Hi, Better late than never: I have now joined your listserve! My apologies for the delay in responding to the inquiry about the Regent Neighborhood Kendall Bike Boulevard meeting. Jeff did a better job that I could summarizing the meeting. I just want to add that we are taking a very comprehensive approach to the Kendall/Bluff Bike Boulevard: we are working on a master plan that will go beyond signs and sharrows by creating "Portland style" changes to the street intended to reduce commuter car traffic. It is my hope that, with neighborhood and city support, we can finalize a Kendall Bike Boulevard master plan this year and implement all aspects of it in the next 2-3 years, starting with sharrows and signs this year. I am in the process of collating the comments by those who attended the meeting last week- the overwhelming majority of comments are very positive. Have a great day,
Shiva Bidar-Sielaff District 5 Alder (608) 220-6986 ________________________________ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] On Behalf Of Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR [[email protected]] Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 12:34 PM To: Mitch at. Well; [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] Kendall Ave. Bike Blvd Discussion > On a related note, there was pretty good support for the Kendall Bike > Boulevard concept Wed. evening, despite the obligatory objections of a couple > attendees. The skeptics were not seeing things from a cyclist's perspective, > so several of us explained the nature of bike commuting to them, and pointed > out that having fewer cars and more bikes pass through their blocks would > make their homes quieter. By the end of the meeting they seemed more at ease > with the proposal. > > It took discussing some specific route examples to get some people to > understand that the Campus Drive path serves the campus well, but is not al > all convenient if your destination is downtown, and is not useful for kids > going to Randall School or West High. >Another person was adamant that Old U. bike lanes are all that's needed for >bike commuters - And still another was sure that Regent Street was fine for >bike commuters -- It was clear they'd never biked these streets in the >morning or evening, so we talked about traffic volumes and other impediments >to safe and enjoyable biking. Old U. lands would be good for people going to >businesses in the area but with frequent bus traffic and heavy car traffic for >many hours, Old U. is not a suitable bike commute route. > >The city Streets/Engineering staff person there (Mark?) was very helpful in >explaining the concepts to the audience of about 40 people. In addition to >"Sharrows" and Bike Boulevard signs like on Mifflin & Wilson, options under >consideration include a possible speed hump or two on Highland, and bulb-outs >at Franklin, Highland, and possibly Farley. The bulb-outs would serve to >deflect eastbound through-commuter traffic coming from Midvale*, onto >University/Campus to reduce traffic on Kendall (which is twice or more that of >parallel residential streets). No one objected to the notion of having to >circle around a block in response to the bulb-outs to get to their homes when >they do drive. The bulb-outs would like not reduce on-street parking, being >installed near the intersection where parking is not allowed anyway. > (*ed note: a license plate survey I did 15 years ago pointed out that 65% of all commute-hours traffic on Kendall originates west of Midvale.) >Stop signs at Grand and other cross streets to the east, which used to be >aimed at cross traffic but which were turned to stop Kendall traffic a few >years ago (maybe in hopes of discouraging car commuters?), could be turned to >stop cross-traffic again, making Kendall more of a through-way for bikes. But >it's not clear whether this would also increase Kendall's appeal to cars... > >These was some concern for having people stop on the hills on Princeton and >Forest when they are icy in winter. I thought installing a San >Francisco-style cable car cable in the street that cars can use like a ski >rope tow would solve that for uphill traffic, and an aircraft carrier crash >net would keep downhill traffic from sliding into bike commuters... So, >turning the signs there might not be workable. > > It's not at all clear when we'd see any initial bike boulevard signage or > "sharrows," on Kendall, but most people agree the Bike Boulevard is a useful > concept, and something like it has (or at least had) been in the RNA > transportation plan for the past 15-18 years. A 2011 date came up several > times in relation to the Highland repavement, as a logical time to add any > boulevard features at that intersection. Four or more blocks of Kendall were > just rebuilt in the past 2-3 years, so an opportunity to fold some boulevard > features into that construction was missed. > > Someone in the 2500(?) block pointed out they are seeing less bike traffic on > Kendall since the Campus Drive path opened, and therefore a bike boulevard > is not needed. It has dawned on me that I am seeing fewer bikes in that part > of Kendall, too - it appears some cyclists coming from Midvale are now > turning north on Farley to take their chances with crossing Campus Drive to > get to the bike path, instead of continuing east on Kendall to the Ashman > bridge or beyond -- but the consensus was "so what? - the added features > will attract a lot more bikes over time." That is our hope, and the staff > person was very good about explaining the bike boulevard concept within the > context of the city's need to get more people out of cars. It's just one of > many elements focusing on overall motorized traffic reduction. > >In regard to traffic reduction, many people were very supportive of and >impatient for commuter rail, designed to get people to the hospital/campus >area, cutting traffic on Univ. Ave, and therefore reducing drivers' desire to >commute on residential streets. > >A number of neighbors pointed out the huge volume of traffic generated by the >UW hospital complex and the rest of the UW, and felt that the West Campus >Committee was not coming up with effective solutions that would contribute to >the success of a Kendall bike boulevard. Very little ride sharing is evident >among all that traffic, and more parking is due to be built on campus. >Ald. Shiva pointed out that Dane Co. was in the midst of an extended (7 days, >it turned out) period of unhealthy air quality, and the city needs to pitch in >on reducing air pollution (ed. note: and less foot-dragging at the state and >national levels is needed as well). One of the few elected officials to note >the connection between transportation policies and human health. Jeff Schimpff Madison, WI 608-233-2962 "Bus, Bike, Carpool to Work for Clean Air for Kids" "Pedestrians and cyclists are the indicator species of a healthier community" ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mitchell Nussbaum Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 10:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Bikies] E Mifflin Bike Boulevard A related question: When I went to the Regent Co-op on Wednesday evening, I noticed a flyer for a community meeting about a Kendall Avenue bike boulevard on Wednesday evening. The meeting was probably over by the time I saw the notice, but I'd be interested to know what happened, and what's being planned for Kendall Avenue. I think E. Mifflin and Kendall are both excellent candidates for bike boulevards, but the details of implementation are important. For E. Mifflin St., I wonder about the 100 block. When this was discussed earlier, people talked about a contraflow lane to allow westbound bikes to get to the Square. Is this part of the plan? I hope so; without it, westbound bike will go against traffic or use the sidewalk -- neither is a good idea. On Kendall Ave., planners need to give some thought to the connections at either end of Kendall Ave. At the east end, Kendall dumps you onto Lathrop St., and there's no really good way to continue downtown, especially for riders who don't feel confident in traffic. On the west end, planners need to think about connections to Hilldale and beyond. I don't have any trouble with Bluff St. and Regent St., but I'm told that some people do, and it's probably not suitable for the proverbial 70-year-old grandmother pulling a trailer. I do think these boulevards are steps in the right direction, and I thank city staff and the alders involved for pushing them forward. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Leland" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 7:24:51 AM Subject: [Bikies] E Mifflin Bike Boulevard Bike Boulevard signs are up on East Mifflin beginning at Blount and continuing toward the river. Haven't heard anything about this project since last summer. Is anything else planned besides the new signs? Michael ________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. 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