City of Bloomington Proposes Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2011

For more information, please contact:
Tom Micuda, Planning Director, City of Bloomington, 349.3459, [mailto:micudat@bloomington.in.gov]
Susie Johnson, Public Works Director, City of Bloomington, 349.3516, [mailto:johnsons@bloomington.in.gov]
Jared Schlemmer, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349.3406, [mailto:schlemmj@bloomington.in.gov]





Bloomington, IN - Mayor Mark Kruzan and the City of Bloomington are proposing a bicycle and pedestrian funding initiative designed to further Bloomington's progress in ensuring its investments in transportation infrastructure provide multiple options for all its residents.

The centerpiece of this funding initiative is designed to elevate Bloomington's status as a bicycle-friendly community. In October 2010, Bloomington received a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community designation from the League of American Bicyclists. This designation upgraded Bloomington's Bronze rating, which was awarded in 2003. Bloomington's goal, as officially outlined in a City Council resolution adopted on May 12, 2010, is to elevate the community's bicycle-friendly designation to the highest status, Platinum, by 2016. Only three cities in the United States have attained this designation: Portland, Oregon; Davis, California; and Boulder, Colorado.

"We are very excited to propose this new, progressive package of bicycle and pedestrian projects to expand upon all the other commitments we've made over the last seven years to create a balanced transportation plan for Bloomington," said Kruzan. "If we're going to achieve our shared goal of elevating our Bicycle Friendly Community designation by 2016, these are the kinds of investments we have to be considering now. We look forward to working with the City Council's Platinum Task Force later this year to propose even more initiatives."

Specifically, the City is proposing an aggressive implementation plan to fund the following projects:

• Greenways Implementation Plan - This analysis will make specific recommendations concerning which bicycle facilities should be constructed on key street corridors identified for facilities in the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation and Greenways System Plan. The results of this analysis will allow the City to install facilities such as bike lanes, shared-road markings (sharrows) and bicycle boulevards to carry out the recommendations of the Plan. The City's Public Works Department proposes to fund this study out of its 2011 and 2012 budgets.
• Allen Street Bicycle Boulevard - The Allen Street corridor is identified in the City's Greenways Plan as a highly desirable biking route connecting west and east side neighborhoods to such destinations as the B-Line Trail, Bryan Park and the City's future park on the McDoel Switchyard property. The City is proposing an aggressive schedule to construct a bicycle boulevard along this corridor running from Patterson Drive to the west to College Mall Road to the east. Phase I will be constructed this year and run from Bryan Park to South Walnut Street. Additionally, the City proposes to seek Tax Increment Finance district funding this year to design and construct the boulevard from Walnut Street west to the B-Line Trail, through the McDoel Gardens neighborhood to Patterson Drive, east through Bryan Park, and further east to College Mall Road. Construction of this portion of the boulevard would start in 2012.
• Black Lumber Spur Trail Construction - In addition to providing an on-street biking corridor to the B-Line Trail, the City also proposes creating a key bicycle and pedestrian linkage to the B-Line by purchasing and constructing a trail along this abandoned railroad spur. The spur runs from South Henderson Street, along the north side of the Black Lumber property, and eventually reaching the City's recently acquired Switchyard property. The City proposes to construct this project in 2014/2015 using 80% federal funding.
• Installation of Bicycle Facilities as recommended by the Greenways Implementation Plan. Once the implementation plan has been completed in 2012, the City will start installing recommended bicycle facilities such as bike lanes, sharrows and bicycle boulevard improvements. Enhancements such as striping and signage will be funded by the Public Works Department. More substantial capital improvements such as bicycle and pedestrian crossings along high-traffic streets may require federal funding assistance.
• Implementation of College Mall Pedestrian Accessibility Study - Increasing the safety and comfort of pedestrians who are using the College Mall, Eastland Plaza and Jackson Creek shopping areas is another important City goal. To that end, the City Planning Department worked closely with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Commission to complete a pedestrian accessibility study of this area in 2010. The City proposes using a combination of federal and local money in 2014 to design and implement improvements recommended in this study, including handicapped ramps, sidewalk construction, transit shelters, crosswalks and pedestrian signalization.

For more details about this proposal, please contact Tom Micuda, Planning Director, at 349-3459 or [mailto:micudat@bloomington.in.gov], or Susie Johnson, Public Works Director, at 349-3516 or [mailto:johnsons@bloomington.in.gov].

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