City approves plan for new bicycle paths

The Bloomington Common Council voted 6-1 with two abstentions Wednesday night for a plan that calls for the construction of nearly 100 miles of new bicycle paths, walking trails and other roadways for alternative forms of transportation. \nOne of the key updates to the Alternative Transportation & Greenways System Plan involves laying a new network of six “bicycle boulevards” that will help cyclists feel more comfortable on the roads, said Scott Robinson, the transportation manager for the City Planning Department. The bicycle boulevards concept includes clearly marking some existing streets as being bicycle-dominant, creating special intersections and traffic signals so that cyclists can cross busy streets and potentially limiting access to cars on some side roads. The bicycle boulevards concept in particular and much of the comprehensive plan in general is based on the system developed in Berkeley, Calif., Robinson said. \nIf all goes well, Robinson said he expects that the first couple of bicycle boulevards could go up in the next four years. \nMore than 75 miles of pathways were built under the original Alternative Transportation and Greenways System Plan, which was adopted in 2001. However, the plan only provided specific guidance for building pathways through 2006 and now the Public Works Department needs direction on how to spend its $500,000 annual alternative roadways and greenways budget, Robinson told the council.\nThe council members all seemed amenable to the plan, though District II representative Brad Wisler expressed concern about the possibility of using traffic diverters and limiting the access to streets in order to lower the traffic volume on bicycle boulevard streets.\nIn the end, six council members voted for the measure, Wisler and council member Dave Rollo abstained and member Steve Volan voted against it. Volan said he voted “no” because the new plan does not go far enough toward encouraging Bloomington residents to move around the city in something other than their cars. \nThe council still needs to formally vote on whether to approve the plan at its Feb. 6 meeting.