Bicycling and Walking What would you like to see the City of Lawrence do to encourage and support safe and accessible walking and bicycling for people of all ages and abilities? All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of October 4, 2015, 7:19 PM As with any public comment process, participation in Lawrence Listens is voluntary. The statements in this record are not necessarily representative of the whole population, nor do they reflect the opinions of any government agency or elected officials. All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of October 4, 2015, 7:19 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/2934 Bicycling and Walking What would you like to see the City of Lawrence do to encourage and support safe and accessible walking and bicycling for people of all ages and abilities? As of October 4, 2015, 7:19 PM, this forum had: Attendees: 324 On Forum Statements: 96 Hours of Public Comment: 7.8 This topic started on July 24, 2015, 8:49 AM. All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of October 4, 2015, 7:19 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/2934 Page 2 of 32 Bicycling and Walking What would you like to see the City of Lawrence do to encourage and support safe and accessible walking and bicycling for people of all ages and abilities? Matt Tucker inside City Limits September 30, 2015, 11:50 PM I would love to see some of the fantastic, existing bike/walking paths be connected. We have quite a few great trails and paths, but getting from one to the other can be inconvenient and unsafe. One example would be connecting the lovely Burroughs Creek Trail to the Bridge and then on to the River Trails. There are many other examples. Connecting what we already have would be a great place to start in encouraging and supporting accessible walking and bicycling for people in Lawrence. Thanks for your time... Name not shown inside City Limits September 26, 2015, 11:12 AM While the pedestrian-activated crossing signals are an important safety feature for pedestrians, in practice drivers don't understand them so they become one more frustration. Please consider adding large signs about how these work that are visible to drivers--mostly visual--that just shows yellow=prepare to stop, solid red = stop, and flashing red= proceed after stopping if no pedestrians are present. It's terrific that traffic engineers have come up with options like this, but if no one knows the rules it just adds to confusion. It would be great if the current stoplight at 17th and Mass was replaced with a pedestrian activated signal since it was originally added for pedestrian safety. Name not shown inside City Limits September 25, 2015, 10:56 PM I would like the tree cut away from the sign that reminds motorists that bicyclists have the right to a full lane in the roundabouts on Wakarusa Dr. I would also like to see the city address the issue of the disappearing bike lanes all over town. Bicycle lanes just suddenly disappear all over town, leaving the cyclist at the mercy of the motorist.... We cyclists do not have wings!!! We can not magicly fly when our lane vanishes, and all your honking does not give us super powers! Name not shown inside City Limits September 25, 2015, 6:20 AM My husband anD I walk a lot and I'm a cyclist. Specifically I would like to see a sidewalk along McDonald, and a crosswalk traffic light at 4th street and McDonald. For cycling, I'd like to see more bike paths and bike lanes. I would also appreciate road signs like they have for motorcycles: cars need to look before they merge because cyclists might be in a blind spot. Name not shown inside City Limits September 24, 2015, 10:40 AM I'm concerned about biking safely between Louisiana and Haskell on the new 31st Street. The new bridge just east of Louisiana is not wide enough for safe biking and I have not seen any sort of bike trail to use either. Granted I have not been riding over there since August so perhaps something is changing but at that time it All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of October 4, 2015, 7:19 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/2934 Page 3 of 32 Bicycling and Walking What would you like to see the City of Lawrence do to encourage and support safe and accessible walking and bicycling for people of all ages and abilities? seemed quite dangerous for biking. Name not shown inside City Limits September 23, 2015, 4:20 PM I would like to see a sidewalk added to Kasold Drive between 6th Street and Peterson Road. Also, several of the sidewalks along Kasold between Bob Billings and 6th Street need to be fixed. Finally, finish the sidewalk on Monterey Way between Harvard and 6th Street on the east side of the road. Name not shown inside City Limits September 23, 2015, 1:26 PM I bike to work almost every day, and I frequently bike around town to other errands, like picking up prescriptions or going to other appointments. I find it next to impossible to bike on the sidewalks due to poor maintenance or width. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to bike on a standard sidewalk when there are pedestrians present; it's simply too narrow. Additionally, it is challenging to navigate many of the curbs due to awkward design and to pass through intersections or exits from businesses in general because car traffic blocks them or because landscaping obscures lines of sight (e.g., Dillons at 6th and Lawrence). I would like sidewalks to be better maintained, better lines of sight at possible collision points, and sidewalks designed to be larger for safe use by bicyclists and pedestrians. Biking on many of the city streets is also difficult. More bike lanes and/or wider roads would improve some of those difficulties. I would also like to see better street cleaning of the bike lanes that do exist. Debris accumulates in them, such as broken glass and sand from preparing for winter storms, and this debris poses its own challenges. Bike lanes should NOT be put adjacent to on-street parking; it increases the odds of an accident. As a regular bicycle commuter in town, I have also been verbally harassed by drivers in cars, had cars pass alarmingly close to me, or have had people honk querulously and repeatedly at me, never mind the few near misses I've had from inattentive drivers. I generally believe that a lot of the harassment comes from those bicyclists who do not follow the rules of the road (which I do, really, nerdy hand signals and all!). While it'd be nice if BOTH drivers AND cyclists followed the rules of the road, I have seen countless bicyclists blow through stop signs and red lights, endangering themselves and others with their actions. I would like to see better enforcement for cyclists who break the rules for my own and their own safety. Perhaps there could be a few bouts of heightened police focus on this issue in the spring when more bicyclists hit the streets and in fall when the students return to classes. Amy Mason inside City Limits September 23, 2015, 12:23 PM There is no sidewalk beside the road west of or in front of West Middle School. Harvard Road has lots of walkers and runners every day who are in the street. I think schools should be a priority. Matt Kleinmann inside City Limits September 23, 2015, 11:47 AM All On Forum Statements sorted chronologically As of October 4, 2015, 7:19 PM http://www.peakdemocracy.com/2934 Page 4 of 32 Bicycling and Walking What would you like to see the City of Lawrence do to encourage and support safe and accessible walking and bicycling for people of all ages and abilities? In order to not just provide access to streets, but encourage active living and safer options for personal transit, the city should test the implementation of a protected bike line or cycle track along one street to test its effectiveness. Right now, sharrows are not enough to instill confidence of safety amongst bicyclists. It may not be feasible to install it for an entire city, but at least attempt it along one collector or arterial street and study what happens. Name not shown inside City Limits September 22, 2015, 3:05 PM Dear Advisory Group, I have a few general comments on biking and walking around Lawrence and some very specific suggestions for particular routes. I regularly bike and walk around town. In general, I find the in-town sidewalks and roads deplorable for biking, walking, running, and assisted transport (e.g. walkers, wheelchairs). 1) My elderly mother loves downtown but uses a walker and finds it difficult to navigate the sidewalks or exit a car parked even in a handicap spot. There is no room for a handicapped person to exit a car and easily access a ramp from the handicap parking stalls. 2) The potholes, debris, and cracks in the in-town roads (between Iowa and Haskell) make biking not only jarring, but hazardous. This is especially true at night, even with a bike headlight. 3) The north-south through roads in-town are not safe for children (Kentucky and Tennessee are not safe for anyone). I can't ever imagine my daughter riding alone on Mass or Connecticut. Less trafficked brick roads are not a good option.