that can be replaced on the spot. When a battery needs replacing, technicians will go to the bike and swap out the battery. Each battery will last up to 68 miles.

More at that article here. The News-Gazette had coverage of the Champaign City Council study session meeting referenced which highlighted some of the various arguments and concerns raised:

Champaign council set to renew bike-share program; electric versions on way
Perceived by the city council as a success overall, the dockless-bike-sharing program will be renewed this year, officials decided in a study session Tuesday...

But other officials brought up many issues associated with the bikes. Often, they're left in less-than-desirable places, council members said, and that could impede access in the city for people with disabilities.

There's also the fact that some bikes are left in the same places for days, weeks or even months...

A more controversial point among council members was whether to keep VeoRide as the sole bike-sharing company in the area.

Council members Matt Gladney, Tom Bruno, Brix and Mayor Deb Feinen all staunchly opposed having a sole provider.

More at the full article here with various takes on adding competition and whether bikes in the same places are due to regular use. Urbana followed suit this week:

Urbana council feels similarly to Champaign on bike-sharing program
Aldermen spent less time than their counterparts in Champaign discussing the renewal of an intergovernmental agreement for the dockless-bike-share program, but they seemed just as favorable to limiting increases in the number of bikes available and the number of companies allowed to operate...

Champaign last month signaled that it was willing to increase the number of bikes a "reasonable amount" to 700, and will weigh the pros and cons of keeping VeoRide as the sole provider. On Monday, Urbana aldermen also advocated for a "modest increase" up to 750 bikes, with Alderman Eric Jakobsson saying he was happy keeping VeoRide as the sole provider for some time.

Full article here. The company has also been pitching electric scooters they've introduced in other markets:

Electric slide: VeoRide set to bring out new bikes, with scooters a possibility
...
The company recently announced it has designed an electric scooter with a swappable battery that would soon be available in Texas, Alabama and Tennessee.

"We would love to bring them," said Ben Thomas, VeoRide's general manager of the Champaign-Urbana fleet. "We're in the process of talking about what that would actually look like."

Ben LeRoy, associate planner for the city of Champaign, said the scooter issue will be introduced at Tuesday's council study session about renewing the bikes.

"We're basically asking council, 'Are you interested in hearing a future study session on scooters?'" LeRoy said. "If so, we would prepare that after we finalize renewal. It'd be sometime after July 1."

That full article is here. That possibility remains down the road and is not part of the current amendments being considered. From the Urbana City Council Committee of the Whole meeting agenda yesterday:

Although the topic of e-scooters has been raised among various community members, it is  not a part  of  proposed  amendments  to  the  [intergovernmental agreement]  at  this  time.  Staff  anticipates  conducting  additional  research and bringing information regarding that topic to the Committee and BPAC in the future.

On scooter speed, I keep coming across VeoRide's assurance it will set maximum speed to a community's wishes. Their electric bicycles top out at 18mph according to the News-Gazette article. This recent Vox article on rental scooters including VeoRide's appeared to assume a max speed of 15 mph. The News-Gazette had an article earlier last month had a bit more of the local speculation and general background on VeoRide scooters as well here.


St. Joseph's Village Board was apparently not too thrilled with the idea of allowing them in their town. From today's News-Gazette:

Officials from VeoRide were scheduled to present to the St. Joseph Village Board in February.

The licensed dockless bike share operator asked to have its presentation removed from the agenda, but that didn’t stop village trustees from discussing the issue...

Village officials say VeoRide was interested in its turquoise-colored bikes — of which about 500 are currently in the Champaign-Urbana area — being used on the Kickapoo Rail Trail that passes through St. Joseph...

Some of the biggest complaints with the program come from users leaving the bikes wherever they want, a concern St. Joseph Trustee Roy McCarty also shared.

McCarty said he routinely goes into C-U and sees bikes in people’s yards and in the middle of sidewalks.

 “I wouldn’t like it,” he said.

Added Gherna: “The same bikes are in the same spots on campus for weeks on end. In theory, it is a great idea, but in practice, it is done horribly, and they are all over the place.”

