ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Director of Public Works with a PRESENTATION by ALTA PLANNING + DESIGN and a REQUEST to ADOPT the PEORIA BICYCLE MASTER PLAN. (Refer to Item #14-205)
Body
BACKGROUND:
Over the years, numerous bicycle facilities have been constructed in the city of Peoria. These facilities consist of both separated, off-street trails and paths and on-street marked bike lanes and routing signs. They are generally installed in locations as opportunities arise, such as in vacated railroad right-of-way or during a road diet to better use the city's roadway width. The main concern with this approach to providing bicycle facilities is that it lacks a comprehensive interconnected system to allow safe and convenient bicycling for commuting to work or school, and shopping and dining areas. A citywide plan needed to be developed to tie the existing facilities together and to form a connected network for bicycle riders.
In 2014, Public Works engaged the firm Alta Planning + Design to design a Bicycle Master Plan for the city. (Refer to Item #14-205.) This firm was selected because of their vast experience in developing bicycle plans and their comprehensive public involvement approach. Alta Planning + Design joined with local firms Crawford, Murphy & Tilly and Infrastructure Engineering to provide these professional services.
Over the course of the past year, information was gathered from three public workshops, online surveys and interactive maps, and steering committee meetings. With the existing bicycle facilities information and public comment, a draft plan was developed. In November of 2015 a final draft plan was submitted to the city Transportation Commission for discussion and comment. The Transportation Commission, the i-Team Coordinator, and bike advocates from Tri-County Regional Planning Commission and BikePeoria discussed the draft plan and submitted comments and suggestions back to the C...
Click here for full text