Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Active Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultant presents draft bicycle and pedestrian plan; residents highlight safety and connectivity
Summary
HKGI consultant Jody Raider presented a draft bicycle and pedestrian plan to the Weston board, reporting 316 survey responses, community preferences for separated paved trails, safety concerns at busy intersections and e-bike etiquette, and a schedule targeting an early-summer final plan.
Jody Raider of HKGI presented an update and draft concepts for Weston’s bicycle and pedestrian plan during the Jan. 19 board meeting, walking trustees through objectives, community feedback and a proposed schedule.
Raider said the plan’s objectives include improving facilities and multimodal connectivity, addressing a variety of users, educating and encouraging active travel, and prioritizing implementable projects. Engagement to date included a project website, newsletter updates, a community survey (open mid-September through mid-November) and stakeholder meetings. Raider reported 316 survey responses, meeting the consultant’s participation goal for the village.
Community feedback emphasized safety and off-road, separated trails as priorities. Raider said the most common barriers residents cited were a lack of trails leading to desired destinations, distracted motorists and personal-safety concerns. Preferred destinations included parks, schools and shopping; paved shared-use paths were the most popular facility type, with soft-surface recreational trails also desired.
Trustees and residents asked technical and local questions, including how bicyclists — especially children and people using wheelchairs — should negotiate roundabouts and specific busy crossings such as Highway 29 at Schofield Avenue. Raider said roundabout geometry, additional signage, raised crosswalks and traffic-calming approaches are among the tools the team can study further, and suggested educational materials for community distribution.
The consultant said next steps include refining the draft network plan, continued stakeholder outreach, additional meetings with the school district and an open house planned for February or March; the draft plan document is targeted for May with a final plan in early summer.
The presentation was discussion-only and will return for further input as concepts are refined.