Sounds familiar. The company managed to get folks in C-U to see past that annoyance, so maybe they'll change some minds? 

Dockless Bikes, Everywhere!

So, if you don't follow local city government and are noticing turquoise bicycles scattered throughout town in ever growing random places, this was the result of policy changes at the local level in an agreement between Champaign and Urbana City governments and the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Information on this C-U area phenomenon can be found with additional links (including who to complain to if the things are parked where they shouldn't be) here: http://champaignil.gov/2018/09/19/dockless-bike-share-service-launches-in-champaign-urbana/

Essentially the dockless bikes are unlocked via a mobile app that charges various rate options to use. Once you're done you slide the lock back on in an appropriate area and someone else can use it. The company is required to pick them up if they're not where they're supposed to be and the link above has that contact information.

More on the government evolution towards this agreement, including articles covering Champaign, Urbana and the University of Illinois role in the process at the here.

Dockless Bike Updates

A couple quick updates on Campus and a possible lack of interest from Savoy. First a company may make dockless bikes a reality soon on campus:

C-U's first shareable bikes expected to hit streets at start of UI semester
With agreements almost finalized, VeoRide is set to become the first dockless-bike-share service in Champaign-Urbana.

Lily Wilcock, active transportation coordinator at the University of Illinois, said the Indiana-based company gave her serial numbers for 500 bicycles — the biggest fleet size allowed. The goal, she said, is to roll them out around the start of the semester.

One other company, LimeBike, has expressed interest in coming to town. Ben LeRoy, an associate city planner in Champaign, said it submitted a certificate of insurance and showed interest in completing an application.

Dockless bike sharing became permitted after the UI and the cities of Champaign and Urbana solidified an intergovernmental agreement earlier this year.

Each bike is equipped with GPS, has a self-locking mechanism on the back wheel and can be accessed with a phone app.

Riders pay through the app — VeoRide charges 50 cents for 15 minutes — and are instructed on how to properly park bikes when finished. Both cities follow similar guidelines for appropriate parking.

Full article here with more details. Savoy Mayor Joan Dykstra indicated that Savoy isn't actively looking into joining Champaign-Urbana on dockless bike agreements, but indicated that there wasn't much interest. From Tom's Mailbag in the News-Gazatte today:

Dockless bikes in Savoy? 

"The story about C-U's first shareable bike service — http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-08-16/c-us-first-shareable-b... — says the (University of Illinois) and the cities of Champaign and Urbana, "solidified an intergovernmental agreement" earlier this year. Has the village of Savoy been in the loop on this? It seems likely that some of the bikes will find their way to Savoy, or does GPS lock the bikes when they venture beyond the city limits?"

Mayor Dykstra said the village hasn't "been directly contacted but have participated in some discussions with Champaign and Urbana folks about it. We haven't had any requests from citizens about it either."

Full Mailbag here.

Local Weekend Roundup: Bicycles and Brunch Booze

 
Tom's Mailbag is a local question and answer feature of the News-Gazette and it had a couple local highlights that intersected with local government. First off, brunch booze:

Outdoor alcohol service

"While at brunch in downtown Champaign on Sunday last weekend we were surprisingly told that we could not purchase alcohol in the outside dining area until noon. Some research indicates that a new bill (2018-045) included several amendments to the city code, one of which restricts the sale of alcohol at an outdoor cafe until noon on Sundays (Article III (Sec. 5-31.1)). I wasn't able to find any discussion about this in the city council minutes or study sessions. This certainly puts a damper on Sunday morning brunches on beautiful mornings! Any idea why this 'no outdoor alcohol' until noon on Sundays law suddenly appeared?"

Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen said the rule all along has prohibited outdoor alcohol service before noon, but that because of your question (and others the city has received) a change is in the offing, perhaps in August.

"This was an existing provision in the outdoor café rider language already that was not changed. We have stepped up all around enforcement of downtown cafes this summer and the prior non-compliance came to light," she explained. "I have been contacted by several people about this issue and just this week talked to council and the deputy liquor commissioner about revising the outdoor café rules and liquor code to allow for an earlier time frame for outdoor service.

