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Town of Mammoth Lakes Trail System Master Plan

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Town of Mammoth Lakes Trail System Master Plan Town of Mammoth Lakes Trail System Master Plan Adopted: October 19, 2011 Acknowledgements This Town of Mammoth Lakes Trail System Master Plan (2011) is the result of a multi- partnered and multi-jurisdictional Concept and Master Planning (CAMP) process. The CAMP Process, and the update of the previous Town of Mammoth Lakes Trail System Plan, was initiated by the Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA), a non- profit organization, in the spring of 2007. Jurisdictional Partners Town of Mammoth Lakes United States Forest Service Funding Partners The Town of Mammoth Lakes (TOML) Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, LLC (MMSA) The Developers’ Forum (A joint effort of the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce and MLTPA) Cardinal Investments Mammoth Crossing The Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA) Funding through the generous support of the following: The Sierra Nevada Conservancy* The Flora Family Foundation The Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation Planning Partners The Town of Mammoth Lakes United States Forest Service Mammoth Mountain Ski Area The Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA) Consultant Team Alta Planning + Design Trail Solutions Corbin Design Beneficial Designs *A portion of the funding for MLTPA was provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California. Cover photo in second row (right) provided by Christian Pondella. All other photos and images in this document were provided by TOML, MLTPA, or the consultant team unless otherwise noted. Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... 1 Setting ......................................................................................................................... 2 Vision, Goals and Objectives .................................................................................. 2 The Existing Trail System ........................................................................................ 3 Analysis of Needs and Benefits .............................................................................. 4 Future Trail System .................................................................................................. 5 Signage and Wayfinding ......................................................................................... 11 Design Guidelines ................................................................................................... 11 Operations and Maintenance ................................................................................ 13 Costs and Funding .................................................................................................. 13 Benchmarking and Evaluation .............................................................................. 14 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 14 CHAPTER 1. Vision, Goals & Objectives ............................................................... 15 1.1. Vision ............................................................................................................. 15 1.2. Goals and Objectives ................................................................................... 16 1.3. Existing Plans, Policies and Data Sources ................................................ 18 CHAPTER 2. Existing Conditions .......................................................................... 27 2.1. Setting and Context ...................................................................................... 27 2.2. Jurisdictional Issues ...................................................................................... 28 2.3. Major Activity Centers and Recreation Nodes ........................................ 30 2.4. Paved Multi-Use Paths (Class I) ................................................................. 41 2.5. On-Street Bikeways ...................................................................................... 46 2.6. Pedestrian Facilities ...................................................................................... 53 2.7. Interface Between Mountain Bike Trails and Paved Facilities .............. 62 2.8. Soft-Surface Bike Trails ............................................................................... 63 2.9. Bicycle Parking .............................................................................................. 69 2.10. Public Transportation and Multi-Modal Opportunities ....................... 72 2.11. Accessibility Issues ..................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER 3. Needs Analysis .................................................................................. 75 3.1. Benefits of Trails .......................................................................................... 75 3.2. CAMP: Summer ........................................................................................... 77 3.3. Summer Trail Use Survey ............................................................................ 81 3.4. CAMP: Winter .............................................................................................. 91 3.5. Winter Trail Use Survey .............................................................................. 96 3.6. Safety / Collision Analysis ........................................................................ 109 CHAPTER 4. Future Trail System Recommendations .......................................... 111 4.1. General Recommendations ....................................................................... 112 4.2. Major Activity Centers and Recreation Nodes ...................................... 117 4.3. Paved Multi-Use Paths .............................................................................. 127 4.4. Crossing Improvements ............................................................................ 133 4.5. On-Street Bikeways .................................................................................... 135 4.6. Interface between Soft-Surface Trails and Paved Facilities ................. 141 4.7. Pedestrian Facilities .................................................................................... 142 4.8. Bicycle Parking ............................................................................................ 149 4.9. Soft-Surface Trails ...................................................................................... 150 4.10. Education, Encouragement and Enforcement Programs .................. 154 4.11. Accessibility ............................................................................................... 156 4.12. Long-Term Vision .................................................................................... 157 CHAPTER 5. Signage & Wayfinding ..................................................................... 167 5.1. Signage ......................................................................................................... 167 5.2. Analysis ........................................................................................................ 168 5.3. Wayfinding .................................................................................................. 177 5.4. Pros and Cons of Design Considerations ............................................... 178 5.5. Signage Vocabulary .................................................................................... 179 5.6. Conclusion ................................................................................................... 184 5.7. Updated Framework .................................................................................. 184 CHAPTER 6. Design Guidelines ............................................................................ 187 6.1. Multi-Use Paths (MUP) ............................................................................. 188 6.2. Bike Lanes ................................................................................................... 201 6.3. Bike Routes ................................................................................................. 208 6.4. Bicycle Parking ............................................................................................ 216 6.5. Pedestrian Facilities .................................................................................... 221 6.6. Soft-Surface Trail Design Guidelines ...................................................... 226 6.7. Easements .................................................................................................... 245 CHAPTER 7. Operations and Maintenance ......................................................... 247 7.1. Maintenance Roles and Responsibilities ................................................. 247 7.2. Maintenance Guidelines ............................................................................ 251 7.3. Existing Town of Mammoth Lakes Maintenance Policies................... 258 7.4. Maintenance Budget and Costs ................................................................ 260 7.5. Recommended Maintenance Policies ...................................................... 262 CHAPTER 8. Implementation Strategy – Costs & Funding ................................ 267 8.1. Phasing ......................................................................................................... 267 8.2. Cost Estimates ...........................................................................................
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