CITY OF RENTON ≠ RENTON TRAILS AND BICYCLE MASTER PLAN

CHAPTER 3 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

JANUARY 2019

RENTON TRAILS AND BICYCLE MASTER PLAN ≠ CITY OF RENTON

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CITY OF RENTON ≠ RENTON TRAILS AND BICYCLE MASTER PLAN

3 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

The City conducted an extensive public outreach process, with an online questionnaire, an interactive mapping activity, and three in-person community open houses. Three meetings were organized with a Technical Advisory Committee. The City also met with regional stakeholders. Project briefings were presented to the Parks Commission, Planning Commission, and the Renton City Council. Results are summarized in this Chapter with more detailed information in Appendix A.

Top Takeaways

Based on the outreach the key takeaways include:

Recreation-based walking and biking is still a primary purpose (see sidebar). Commuting by bike and on foot is also occurring WALKING AND BIKING and could be encouraged more. IN RENTON 88.5% of the Renton Respondents preferred to walk shorter distances , around their survey respondents walk neighborhoods, mainly for recreation. Walking was not seen as a around the neighborhood. primary mode of transportation. This is consistent with findings in the 2017 State Respondents reported longer and more frequent bicycle trips . Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Planning Bicyclists bike within and beyond their neighborhood to trails, (SCORP), which showed work places or school, or civic or recreation facilities. 89% participation in the -King region, and Respondents preferred to walk and bike on formal facilities 94% across the state. such as sidewalks, streets, or paved trails. Renton's survey respondents have a The is the most heavily used trail. Not higher rate of biking with surprisingly, given its central location within the city and its length, up to 81.1% biking on a respondents cited the Cedar River Trail as the most used non- trail and 80.2% biking motorized trail. Trails along other riparian corridors, such as the around the neighborhood. In the SCORP, rates were Springbrook Creek, Honey Creek, and May Creek were less 28% for biking mostly on frequently used. streets and roads. Addressing pedestrian and bicyclist comfort is necessary to encourage more travel and recreation by foot or bike. Discontinuous or missing sidewalks, walking on roads with fast moving traffic, and difficulty crossing came up as top barriers to walking.

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Barriers to biking focused on the absence of biking facilities (e.g. paved shoulders, bike lanes, shared use paths), dangerous crossings and streets with fast moving cars. The lack of wayfinding was also cited as a potential barrier.

Connection to transit is an important need. Transit is often accessed by walking and biking and connections to current and future transit is a key link.

Mountain biking and other more unique forms of bicycling are pursued by about a quarter of questionnaire respondents, who enjoy riding along lakes, streams, and rivers.

Equestrian use was not an identified need . The questionnaire included questions on horseback riding, but no respondents offered input.

Questionnaire

The City issued a questionnaire in summer 2017 for nearly three months and received 340 responses (131 full and 209 partial). Respondents are more able-bodied than Census reports for the city. The share of questionnaire respondents with children is similar to Census reports for Renton. Questionnaire respondents are more likely to commute by walking or bicycling than the city as a whole. Results showed: . Purpose of Walking/Biking: Walking, running, and biking activities tend to be more for recreation purposes rather than for transportation. . Frequency: Most respondents walk at least 2 times per week or more, and bike 1 day per week or less. . Destinations: Most respondents walk or bike around their neighborhood or to a public facility. In the case of bicyclists, they also frequently use trails. While respondents visited a wide number of Renton park, recreation, and civic facilities, the most well visited ones were along Lake and the Cedar River. . Traffic Stress: Renton questionnaire respondents indicated that 25% were confident on any road, about 50% were comfortable with roads having some traffic but prefer those with wide shoulders or lanes or trails, and over 20% were concerned about traffic and other factors. . Barriers & Incentives – Walking or Running: Top barriers to running or walking included street crossings, traffic, discontinuous sidewalks, or

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locations along roads. Top improvements to encouraging walking or running, include more curb ramps, sidewalks, more shared-use trails, maintenance, and enforcement of traffic laws and biking. . Barriers & Incentives – Biking: Top barriers to biking include motor vehicle speed, lack of bicycle facilities, too many cars, and routes that are stressful or dangerous. Top improvements include safer intersections, wider shoulders on roads, more shared use trails, and street calming measures in residential areas.

