Water Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Boulevard

Purpose

The purpose of the Water Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Boulevard project is to create a north-south route through the city that is safe, comfortable, and convenient for bicyclist of all ages and abilities.

Bicycle boulevards are low-volume and low-speed streets that have been optimized for bicycle travel through treatments such as traffic calming and traffic reduction, signage and pavement markings, and intersection crossing treatments. These treatments allow through movements for cyclists while discouraging similar through trips by non-local motorized traffic. Motor vehicle access to properties along the route is maintained.

Details

Water Street Bike Boulevard will include two off-street sections on former railroad right-of-way. Motor vehicles will be prohibited on the off-street section between Conestoga Street and Hazel Street. Part of the off-street segment south of Seymour Street will share a driveway with Full Circle Recycling. You can view a PDF of the plans below.

Water Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Boulevard expands our bike network by providing safe biking facilities for the “60% of interested but concerned bicyclists." These are people that are interested in bicycling but are not because of their concern with the safety of biking with traffic. Facilities like those on N. Christian Street, Walnut Street and proposed on Water Street and Lemon Street are for them, as we try to encourage people to use alternative active modes of travel by providing safer facilities. This improves personal health and the environment.

Traffic calming, and pedestrian and bicycle safety treatment will include:

• High visibility Crosswalks
• Bulbouts and vegetated curb-extensions that shorted the crossing distance
• Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons
• Green Paint in conflict zones such as driveways and street crossings
• Signage for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers
• Pavement markings
• Lighting along off-street sections
• Speed humps