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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-18-22 Public Comment - B. Ekey - Bicycle InfrastructureFrom:agenda@bozeman.net To:Agenda Subject:Thank you for your public comment. Date:Thursday, August 18, 2022 1:29:40 PM A new entry to a form/survey has been submitted. Form Name:Public Comment Form Date & Time:08/18/2022 1:29 PM Response #:1679 Submitter ID:51795 IP address:71.15.200.95 Time to complete:5 min. , 4 sec. Survey Details Page 1 Public comment may be submitted via the form below, or by any of the following options. Public comment may also be given at any public meeting. Email: agenda@bozeman.net Mail to: Attn: City Commission PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771 First Name Bob Last Name Ekey Email Address bobekey6@gmail.com Phone Number 406-581-9827 Comments Dear City Commissioners, I am writing to express my frustration and disappointment with the lack of bicycle infrastructure and bicycle safety culture in our growing community. I was recently struck broadside by a truck while riding my bicycle on North Wallace Ave., breaking my leg and being heavily bruised. By way of background, I have lived in Bozeman for 38 years — 31 years at our current house on South 6th Ave. As we’ve watched Bozeman grow and become more and more traffic congested, what we haven’t seen is any improvement in bicycle infrastructure, either in the older neighborhoods, and especially downtown. The lack of infrastructure or culture of bicycle safety makes Bozeman increasingly unfriendly to bicycles. Many of my friends who are long-time Bozeman residents have simply stopped bicycling in town for errands or commuting because of the hazards. Rather than improving, Bozeman has become less safe for bicyclists. In the area bordered by 7th Avenue and Wallace, and Olive and Mendenhall Streets — the core downtown area — there is not a single bike lane or any other infrastructure to make biking more safe. With the increase in traffic and congestion, It has become unsafe to ride on any of those streets. All the east-west streets are narrow and crowded. The only way to ride a bicycle is taking the entire lane, which frustrates motorists behind you, sometimes leading to tailgating and horn honking, which is quite intimidating when you’re the one on a bike. Our downtown has become more congested with parking, and the city commission appears to be unwilling to remove some parking to create bike-only lanes. This situation only adds to the congestion because this forces people drive instead of biking. In addition, I’m not sure what the the “Bike Routes” that are on the city map actually mean. It implies safety, but that is not the case. Although North Wallace — the scene of my accident — is a “Bike Route”, there is parking on both sides of the street, no bike lane, and lots of motor vehicle traffic and congestion. Streets labeled “bike routes” should have parking removed from one side and a two-way, bike lane put in with barriers to protect cyclists and prevent motorists from using or parking in the lane. Bozeman is relatively flat, which makes it a great place for bike commuting, at least most of the year. As we fill in the valley with development, it seems we could be more mindful of setting aside more room for bike- only lanes. The research shows that the more separation between cars and bikes, the safer it is. Our new routes to the south, west and southwest neighborhoods should have separate bike lanes, with a physical barrier separating bikes from motorized traffic, and where cars and trucks cannot pull over into the bike lane for any reason. I’ve seen this in practice in lots of other cities and towns — with separate paths, curbs between the bike lane and traffic, bike lanes painted a different color with a bright red stripe between bike lanes and motorized traffic. These are not new concepts and are implemented in many other places, but not Bozeman. In addition to new bike safety infrastructure, our community could benefit from a culture shift toward more bicycle safety. In my recent accident, I was riding north on North Wallace, just north of Peach St., when I was struck by a truck leaving a parking area. The truck’s view was blocked by an illegally parked truck along a yellow curb. Neither the driver of the truck that struck me, nor the illegally parked truck, were cited in the accident. It seems there ought to be some accountability for making congested areas more dangerous( the truck parked on a yellow curb) and drivers that strike a cyclist when going too fast for existing conditions. Who is holding people accountable? (When people see me on crutches and ask what happened, they frequently ask if anyone was cited and are universally surprised that no citations were issued.) The community could also benefit from a city-sponsored campaign directed at bicycle and pedestrian safety. This would include some public outreach targeting both bicyclists — there are some cyclists that create danger to themselves and others because of the way they ride — but also toward motorists, letting motorists know that bicycles have rights on the road and that people need to slow down in congested areas. It used to be that