Title
Bike Corridor Pilot Project Update
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive the update. Briefing only; No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Receive the briefing on the Bike Corridor pilot project.
Staff Contact:
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Program Specialist, Public Works Transportation, 360.753.8575
Presenter(s):
Michelle Swanson
Background and Analysis:
People have asked for an easier way to travel around Olympia by bike. In 2014, the City Council funded a pilot Bike Corridor project.
Bike Corridors are considered a “low-stress” bicycle facility and are intended to be inviting places to bike for people of a wide range of age and ability. They are streets that do not have much car traffic, yet they easily connect people to destinations. On Bike Corridors, people biking and people driving share the same lane.
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) worked with City staff throughout 2014 to identify possible routes for the pilot project. The BPAC and staff evaluated the whole City for potential Bike Corridors. Several possible routes emerged from that process, which are good candidates for future Bike Corridors. In early 2015, the BPAC recommended the pilot project route that connects Lions Park to Sylvester Park, shown on the attached map.
Most of the pilot project was built in May 2016. The City added signs and pavement markings to the route. We changed some intersections to make them easier for people to bike through them. We also made those intersections easier for pedestrians to cross.
The last two blocks, between Jefferson and Washington Streets, will open this winter, once the apartment building at 7th Avenue & Jefferson Street is complete.
This is the first time the City has built this type of infrastructure. By building a pilot project first, people have a chance to see what a Bike Corridor is before moving forward with future routes. Because this is a pilot project, we built it with less-permanent materials. Later, we can make the changes permanent when funding allows.
Outreach on the pilot project is largely complete. The public response to the pilot project and Bicycle Corridor concept has been positive. Staff will brief the committee on the scope of and response to the outreach efforts.
Staff is moving forward into a new phase of public outreach. We are asking for public input on the next Bike Corridor routes to develop, using the 2014 evaluation of candidate routes as a starting point. We are asking if these routes make sense and for route ideas that we may have missed.
Based on public input, staff and the BPAC will prioritize the order in which to build more Bike Corridors.
As additional steps in Bike Corridor planning occur, the City Council can expect to see staff and BPAC recommendations for future Bike Corridors in the Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) and in bicycle planning documents. The CFP includes funds for Bike Corridor development. We will also pursue grants.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
More than120 people have commented to City staff on the Bike Corridor pilot project. The comments have been overwhelmingly positive.
Options:
N/A
Financial Impact:
The pilot project cost $347,000 which was composed of $277,000 in Bike Program Funds (CIP funds), and $70,000 in parking funds.
Attachments:
Bicycle Corridors map