"Staff got the go ahead (Tuesday) night (after the council meeting) and I expect that we will try to move quickly to get this on an agenda so that people can still enjoy the remainder of the good weather."

The full mailbag is available here. It answers a question about who owns the dockless bikes and the cost of theft (unlike some other systems, the cities do not in ours). There was also a question about the surface work on country roads making a bicyclist's journey a bit more perilous than usual. The response by the Champaign Township struck me as a bit cold-hearted (Update: apparently others too as it got a few responses in the next mailbag as well), while perhaps intending to be deadly serious:

The roads you were riding on are township roads and are the responsibility of Champaign Township Highway Commissioner Keith Padgett.

"It is unfortunate that the bike rider chooses to ride on rural roads while there are many bike dedicated paths in the Champaign-Urbana area. There are far too many bike rider/vehicle deaths in rural areas of townships but that is the choice they are making," he said. "Champaign Township as well as many other townships utilize the oil and chip method to maintain the desired integrity of rural roadways within the boundaries of each township."

There was also an article today on Urbana "dismount zones" to encourage riders to walk their bikes through pedestrian areas in downtown:

Circle marks the spot to dismount
...
Round blue decals reading, “Dismount zone, walk your wheels,” popped up last week on Main Street, between Race Street and Broadway Avenue.

The idea is to prompt bicyclists to get off their bikes and walk them through the busy downtown business area, said Assistant City Engineer Craig Shonkwiler.

“We’ve had some issues with bicyclists riding their bicycles on the downtown sidewalks,” which is prohibited by a city ordinance that carries a $100 fine, he said.

“But we’re trying to take a more positive approach,” Shonkwiler said.

The decals were also put down on Goodwin Avenue north of University Avenue, near Durst Bicycle shop.

“We had a situation where a bicyclist was riding on the sidewalk, and somebody opened the door to one of the businesses there, and they hit the door,” he said.

“Particularly downtown, where there’s so many pedestrians, with doors that open onto the sidewalk, we’d really like people to dismount from their bicycles or skateboards and just walk through there,” he said.

Full article here.

Transportation and Housing Updates

There were a couple positive updates on MCORE construction and dockless bikes in the News-Gazette today.

Stretch of Green Street in Urbana reopens after MCORE work
A stretch of Green Street near campus is reopening to two-way traffic Monday afternoon, a month ahead of schedule, after the latest phase of the Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project.

The city of Urbana announced that Green between Goodwin and Lincoln avenues would be fully open by 3 p.m., weather permitting...

Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District bus routes are expected to resume after the road is fully open to two-way traffic.

Across town in Champaign, MCORE improvements on Green between Third and Fourth streets, as well as a section of Wright Street, are scheduled to wrap up by Aug. 17.

The construction is part of the four-year, $46.9 million MCORE Project designed to improve Green, Wright and White streets and Armory Avenue. The goal is to balance cars, bikes, and bus traffic, upgrade the infrastructure and improve connections between the UI and the two cities.

The full blurb is available here. And on dockless bikes:

Urbana council gives final approval to dockless bike sharing
Dockless bike sharing will become a reality in Urbana following the Urbana City Council’s approval of an ordinance regulating how the program will operate.

Dockless bike sharing allows the use of rental bike rides after which bikes don’t need to be parked on docking infrastructure.

Back on June 18, the city council approved an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Champaign and the University of Illinois for the program..."

The full article with more details is available here. The same article also noted another item the Council addressed on low income housing:

In other business, the city council certified that Habitat for Humanity meets the requirements to receive federal HOME Investments Partnership Program funding and then awarded $94,468 in federal funds to Habitat for two homes for low income persons...

Community Development Services Director John Schneider said the Urbana City Council was responsible for the votes because it is the lead agency in the Urbana Home Consortium Community Housing Development Organization.

Urbana Dockless Bike Rule Snag

Following up on movement on a C-U area wide dockless bike sharing program with the University of Illinois, Champaign, and preliminary moves from Urbana: Urbana has been delayed over wording issues it needs to resolve before it can join Champaign's earlier vote in support. From Tuesday's News-Gazette:

Urbana council delays vote on dockless-bike-share regulations
...
In the lead-up to approving dockless bike share, the council agreed that the parking regulations need to keep dockless bike riders from creating inconveniences for others.