Interactive Maps

An interactive online map was open to public input from June 10, 2017 to August 31, 2017. The interactive map site had 1,380-page views and 342 data points. Participants could identify areas where they walked or biked, and problem areas. Maps and summaries of comments follow.

Walking

Based on input received, walk problems included lack of sidewalks and connections as well as traffic, speeding, and other dangerous conditions. Most pedestrian problem spots were identified in the East Plateau, North Highlands, and mid-Kennydale Planning Areas. See Exhibit 3-1 and Exhibit 3-2.

Exhibit 3-1. Walking Problems

Source: Tag Word Cloud.

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The range of comments included: . Nice walk, but would feel much safer with sidewalk (Kennydale area). . No sidewalk for most of this very busy road (Sunset area). . Need signage and wayfinding to connect to Cedar River trail. . Missing ADA ramp. . There is no way to get up and down the hill safely between Carr Rd. and SE 200th St.... That’s a 1.25-mile sidewalk desert.

Destinations included the Cedar River Trail and May Creek Trail. Many respondents reported walking in neighborhoods on the Renton plateau (East Plateau Community Planning Area), as well as in the valley near Springbrook Trail and Black River Trail (Valley Community Planning Area).

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Exhibit 3-2. Community Input Walking

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Biking

Community comments on biking problem spots were similar to comments about walking. Biking problems related to concerns about travel lanes and trails, and traffic and safety conditions. Based on comments, most bike problem spots follow future alignments of the regional trail system. See Exhibit 3-3 and Exhibit 3-4.

Exhibit 3-3. Biking Problem Spots

Source: Tag Word Cloud.

Destinations included the Cedar River Trail, Green River Trail, Lake Washington Loop Trail, and other neighborhood locations. Comments addressed different connections or safety concerns such as: . Add bike trail between Cedar & Green river trails. . Need a safe bike route connecting to Skyway and West Hill. . Sunset Blvd provides the best grade for connectivity with Highlands, needs bike lanes. . Best bike route up Benson Hill is not clear. Probably old Benson Rd, but need bike lanes to continue. Consider road diet south of Puget. . Very narrow shoulder, difficult connection to Jones Road from Cedar River Trail. . Cars using wrong lane, conflicting with NB left turning bikes and cars. (Renton/Kent border) . I ride around this area as the bridge is too narrow and unsafe, I have nearly crashed many times on this bridge. (Renton/Tukwila Border)

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Exhibit 3-4. Community Input Biking

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OPEN HOUSES

Three open houses were held in 2017. Input at the community open houses included neighborhood specific feedback on needed improvements, as well as preferred connections and routes. No input on equestrian facilities was received. Open House 1 Open House 2 Open House 3

•35 persons •26 persons •30 persons •Preferred routes and •Regional Trail options •Regional Trail preferences facility types •Preferences on network •Final Network options •Thoughts on potential routes •Questions about facility •Facility type discussion •Problem spots designation •Prioritization and project •Wish list projects •Plan Priorities preferences •Projects to complete •General concerns and ideas

Needed improvements included: . Intersection improvements along the Cedar River Trail downtown, Houser Way and Lake Washington Boulevard, and the NE 6th and NE 8th at Logan Avenue N. . Improvements for SW 7th to make it more bike-friendly . Sidewalk improvements across neighborhoods Preferred Connections and Routes included: . Completion of the proposed Sam Chastain trail segment and the Soos Creek Trail north of 192nd St. (King County responsibility) . Completion of Burnett Linear Park, South and North in Civic Core . Houser Way was cited by many as the preferred alignment of the Eastside Rail Corridor

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King County Meetings

Coordination with King County Parks and Recreation Division, Capital Projects Program, and Governmental Relations was essential to plan development with the convergence of four regional trails within Renton’s Urban Growth Area: The Cedar River Trail (CR), Eastside Rail Corridor (ERC), Lake to Sound Trail (L2S), and the Lake Washington Loop Trail. The purpose of the meetings was to collaborate with King County representatives on possible and preferred routing for the regional trails through the City of Renton, discuss alternative facility types for these corridors, update on the status of the Civic Core planning effort and review proposed cross sections for the corridors in that plan, and review the status of other regional trails/routes. Two meetings were held to identify and agree upon the alignment and facility designation(s) for the regional trails. Detailed meeting summaries, route concepts, and cross-sections are included in Appendix B of this plan.

