Notes From the Pedestrian/Bike Summit

Small Group Breakouts ~ May 12, 2007

Route 15

On road may be safer for cyclists given speed of road -cars don't see bikes on sidewalk. Optimal facility would have on-road facility for commuters and off-road neighborhood connectors to provide an alternative for less experienced cyclists.

• 1. Well maintained bike lanes
• 2. Continuous sidewalks
• 3. Good connections to developments

• 1. Better Police enforcement of speed limits
• 2. Park and Ride/Transit center on Lowes site
• 3. Road sensors that detect bikes
• 4. Info from today gets into planning process - current route 15 study process
• 5. Build transit center on Susie Wilson Road so people can transfer between bus, cars and bike
• 6. Include bike lanes and sidewalk in Route 15 planning process
• 7. Bike access to Circ
• 8. Bike lanes on Pinecrest - at least better shoulders
• 9. Enforce speed limits
• 10. Improve lighting along Fort section of Route 15

Winooski River Crossing

Focus: The attendees looked at both a potential Intervale/Winooski crossing by the train bridge and a potential crossing in the area of the Route 2/7 bridge near downtown Winooski. The group thought a crossing in the area of the Route 2/7 bridge should be the first priority, with a preference to look at ways to use and improve the existing bridge. People also liked the Intervale/Winooski bridge concept and wanted to make sure it wasn't dropped even though it wasn't the top priority.

• 1. Historic preservation concerns
• 2. Difference in grades between Winooski & Burlington
• 3. Floodplain and wetland preservation
• 4. Modifying bridge with attachments

• 1. Reallocate space on existing bridge with barriers
• 2. Signage for caution
• 3. Study for feasibility and Alternatives

• 1. Bike and pedestrian-specific facility
• 2. Identify other similar projects in USA and possible replication here
• 3. Replace Main St. bridge (15-20 yrs?) and have better bike/ped accommodations
• 4. Pursue connection across or adjacent to the Blue Bridge (railroad bridge)

Colchester to Milton

Vision: The group had a clear vision that included an off-road recreational facility and on-road bike network for transportation purposes

• 1. Off road, community path in Milton (park 'n ride to Village)
• 2. On road - Route 7 (bike lanes) & East Road (wide shoulder)

The attendees discussed the need to get a local Milton committee set up to assist the Town with exploring the path concept. In addition, the proposal should get on the Town Map so that easements can be acquired as property owners enter the Town's permitting process for their own developments. There was a desire to have the path continue south to the Park & Ride on Route 7.

There was also a clear recommendation that Route 7 should have continuous bike lanes as the road is improved. The group was unsure when improvements would be made in Milton and identified the need to talk with VTrans. In addition, other town roads are currently popular places for biking (like East and Middle roads) and efforts should be made to add or stripe wide shoulders.

• 1. Susan - set up Milton Rec Path Committee
• 2. Rick - Project Champion, write letter to town about concepts and ideas
• 3. Amy - Letter to Colchester about the importance of good bike/ped connections E/W across Route 7 between Severence and Bay roads.
• 4. Brian - Work with VTrans for Route 7 shoulders.

Main St. /Williston Rd. - UVM to S. Burlington

• 1. Get together with disability rights community to join forces - interests for pedestrians, cyclists are often similar for wheelchair users, etc.
• 2. Review past studies / fund future feasibility study for bike/pedestrian/transit(?) bridges
• 3. Solicit input from University Mall businesses
• 4. Look at UVM plans and get input from University
• 5. Can a bike path be developed along the Market St. development to provide an option for avoiding Williston Road?

Have South Burlington Rec Path Committee evaluate on and off-road options in corridor:

• 1. Explore two-way bike facility on one side of road (Montreal-style)
• 2. Pave bike lane next to sidewalk (Dorset Street-style)

• 1. Redesign Williston Road to have continuous bike lanes, more separated sidewalks.
• 2. Separate bike/pedestrian (arched?) bridges over clover leaf, consider separate bike/pedestrian facility parallel to Williston Road.

Williston Rd. / Route 2

Route 2 corridor study: Williston Village to Prospect St. in Burlington Study currently looking at this corridor. Best solutions?

Big question: How to get from Williston Rd. to Burlington over highway?

• 1. On road bike lanes do not serve all cyclists
• 2. Immediate solution - bike lanes on road
• 3. There needs to be a commuting route off-road
• 4. Route 2 corridor study looking at reducing a lane
• 5. adding center lane for turning, adding bike path in left over space
• 6. Williston will be constructing a section sidewalk along Route 2 soon
• 7. Brownell Rd. to Harvest Lane bike lane is funded, should be completed this summer

• 1. S. Burlington City Council is considering reducing driveway entrances (access management) by constructing a service road paralleling Williston Rd to the north).
• 2. A developer is considering a road linked to Patchen Rd.

