Norwalk moves ahead with more bike lanes

NORWALK, Conn. — Norwalk is poised to put a dedicated bike lane on Calf Pasture Beach Road, Department of Public Works Director Bruce Chimento said Monday. Work is also planned for Strawberry Hill Avenue..

The Beach Road configuration will be temporary, a “test and learn” proposition approved by the Norwalk Traffic Authority earlier this month. Also approved were temporary markings for Water Street. The actions are part of a move to install bike lanes all over the city.

“Our Bike Walk Task Force has put together a plan of bicycle lanes throughout the city. In total, according to that plan, bike lanes would be on approximately 5 % of city streets. Moreover, all those bike lanes are planned and designed according to national safety standards,” Mayor Harry Rilling said in an email.

There is, of course, opposition – Former Zoning Commissioner Joe Santo spoke against the proposals at the Traffic Authority meeting.

“The bike lanes we have now are an accident waiting to happen. There was an accident with a bike and a car on Belden Ave. last week. Water St. will be the next problem,” Santo said in a Tuesday email to NancyOnNorwalk.

Norwalk Police Sgt. Sofia Gulino could find no record of an accident on Belden Avenue.

“I checked back to July 1^st in the entire vicinity of West Ave. and Belden Ave. No bicycle versus MV. I did spot a Motorcycle versus car, case 16-29483 from 7/11/16. That is all,” Gulino said in a Thursday email.

Chimento said Monday that a study had been done Friday on the recently repaved Calf Pasture Beach Road, as speeds were recorded and traffic was counted.

This will provide a baseline for the 90-day test and learn, with striping expected within the next couple of weeks, he said.

Water-based paint will be used to mark two 10-foot travel lanes in each direction, with a 4-foot bike lane along the curbs. This will replace the sharrows (shared lanes) approved under the Moccia Administration.

“We are analyzing the traffic flow for numbers and speed before we paint the lines to get a base line. After the lanes are in we will analyze again to see the difference and report back to the (Traffic Authority),” Chimento said in a Tuesday email.

A bike lane is also being tried out on the recently repaved Water Street, another 90-day test and learn.

“Temporary lanes will be used and once evaluated, may become permanent or not replaced once they fade,” Rilling said.

Santo recently told NancyOnNorwalk that there was a bike lane in the middle of the intersection of Monroe Street and Martin Luther King Drive, calling that “very dangerous.”

Chimento said Monday that the bike lane was designed in accordance with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) standards and Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) requirements.

“It’s well marked and we know what it is. It’s not anything that’s unusual,” Chimento said.

Santo noted unsafe conditions at multiple locations at the Traffic Authority meeting, including Belden Avenue, Monroe Street, Norden Place, King Street and at Naramake School, according to the draft meeting minutes.

“He gave examples of where the lanes are actually used as driving lanes or are right next to parked cars and represent dangerous areas where bikers can be hit, hurt or killed,” the minutes state.

“The bicycle lanes on Strawberry Hill were the City’s first attempt at improving bicycle facilities and, as is common with most first tries, it was not ideal,” Bike/Walk Task Force Chairwoman Nancy Rosett said in a Tuesday email. “The Mayor’s Bike/Walk Task Force and the Department of Public Works have been working together to figure out the best way to guide both bicycle and motor traffic where the road is not wide enough for dedicated bike lanes as well as making it clearer that the parking lane is not a traffic lane.”

“We’re going to be making some adjustments near driveways and some intersections. We’ll be doing some changes on where the bike lanes end, especially down near the Westport Avenue side,” Chimento said, of Strawberry Hill.

The Strawberry Hill bike lanes were installed under the Moccia administration. Bicycle enthusiasts, who are now on the task force, instantly expressed dissatisfaction. There’s been much talk about how to fix them.

The bike lane abruptly ends as Strawberry Hill meets Westport Avenue, as a turn lane suddenly replaces it.

Chimento said the bike lane will be pulled back closer to the curb there, so that people aren’t driving in a bike lane, and there will be new signs posted.

Triangular markings will delineate where driveways are, he said.

What about bike lanes in other parts of the city?

“We are looking on bike lanes on County Street, which would be right near the high school,” Chimento said. “Basically, Westport Avenue all the way through to the Westport line, past William Street. We’re also looking at the lower end of Gregory Boulevard. We’re going to be doing something about the parking there. We’ll be putting out notices to the people there, closer to Marvin Beach, in that area.”

That’s Gregory Boulevard past the rotary, and the bike lanes would connect to those on Beach Road, Chimento said.

“The trend of progressive cities, not only in our country but in countries around the world, is including bike lanes in developing and improving their infrastructure. Bike lanes help people navigate safely while reducing motor vehicle traffic and the accompanying carbon emissions. Bike lanes have proven their worth as traffic calming measures as well,” Rilling said.

As for opposition, Rilling said, “Sometimes people resist change but that doesn’t mean we should avoid trying new things. There are some who will never support bike lanes but again, that doesn’t mean we should abandon the idea.”