Bike/pedestrian master plan ready for its close up

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Reading through the 76-page proposed Key West Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is to enter a perfect world of stress-free biking and walking throughout the 4.2 square miles that make up the city and adjoining Stock Island.

Clearly-marked bike lanes and pedestrian trails connect throughout the city, allowing safe transverse through and around the island. Signs show bikers and walkers where they are and how to get to their destination, complete with trail markers highlighting prominent locations and events. Off-street paths give bicyclists and pedestrians a direct route through developed property and alongside roads. “Bike boxes” create space for bicyclists to position themselves for a left turn. A “multi-modal transfer center” at the Key West International Airport allows visitors to rent bikes as soon as they deplane, the rental fee including the cost of transporting their luggage to their destination.

“The design of walking and biking facilities should take advantage of Key West’s unique sense of place and sweeping ocean views while providing frequent benches, shade, and water fountains along the way,” the draft master plan states.

More than two years in the making, the proposed master plan, which will go before Key West City Commissioners at their Jan. 15 meeting, is a major contribution to the city’s efforts to reduce traffic congestion and help alleviate the parking shortage. It also addresses the safety issues that for the past 10 years put Key West on top of 97 other Florida communities with a population between 15,000 and 75,000 for bicycle injuries and fatalities. The city also waivers between third and 12th place for pedestrian injuries and fatalities, according to the draft master plan, which was created by Toole Design Group, a Maryland-based consultant specializing in alternative transportation planning.

But like any good idea that involves potentially substantial infrastructure changes, there is a cost. And the estimated cost of the far-reaching proposed master plan is significant; including a first-phase project estimate of $9.6 million to create a “short-term network” of connected bike and walking paths that share space on and alongside existing roadways.

“The Short-Term Network includes a limited number of dedicated bicycle facilities, instead relying on existing trails and signed bike routes to complete the network. It maintains on-street parking as it exists today, provides very little separation between [car and bike] modes, and can be implemented with pavement markings and signage for relatively low costs,” according to the master plan.

The second phase, the “Vision Network,” clocks in at just under $19 million.

“The Vision Network features several new facility types, including separated bike lanes, people priority streets and bicycle boulevards. Implementing these types of facilities requires moving the curb line, and in some cases, creating off-street parking options. The level of separation between [bike and car] modes is much higher, as are implementation costs,” the master plan stated.

Aware of funding challenges, Toole Design Group broke the plan recommendations into pieces, allowing city officials to pick and choose how they want to proceed in order to spread out the cost. Jeff Ciabotti, the master plan project manager from Toole Design Group, said signage for bikers and walkers can be the first step, improving non-car transportation options.

“Signage can be tremendously helpful,” Ciabotti said. “Just letting people know where they are and how to get where they want to go.”

The master plan draft sets out recommendations on the quickest and easiest pieces to implement, such as painted bike lane marking on streets already listed in the city repaving plan. The next steps that could be implemented as funding is found would coincide with the city’s current capital improvement plan, which sets out various street and public park improvements over the next five years.

“Across the board, we got really good feedback,” Ciabotti said, referring to a series of meetings and presentations of the master plan to city officials and transportation advisory group volunteers in mid-December. “There seems to be a really strong will to get it done.”

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