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RESOLUTION NO. R-1213-67: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, ADOPTING THE REVISED NORMAN BIKE ROUTE MAP RECOMMENDED BY THE NORMAN BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
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BACKGROUND: In 1996, the City Council adopted the Bicycle Transportation Development Plan with Initial Bikeway Routing. This plan addressed the need for bicyclists to be afforded the same rights and responsibilities as those driving motor vehicles. The plan was developed by consultants and a steering committee made up of citizens interested in and/or involved in bicycling. Part of their work was to create a map that represented the initial routes as laid out by the Bike Plan.
In 2006, an Ad-Hoc Bicycle Advisory Committee was created to review the Norman bike routes. From their work, a permanent Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) was created in April, 2007, as a sub-committee of the Transportation Committee. This committee is "charged with reviewing the Bicycle Transportation Development Plan on an ongoing basis; make and assist in implementation of recommendations to additionally encourage and support biking, both recreational and for transportation; and consult with and forward those recommendations to the Transportation Committee" (Resolution No. R-0607-58). James Briggs from the Parks and Recreation Department and Angelo Lombardo from the Public Works Department have served as staff liaisons to the Bicycle Advisory Committee since 2007.
DISCUSSION: A major update to the Norman Bike Route Map was approved by Council in 2009, which reflected all of the physical changes that have occurred in Norman since the initial routes were laid out in the 1990's. In 2010, another major update showed the areas in town that were targeted as Phase I of the plan to re-introduce striped lanes in appropriate areas of town on several collector streets. Not long after that update and the striping of the new lanes, the City of Norman applied for recognition and was designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community (Bronze Level) by the League of American Cyclists. Since that update, the City of Norman and the BAC have continued to work on the Bicycle Friendly Community goals prescribed by the League of American Bicyclists. The nation-wide standard is to have bike lanes wherever the street width is able to accommodate them. The committee has worked with Public Works Department staff to determine what other areas of town would be able to have lane striping added to collector and arterial streets. Many of these new areas were determined to be along some of the arterial roadway segments that were approved for reconstruction in the August, 2012 Bond Election (36th Avenue NW between north of Tecumseh Road and Indian Hills Road, Lindsey Street between 24th Avenue SW and Pickard Avenue, and 24th Avenue East between Lindsey Street and Robinson Street). Each of the segments is currently designated as a Bike Route in the current plan. They are labeled as routes recommended for advanced skill riders because of the sub-standard condition of the roadway. Reconstruction and widening of these facilities offer a unique opportunity to meet national bike transportation standards which will allow for the re-designation of these segments as biking facilities suitable for riders of all skill levels. The inclusion of bike lanes was part of the project proposal prior to the election, and the cost was included in the project budgeting. These new bike lane areas were reviewed by the City Council Community Planning and Transportation Committee on November 26, 2012. The full roster of changes to the Bike Route Plan is included on the final version of the updated Norman Bike Route Map.
The revised bike route map shows the proposed bike lane graphics for the road reconstruction projects and updates the graphics and text from the 2011 map to accurately reflect the completion of items shown as "proposed" on the 2011 map. Funding for new bike lane striping, including signage, lane symbols, and additional lane striping shown on the proposed bike plan map revisions will be included in the project budget for each section of road. The Public Works Department will manage these projects, which will be designed following City Council approval of these proposed updates.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City of Norman approve the revised Norman Bike Route Map as proposed.