Making rural roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists goal of Burlington’s new plan

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Published November 9, 2021 at 5:24 pm

The second phase of Burlington’s Rural Active Transportation Strategy is under way and the city is looking for feedback from residents.

The goal of the plan is to improve safety using realistic and cost-effective solutions for active transportation. It also bridges gaps and address barriers that have prevented active transportation in rural Burlington.

The proposed improvements are:

  • Multi-use Path – a paved path that is physically separated from the roadway for use by people walking, rolling and cycling;
  • Paved Shoulder – a paved space at the edge of the roadway outside of the white edge line for people walking, rolling and cycling;
  • Sidewalk – a physically separated space for people walking beside the road;
  • Traffic Calming – can include a variety of measures to slow down vehicles and the number of vehicles on roads to make conditions more comfortable for people walking, rolling and cycling;
  • Spot Improvement – location-specific improvements to improve comfort, safety and connectivity for people walking, rolling and cycling.

Other treatments can also be used to help make active transportation safer and easier such as bike route signage and wayfinding, which helps with orientation and navigation on the active transportation network.

The City is developing the strategy to address the lack of facilities for active transportation in rural Burlington.

This area of Burlington is a popular place for hiking and cycling. But the roads were designed for cars, not cyclists or pedestrians. Most are two vehicle lane roads and do not have sidewalks or paved shoulders.

Staff is working to create walking and cycling options that will focus on safe, connected active transportation infrastructure. This will allow people to go places they want to walk, cycle, etc. in rural Burlington.

In winter 2019, two meetings were held to hear about rural active transportation in Burlington in its current state.

This helped staff confirm and learn about opportunities and challenges that can be looked at through the Strategy.

Feedback can be shared by visiting the city website and pinning comments on the map and taking the survey. The map and survey are open for comment until Monday, Dec. 6.

 

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