Lorrie Pearson, a planning manager and zoning administrator with the city, said the vote was postponed because of some wording issues in the document.

The vote could come back to the council's next meeting on July 9, she said, or sometime after that.

Full blurb here.

City Budget News

Champaign and Urbana City Councils have been and are working on their budgets. The News-Gazette had a few articles recently with details. The fine print: C-U budgets today laid out various costs and inlays each city is expecting to receive for things like hotel taxes or liquor fees, and outlays for law enforcement. Also today they had an overview of the budget items approved in Urbana last night:

Urbana council approves budget that seals civic center's fate
The city council gave final approval to the upcoming fiscal year's proposed budget Monday, sealing the Urbana Civic Center's fate for closure on Dec. 31.

In total, the budget includes cuts and other efforts to secure about $600,000 in savings for Urbana's general operating fund deficit of about $2.5 million.

After the state budget impasse caused Urbana to lose about $500,000, and as the Carle Foundation Hospital property-tax case continues, Mayor Diane Marlin said the city needs a few years of saving money...

In addition to addressing the deficit, the budget goals include fully funding police and fire pensions, rebuilding financial reserves (or "rainy-day funds"), growing the tax base and starting long-term plans to repair and maintain public infrastructure. The infrastructure work will kick off after a facility planning study, which will recommend what to do with the vacant civic center, is complete.

Other cuts in the budget include reducing Urbana Free Library funding by $55,400 annually, absorbing a vacant fire-prevention inspector position that costs around $35,000 annually, and city department line-item reductions that total $75,000. The city will also continue its voluntary separation agreement for nonunion employees, which started last year.

In other business, aldermen also gave final approval to setting up an intergovernmental agreement that allows dockless bike sharing in Urbana, Champaign and at the University of Illinois.

More at the full article here. More on the dockless biking in previous Cheat Sheet posts here. There was a preview of Champaign's City Council meeting in yesterday's paper that mostly dealt with parking lot rules needing clarification:

There aren't rules on the city's books about prohibited activities in city-owned parking lots and metered spaces, but that could be changing soon.

The Champaign City Council plans to vote Tuesday on creating formal guidelines for what people can't do in those areas. Included in the proposal is mainly anything that's not related to parking, such as alcohol consumption, gambling, littering and selling products or services.

More at the full article here. There was also an article this weekend highlighting a midtown project that'll be voted on tonight as well:

The Champaign City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to chip in $300,000 in Redevelopment Incentive Program grants.

It's part of a project called Midtown Crossing, at the corner of Water and Chester streets a block east of the railroad tracks and just south of University Avenue.

More details on that at the full article here.

Urbana to Vote on Dockless Bikes

Following up on movement on a C-U area wide dockless bike sharing program with the University of Illinois, Champaign, and preliminary moves from Urbana: Urbana will be voting tonight to join Champaign's earlier vote in support. From today's News-Gazette:

Urbana council set to vote on deal to allow dockless bike sharing
The city council will vote tonight on an intergovernmental agreement to allow dockless bike sharing throughout town.

The agreement is between Urbana, Champaign and the University of Illinois.

If approved, dockless bike share companies will have to follow regulations for operating in each area.

Dockless bike share companies provide rental bike rides.

When riders are finished, they park the bike in certain areas around town — instead of on specific docking infrastructure that would need to be installed.

Each company has a smart phone app that riders use to locate a bike, unlock it and pay for a ride.

Each bike is equipped with a GPS tracker and locking mechanism on the back wheel.

People without smart phones can call the company — a phone number will be displayed on the bike — and have an employee sent over to unlock the bike in person.

The Champaign city council already approved dockless bike sharing at the end of last year.

Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin said the plan is to have it set up in each city by the start of the upcoming school year. When Urbana council members first discussed the activity in April, there were some concerns.

Full article with more details here.

