Middle Susquehanna
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Middle Susquehanna Bicycleand Pedestrian Plan Middle Susquehanna Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee June 2019 Cover photos, clockwise from top left: Middle Susquehanna Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Advisory Committee Don Alexander Roy Gothie Earl Rissler Robbins Trail, Montour Township Northumberland County, MPO PennDOT State Bike/Ped Coordinator Earl’s Bike Shop in Lewisburg and member of (courtesy Susquehanna Greenway Partnership) Ann August Michael Hnatin Plain Sect community (Mennonite) Watsontown Towpath Trail Northumberland Borough Williamsport Bicycle Club President and James Saylor Representative of Public Works SEDA-COG Transportation Department (courtesy Montour Area Recreation Commission) Michelle Beiler Bucknell University Lincoln Kaufman Katie de Silva Lewisburg Borough Snyder County, MPO Clinton County, MPO (Samantha Pearson) Shannon Berkey Danville Borough Chris King David Stone 3rd Street, Williamsport Albert Carlson PennDOT District 3 Bike Coordinator for City of Williamsport (courtesy Lycoming County Department of Planning) PennDOT District 2 Jon Lavelle Bob Stoudt Lewisburg and Kelly Township, River Road Holiday Anthony Condor Lycoming County Planning Montour Area Rec Commission (Charlie Guttendorf Photography) Clinton County Housing Authority Allison Miknich Michael Suk Columbia County Geisinger Physician John DelVecchio Union County, MPO Greg Molter Rachel Swartwood Montour County, MPO Columbia County Bob Dwyer Former School District Employee in Clinton Co. Michele Ocker Holman Jerry Walls rabbittransit Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Board Chair Corey Ellison Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Sam Pearson Walk It Bike It Lewisburg Acknowledgements Committee Alternates and Invited Participants Contributors Brian Auman Christopher Metka SEDA-COG: Bike/Ped Consultant for audits PennDOT Kathi Hannaford Cheryl Delsite Carey Mullins Steve Herman City of Sunbury PennDOT Central Office Katherine Lewis Wes Fahringer Mark Murawski Kyle Postupack DCNR Regional Rep Lycoming County, MPO Additional Contributors: Debra Force Jonathan Ranck Berwick Borough PennDOT District 3 Planning Eve Adrian Jack Kyttle Jamie Shrawder Bob Aungst Berwick Borough, MPO Danville Borough Trish Carothers Lauren Martz Scott Williams Gail Kulp Town of Bloomsburg, MPO Lycoming County Planning Tali MacArthur Jenn Ulmer Funding This project was financed in part by grants from the Community Conservation Partnership Program, using Environmental Stewardship Funds, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation and from the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The views and opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, or the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Plan Adoptions • The SEDA-COG MPO adopted this plan on May 17, 2019. • The Williamsport MPO endorsed this plan on May 20, 2019. Bald Eagle Valley Trail near Lock Haven • The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership adopted this plan on June 13, 2019. Courtesy of Clinton County Susquehanna Sojurn Jeremy Quant Jeremy Susquehanna Greenway (courtesy Partnership) SECTION 1 SECTION 2 SECTION 3 Contents Related Documents Introduction Vision Goals & Strategies Additional resources to document the Why and how this plan was Big picture—what we want Making the vision tangible planning effort and track implementation developed and what region life to be like, in terms of and focusing our efforts provided on the SEDA-COG bike+ped it serves walking and bicycling web page: http://www.seda-cog.org/transportation/ page 4 page 6 page 8 Pages/Bike-Ped-Planning.aspx • Safety Report • Public Outreach Report SECTION 4 SECTION 5 SECTION 6 • Municipal Survey Report • Public Survey Report • Level of Traffic Stress on Bicyclists on State Roads • Matrix of Bicycle and Pedestrian Needs Current Conditions Action Plan Implementation • Action Planner/Progress Tracker Where we stand today— First steps—what needs to Tips and tools for jump- • Local Bicycle and Pedestrian Audits – progress to date and major happen to achieve our vision starting plan implementation Jersey Shore, Northumberland, and Lewisburg • Initial Toolbox: areas for improvement - Benefits of Bicycle- and Pedestrian-Friendly Com- munities - Visual Dictionary of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities page 10 page 31 page 35 - Funding and Technical Assistance Sources SECTION 1 The Middle Susquehanna region µ encompasses seven counties along the Susquehanna River and the Susquehanna Greenway: • Columbia, Montour, and Introduction Northumberland counties along the North Branch of the There are great places to walk and