HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-16-24 Public Comment - Friends of Fowler - FFC Public Comment for Fowler Ave ConnectorFrom:FFC
To:Terry Cunningham; Joey Morrison; Jennifer Madgic; Douglas Fischer; Emma Bode; Nicholas Ross; Takami Clark;Mitchell Overton
Cc:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]FFC Public Comment for Fowler Ave Connector
Date:Tuesday, July 16, 2024 10:36:52 AM
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(please post in public record and also forward to the advisory board members)
Dear Mayor Cunningham, Deputy Mayor Morrison, Commissioners Madgic, Fischer, and Bode, and fellow
city officials and advisory boards: Transportation and Engineering Director Ross, Transportation AdvisoryBoard (TAB), Parks and Recreation Director Overton, and Urban Parks and Forestry Advisory Board
(UPF):
Friends of Fowler Connector (FFC) would like to thank Director Nick Ross for his efforts to serve our
community, fundamentally changing the public's relationship with the transportation department by
increasing transparency and listening to citizen concerns with thoughtful care. We also appreciate that
Deputy Mayor Joey Morrison took the time to walk the FAC site with us and learn more about FFC’s
concerns.
FFC’s goals are to insure that Fowler Avenue Connector (FAC) project:
A. is as environmentally responsible as possible by preserving/protecting the continuous 1.5 mile
forested riparian corridor with 120-year old trees along the free-flowing irrigation ditch. This
corridor is important to vulnerable migratory birds and offers pockets of refuge for displaced wildlife
due to the development of surrounding land. The open water source and mature tree canopy have
been here for over 120 years, faithfully doing their part to cool our ever-warming valley.
B. is as pedestrian/bicycle safe as possible by minimizing and mitigating vehicular speeds, road
crossings, and conflicts
C. is as pedestrian/bicycle friendly as possible for those of all ages and abilities, with paths that connect
the community to nature and wildlife, to area schools, GVLT’s future Raptor Route, Bozeman
Ponds, the Regional Park, and commercial services
These goals are used to organize the following recommended changes to the FAC design and design effort.
You may notice that some of these recommendations address more than one goal:
GOAL A
1. Incorporate ecology professionals early in the design process and through project completion to help
the FAC design team be successful in the City's goal to design the FAC while preserving the 1.5 mile
forested riparian corridor. Put someone on the team who has the expertise to understand its root zone
and necessary buffers.
2. Include the Parks and Recreation Director Overton and Urban Parks and Forestry Advisory Board in
the FAC review process. Currently, the Transportation Advisory Board reviews the project.
3. Reduce the development footprint and impacts to the 1.5 mile riparian corridor by limiting the width
of the FAC using the following changes and mitigations:
Omit the raised medians shown on the Oak-Durston section because they add unnecessary
width. Instead, use the same narrow 2-lane road design with no raised median as currently
shown for the designs for the Durston-Huffine sections. Other Bozeman minor arterials such
as Willson Avenue do not contain raised medians.
Omit the center turn-lanes shown on the Oak-Durston section because they add unnecessary
overall width. Instead, use the same narrow 2-lane road design with no center turn lane as
currently shown for the designs for the Durston-Huffine sections. Center/left turn lanes are
only appropriate at major intersections such as at Durston and Babcock. Other Bozeman
minor arterials, such as Willson Avenue, do not have center turn lanes.
Reduce the development footprint as shown for pathways and boulevards. Wide shared-use
paths and wide boulevards are currently shown on both side of the Oak-Durston section of the
FAC, which adds unnecessary width. Instead, use the template as designed on the FAC
section just south of Durston, where the east sidewalk is only 5-feet wide, as is the boulevard,
while the wide shared use path is only on the west side of the FAC.
Keep bike lanes in the wide shared use path rather than within the road.
Maximize the buffer zones along the 1.5 mile long forested riparian corridor. Currently, the
survey stakes placed along the Oak-Durston section show the development footprint
extending well inside the line of mature trees along the flowing Section Line Ditch.
Allow the existing trees to remain in an unimproved natural state to maintain their ecological
functioning. Retain a largely un-mowed buffer as habitat for birds and pollinators. To deter
birds from the right of way, mow a narrow portion on a schedule that avoids ground nesting
bird breeding season.
Omit the proposed new neighborhood street intersections to the FAC at Annie Street and
Cascade Street because these new intersections will bisect the riparian corridor and remove a
great many trees. The distance between each of the existing east-west cross streets (Oak,
Durston, Babcock, and Huffine) is only 0.5 miles. We do not need to make the FAC more
vehicle-friendly.
Create a linear park along the 1.5 mile forested riparian corridor to protect and preserve it into
the future. Use only environmentally friendly permeable paving materials on paths within the
corridor and its buffer zone.
GOALS B & C
4. Make the FAC more neighborhood-friendly, safe, and accessible using the following changes and
mitigations:
Slow traffic down. Currently the design calls for faster speeds between Oak and Durston and
then slightly slower speeds between Durston and Babcock. Use a consistent slower (25 mph
max) speed limit for the entire length of the 1.5 mile FAC so drivers do not have an
expectation that they can speed through neighborhoods, kids’ sports fields, and Bozeman
Ponds park. Parks are typically posted at 15 mph.
Provide raised and marked road crossings with flashing lights to raise driver awareness for
pedestrian and school-kid crossings.
Omit the raised median in the north 1/3 of the FAC between Oak and Durston. The Federal
Highways and Department of Transportation do not recommend raised medians in residential
areas because they encourage speeding
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferjourney1/library/countermeasures/16.htm. Willson Avenue,
another minor arterial, does not have a raised median.
Omit the center/left turn lanes because they encourage speeding and create a wider pedestrian
crossing, where pedestrians have to wait for all three lanes to stop. Willson avenue, another
minor arterial, does not have a center turn lane. The FAC only needs a center turn lane at
major intersections at Oak, Durston, Babcock, and Huffine.
Provide only one user-friendly and safe shared-use pedestrian/bike path for neighbors of all
abilities. Only a narrow sidewalk is needed on the east side of the FAC, similar to how the
Durston-Babcock section is currently designed. Paving materials should be accessible to those
with disabilities.
Omit in-road bike lanes. Bike lanes within the road add width and are best for the most ardent
cyclists and are often full of gravel and broken glass. The current design shows 6-foot bike
lanes next to parked vehicles, which poses a safety hazard. One wide separated shared-use
path is all we need for the FAC and can be enjoyed by pedestrians, bicyclists, strollers,
wheelchairs, and people of all abilities.
Omit new cross street intersections at Annie Street and Cascade Street because they add too
many pedestrian/bicycle crossings, making the FAC less safe for pedestrians, school kids,
cyclists, and adjacent neighborhoods. Also omit new cross street intersections at Farmall,
Annie, Lily, Rose, Caterpillar, Oliver, and Cascade because vehicles will create short-cuts
and excess traffic and speeding through adjacent neighborhoods. We do not need to make the
FAC more convenient for vehicles.
Bozeman’s resiliency to climate change is dependent upon prioritizing our natural environment when
making changes to our city.
Thank you for consideration of our comments.
— Friends of Fowler