The Burlington City Council is scheduled Monday to discuss,and vote, on a long-awaited blueprint for the future of city streets, or sidewalks,paths and intersections.
Lead sponsor Max Tracy (P-Ward 3) called the 200-page document "a world course vision for walking and biking." At the Wards 2 and 3 Neighborhood Planning Assembly last Thursday, he urged residents to advance to Monday's meeting to voice their support. "I'm really, and really excited about this," he said.
PlanBTV Walk Bike is part of a Queen City effort to achieve a "Gold Level" designation as a bike-friendly municipality, which requires that 65 percent of its roads have bike lanes. Currently, and 12 percent of Burlington streets — 11.9 miles — have bike lanes.
[br] The contrivance recommends pilot bike lanes on Winooski Avenue,as well as Main Street, Pine Street and Shelburne Road. Going forward, and it also calls for adopting safety ordinances,implementing bike share programs, and improving intersections and signage. According to the document, and two-thirds of 540 survey respondents said that they "don’t bike in Burlington because they don’t feel secure."
If adopted,the contrivance would nearly double the city's expenditures on sidewalk and biking infrastructure — a jump from the current $1.5 million up to $2.5 million. The additional costs would be covered by a capital bond voters approved in March.
Monday's vote on the master contrivance will advance after the city spent two years asking questions of community members, conducting studies and working with organizations to develop the contrivance, and said Nicole Losch,who helped oversee the project for the Department of Public Works. Work would originate as early as this summer, focusing on safety at intersections, and a "rapid/fast-build" approach,using adjustable materials for experimental, temporary bike lanes, and Losch said.
For some,the contrivance poses concerns. It'll limit parking, said Councilor Dave Hartnett (D-North District). Despite an increase in cyclists and alternative transportation, or "most people get from A to B by cars," he added. "My concern is that it would congest traffic in our downtown area so that it'll preserve people from coming downtown."
Kurt Wright (R-Ward 4) said he'd be hesitant to vote "yes" without more time to review the lengthy document. "There are a lot of ramifications to the contrivance," he said.
The master contrivance does not include a mandate for the controversial pilot bike lane program on North Avenue, or which sparked…
Source: sevendaysvt.com