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Regional planners on right path to safer biking conditions



 
 
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Old December 14th 08, 04:13 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.rides
Garrison Hilliard
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Default Regional planners on right path to safer biking conditions

Regional planners on right path to safer biking conditions
By Ken McCall

Staff Writer

Friday, December 05, 2008

The Dayton region quietly passed a milestone this week that could make a big
difference for those who want to make getting outside and active a part of their
lifestyle.

On Thursday morning, Dec. 4, the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission
unanimously passed a trails plan that has been in the works for more than a
year.

Drawn up by the nationally known Alta Planning consulting group, the plan lays
out a vision — and some detailed project descriptions — for making the region
safe for walkers, runners, bicyclists and roller-bladers, as well as transit
riders and motorists. The idea is to connect every community to the "interstate
system" of existing bike paths, so people can more safely get around without
cars.

Sometimes that might mean a separated trail or a bike lane or a sidewalk or bike
racks or a redesigned intersection crossing. Other times it might mean local
programs (such as Drive Less Live More) to encourage people to get out of their
cars, or to educate bicyclists and drivers how to safely coexist.

You can read the Miami Valley Comprehensive Local Regional Bikeways Plan, which
includes a list of 100 projects, at www.altaprojects.net/mvrpc/

Resistance from the county engineers of Montgomery, Miami and Greene counties
led to the dropping of language that was meant to be a model for a so-called
complete streets policy. Complete streets policies call for governments to at
least consider designing streets to be safe for all users — motorized and
nonmotorized — whenever a street is constructed, reconstructed or resurfaced.

But the plan still calls for adopting a complete streets policy, and Matt
Lindsay, one of the MVRPC staffers who helped shepherd the plan through the
public comment and approval process, says the input from the engineers actually
made the plan better.

"The removal of the sample text for a complete streets policy, I don't think
hurts anything," Lindsay said. "This way, the plan does not predetermine what
the policy would say, and that allows us to continue a process with our
jurisdictions to develop a policy the way we want it for the region. I think
we'll all benefit from that ongoing discussion."

Resistance to new policies, especially the call for complete streets, is to be
expected, said Elizabeth Kiker, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based
League of American Bicyclists.

"It's very rare to have Alta write a plan and have the city (or, in this case,
the region) immediately embrace it," said Kiker. "That's part of what the
advocacy groups and we are working on."

Kiker said the league, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group, is pushing for a national
complete streets policy. It's great, she said, that the Dayton region, like many
others across the country, is beginning the conversation.

"It's not a smooth road to great transportation for everyone," she said, "but
it's definitely a road we are on and headed in the right direction."

Because much of the region's plan won't involve stand-alone trails, it will be
up to city, village and township councils to start getting many of the projects
done.

Let the local lobbying begin.


Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2393 or kmccall@DaytonDaily

News.com

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/con...id=inform_artr
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