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Steering Committee Meeting ~ June 26, 2017

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Agenda

• About the Plan• Public Outreach (April 17-20) • Existing Conditions

• Demand Analysis• Level of Comfort Analysis

• Network Mapping Exercise• Next Steps

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About the Plan

• Three major goals• Connectivity• Implementation• More users

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Public Outreach April 17-20

• Media interviews• 13 Stakeholder interviews• Pop-up meetings

• Rotary Trail• Shades Creek Greenway • UAB Campus• Oak Mountain State Park• Downtown Homewood

• Public input event at Railroad Park• Fieldwork• Promote the B-Active Plan

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13 Stakeholder Interviews

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WikiMap Summary

• Wikimap Statistics• Live from February to late May 2017• 158 individual users• 279 comments• Users identified:

• Barriers to walking/biking• Routes currently biked/walked• Difficult routes to bike/walk• Destinations

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WikiMap Summary

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WikiMap Summary

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WikiMap Summary

Barriers to Biking Barriers to Walking

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WikiMap Summary

Difficult Routes for Biking Difficult Routes for Walking

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Online Engagement

• Survey was available at pop-up and public events

• Questions addressed:• Demographics• Walking and biking behaviors• Barriers to walking/biking• Improvements that would encourage

more users

• B-Active Plan website provided information and links to survey, wikimap, media coverage, and more.

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Survey Summary

13Survey Summary

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Survey Summary

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Survey Summary

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Survey Summary

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Survey Summary

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Survey Summary

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Survey Summary

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Demand Analysis

• Demand analysis illustrates areas within the region where active transportation users currently or may want to travel

• A triplicate demand analysis methodology was used for the B-Active Plan

• General Demand• Destination Demand• Strava Demand

• Each demand analysis is represented with a “heatmap”

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General Demand Analysis

Input Weight

Existing Active Transportation Facilities 21

Red Rock Trail Network Existing/Complete 17

Red Rock Trail Network General Connections 12

Parks 8

Commercial Land Use 5

Mixed Use 5

Multi-family Residential 5

Schools 7

Institutional Land Use 5

Sidewalks Data 7

Retail Destinations 5

Transit Lines and Stops 3

SUM 100

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Destination Demand Analysis

Destination Inputs Weight

Zoo and Gardens 8

Theatres 6

Religious institutions 6

Groceries/Drug Stores 10

Parks 12

Museums 6

Libraries 6

Restaurants 8

Schools 12

Colleges 12

Fitness Centers 8

Department Stores 6

SUM 100

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Strava Demand Analysis

• Strava demand analysis considered three factors equally:

• AM Commutes (6-9AM)• PM Commutes (3-6PM)• Highest Overall Trips

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What is Level of Comfort?

• Bicyclists have varying levels of tolerance for traffic and stress created based on:

• Traffic Volume• Speed• Proximity to adjacent vehicles

• Analysis considered a variety of factors and customized the methodology based on available data

• Does not reflect experience of every cyclists but illustrates comfort for occasional users

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Level of Comfort Inputs

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• Existing Bike Facilities• Trail• Bike Lane (width)

• Speed Limit• Number of Adjacent Travel Lanes• AADT

• < 2,000• 2,000 – 4,000• 4,000 – 8,000• > 8,000

• Degree of separation• Based on Mineta Report (2012)

• Low-Stress Bicycling and Network Connectivity

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Level of Comfort 1

• Level of Comfort 1 is assigned to areas where riding a bike is comfortable for a wide range of ages and abilities. Off-street bike facilities such as multiuse paths, trails, and greenways are included in this category. Roads within this category are characterized by slow speeds (<30 MPH), one adjacent travel lane, and low traffic volumes (<2,000 vehicles daily). Neighborhood streets make up a majority of this category.

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Level of Comfort 2

• Level of Comfort 2 is assigned to roads that may be comfortable for adults that don’t ride a bike often. Roads within this category are characterized by designated bike lanes, low speeds (30-35 MPH), one or more adjacent travel lanes, and moderate traffic volumes (2,000-4,000 vehicles daily). Roads without bike lanes and low speeds (30-35 MPH) and low traffic volumes (<2,000 vehicles daily) also are included in this category.

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Level of Comfort 3

• Level of Comfort 3 is assigned to areas well suited for enthusiastic cyclists that are confident in their abilities and comfortable riding in mixed traffic. Roads within this category are characterized by designated bike lanes, moderately high speeds (35-45 MPH), one or more adjacent travel lanes, and higher traffic volumes (4,000-8,000 vehicles daily). Roads without bike lanes and moderately high speeds (35-45 MPH) are included in this category if traffic volumes are low (<2,000).

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Level of Comfort 4

• Level of Comfort 4 are streets that are not comfortable for bicycle travel and may only be suitable for the most advanced level of cyclist, the strong and fearless, in rare circumstances. Roads within this category are characterized by high speeds (45-55 MPH), one or more adjacent travel lanes, and high traffic volumes (>8,000 vehicles daily).

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Level of Comfort 5

• Level of Comfort 5 is a category that is intolerable for even the most experienced adult cyclists. Roads within this category are characterized by very high speeds (55+ MPH), multiple adjacent travel lanes, limited access, and the highest traffic volumes (12,000+ vehicles daily).

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Network Mapping Exercise

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Next Steps

• Public Outreach Event (June 27th)• Technical Analyses• Begin Draft Network Development• Network Vetting (Fall 2017)