• 1. Expand sidewalk on southside; make it usable for bikes
• 2. Add frontage/service road to reduce access/turns, then add on-road lanes
• 3. Turn existing green strip into extra footage for bike lane.

• 1. Go to 3 lanes with on-road bike lanes on both sides
• 2. Improve side walk on one side for pedestrians and children on bikes
• 3. Another road/service road - reduce driveway access
• 4. Extend the sidewalk along Williston Road

Shelburne Rd., North of the new bike lanes into downtown; Spear St. / Dorset St.

This group added Spear St. to their discussion of Shelburne Rd.

Issue: Spear St. has a narrow travel lane - can we move the center line? As developments are built, new pavement gets laid; turning lanes are created.

• 1. How about just moving the center line and adding a second bike lane (on the East side of the road)?
• 2. How about suggesting that as each new section of the road is repaved, the road gets widened? Eventually the whole road will be wider.

Desire: Have continuous bike lanes along Spear Street.

Issue: All agreed we need a solution from Imperial Drive to Fayette along Shelburne Road. [post-Summit note: Construction has started on an extension of Fayette Rd. into the Kmart parking lot; this will allow cyclists coming from the south to get off Shelburne Rd. starting at Cinema 9 and go up to Queen City Park Rd., where they can either make their way over to the Burlington Bike Path on the Lake, or cross Shelburne Rd. and go around and up onto Spear St.]

Many in the group are available to work on these projects if called on.

Muddy Brook - Kennedy Drive to Brownell Road

Much work has been done: assessments, feasibility study

Political hurdles - Town of Williston (there is a perception that Williston is resistant), S. Burlington, CCMPO; ~ $3 M project in total.

• 1. CCMPO can continue to provide planning funds to do additional work?
• 2. S. Burlington & Williston should write letter to CCMPO supporting additional planning work; 10% local match.

Next steps: Lou Bresee and Jeff Fehrs will work to convene a joint recreation path meeting followed by a joint City/Town meeting once the rec path committees are in agreement

• 1. Extended planning studies
• 2. Develop preliminary funding plan
• 3. Public works put heads together
• 4. Rec Paths put heads together
• 5. Involve Cross Vermont Trail, because they want the connection as well.

Williston and South Burlington bike/pedestrian committees should discuss proposed improvements for Route 2 Industrial Ave intersection

General Questions (posted on flip charts)

How can we best educate drivers, cyclists and walkers on their respective responsibilities toward each other?

• If you drive a car make obvious efforts - perhaps exaggerated, to avoid bikers - to show others how to do it.
• Make it part of a driver education and part of the driver manual. Make video of biker/pedestrian negotiating a road and crossing it to show as part of Driver Ed.
• Television/radio PSAs: Walking Road rules, Cycling, etc.
• Put "Share the Road" or "Same Road, Same Rules, Same Rights" bumper stickers on your car/trunk.
• School presentation with take-home materials reminding traffic (bike/car/ped) safety rules (magnets?)
• It should be Driver's-Cyclist Education. Teach them simultaneously.
• Have all Driver's Ed students also be pedestrian/cyclists in different situations.
• Need on-road (center of road) "cones"/signs to remind drivers to yield to pedestrians & bikes in crosswalks. Drivers are not getting the message with just having yellow signs on side of road. They do not know that they need to STOP.

What's the most strategic thing we can do to develop a regional Pedestrian/Bike network?

• Conduct periodic traffic counts on/adjacent to the main arteries in this region… Where is the volume of motor vehicles heaviest? Is this data already available? How? Where?
• Organize "bike give-aways" to children throughout the region so that the demand for paths/safety will grow. Why aren't Lions, Elks, Rotary, United Way giving bikes to our future users?
• Get current non-bikers into biking - beginner groups, easy to use bikes, SAFE paths - most people want to bike but bikes and roads are intimidating.
• Teach more road/urban biking courses so people learn the safest way to bike in heavy traffic settings.
• Door to door campaign (or bike/ped path outreach): Solicit participation and signatures. Disseminate information.
• Identify (create) park-and-walk/bike, drop-and-walk/bike locations along path routes. These must be secure and weather protected: remember winter.

Should the CCMPO's Ped/Bike plan identify a quantitative goal for future share of all trips taking place by foot or on bicycle? This is currently estimated at 7%. What should that percentage be?

• Bike commuters/grocery shopping: 40%
• Has this not been done already? If not, why? 25% local commute, shopping. Think big!
• Absolutely! It is important to set goals. Strive for 10% bike/ped. Reduce SOV (single occupancy vehicle) trips by 10%.

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