Title
Bike Corridor Pilot Project Briefing
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Discussion of the Bike Corridor pilot project, which connects the eastside neighborhood to downtown.
Staff Contact:
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Program Specialist, Public Works | Transportation, 360.753.8575
Presenter(s):
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Program Specialist, Public Works Transportation
Background and Analysis:
Project Background
People have asked for an easier way to get around Olympia by bike. In 2014, the City Council funded a pilot project of a Bike Corridor. The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) worked with City staff to identify possible routes for the pilot project. Late in 2014, the City Council provided additional direction that the pilot project should come into downtown. In early 2015, the BPAC recommended the pilot project route, shown on the attached map.
What is a Bike Corridor?
Bike Corridors are streets that have been retrofit to be more welcoming to people riding bikes. They are streets that do not have much car traffic, and the traffic is traveling slowly. This makes it easier for people on bikes and people driving to share the same lane.
The City added signs and pavement markings to the route. We changed some intersections to make them easier for people to get through on bikes. We also made it easier for pedestrians to cross, too. To learn more about these changes, please check out olympiawa.gov/bikecorridors.
Why a Pilot Project?
This is the first time the City has built this type of infrastructure. In other cities, Bike Corridors are known as "bicycle boulevards" or "neighborhood greenways." By building a pilot project first, people have a chance to see what a Bike Corridor is before being asked to help plan several more routes. Because this is a pilot project, we built it with less-permanent materials. Later, we can make the changes permanent.
Construction...
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