Plans for more bicycle boulevards, such as Bryant Street, may be outlined in Palo Alto’s revampled Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. City officials are soliciting input from the bike community via an online survey in order to pinpoint community priorities for the updated plan.
– Jeffrey Lu
Palo Alto city officials are soliciting input from members of the bike community via an online survey in an effort to outline priorities for Palo Alto’s future cycling infrastructure.Rafael Rius, transportation project engineer for the City of Palo Alto, encouraged all community members to participate in the online survey which will give city officials a better idea of what features cyclists hope to see in Palo Alto.“We have an online survey which is still active,” Rius said. “We want to encourage as many students as possible to participate in the survey. The survey is general and directed to everyone: students, commuters, recreational. However, early in the process, we have received little input from school-aged cyclists.”Rius explained that the survey would identify the most popular bike destinations as well as problem areas for cyclists in Palo Alto. He added that the survey also allows cyclists to give suggestions as to how the city can make cycling a more comfortable experience.“There are several things that we want to learn from the survey,” Rius said. “The most important include: where are most people riding to and from, what and where are the problems they run into that discourage them from riding more often, what types of improvements or facilities would they like to see, or would make them more comfortable riding?”Input collected through the online survey will help shape the revamped Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, which aims to identify future cycling projects and polices. The City of Palo Alto put together the previous revision of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan eight years ago.“One of the main tasks [of the updated plan] is to identify and prioritize specific projects, policies and programs around the City of Palo Alto,” Rius said. “The 2003 plan identifies a proposed bicycle network with many proposed projects. The updated plan will provide a slightly modified network, and will identify new projects such as additional bicycle boulevards and implementation of other new facilities.”Rius mentioned several cycling infrastructure projects that may pop up around town after the updated plan is finalized.“Several new bicycle and pedestrian friendly features such as custom way-finding signage around several complicated bike routes, colored bicycle lanes, or bicycle boxes at signalized intersections will likely also be included as recommended features the city could implement,” Rius said. However, “major infrastructure improvements likely won’t happen until after the new Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is adopted by the City Council.”For the time being, Palo Alto bikers can look forward to smaller-scale cycling improvements, such as added bicycle parking or improved signage.“We are currently in the process of installing bicycle infrastructure improvements,” Rius said. “For example, we recently installed some way finding signage around downtown, and bike racks at Whole Foods and at the Midtown Shopping Center.”If all goes as planned, Rius expects the City of Palo Alto to officially adopt the new Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan later this year.“We are optimistic that the updated Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan will be finalized and adopted by City Council this summer,” Rius said.