bike in the Middle Susquehanna Region Susquehanna River from Berwick today. Places like the Susquehanna Riverwalk in Williamsport, the Buffalo Valley through Bloomsburg and Danville Rail Trail between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg, and Danville’s Riverfront Trail are Lycoming to Northumberland, just north of popular with local residents and add value to an already good quality of life. Sunbury; However, the region’s transportation plans have not fully addressed bicycle and • Clinton, Lycoming, and Union pedestrian mobility. Regional and local plans treat walking and bicycling as counties along the West Branch primarily recreational activities, when in fact many of the region’s residents rely on from Keating through Lock walking and biking for day-to-day transportation. Further, land use patterns (what Haven and Williamsport to is built, where) in many areas essentially preclude people from safely walking and Columbia Northumberland; and bicycling, and thereby limit their job, learning, and leisure opportunities. Hiking and Biking Clinton Montour • Snyder County along the While many plans consider “accommodations” for non-motorized modes, it is time Trails Union Middle Susquehanna from for a plan that gives walking and bicycling center stage. Susquehanna River Northumberland to Port Trevorton Greenway Corridor (halfway to Harrisburg). Middle Susquehanna Mifflin and Juniata counties are Bike/Ped Region Northumberland member counties of the SEDA-COG County Boundaries Snyder Metropolitan Planning Organization Susquehanna but are not included in the initial Watershed Data: New York State, Maryland State, bicycle and pedestrian planning It’s time for a plan that gives PennDOT, DCNR, SEDA-COG, region because they lie along the Susquehanna Greenway Mapping by: SEDA-COG GIS Juniata River, not the Susquehanna walking and bicycling PA State Plane N, feet, NAD83 March, 2019 River. Bicycle and pedestrian center stage. 0 4.25 8.5 17 25.5 34 priorities for these counties may be Miles incorporated in future updates. Middle Susquehanna Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Page 4 Benefits of Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation The public health benefits of regular walking and biking activity are substantial. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promotes active communities as a major focus for the policy, systems, and environmental approaches to chronic disease prevention. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity—all risk factors for more serious health conditions—are positively impacted by regular physical activity. Prevention of chronic disease benefits individuals, communities and larger groups with overall lower health care and insurance costs. The environmental benefits of our vision are both direct and indirect. Greater use of walking and biking contributes less pollution than motorized travel and protects air quality by avoiding vehicle emissions. Walking and bicycling also require far less impervious surface (pavement for roads and parking), requiring less-intensive construction and producing less stormwater runoff. Indirectly the Walk It! Bike it! Lewisburg greater connection with the surrounding environment afforded by Route 15 crossing tour bike+ped travel fosters a greater appreciation for and stewardship of Samantha Pearson the natural environment. The economic benefits of walkable and bikeable communities Who Was Involved in Plan Development have been well-documented. For communities, there is a strong correlation between bike and ped access/mobility with a quality of The guiding force behind the plan’s planners, bicycle advocates, pedestrian COG and the Susquehanna Greenway life that retains and attracts population and business. When promoted development and implementation advocates, and recreation managers. Partnership. Gannett Fleming, Inc., among tourist attractions and activities, a bike+ped network can was the Middle Susquehanna Regional The perspectives of committee a Harrisburg-based transportation attract visitors who support restaurants, hotels, and stores. Walking Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory members helped ensure the study planning and engineering firm, $ and biking help people connect with people and places in their Committee, which came together considered the full range of bicycle and led a multi-disciplinary team to community in ways that cars don’t allow. Choosing to walk or bike informally for this project. Committee pedestrian issues and opportunities in inform the plan’s development and allows people to observe their surroundings in greater detail—taking members represented a broad range the seven-county region. implementation framework. in the sights, sounds, and smells that one doesn’t