Santa Fe Metropolitan BICYCLE MASTER PLAN A Component of the Santa Fe Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2010-2035 Approved: APRIL 12, 2012 Preparation of this Plan was funded by grants from the New Mexico Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation (Federal Highways Administration and Federal Transit Administration) and local funds from Santa Fe MPO member jurisdictions. The policies, findings, and recommendations contained in this Plan do not necessarily represent the views of the state and federal agencies identified above and do not obligate those agencies to provide funding to implement the contents of the Plan as adopted. The Santa Fe MPO assures that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or sex as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (P.L. 100.259), be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information: Materials can be provided in alternative formats by contacting the Santa Fe MPO at (505) 955-6625. Direct assistance with the development of the Bicycle Master Plan was provided by: Tim Rogers - Transportation Consultant Unless otherwise credited, photographs in this document are courtesy of Tim Rogers and Keith Wilson. Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board City of Santa Fe Santa Fe County Councilor Patti Bushee, Vice-Chair Commissioner, Daniel Mayfield, Chair Mayor David Coss Commissioner Liz Stefanics Councilor Ronald Trujillo Commissioner Robert Anaya Tesuque Pueblo NM Department of Transportation Ryan Swazo-Hinds Deputy Secretary Kathryn Bender Technical Coordinating Committee John Romero, Traffic Engineer Supervisor, City of Santa Fe, Chair Eric Martinez, P.E., Roadways & Trails Engineering Division Director, City of Santa Fe Reed Liming, Long Range Planning Division Director, City of Santa Fe Tamara Baer, for Current Planning/Land use Division Director, City of Santa Fe Jon Bulthuis, Transit Division Director, City of Santa Fe Jack Kolkmeyer, Planning & Development Division Director, Santa Fe County Adam Leigland, P.E., Public Works Department Director, Santa Fe County Andrew Jandacek, Growth Management Dept, Senior Transportation Planner, Santa Fe County Vacant, Executive Director, Santa Fe Regional Planning Authority Anthony Mortillaro, Director, North Central Regional Transportation District Sam Romero, Transportation Planner, Tesuque Pueblo Miguel Gabaldon, P.E. District Engineer, District 5, NMDOT MPO Advisory Members Rodolfo Monge-Oviedo, Federal Highway Administration Claude Morelli, SFMPO Liaison, NMDOT Greg White, Rail/Transit, NMDOT Eric Ghahate, Northern Pueblos RPO MPO Staff Mark Tibbetts, MPO Officer/Program Manager Keith Wilson, MPO Senior Planner Table of Contents List of Maps...................................................................................................... ii. List of Tables....................................................................................................iii. Acronyms .........................................................................................................iv. Definitions ........................................................................................................ v. Executive Summary.........................................................................................1 I. Introduction..................................................................................................3 A. Benefits of Bicycles in Santa Fe ................................................................4 B. A Bicycle Master Plan for the Santa Fe Metropolitan Area 10 C. Vision, Goals, and Objectives for a more bicycle-friendly Santa Fe 11 D. Bicyclists: The User Group...................................................................... 12 E. Approach: The E’s ................................................................................... 12 II. Bicycle Planning and Policy in the Santa Fe Metropolitan Area........... 14 A. Federal and Metropolitan / MPO.............................................................. 14 B. State of New Mexico................................................................................ 15 C. City of Santa Fe....................................................................................... 16 D. Santa Fe County ..................................................................................... 17 E. Data to Support Bicycle Programs and Planning..................................... 18 III. Engineering: Assessment of Existing Conditions ................................ 21 A. On-Road Facilities................................................................................... 21 B. Off-Road Facilities ................................................................................... 25 C. Guidance for Bicyclists ............................................................................ 29 D. Gaps and Barriers ................................................................................... 31 E. Crossings and Connections..................................................................... 32 F. Other Multi-Use Trail Design Issues ........................................................ 36 G. Bicycle Parking........................................................................................ 38 H. On-Board Transit Facilities for Bicycles................................................... 39 I. Maintenance of Bicycle Facilities ............................................................ 41 IV. Recommendations to Improve Bicycle Infrastructure ......................... 45 A. General Recommendations (1.1 – 1.12).................................................. 45 1.1. Implement “Complete Streets” policies......................................... 45 1.2. Create and implement programs to retrofit roadways................... 47 1.3. Adopt and adhere to established engineering guidelines............. 48 1.4. Target investments in new bikeways............................................ 50 1.5. Support pro-active maintenance while minimizing impact............ 51 1.6. Coordinate planning of bikeway facilities in the MPO area........... 52 1.7. Provide bicyclists with useful guidance ........................................ 53 1.8. Research, consider, promote, and implement best practices....... 55 1.9. Improve and expand bicycle parking............................................ 56 i | Page Metropolitan Bicycle Master Plan 1.10. Support Higher-Density, Mixed-Use Development....................... 58 1.11. Provide Critical Connectivity for Bicyclists and Pedestrians ........ 59 1.12. Gather Data to Support and Guide Bicycle Planning ................... 60 B. Specific Facility Improvements, with Prioritization ................................... 61 1. Completing Streets: Retrofitting Roads ............................................ 61 2. Prioritized Trail Improvements.......................................................... 66 3. Recommended Improvements to Trail Crossings and Connections to Roadways .................................................................................... 69 4. Specific Recommendations on Wayfinding Assistance.................... 72 V. Education, Encouragement, and Enforcement ...................................... 76 A. Assessment of Education and Encouragement....................................... 76 1. Promotional Events .......................................................................... 76 2. Educating and Equipping Bicyclists.................................................. 77 3. Educating Motorists.......................................................................... 78 4. Safe Routes to School ..................................................................... 79 B. Bicycle Law, Enforcement, and Legislative Activities .............................. 80 1. State Law ......................................................................................... 80 2. Local Law......................................................................................... 81 C. Recommended Policies, Programs, and Activities (2.1 – 2.8)................. 82 2.1: Support Bicycle Education for Children and Adults ........................ 82 2.2: Educate Motorists about Safe Operating Behavior ........................ 83 2.3: Enforce Traffic Laws Relating to Bicycling ..................................... 83 2.4: Establish a District-Wide Safe Routes to School Program ............. 84 2.5: Continue to Promote and Celebrate Bicycles................................. 85 2.6: Establish a Bike-Sharing Program as Public Transit ...................... 86 2.7: Encourage use of bicycles by public and private agency staff ....... 88 2.8: Create Incentives / Remove Barriers to Travel by Bike.................. 88 VI. Implementation Plan ............................................................................... 89 A. Publicizing the Santa Fe MPO Bicycle Master Plan................................. 89 B. Agency Responsibilities........................................................................... 90 C. Recommended Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term projects...................... 90 D. Funding Sources/Mechanisms...............................................................102 E. Performance Indicators with Baselines and Benchmarks ......................107 List of Maps Map 1: Santa Fe MPO Planning Area................................................................3