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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/7/2023 Item 6d, Rands Barry Rands < To:E-mail Council Website Subject:March 7 meeting, Item 6d (North Chorro Greenway) Attachments:North Chorro letter to Council.pdf This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond. Mayor Stewart and councilmembers Francis, Marx, Pease and Shoresman, Thank you for all you do to promote cycling and other forms of transportation that avoid fossil-fuels. The improvements to cycling infrastructure all over town are key components to making cycling a more popular alternative means of getting around town. The North Chorro Greenway will be another major addition to the city’s inventory of ever- expanding bike routes. The question before you, though, is this project as designed worth the additional millions of dollars that it will now cost the city? Especially as it will require taking funds from a dozen other project accounts. Bike SLO County certainly thinks so. They sent out an alert calling for us cyclists to write letters of support to city council. I see that they were successful in that appeal as over 30 letters have been sent using their suggested template. I am very sympathetic to the sentiment expressed in that template. We all want more “robust and protected infrastructure” and “safe and accessible routes for those who walk and bike, especially our children”. But there is one concluding line that I regretfully cannot agree with. It says that the project will “ensure the safety of all our community members, no matter their mode of travel”. Unfortunately, there are parts of this project that do NOT ensure safety of cyclists and in fact increase the risk of accidents. I am referring specifically to the bi-directional cycle tracks on Chorro that are a key component of the middle section of this project. I have presented my concerns to Council and to staff numerous times in the past but allow me to summarize again as many of you were not present in 2017-18 when this project was being debated.  “In Denmark, the on-street, bi-directional facility was removed from Best Practice for bicycle infrastructure over two decades ago. That in itself might be an alarm bell to anyone paying attention. These two way cycle tracks were found to be more dangerous than one-way cycle tracks on each side of the roadway.” http://www.copenhagenize.com/2014/06/explaining-bi-directional-cycle-track.html  “A surprising number of injuries are happening in two-way, street-level, protected bike lanes. Two-way protected bike lanes alongside two-way vehicle traffic add … complexity as turning drivers need to monitor both oncoming vehicle traffic and two-way bicycle traffic in the bike lane,” https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/08/16/study-two-way-bike-lanes-produce-more-injuries/  “The first protected (two-way) bike lane in Columbus is attracting more cyclists — and more crashes — to a stretch of Summit Street through the University District. Between 2012 and 2015, there were five crashes involving bicycles on Summit between Hudson and East 5th Avenue. In 2016, the first full year with the bike lanes, that jumped to 14, according to Columbus police.” https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2018/04/30/dispatch-com-stories-you-might/12343670007/  Two-way cycle tracks are part of NACTO’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide but are only recommended “on streets with few conflicts such as driveways or cross-streets”. The two-way cycle track on Chorro crosses 14 driveways and 2 intersections. Furthermore, NACTO states that “the desirable two-way cycle track width is 12 feet”. The 1 Chorro tracks are only 9 feet wide. https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/cycle-tracks/two- way-cycle-tracks/ It concerns me deeply that so many are being led to believe that these cycle tracks will “ensure safety” for themselves and their children. I can see it now when the first child gets hit by a car while riding in the “protected” lane. “But I was told that these bike lanes would ensure my child’s safety!” Faced with cost overruns and the likelihood that portions of this project will create safety risks for cyclists, Council can reduce both costs and safety risks with one simple amendment to this project… remove the bi-directional cycle track segment and reroute the Greenway on Lincoln to Mission. This alternative has a significant amount of support from residents in the neighborhood and many members of the bike community. The only drawback is that it would add a minute or two of ride time for those who are in a hurry. But experienced riders and e-bike commuters would still have the option to remain on Chorro so they can get to their destinations quickly. This change might require a redesign and rebid of the project, but staff should be able to tell you if the amended project could be done by change order. Please give this alternative some serious consideration. You will not only be saving money, but you could also be saving lives. I have also included the above as a pdf attachment if that is easier to read. Barry Rands Retired Civil Engineer, City of Morro Bay Member, SLO Climate Coalition Board Member, SLO Bike Club Resident of San Luis Obispo since 2010 -- Barry Rands 49 Mariposa Dr. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805-704-1549 (cell) 805-783-2038 (home) 2