Active Transportation Task Force: Excited about DOT’s I-95 PEL Study Focus on Bike/Pedestrian Conditions along RT 1

Letter to Greenwich I-95 Corridor PEL Study Team, from Vin DiMarco and Bob DeAngelo Co-chairs, FS Active Transportation Task Force

Dear Study Team,

Pasted below are thumbnails from the current Study Presentation to which we will refer commentary.

Comments

We are excited to see such a level of focus on Bike/Pedestrian conditions along RT 1 and goals for improvements that we don’t recall was there during the initial presentations that we attended. Reviewing the comments recorded at PAC meetings #1 and #2, it seems that they may have influenced that focus. Kudos to the PAC participants.

In the current presentation, the team explains the findings and goals, with which we agree. It also states that alternatives will be evaluated for feasibility and improvement.

Specifically, we applaud consideration of the East Coast Greenway as an important element in the Study.

Further supporting this are comments reflecting resident thoughts about non-automotive travel alternatives, such as this question:

(PCA 8.24) P. Roberts asked if there is enough room on U.S. Route 1 to install bike lanes. B. Hall shared that the Study Team has not yet evaluated that, but it will be considered as the study moves forward.

Somewhat disappointing to us, though, is the fact that as input has been positively shaping the PEL Study, the First Selectmen’s Active Transportation Task Force has not been made aware, nor has it been asked to participate, especially considering the following questions:

(PAC 4.24) P. Roberts asked if the Study Team is sitting on town meetings and other safety meetings.

M.Hull answered that the Study Team has been coordinating with Jim Michel of the Town of Greenwich Public Works Department to sit in on these meetings and review the meeting summaries.

A. Haynes asked if the study considers existing projects, scoped or in progress, as part of the planning process. She used the bridge by Milbrook as an example.

M. Hull answered that other projects in the Study Area are being considered in the planning process.

ATTF will surely be discussing the current PEL Study Vision and direction this week.

Per the Agenda, ATTF members will be asked to vote that the East-West Multi-Use Path contemplated in the 2001 Bicycle Master Plan be considered in the PEL Study for feasibility.

Below is an excerpt from the BMP (see full plan attached), and a screenshot of the proposed MuP crossing the Mianus River, highlighting the dilemma that the PEL Study recognizes for all travelways in this corridor.

Bicycle Master Plan – 2001

EAST – WEST MULTI-USE TRAIL PURPOSE AND NEEDS
Multi-use paths are those that exist on exclusive right of way and ideally are subject to minimal conflict with crossing traffic. From both a transportation and recreational standpoint, they can provide the safest conditions for less experienced cyclists and help to reduce congestion on roads by making bicycle trips more appealing to a greater number of users.

Most experienced cyclists prefer on-road riding for transportation purposes when provided with a bicycle-friendly road. In Greenwich, opportunities exist for such paths to further strengthen the bicycle network, particularly in the east-west direction.

A potential location for an off-road path lies within the state owned right of way (ROW) that is currently served by Interstate 95.

The I-95 corridor is relatively flat and would provide critical east-west linkage to heavily used town centers and neighborhoods where bicycle use is most likely to occur. As part of the Bicycle Master Plan, portions of this corridor have been investigated to identify the potential for constructing such a path. While this is in no way meant to reflect a feasibility study (which would be required), it does identify opportunities and constraints for the town.

Potential segments have been identified in areas in which difficult on road alternatives could prove undesirable to some cyclists. If these segments were constructed, they would be tightly integrated with numerous on-road routes to provide safe and convenient alternatives to automobile transportation within Greenwich.