UIUC Works out Dockless Bike Kinks

Dockless Bikes in Champaign-Urbana keep inching closer to reality. From today's News-Gazette:

UI officials working on incentives to keep shared bikes in populated areas
...
Lily Wilcock, active transportation coordinator for the UI, said the campus's rules will require the bikes to be returned to a rack so as not to block sidewalks or entrances to buildings, and the UI is working with bike-share companies to make that easier.

"One of the concerns we had as the University of Illinois was, what do you do if someone just rides it to their house and then they leave it there?" Wilcock said. "Some of the companies have responded to that, in that they've been using in other cities an incentive program. They've been allowing someone to ride the bus out to an area to get the bicycle, and then they get a free ride back to leave it in a more populated area. ... And then they get incentives like a certain amount of ride credit."

Full article here.

Dockless Bikes a Step Closer

Following up on potential dockless bicycle programs in both Champaign and Urbana, Champaign took another step towards a potential pilot program. More at this previous post: Urbana Bike Share Consideration. From the News-Gazette today:

Champaign council gives initial OK to dockless bike sharing
This week, the city council gave initial approval to a pilot program for dockless bike-sharing systems.

All council members voted in favor of the program except for Clarissa Nickerson Fourman. The cities of Champaign and Urbana, in addition to the University of Illinois, are looking to make a joint agreement where each entity would regulate the systems the same way...

Mayor Deb Feinen told city staff this week that the security-deposit price should be pitched up, but not so high that it becomes unaffordable.

With dockless bike share, bikes are distributed around town by a company and a user can unlock one with a phone app. They pay through the app to rent the bike, which has GPS, so companies can monitor where it is at all times.

If given final approval, Champaign's pilot program would run until June 2019. Associate city planner Ben LeRoy said pilot programs allow the city to tweak specifics faster and easier than formally amending approved city codes.

Full article has a bit more detail on licensing for operators here.

Urbana Bike Share Consideration

[UPDATE: The N-G had a followup of the board's discussion here. A quick excerpt:

In response, council member Eric Jakobsson said what happens would depend on the city's culture.

"My guess is ... that the system will be respected and used properly," he said. "If you have good reason to hope ... it's really better to make decisions based on that hope, rather than on the fear that something might go wrong."

Urbana City Planner Kevin Garcia said bike theft isn't typically a problem for dockless-bike-sharing companies because the branded bikes don't have much resale value, are hard to break down into usable scrap components and have tracking devices in them. He said employees of those companies will retrieve an abandoned bike in at most three hours on a regular day and 12 hours on off days.

Some city council members said there should be certain circumstances where a bike is retrieved as soon as possible, such as if it's in the middle of the road. They also suggested lowering the recommended number of bikes each company could bring, which was initially set at 500. Garcia said at least seven companies have expressed interest in the CU area.]

In a Committee of the Whole meeting the Urbana City Council will be considering the dockless bike sharing project for the area (agenda and relevant report here). From the News-Gazette today:

Urbana to join bike share? Possible regulations under review

Tonight, the city council will consider a proposal to roll dockless bike sharing into Urbana.

Dockless bike sharing allows cyclists to rent rides with a phone app that locates bikes via GPS. Payment is processed by the app to unlock the bike, which has a locking mechanism on the back wheel, and a rider can place the bike anywhere around town when finished.

Urbana's look at dockless bike sharing comes after the Champaign city council approved a similar proposal at the end of last year. Urbana City Planner Kevin Garcia said the plan going forward is to create a uniform set of regulations if both cities and the University of Illinois approve the activity.

For Urbana and Champaign, Garcia said both city staffs are aiming to have dockless bike sharing and its regulation system all approved by May...

These are some of the proposed dockless bike-share regulations, according to a city staff report that the council will review tonight:

— Creating one dockless bike sharing license for Champaign, Urbana and the UI, which would be administered by the city of Champaign as the lead agency.

— A non-refundable, annual license fee of $600 that Champaign would receive the largest share of.

— A $1,000 security deposit that dockless bike-share operators pay to both Champaign and Urbana ($2,000 total).

— Each operator could have a fleet of 500 bicycles.

Full article here.