Ted CurtisBike/Ped Program ManagerCity of Columbia, MO(573) 442-7189 x 25 ctcurtis@GoColumbiaMo.comwww.getaboutcolumbia.com

Columbia is a small university city

Population 100,000 - hills - weather extremes

Not densely populated: urban area 8 x 8 miles (twice the footprint of San Francisco proper)

Downtown grid area + urban sprawl + barriers (interstates)

University of Missouri – 30,000 students

Bicycle mode share 1.5% +

Approach

Create an integrated, City-wide system

Add bike lanes wherever possible

System should be self-explanatory, understandable by bicyclists and motorists

Where possible, markings for the bike system should be on the street

Innovate and “borrow” ideas from other cities

2007Red: Shared use PathBlue: LanesBrown: Pedways

Red: crushed limestone Shared Use Paths

Blue: Streets with bike lanes

2010

Red: 30 miles of Shared Use Paths – (6 miles concrete)

Blue: 50 miles streets with bike lanes

Green: 30 miles routes with SLM’s (Sharrows)

Bike/Ped Innovations in Columbia, MO

1. On-Street wayfinding symbols

2. loop detector markings

3. BLIP - Bike Lane Infrequent Parking

4. Programs: early concentration

5. Pedways, use of sidewalks, intersection treatments

6. Green Merge areas

7. Bike Blvd with centered “Advisory” bicycle lanes (bike priority lane)

Bike/Ped Innovations in Columbia, MO(Continued)

8. Buffered Bike Lane: dual stripe on arterial (Stadium)

9. Bike Climbing Lane: Uphill bike lane, downhill shared lane (Old 63)

10. 6’7” low clearance culvert underpass (MKT at Flatbranch)

11. Converting parallel parking to Back-in-Diagonal (Ash street downtown)

1. On-Street Wayfinding

18” thermoplastic on asphalt

12” “concrete

graphics” @

Wayfinding symbols uses with bike lanes,

SLM’s (routes)

Wayfinding for Route on Pedway-sidewalk

4” symbols for bike routes through

campus (6” would be better)

2. Loop Detector indicators

MUTCD $21

3. BLIP - Bike Lane w/ Infrequent Parking

Choice is not “parking or no parking” in bike lanes, it is “bike lanes or SLM’s”

Considered only when parking is infrequent

Informal assessment of novice riders behavior:

Before striping: hug curb, swing out around parked cars

After striping: ride in bike lane (near curb) look before crossing the line into the vehicle lane

Added benefit: fewer cars park there after striping

Look behind!

Programming: 4 Step Process

1. Create Awareness: mass media, controversy

2. Foster Understanding of the program, Create positive attitude: mass media

3. Entice individuals to Try It! events, “Personal Travel Planning”

4. Encourage, Instill change to become Normal Behavior –Create-a-Commuter

5. Sidepath - Pedway- Sidewalk

6. MUTCD experiment – green colorations

Solid Green Bike Lane- used where bike lane extends between thru and right turn lanes: Cars yield to bikes

GMA – Green Merge Area - used where bike lane ends before intersection: Bikes yield to cars

Status – first GMA implemented in 2009. Rest in 2010

7. 6’ Advisory Bicycle Lanes on Bike Blvd.

Heavy “traffic calming” on bike blvd:

Street murals at several intersections

Yellow center striping added

Center 6’ bike lanes created with white skip striping (“Advisory” or “Priority” lane)

Will have SLM (Sharrows) centered in bike lane

Summary

Public Works Department in charge of Implementation

Substantial Promotion and Education effort

Major capital trail and sidewalk projects just over half of budget (and most difficult to implement)

Bike lanes are the preferred treatment for on-street treatments (considered even when light parking exists)

Experimenting with approaches – currently just site specific. Determining what should be city-wide treatments