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My name is Michael Powell, and I am chair of the Roads and Cycling Advisory

Committee (RCAC).

First, Id like to make a few comments on the current advisory committee system:

It is clear that there is room to improve the current advisory committee (AC)system. There is certainly duplication, and I am not certain that the system iscurrently structured to give council advice in the most efficient possible

manner. Certainly, as a volunteer, it sometimes felt as if our efforts were not

of significant value, and occasionally felt as if appearing before our

committee was a procedural check in the box for a staff report.

That being said, I do feel that RCAC offered significant value to the city,particularly when offering comments on road designs and similar plans. As

cyclists and road users, we offered a valuable perspective to city staff, and

often saw road plans amended in small ways that makes them easier for all

users to use.

There has often been discussion about ACs over-stepping their boundariesand becoming direct advocacy bodies rather than simply offering advice to

the city. RCAC has certainly made every effort to stick within its mandate and

not overstep the boundaries of what should be expected from an unelected

creature of council. That being said, there is little value in advisory

committees if they believe that there is an idea worthy of pursuing and they

do not suggest it through the proper channels. The distinction between

lobbying and proactive advice is often tone.

Now, as for the actual proposal:

We are concerned that cycling and pedestrian issues are being included onlyin the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee. While they are

certainly more environmentally sustainable choices in the long term, the city

has been better served in recent years by thinking of them as part of a

comprehensive transportation strategy. Put another way: we should make it

easier for people to walk and bicycle throughout the city because it is often a

more effective way to travel, faster and cheaper for both user and city, than

other methods. Given that there will be fewer people on fewer committees

meeting less often, we worry that this important perspective might get lost.

We believe that this concern can be offset in a couple of ways:o Creating a specific advisory committee for transportation issueso Dedicating a subcommittee for such transportation issues

In a meeting with Advisory Committee chairs and vice-chairs, city staffcommitted to working with individuals on an ad hoc basis when advice or

outside perspective was needed, with these individuals perhaps not formally

being a member of a new advisory committee. This should be encouraged

and, if at all possible, formalized. Again, RCAC was at its most productive

when working directly with staff to help improve city plans by offering a

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cycling-specific perspective. Minutes and formal agendas were not always

needed. For some of our functions, such as selecting the Bruce Timmermans

award winners, this informal structure was necessary.

I think it is important to keep an open mind to increasing the frequency ofmeetings of the new advisory committees in the future. With fewer

committees and members, along with more responsibilities, their agendasmay become quite full. Certainly, RCACs official meetings often ran for more

than 3 hours, just focusing on a core of issues and meeting 6 times a year.

This is a new system, and there should be flexibility to allow for small

changes to make it run more smoothly.

Committees are creatures of council, and ultimately council must decide how they

can have an advisory committee regime that best serves them. But it is also up to

city council to make sure that they use this system. Right now, there are 15

committees with 144 members that spend a great deal of their free time

volunteering and trying to make this city a better place, for free. Thats a

tremendous resource at the citys disposal.