How can I 'fix' a road-widening project to have more non-automotive transportation options?
A member from Green Bay, WI writes:
Hey Strong Town Friends!
I need some help, My town is looking to redo a major North South Street and the plans include adding a bike lane.
Right now the community is FREAKING out as 1. people don't ride their bike on the road (it's not safe) and they think people won't after it's built.
Two it ultimately WIDENS the street and shrinks the parkway and removes trees. Which is where most of the concern is.
Link to the project is here: https://highlandparkil.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/53f9fc07da0048cba4b22a076bb365bf/data
So it's still really car-centric with 11' in both directions and turn lanes.
Do you/we have any resources that I can use to push back on widening the road and shrinking the footprint needed for autos, that way I can push back on it...and do you have resources that I can share w/ community members to get them to focus on the right things and not just blame the bikes?
Comments
2 comments
So you could possibly cite NACTO's guidance on the matter.
https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/lane-width/
It looks like it's in Highland Park, IL. They have a complete streets guide that could be leveraged to promote these things. Since they're adjacent to Chicago (a NACTO member), you could cite their increase in ridership from the protected lanes they have installed.
Speed limit posted is 35 mph thru residential. Another avenue to explore is asking the residents whether they feel comfy with cars driving that fast in their area.
From a person who just had a major reconstruction near me where cars we get bumpouts and trees instead of protected lanes, please choose the protected lanes. You'll have trees 10 years from now. You won't have the opportunity for bike lanes for another 50.
This reminds me of the time that the city here in Brainerd decided to put bike lanes in front of one of the Catholic churches (not the one I primarily attend).
Why bike lanes there? Because they were doing a project and it was convenient to add them.
Did bike lanes make sense there? No, but they were doing a project and it was convenient to add them.
Did this to anything to build a culture of walking and biking? No, it actually made lots of people hate the bike lanes and it reinforced the idea that bike lanes are a worthless waste of time that, at best, merely makes driving less convenient.
BTW, the bike/walk committee was disbanded shortly after. Cities working with big projects seemingly always try to replace thinking and critical thought with checklists and process. I know a lot of bike advocates don't care, but we really need to build a culture around biking and walking and that requires us to act strategically.
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