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RESOLUTION R-1617-113: A RESOLUTION TO THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING THE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN TO MODIFY THE BICYCLE/ PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN WITH THE ADDITION AND RECLASSIFICATION OF ROADWAY SEGMENTS INCLUDED IN THE BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK.
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BACKGROUND: The process of developing the City’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP), named Moving Forward, began in the Fall of 2010 at the request of the Norman City Council and culminated with its adoption on May 13, 2014.
Development of the CTP was an open and collaborative process that involved citizens, multiple entities and various interests groups. A Citizens Visioning Committee was established and met with the plan development team on five different occasions to refine goals, develop a set of objectives for the Plan, affirm the identification of the existing transportation conditions, discuss and prioritize the transportation system and policy needs for Norman, and provide feedback on potential system improvements. The plan development team also conducted two public open house meetings and one OU student open house event, and made presentations to the Chamber of Commerce Aviation / Transportation Committee, the City Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Norman Downtowners Association. Several interim presentations were also held with Council subcommittees and citizen groups to review and discuss the existing conditions and needs, modal plans, policies and programs, and implementation strategies.
The “Moving Forward” Plan has served and continues to guide Norman’s long-term vision for a range of transportation options and accommodations including personal and commercial vehicles, bicycling, walking, public safety, airports and public transit services. The CTP will work in concert with Norman 2025 and any updates to the City’s Land Use Plan.
The plan provided a framework for the development and implementation of an efficient and comprehensive transportation system using clearly articulated guiding principles, goals and objectives. It assessed the condition of the transportation system at the time from both the regional and local mobility perspectives, and identified future needs under forecasted transportation conditions. It also introduced updated street functional classifications with new design guidelines and special corridor considerations. Finally, it provided an implementation plan with specific actions aimed at creating a special place to live, enhancing mobility for all user groups, facilitating proper operations and maintenance, appropriate fiscal stewardship and economic vitality, implementing projects and programs, and identifying potential sources of funds for capital improvements.
Norman’s CTP is truly a multimodal transportation plan that makes accommodations for all users (e.g., motor vehicle operators, bicycle users, transit users and pedestrians). This commitment is reinforced with the selection of Mobility as one of the critical guiding principles used in the plan development process. Mobility emphasizes transportation options in a multimodal transportation network that provides connections between neighborhoods and destinations throughout the City, with good connections to the Oklahoma City region, through a system offering opportunities to drive, walk, bike and take transit. Among the objectives under this guiding principle is one that pursues the development of a network of bicycle and pedestrians facilities, including sidewalks, bike routes, bike lanes and paths, which provide mobility options, regional and multimodal connectivity, and recreational opportunities for Norman residents. This vision is crystallized in the CTP’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan depicted in Figure 3.7 of the adopted plan (see Attachment No. 1).
The CTP’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan shows the different types of facilities used by bicyclists in the City. These include basic sign routes, bike lanes and off the road multimodal paths such as Legacy Trail. The Plan depicts both facilities that existed at the time of adoption as well as those planned for the future.
DISCUSSION: Like any plan, Norman’s CTP is a living document that must be updated to reflect changes in the transportation network as well as its expansion. For instance, there are several bicycle transportation facilities that have been constructed over the last three years that are still shown as proposed in the current plan. Also, current Transportation Capital Improvement projects have been shaped by the CTP and its emphasis to construct “complete streets” using a context sensitive design approach. A good example of this can be seen in the design of Rock Creek Road west of 36th Avenue NW, which will provide a two lane roadway with a divided median, on-street bike lanes, sidewalks and a modern roundabout at the Grandview Avenue intersection. An occasional amendment to the CTP is necessary in order to keep the plan and the actual improvements in alignment.
The Citizens Bicycle Advisory Committee appointed by the Mayor and Council works with City staff to identify changes and updates necessary to keep the plan current and relevant. The Committee initially worked closely with the team of planners and engineers that helped the City complete the CTP, and continues to be engaged in the re-shaping of the plan that is necessary in order to reflect the current needs of the cycling community. To that end, the BAC and staff made a presentation to the Community Planning and Transportation Committee of the City Council on April 27, 2017 outlining a series of changes recommended for adoption as the City’s first amendment to the CTP since its original adoption. The specific changes, which add several roadway segments to the network as basic bicycle routes and reclassify other segments from one type of facility to another (e.g., from multimodal path to on-street bike lane), are summarized in Attachment No. 2 and depicted in the maps included in Attachment No. 3. Staff concurs with these recommendations and believes the CTP changes are not only appropriate but necessary.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Resolution R-1617-113, supporting Amendment No. 1 of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan, which modifies its Bicycle / Pedestrian Transportation Plan with the addition and reclassification of roadway segments included in the bicycle transportation network.