HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-22-20 Public Comment - R. Gleason - KAGY December22_2020City Commission_Comments_GleasonDecember 22, 2020
Dear City of Bozeman Commissioners,
Greetings, my name is Rebecca Gleason. I have lived and worked in Bozeman for over 30 years and
served as a volunteer for 10 years on the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board (BABAB). As a
transportation research engineer my work has focused on creating places where people have options to
get where they need to go by bus, bicycle, foot, and rideshare. The purpose of this email is to provide
public comment as a citizen (not representing BABAB or my workplace) on the following commission
agenda items on Tuesday January 22nd:
• H.1 - Resolution 5207, Adoption of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for Fiscal Years 2022-
2026
• H.2 - Resolution 5248, Adopting the 2020 Bozeman Climate Plan
I live on N. Spruce Dr. and work off S. 11th near Kagy and the MSU football stadium. I have commuted to
work by bike or car along Kagy Blvd most weekdays for the past 14 years, thus I have a special interest
this corridor. I attended the 2016 Kagy Blvd public meeting and appreciate City and MDT efforts to
gather public input and to ensure Kagy will have safe places for people biking and walking in the future.
I understand that about 3/4 of meeting participants envisioned a future Kagy with three lanes (one in
each direction and center turn lane), safe and attractive options for people to walk and bike and single
lane roundabouts at intersections.
I am concerned that the proposed 4 lane design is not the best choice for our community. I am writing
to respectfully request that the City reconsider this option and explore how the future design of Kagy
and other arterial streets can better support goals in Bozeman’s Climate Action Plan, Transportation
Master Plan and Community plan.
Numerous studies show that adding capacity to roadways fails to alleviate congestion for long because it
actually increases vehicle miles traveled (Handy, 2015 Increasing Highway Capacity Unlikely to Relieve
Traffic Congestion). Adding lanes brings more motor-vehicles and emissions, contradicting goals in the
Bozeman Climate Plan. More lanes also result in increased traffic noise, stormwater runoff, right-of-way
needs, and long-term maintenance costs. Communities across the country are converting 4 lane roads
to 3 lanes for these reasons. Benefits of 3 lanes rather than 4 include:
• An overall crash reduction of 19 to 47 percent (FHWA, Road Diet Informational Guide,
2014).
• Reduction of rear-end and left-turn crashes through the use of a dedicated left-turn lane.
• Fewer lanes for pedestrians to cross, space for pedestrian refuge islands.
• Improves speed limit compliance and reduces crash severity.
• Allows more space for bicycle/pedestrian facilities, landscaping or other items the
community values.
The safety benefits of a 3 lane option support MDT’s Vision Zero program, aimed at reducing roadway
fatalities to zero. Three lanes also allow for single lane roundabouts, which have the following benefits:
• Reduced need for more travel lanes (signals create stop-and-go conditions, resulting in a
need for extra travel lanes to handle capacity at intersections).
• Reduced crash rates;
• Reduced severity of injuries (due to slower speeds);
• Reduced long-term costs (compared to traffic signals, which require electrical power); and
• Reduced liability by transportation agencies (there are no signals to fail). (Oregon Bicycle
and Pedestrian Design Guide, 2011)
The multi-lane roundabouts proposed with the 4-lane option make it harder to control speed; at low
traffic volumes, a driver can enter from the outside lane, cut across the inside lane and exit at high
speed from the outside lane. Drivers switch lanes more often to get around slower moving vehicles,
leading to more crashes. If streets are designed for the highest peak hour 20 years in the future, they
may function successfully for vehicles during that one peak hour, but will be over-designed for the other
23 hours of the day and will encourage motorists to drive at higher speeds. A Citizen’s Guide to Better
Streets: How to Engage your Transportation Agency
I understand the concern that a three-lane section will not be enough to meet the future demand of
motor vehicle traffic. However, there are many examples around the country and world where
communities have kept their streets narrow and met travel demand by giving people multi-modal
options to reach their destinations. This presents an opportunity to move away from our car-centric
approach and talk to partners to explore how more of the future travel demand may be met by
Streamline bus and walk, bike, carpool and/or vanpools in the future.
Accolades to city commissioners and staff for your good work on the Climate Action Plan, Transportation
Master Plan and Community Plan. These plans were all created with significant public input and will
guide future decisions in a positive direction. I would like to highlight a couple of quotes from the 2020
Bozeman Community Plan.
“Designing streets to prioritize safety (rather than speed) significantly reduces fatal injuries for all users
and promotes active transportation.” (Bozeman Community Plan, 2020).
“An affordable, livable, sustainable city should grow with reduced reliance on driving alone to reach
daily destinations. “ (Bozeman Community Plan, 2020).
Please revisit the Kagy scope and consider how to balance widening roads to meet potential future
demand with the safety, financial and aesthetic benefits that fewer lanes can offer. Thank you for your
time and consideration of this request.
Rebecca Gleason
1139 N Spruce Dr.
Bozeman, MT 59715