traffic in Bozeman was such that bicycles and motor vehicles could share the road. Unfortunately those days are over, and we need to see some leadership to move to infrastructure that separate bikes from cars and trucks. Bob Ekey 719 South 6th Ave. Bozeman, MT 59715 Dear City Commissioners, I am writing to express my frustration and disappointment with the lack of bicycle infrastructure and bicycle safety culture in our growing community. I was recently struck broadside by a truck while riding my bicycle on North Wallace Ave., breaking my leg and being heavily bruised. By way of background, I have lived in Bozeman for 38 years — 31 years at our current house on South 6th Ave. As we’ve watched Bozeman grow and become more and more traffic congested, what we haven’t seen is any improvement in bicycle infrastructure, either in the older neighborhoods, and especially downtown. The lack of infrastructure or culture of bicycle safety makes Bozeman increasingly unfriendly to bicycles. Many of my friends who are long-time Bozeman residents have simply stopped bicycling in town for errands or commuting because of the hazards. Rather than improving, Bozeman has become less safe for bicyclists. In the area bordered by 7th Avenue and Wallace, and Olive and Mendenhall Streets — the core downtown area — there is not a single bike lane or any other infrastructure to make biking more safe. With the increase in traffic and congestion, It has become unsafe to ride on any of those streets. All the east-west streets are narrow and crowded. The only way to ride a bicycle is taking the entire lane, which frustrates motorists behind you, sometimes leading to tailgating and horn honking, which is quite intimidating when you’re the one on a bike. Our downtown has become more congested with parking, and the city commission appears to be unwilling to remove some parking to create bike-only lanes. This situation only adds to the congestion because this forces people drive instead of biking. In addition, I’m not sure what the the “Bike Routes” that are on the city map actually mean. It implies safety, but that is not the case. Although North Wallace — the scene of my accident — is a “Bike Route”, there is parking on both sides of the street, no bike lane, and lots of motor vehicle traffic and congestion. Streets labeled “bike routes” should have parking removed from one side and a two-way, bike lane put in with barriers to protect cyclists and prevent motorists from using or parking in the lane. Bozeman is relatively flat, which makes it a great place for bike commuting, at least most of the year. As we fill in the valley with development, it seems we could be more mindful of setting aside more room for bike- only lanes. The research shows that the more separation between cars and bikes, the safer it is. Our new routes to the south, west and southwest neighborhoods should have separate bike lanes, with a physical barrier separating bikes from motorized traffic, and where cars and trucks cannot pull over into the bike lane for any reason. I’ve seen this in practice in lots of other cities and towns — with separate paths, curbs between the bike lane and traffic, bike lanes painted a different color with a bright red stripe between bike lanes and motorized traffic. These are not new concepts and are implemented in many other places, but not Bozeman. In addition to new bike safety infrastructure, our community could benefit from a culture shift toward more bicycle safety. In my recent accident, I was riding north on North Wallace, just north of Peach St., when I was struck by a truck leaving a parking area. The truck’s view was blocked by an illegally parked truck along a yellow curb. Neither the driver of the truck that struck me, nor the illegally parked truck, were cited in the accident. It seems there ought to be some accountability for making congested areas more dangerous( the truck parked on a yellow curb) and drivers that strike a cyclist when going too fast for existing conditions. Who is holding people accountable? (When people see me on crutches and ask what happened, they frequently ask if anyone was cited and are universally surprised that no citations were issued.) The community could also benefit from a city-sponsored campaign directed at bicycle and pedestrian safety. This would include some public outreach targeting both bicyclists — there are some cyclists that create danger to themselves and others because of the way they ride — but also toward motorists, letting motorists know that bicycles have rights on the road and that people need to slow down in congested areas. It used to be that traffic in Bozeman was such that bicycles and motor vehicles could share the road. Unfortunately those days are over, and we need to see some leadership to move to infrastructure that separate bikes from cars and trucks. Bob Ekey 719 South 6th Ave. Bozeman, MT 59715 mobile: 406-581-9827 If you would like to submit additional documents (.pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .gif, .jpg, .png, .rtf, .txt) along with your comment, you may alternately address agenda@bozeman.net directly to ensure receipt of all information. 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