Tag: road diet

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Broadway streetscape project almost done, results are disappointing

On By jamesinclair

It’s been almost three years since the project was announced, and now the Broadway streetscape project in downtown Fresno is almost done. The plan involved giving Broadway a small road diet, removing a center turn lane and one general lane to add angled parking on each side. The project included absolutely no bicycle accommodations (contrary to the master plan) but did add some amenities for pedestrians in the form of sidewalk extensions at intersections.

Sadly, the project has done many things wrong. The lack of attention to detail shows that Fresno does not have a planner that understands bicycle or pedestrian planning – or even basic ADA. Sort of shocking for a city of half a million. Let’s take a look. Click to read more!

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What Fresno can learn from LA: Broadway Street Project

On By jamesinclair

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Los Angeles’s new pedestrian czar, a position Fresno really needs to add. Well, that’s not the only thing Fresno can mimic from LA.

Los Angeles and Fresno both share a street downtown with the same name: Broadway. Both have/had theater activity, and were once bustling centers of activity. Today, Broadway in LA is still full of merchants, but almost all are low rent. Almost every theater is shuttered. Fresno’s Broadway is in worse shape – most buildings have simply been demolished. Of course, there are some bright spots, like the Rainbow Ballroom and the Crest, and even some new projects in the work, such as a large residential development. Click to read more!

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One councilman destroys a road diet three years in the making

On By jamesinclair

The events of this post took place last Thursday, at the city council meeting. I didn’t write about it that night because I was furious. Four days later, I’m still upset about what went down, and how easily it was to ignore years of public and community work, and a panel of technical experts.

What happened is that Fresno County proposed a road diet on Fruit Ave, between Shaw and Herndon. Like all road diets, this was to take a 4 lane road, and make it three lanes, with two bike lanes. It was pretty much a sure thing, so much so that a month ago, I wrote about it saying we could expect to see the new diet, and new bike lanes, by this fall. Click to read more!

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Fresno to get a couple new bike lanes

On By jamesinclair

Two bike lane projects are going forward this year in Fresno, one of which is a road diet.

The first is the “Shields Ave Bike Lane Improvement” Project which

will infill gaps in existing bike lane paths along Shields Avenue between West Ave. and Chestnut Ave. The Shields Avenue Bike Lane Improvements project will also install parking bays to accommodate on-street parking, therefore providing for a safer bicycle route along a major east/west corridor along Shields Avenue.

 Shields currently has some bike lanes, but the project will apparently make them continuous. It was scheduled for this spring, but due to a problem with a contractor, it’s been delayed a few months. In all, its a 4.5 mile project. Click to read more!

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Final Gettysburg bike lane community meeting today

On By jamesinclair

When Fresno makes changes to a road, there is usually very little public outreach. What typically happens is that Public Works says a change is needed, it goes out to bid, the council approves the bid, and the change comes. That’s how it has typically been for small changes like repaving and larger changes like widening roads. Many times, the public doesn’t find out about the proposal until they read the city council agenda where the bid will get voted on.

Last year, councilman Larry Westerlund decided that the process wasn’t working well, at least when the project in question was a road diet/bike lane repaving project. So he ordered up a community meeting which allowed him to delay the bike lane project for a good six months. (Part of that delay was because paving season ended). Click to read more!

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Bike lanes: Keeping fast cars safe from opening doors

On By jamesinclair

You know how it seems like most American bike lanes are almost entirely in the door zone?

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And you know how most local governments will claim it’s just an unfortunate side effect of limited road space?

Well, the Fresno Public Works Department has decided to be extremely candid about the REAL benefit of bike lanes. That is, bike lanes are great because they keep drivers safe from those pesky doors that may suddenly be opened.

Behold the department’s report to the city council about an upcoming road diet.

This Gettysburg Avenue Bike Lanes project will improve Gettysburg Avenue by installing on-street bicycle lanes and creating a center two-way left turn lane between Fresno Street to Winery Avenue. No parking will be impacted along Gettysburg Avenue and through vehicles will be separated from opening car doors by the bicycle lanes. Click to read more!

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Road diets: safety vs moving cars faster

On By jamesinclair

I’ve talked about road diets a few times in this blog, most recently when I attended a meeting held by a councilman in Fresno concerning a proposed diet in his district. He wanted to give residents the opportunity to express their concerns about taking a 4 lane road (+undefined parking space) into a 3 lane road, 1 each way, and 1 for turning, and a couple of bike lanes.

Today I got to see a real world example of the enormous safety benefits a road diet provides….or really, the consequences of keeping the dangerous road design of the past.

This is Villa avenue in Clovis. On the right, a popular recreational park which includes a large regionally-important skatepark. On the left, a medium-high density residential area, filled with apartments. As you can see, there are no bike lanes, and there are no crosswalks, even though a majority of the teenagers which patronize the skatepark arrive on foot or on bike. Click to read more!

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Road diets becoming political in Fresno

On By jamesinclair

Starting a decade ago, the cities of Fresno and Clovis have transformed some streets with a “road diet” as they were repaved. These streets were taken down from a 2×2 configuration (+ parking) to a 1x1x1 configuration, with the center lane being used for left turns in both directions. Parking was maintained, and bike lanes were added with the leftover space.

These changes were usually crafted by the roads department (or public works) and simply striped in when the new asphalt was laid down and it was time to paint lines.

But something happened this past year. For reasons I don’t quite understand, road diets became a political thing, with citizens claiming that “city hall mandates” were being sent down to ruin life as we know it. Click to read more!

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A look at upcoming events and meetings in Fresno

On By jamesinclair

Quick look at interesting walk/bike/transit related stuff going on in Fresno this weekend.

Tonight:
Arthop meets Jazzhop for the very first time. Enjoy art, music and food at local businesses downtown and in the Tower District. Walk between venues to get the best experience.

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See the very large version of this map in this PDf file:
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Not mentioned in the ads or map is the grand opening of “Biz-werx” featuring art and food, not no music. Thats at Fulton and Calaveras

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Tuesday November 8th

Put on your advocacy shoes because there are two important meetings that will shape the future of Fresno. Click to read more!

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Broadway in Fresno to get pedestrian friendly changes

On By jamesinclair

Here’s something the gentlemen over at Fresno Urban will be interested in.

Fresno has budgeted major changes on Broadway in downtown Fresno for the 2012 year, and on Thursday September 13, the city will hold a presentation for local residents and businesses affected by the project.

The project is:

Pedestrian bulbouts, road striping, diagonal parking, and landscaping are planned for Broadway north of Tuolumne.

The meeting will be held at the “Construction Mgmt. Division office, 1721 Van Ness Ave” on Thursday, September 13 at 5 p.m. Further details can be found by calling Public Works at 621-8650. Click to read more!