The Traffic Engineering staff, with the assistance of Sprinkle Consulting, Inc., Coffman Studios and HDR Inc., has completed this Bicycle Development Plan to provide the City of Peoria with a “blueprint” for the continuing development of its network of on-street bicycle facilities. In the course of preparing this plan, the consultant team performed an evaluation of bicycling conditions on the City’s roadway network and, where necessary, made recommendations toward improving bicycling conditions on specific segments. Various “Bicycle Friendly” practices and policies in use across Maricopa County, Arizona, and the rest of the United States were also reviewed and summarized. The consultant team, drawing upon input from City staff and residents, recommends certain policies and practices that are appropriate to the goals and objectives articulated in the City’s General Plan and other documents.
The consultant team evaluated bicycling conditions on Peoria’s roadway network using the Bicycle Level of Service Model, a methodology adopted by numerous municipal, county and state planning agencies and departments of transportation across the country. In consultation with city staff, a target level of bicycle accommodation—equal to or better than a score of “C” (<3.5) in the Bicycle Level of Service evaluation—was chosen for the city. On average, the city’s arterial streets scored a “D” (3.7) on the evaluation, which does not meet the targeted level of accommodation for bicyclists. The consultant team analyzed the traffic and geometric conditions of the segments that did not meet the target level of accommodation (approximately 70 miles in length) and is recommending strategies for improving conditions for bicyclists on those segments. There are five recommended strategies:
• Re-striping of roadways for bike lanes or shoulders (19 miles)
• Posting “Share the Road” signage (3 miles)
• Adding or expanding paved shoulders (10 miles)
• Performing detailed corridor studies to investigate the possibility of sidepath construction
(28 miles)
• Performing detailed corridor study to investigate alternative solutions for especially constrained roadway segments (13 miles)
The consultant team evaluated bicycling conditions on Peoria’s roadway network using the Bicycle Level of Service Model, a methodology adopted by numerous municipal, county and state planning agencies and departments of transportation across the country. In consultation with city staff, a target level of bicycle accommodation—equal to or better than a score of “C” (<3.5) in the Bicycle Level of Service evaluation—was chosen for the city. On average, the city’s arterial streets scored a “D” (3.7) on the evaluation, which does not meet the targeted level of accommodation for bicyclists. The consultant team analyzed the traffic and geometric conditions of the segments that did not meet the target level of accommodation (approximately 70 miles in length) and is recommending strategies for improving conditions for bicyclists on those segments. There are five recommended strategies:
• Re-striping of roadways for bike lanes or shoulders (19 miles)
• Posting “Share the Road” signage (3 miles)
• Adding or expanding paved shoulders (10 miles)
• Performing detailed corridor studies to investigate the possibility of sidepath construction
(28 miles)
• Performing detailed corridor study to investigate alternative solutions for especially constrained roadway segments (13 miles)
After identifying the appropriate improvement strategies for each roadway segment, the consultant team prepared a prioritized list of potential improvements, using a neo-traditional Benefit-Cost Index, which weighs various benefits (potential improvement in bicycle accommodation, potential demand for a bicycle facility along that specific segment, and any citizen-identified needs for improvement on that segment) against an estimated cost for the type of improvement recommended for each segment. The results of the Benefit-Cost Index were used to group the improvement recommendations into three “tiers” of short-, medium-, and longrange projects. The mileage and estimated cost of these various tiers is as follows:
• Tier I (short-term projects): 29 miles, $2.4 million
• Tier II (mid-range projects): 18 miles, $13.7 million
• Tier III (long-range projects): 14 miles, $24.3 million
While this Bicycle Development Plan has established priorities for implementation of bicycle facility improvements on the City’s roadway network, it will be important for city staff to be alert to opportunities to include bicycle improvements in new development and roadway reconstruction projects, so that public transportation investment benefits can be maximized and future needs for retro-fitting can be reduced.
The policy recommendations included in this plan address enacting a performance-based standard for accommodating bicyclists on Peoria’s streets, as well as updating the City’s planning procedures and development standards to facilitate the development of new bicycle facilities throughout the City.
• Tier I (short-term projects): 29 miles, $2.4 million
• Tier II (mid-range projects): 18 miles, $13.7 million
• Tier III (long-range projects): 14 miles, $24.3 million
While this Bicycle Development Plan has established priorities for implementation of bicycle facility improvements on the City’s roadway network, it will be important for city staff to be alert to opportunities to include bicycle improvements in new development and roadway reconstruction projects, so that public transportation investment benefits can be maximized and future needs for retro-fitting can be reduced.
The policy recommendations included in this plan address enacting a performance-based standard for accommodating bicyclists on Peoria’s streets, as well as updating the City’s planning procedures and development standards to facilitate the development of new bicycle facilities throughout the City.
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| Peoria, Arizona, by Hanroanu |
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