Technical Advisory Committee

Community members volunteered to participate in the Technical Advisory Committee for this plan which included additional background and educational discussions to provide feedback for plan development. Important considerations included: . The importance of connecting regional trails . The importance of the transit center as a destination . Recognition that trail users are not as aware of traffic control devices like Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) or C-curbs; this lack of awareness should be addressed in design options . Cost considerations, and related “low hanging fruit” or easy wins are important to elevate as criteria The following trouble spots were identified primarily about bicycling except where noted: . Near Dimmitt Middle School the location of a pedestrian-vehicle crash . Crossing Sunset Blvd. near Harrington . NE Park Drive Freeway ramps . Gate on Houser Way at Kenworth

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. NE 3rd street for bikes . Connection on Factory Ave. . Rainier Ave. and Hardy Ave. The following barriers were identified: . Lack of comfort in high speed/volume conditions . Lack of wayfinding TAC members were in agreement with the projects identified in the preliminary list and the conceptual plans for intersections. (See Appendix B of this plan.)

THEMES

Key themes emerged from the broad input received through outreach activities. The key themes and representative quotes are shown in Exhibit 3-5.

Exhibit 3-5. Outreach Themes Table

THEME REPRESENTATIVE QUOTE Safety “I am not willing to walk or ride a bike on the shoulder of a Safety is a high priority theme busy or slightly busy road, regardless of whether or not the that benefits users across the shoulder is paved, because it is extremely dangerous due to board and encourages less vehicle driver distractions (talking and texting on phone).” experienced riders to use the “Major intersections can be nerve-racking for bicyclists.” trail network. The network should be designed to minimize intermodal conflicts, street crossings, and travel along high speed, high traffic streets. In addition to design features, education and enforcement can improve safety.

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THEME REPRESENTATIVE QUOTE Connectivity “There is a lack of bike paths on the major roads that lead Connectivity to regional and to the most popular destinations. I prefer to bike, but it takes local destinations such as job longer than necessary because I find myself having to take centers, entertainment centers roundabout ways in order to stay safe.” and transit, as well within “I would love to see our bike trails connect all around Seattle neighborhoods, is an important like the Sammamish Trail which connects to the Burke - feature of the network. Gilman, then down and around to the waterfront, to Alki, then back to Renton.” “It is too difficult, and dangerous, to bicycle through Renton to connect to major trails leading north, south, and east (Lake Washington Trail, Rainer Ave, Green River Trail, Cedar River Trail.” “The bike trail connection isn't the greatest when riding around Lake Washington and along 405. With the amount of hotels /shopping /parks in the area in North Renton it would be great to improve those connections to existing trails to the north for daily and recreational use.” Continuity “I love the Cedar River Trail and ride it often from Continuity in the network downtown Renton to Maple Valley. However wish it were enables longer trips that are paved beyond Maple Valley - a road bike doesn't navigate useful for commuting or active well on gravel.” recreation and a fluid “I commute from the Highlands to Kirkland. I'm an advanced experience. and confident road rider. Some wonderful improvements have been made to signage and other aspects of driving, but there is no safe way to go up to the Highlands from down in the valley by bike. I tend to go all the way around to Kennydale and climb that big hill to come back to the Highlands rather than risk Sunset.” Comfort and Inclusivity “I think that all trails, walkways, paths, etc. should be This refers to the diversity of accessible to ALL.” experiences the network will “I walk for health. I sold my bicycle a few years ago, and enable, reaching across a have never felt a need to get another one. I am retired, so broad range of activities, ages, do not need daily transportation.” and abilities. “I want to bike and walk...my car trips kill me literally and keep me isolated. I want an outdoor vibrant community.”

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THEME REPRESENTATIVE QUOTE Well-Maintained “Surface maintenance is a MUST! Most importantly, keeping Trails wear out with time and the shoulders /trails clear of debris.” need sufficient resources to conduct regular maintenance to offer a predictable, consistent experience for all users. Wayfinding and Awareness “Safe, shared use is possible if ALL users are aware of and A comprehensive network of follow trail rules.” wayfinding signage elements “There needs to be better signage at all entrance points to tailored for walking and the park and along walkways.” bicycling allows residents to easily navigate the network and make non-motorized and multi- modal trips. Innovative and Flexible “Make 2-person soft surface on both sides of national Trail design optimizes for standard width trails so folks can run together.” successful sharing of the network. Soft surface trails are a desired alternative to paved trails.

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