There are several benefits of bicycle boulevards. The main one being that they provide a similar experience for the bicyclist as a bike path and thus serve as an incentive to get more people on bikes more often. There is not space - right of way corridors independent of existing streets - in all parts of the city for bike paths. Bicycle boulevards are an option in these areas. In most areas with grid street networks, you have to stop every block or two when bicycling on the minor streets. Well designed bicycle boulevards eliminate many of these stops with traffic calming techniques while at the same time not encouraging increased motor vehicle traffic on those streets. Another problem with bicycling on the minor streets even in a grid network is that when you get to a major street there is generally not a traffic signal so crossing the major street can be difficult. Well designed bicycle boulevards include ways to make these crossings easier and safer. In areas without a grid street network, like much of Madison outside the isthmus and near east and west sides, creating neighborhood connector paths to complete the grid and allow through bicycle traffic other than along the arterials is important. But even with a good grid, through bicycle travel off the major streets can be difficult. I have ridden bicycle boulevards in Portland and Berkeley, haven't made it to Palo Alto yet (birthplace of the bicycle boulevard). Portland's were impressive. I would be glad to organize a field trip if there is interest. Minneapolis is about to install several bicycle boulevards as part of their non-motorized transportation pilot project. See http://www.tlcminnesota.org/Resources/NTP%20Program/bwtc.html
Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Suite 100 PO Box 2986 Madison, WI 53701-2986 608/266-6225
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