Walk&RideFlorence: Shared-use Path on Kingwood Street

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Shared-use Path on Kingwood Street

This is how a shared-use path could work on Kingwood Street between 9th and 15th Street. Adding a shared-use path on the east side and using parked cars as a barrier mid-street seems like a brilliant idea and would make a lot of sense since there is no side walk on either side.

Shared-use paths can be used by pedestrians, joggers, skaters, cyclists, wheel chairs etc. and provide a comfortable space of safety.

This could be a great Demonstration Project for our city and a step in the right direction.

Info about Portland's Cycle Track & Buffered Bike Lane Demonstration Projects here

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BENEFITS OF BICYCLING & WALKING

Increased bicycling and walking will help:

· Reduce traffic congestion;

· Reduce air and noise pollution;

· Reduce wear and tear on our roads;

· Reduce consumption of petroleum;

· Reduce crashes and property damage;

· Reduce the need for additional roads, travel lanes and parking; and

· Improve Oregonians' health and well-being through regular exercise.

Providing bikeways and walkways

also helps meet the needs of a large segment of the population who do not have access to an automobile - the "transportation disadvantaged":

· The poor;

· The young;

· The elderly;

· People with disabilities; and

· Others who do not use a motor vehicle for a variety of reasons.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BICYCLING & WALKING

Walking is the most basic form of transportation. Everyone is a pedestrian, including persons using wheelchairs and other forms of mobility assistance. Transit or automobile trips begin and end with a walk. Walking is often the quickest way to accomplish short trips in urban areas.

Bicycling is the most energy efficient form of transportation ever devised, getting the energy equivalent of up to 1,500 miles per gallon (according to an MIT study).

People who walk or ride bicycles are the most vulnerable road users, being less protected from the weather and more likely to be injured in a collision with a motor vehicle; they must often use facilities that were designed primarily for automobiles.

Definition of

801.385 "Pedestrian" "Pedestrian" means any person afoot or confined in a wheelchair. [1983 c.338 §69]

801.485 "Sidewalk" "Sidewalk" means the area determined as follows: (1) On the side of a highway which has a shoulder, a sidewalk is that portion of the highway between the outside lateral line of the shoulder and the adjacent property line capable of being used by a pedestrian. (2) On the side of a highway which has no shoulder, a sidewalk is that portion of the highway between the lateral line of the roadway and the adjacent property line capable of being used by a pedestrian. [1983 c.338 §89]

801.480 "Shoulder"
"Shoulder" means the portion of a highway, whether paved or unpaved, contiguous to the roadway that is primarily for use by pedestrians, for the accommodation of stopped vehicles, for emergency use and for lateral support of base and surface courses. [1983 c.338 §88]

TYPES OF BIKEWAYS

Shared-Use Path (formerly called bike path or multi-use path): A facility separated from motor vehicle traffic by an open space or barrier, either within the roadway right-of-way or within an independent right-of-way. These are typically used by pedestrians, joggers, skaters and bicyclists. Shared-use paths are appropriate in corridors not well served by the street system, to create short cuts that link origin and destination points, and as elements of a community trail plan.

Bike Lane: A portion of the roadway designated for preferential use by bicyclists. Bike lanes are appropriate on busy urban thoroughfares. They may be used on other streets where bicycle travel and demand is substantial. Bike lanes are marked to call attention to their preferential use by bicyclists.

Shoulder Bikeway: A shoulder bikeway is a paved shoulder that provides a suitable area for bicycling, reducing conflicts with faster moving motor vehicle traffic. Most bicycle travel on the rural state highway system, and on many county roads, is accommodated on shoulder bikeways.

Bicycle Boulevards: The operation of a local street is modified to function as a through street for bicyclists while maintaining local access for automobiles. Traffic calming devices control traffic speeds and discourage through trips by automobiles. Traffic controls limit conflicts between automobiles and bicyclists and give priority to through bicycle movement.

Shared Roadway: Bicyclists and motorists ride in the same travel lanes. There are no specific dimensions for shared roadways. They are usually narrow, so a motorist has to cross over into the adjacent travel lane to pass a cyclist. Shared roadways are common on neighborhood residential streets, on rural roads and low-volume highways.