Quantcast
Advertisement

Norwalk Bike/Walk Task Force posts bike route map

April 3, 2015
–
Nancy Guenther Chapman
A detail from the Bike Walk Task Force's bike route map now posted on Norwalk's website.
A detail from the Bike Walk Task Force’s bike route map now posted on Norwalk’s website.

Updated 9:18 p.m. with additional links to the map and feedback address.

NORWALK, Conn. – A map of potential Norwalk bike routes is now available for your perusal on the city’s website.

The map, developed by the Bike/Walk Task Force, was posted last week at this location. Director of Health Tim Callahan said Tuesday that there had been no responses yet – but there’s been no publicity, he said. A press release will be put out, he said.

Mayor Harry Rilling mentioned it at the last Council meeting.

“We do want your feedback and comments on whether or not you think this is something that is a viable plan and where you feel we might make some changes,” he said.

The map was initially created by Task Force Co-Chairman Mike Mushak, who said he integrated studies that have been done onto one document. Kaitlin Latham of the Health Department then digitized the city-wide map of potential bike routes by using the city’s GIS (Geographic Information System) to overlay the various routes.

Mike Mushak asked in a comment below to include this info: The Bike/Walk Task Force has created a map outlining Norwalk’s existing bike routes, bike lanes, and sharrows and illustrating where bike routes might be created in the future. Read the map here, and please send feedback to healthdept@norwalkct.org.”

To find this paragraph that links to the map and email response, please go to the city website and follow this course: City Departments>Health Dept>Health Home>Bike/Walk Task Force>Planning for a Bike/Walk Community.

The map is also attached below. Feedback can be sent to healthdept@norwalkct.org.

Bike Route GIS Map – FINAL_201503251450598817

More Stories

Comments

8 responses to “Norwalk Bike/Walk Task Force posts bike route map”

  1. g-man

    Love it, I hope it all gets approved.

  2. MDR

    Nancy, is there a link to more than a map? This is pretty useless as it is. I can’t tell what a line means. Does it mean parking will be eliminated? Will traffic be affected? Is there a way to provide feedback? I went to the Health Department web site and found other information, but could not find even the map you linked to by browsing.

  3. Jud Aley

    MDR-
    I’m a member of the Bike/Walk task force.
    Hers a link to the map…… http://www.norwalkct.org/DocumentCenter/View/8030

    Here’s a link to the Bike/Walk Web page……….. http://www.norwalkct.org/index.aspx?NID=1503

    Parking will not be eliminated for bike lanes. While bike lanes do have real positive economic effects for a city like Norwalk, street side parking brings equal or greater economic benefits so as far as I’m concerned it will not be eliminated.
    The task force web page is a work in progress and we hope to have an email link on the page soon so residents will have a way to provide feedback.
    Would you be interested in attending our meetings and becoming part of the task force?
    -Jud

  4. Mike Mushak

    Jud, good comment, and good questions from MDR. g-man, we hope!

    Parking will not be eliminated as far as we know on any of these routes, and traffic flow will not be affected. Most of the plan involves sharrows, and actual bike lanes are limited to where they will safely fit. We are advoating for narrower travel lanes wherever possible as it is shown to decrease average speeds by 7-8 mph, without compromising vehicle safety.

    We don’t need interstate size travel lanes designed for 65 mph speeds on our urban and suburban streets, where the speed limit is 40 mph or below. Speed kills, and no amount of enforcement will make folks drive slower when the road design is already known by much research to encourage faster driving. “Dangerous by design” is the key phrase, and we have a lot of that in Norwalk that we need to fix, to improve safety not just for pedestrians and cyclists, but also for cars as death and injury rates decline dramatically with speed reductions.

    Jud and MDR, there already is an email link for comments on the website. We hope to have an easier link from the city website homepage soon. We are still working out the kinks, so bear with us. Here is the paragraph from the website, and below that, the way to find it on the website:

    “Planning for a Bike-Friendly Community

    The Bike/Walk Task Force has created a map outlining Norwalk’s existing bike routes, bike lanes, and sharrows and illustrating where bike routes might be created in the future. Read the map here, and please send feedback to healthdept@norwalkct.org.”

    To find this paragraph that links to the map and email response, please go to the city website and follow this course: City Departments>Health Dept>Health Home>Bike/Walk Task Force>Planning for a Bike/Walk Community.

    NON, could you please put this in the article? Thanks!

    1. Mark Chapman

      @Mike

      I added it.

      Or readers can simply click the map and feedback links that were included already at the bottom of the original story, and again in two comments on this thread… 🙂

  5. Paul Lanning

    How much money will be budgeted for this plan?

    How will Norwalk taxpayers benefit from the plan? Looking specifically at Norwalk—not studies done elsewhere–what do this plan’s proponents expect will happen here? Obviously if you make a road narrower, vehicular traffic will move slower. What other benefit will occur?

    What factual basis exists for stating that traffic enforcement doesn’t reduce speeding and doesn’t increase safety?

    Why are the bike lanes on Strawberry Hill Ave almost never in use? Why would the case be any different on other similar roadways?

  6. John Hamlin

    Great to see Norwalk gradually become a more livable and bike and pedestrian friendly city.

  7. Jud Aley

    Paul-
    I’ve put together a compilation of articles and data that illustrates how investment in a Bicycle Infrastructure in other cities has resulted in one or more of the following benefits listed below. I think the same would be true for Norwalk:

    1)Help to revitalize Norwalk’s urban core – South Norwalk, West Avenue, and the Wall Street district

    2)Attract young educated workers who may not own a car to live in and “re-migrate” to Norwalk

    3)Attract young start-up companies whose workers prefer to bike and walk to work

    4)Increase retail sales in Norwalk’s Urban core

    5)Increase nearby home values (with bicycle path access) and real estate tax revenue

    6)Attract bicycle tourism and tourism dollars

    7)Increase health benefits to residents and reduce health care costs.

    If you would like a bound paper copy contact me directly and I’d be happy to give it to you. -Jud

Leave a Reply

Newsletter

Secret Link