Title
Active Transportation Program Update
Description
This report provides information to the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee on the activities of the Street Transportation Department (Streets) Active Transportation Program.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
The Streets Bicycle Program was expanded and incorporated into the Active Transportation Program to reflect other active modes and growing popularity in lightweight wheeled vehicles that are not bikes, such as e-scooters and mobility devices. It also acknowledges infrastructure that serves people on bikes may also serve people on foot or in wheelchairs, including multi-use paths and safer street crossings.
Specifically, this report provides information about: the bicycle lane miles installed in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 and first two months of FY 2021; bicycle lane miles planned for installation as part of the Pavement Maintenance Program through FY 2024; and bicycle lane miles currently planned for installation outside of the Pavement Maintenance Program. The report also addresses the development of the upcoming Active Transportation Plan, the City’s most recent bicycle counts, and Phoenix’s recent designation as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community.
Background
Interest in active transportation in Phoenix has been growing for several years as residents have asked for more sidewalks, recreational paths, and safer street crossings. More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have turned to walking and biking outdoors in greater numbers looking for opportunities to exercise and social distance during the current public health situation. Streets is addressing the increasing demand for active transportation in multiple ways, including building infrastructure, updating policies, and planning for a city where active transportation is seamlessly integrated into everyday life for Phoenicians.
Infrastructure
Streets is tasked with implementation of the 35-year Transportation 2050 (T2050) goal to add 1,080 bi-directional miles of new bicycle lanes. In the first 4 1/2 years of T2050, 183 new bike lane miles have been added to the City’s bicycle network. Streets has added 40.4 miles of new bike lanes in FY 2020 and an additional 7.8 miles of new bike lanes in the first two months of FY 2021 through its Pavement Maintenance Program (Attachment A). Streets is also focused on providing additional safety and protection to bicyclists. As part of this effort, Streets incorporated buffers on 28.9 miles and 4.1 miles of existing bike lanes in FY 2020 and the first two months of FY 2021, respectively (Attachment A). Streets is planning to add another 53.5 bike lane miles through its Pavement Maintenance Program over the next four years through FY 2024 and also plans to incorporate bike lane buffers on 59.8 miles of existing bike lanes through FY 2024 (Attachment B). The Pavement Maintenance Program has been, and will continue to provide, the greatest opportunity for increasing the number of miles of bicycle lanes on City streets. Streets also plans to add an additional 27.6 miles of new bike lanes through its Capital Improvement Program (CIP) (Attachment C). All planned or proposed bicycle lane installation projects are always subject to further analysis and public feedback prior to actual implementation. Streets is also focused on providing additional off-street active transportation infrastructure. Earlier this year, the City celebrated the opening of the Grand Canalscape project, marking the completion of a 12-mile continuous multi-use path through the heart of Phoenix.
Streets is actively pursuing additional active transportation infrastructure projects adjacent to irrigation canals that travel across the City. In partnership with the Salt River Project (SRP), Streets received approval to utilize SRP Municipal Aesthetics Program funding to design and construct two additional canalscape projects:
- Grand Canal Phase III: 75th Avenue to 47th Avenue
- Western Canal Phase I: 4th Avenue to 24th Street
Both projects represent exciting opportunities to enhance and promote increased active transportation along canal banks within growing communities in the western and southern parts of Phoenix. Design will start later this calendar year, and construction is scheduled to begin in early 2022.
Planning
In a city that has traditionally been built for cars, there is currently high demand for active transportation projects. Addressing these needs effectively and in an equitable manner takes a deliberate planning and prioritization approach. Before the end of the calendar year, the Active Transportation Program team will launch the planning process for the Active Transportation Plan, which represents a major update to the City’s 2014 Bicycle Master Plan. The Active Transportation Plan process and outcomes will focus on a key strategy from the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan: “Review and update of City policies, procedures, codes, ordinances, guidelines, and standards to promote bicycle safety and facilities.” The effort will emphasize an innovative, equitable, and safe public outreach, with a focus on better understanding Phoenician’s values and priorities when it comes to their streets. Feedback from the public will help the Active Transportation Program team to pursue policies and infrastructure that support the community’s values in an equitable manner. In place of traditional mapping exercises, the Active Transportation Plan will focus on creating an iterative and responsive approach to facility planning. The focus on policies and procedures will establish the tools needed to create a connected active transportation network.
Streets is continually planning for better active transportation projects, with an emphasis on projects that create or expand regional connections. Phoenix recently submitted for pre-design funding for a bicycle/pedestrian bridge at the 3rd Street alignment across the Salt River through the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) design assistance program. In August 2020, the 3rd Street bridge project was recommended by the MAG Active Transportation Committee and was evaluated as the highest-ranked project in the region from among 17 submittals. The bridge would provide a key active transportation connection between the south and north banks of the Rio Salado multi-use pathway. The Rio Salado multi-use pathway runs through Phoenix and connects into Tempe, tying into the regional network of trails. The final project funding approval is anticipated at the MAG Regional Council meeting later this month.
Bicycle Counts
In conjunction with the start of T2050, Streets has conducted spring and fall counts of walking and biking since 2017. The most recent counts were conducted in April at 22 Citywide locations (Attachment D). Although four of the 22 locations are primarily recreational, the remaining 18 locations are considered non-recreational areas. Overall, bicycling and walking counts have shown an increase, with increases showing most dramatically on the recreational routes and activity heaviest on the weekends. Some non-recreational locations had slight decreases in both walking and biking activity, with those decreases most notable on weekdays. Across the entire week, recreational routes showed 138 percent and 118 percent increases in biking and walking respectively in 2020 over the previous year. And for non-recreational routes, biking increased by 13 percent while pedestrian activity decreased by six percent between 2019 and 2020.
Anecdotally, the increase in biking was also reflected in local bike sales, with local news reporting a bike sales boom in April 2020. Bike purchases suggest an increased interest in bicycling, which highlights the need for the City’s investment in active transportation infrastructure.
Bicycle Friendly Designation
In May, Phoenix was designated as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. The City was previously designated Bronze level in 2013. The ranking system is competitive and evolving as cities across the country work to improve their bicycling infrastructure. The Bronze level designation demonstrates that Phoenix has improved as a bicycling city but has not yet caught up to other cities like Denver (Silver) or Tucson (Gold). The Bicycle Master Plan (2014) set a goal to achieve Platinum by 2034. In order to take the first step towards this achievement, Streets has drafted a “Game Plan for Getting to Silver” as identified in Attachment E. The game plan highlights the next steps the Department will take based on recommendations from the League of American Bicyclists.
Streets continues to expand its capacity to deliver on the goal of 1,080 bi-directional miles of new bicycle lanes by 2050. Staff is continuing to inform City Council and the community through various outreach methods on travel lane reduction, new bicycle lanes, buffered bicycle lanes, protected bicycle lanes, or any impacts to on-street parking. The upcoming Active Transportation Plan will be an opportunity to chart out the next ten years for Phoenix to build comfortable and safe active transportation infrastructure for its residents and visitors.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.