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Councilors push for sustained funding for sidewalks, bike lanes and Vision Zero work
Summary
Council member Flaherty urged an $8 million‑per‑year capital commitment to finish high‑priority network elements, boost sidewalks and protected bike lanes, and meet the city’s Vision Zero safety goals; colleagues discussed staffing needs and bond vs. annual financing.
At the Bloomington Common Council’s April 9 deliberation session, multiple members singled out transportation and mobility as both a public‑safety priority and a candidate for sustained budget increases.
Council member Flaherty said the city must accelerate work on an existing high‑priority network and recommended annual capital funding to support sidewalks, multi‑use paths, protected bicycle infrastructure and intersection treatments. “I think $8,000,000 is a figure that is reasonable relative to the ambition and goals we have,” Flaherty said, arguing that sustained annual funding, not only bonds, would allow consistent planning and implementation toward Vision Zero.
Members discussed how funding would be phased and whether additional staff or specialist positions would be needed to manage increased projects. Flaherty reported meeting with city engineer Andrew Seabour and noted plans to hire an additional traffic engineer; he said some project oversight could be contracted but that dedicated staff positions would improve project delivery.
Other proposals included funding a downtown circulator as a targeted service and prioritizing a sidewalk capital program to address long‑standing gaps. The council did not vote on any funding tonight; the fiscal committee will consider transportation priorities when it synthesizes council input on April 16.
