“Underwhelming” is how EBBC Board member Bruce “Ole” Ohlson describes the DRAFT bikeway plan. Indeed, there are not many accomplishments to point to from the previous 2004 plan. Staff from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) were stumped to identify a single completed bike lane project when I asked for examples of implementation at a recent public hearing. Bike lanes are certainly not visible on Marsh Creek Road (pictured) where only narrow shoulders and a few signs provide faint solace to bicyclists who brave the high-speed commuter traffic. Neither does Concord’s Monument Boulevard offer bicycle access and safety, despite receiving $1.2 million in funds intended to improve nonmotorized transportation. In an ideal world, you start with a plan that prioritizes projects. Next, a proactive staff works to identify appropriate project funding from the mix of dollars available for bikeways available from Measure J (county transportation sales tax), State (Bicycle Transportation Account, TDA), or Regional funds from the MTC or Air District. Sadly, the CCTA does not have much experience with this methodical implementation process. Nevertheless, the CCTA is obligated to have a current bikeway plan and EBBC intends to see that the bikeway network extends throughout CoCoCo.
What You Can Do
Each of you can submit needed bikeway improvements in your vicinity (call EBBC for local route suggestions). EBBC shares the following four broad requests for the plan that we encourage you to add to your comments:
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Identify Safe Routes to Transit (SR2T). Funds to implement projects that make it easy to ride to nearby transit stations cannot be allocated unless the projects are first included in the bikeway plan.
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Include more on-street bikeways. The draft plan often relies on off-road paths rather than on-street bikeways. We like paths, but they cost 10X to build, often don’t serve important destinations, and are not open 24 hours/day.
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Provide maps of injury bike crashes. Crash data offer important visual guides for locations that demand safety countermeasures. Such maps could even be made available on-line and updated annually.
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Offer countywide guidance for bike-route signage.
Remember, if a project is not identified in the plan, it is unlikely to be built. Deadline for comments is August 5, 2009 You can download a draft copy of the CBPP. Send written comments by letter or email to: Brad Beck, Senior Transportation Planner Contra Costa Transportation Authority 3478 Buskirk Ave, Suite 100 Pleaseant Hill, CA 94523 bbeck@ccta.net