With nearly $30 million in potential bicycle and pedestrian
projects identified through the county’s 2009 Bikeway and
Pedestrian Master Plan, an advisory committee has begun the work of
identifying which to focus on first.
With nearly $30 million in potential bicycle and pedestrian projects identified through the county’s 2009 Bikeway and Pedestrian Master Plan, an advisory committee has begun the work of identifying which to focus on first.
At a recent meeting, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee decided that filling in a gap where there is no sidewalk on Santa Ana Road near Chappell Road should get priority attention, as it is heavily traveled by students making their way to Gabilan Hills School.
Transportation Planner Veronica Lezama said she will investigate the cost of the 300-foot-long project, determine funding options and present it to the committee for final approval at its next meeting in January.
Meanwhile, the committee instructed her to prioritize Class III bicycle projects, consisting mostly of striping for bike lanes. With the potential that the Hollister School District’s transportation fund will not be available next year – significantly reducing or eliminating school bus service – Lezama said the committee will also look at ways to address that issue through bicycle and pedestrian projects.
“We don’t want the bike plan to sit on the shelf,” she said. “We’re going to be looking at ways to find resources to implement those projects. We need to look not only at cost, but proximity to schools and safety.”
Proposed projects’ connectivity to parks and major employment centers will factor into the decision as well, with various local, state and federal funding sources already identified.
The Bikeway and Pedestrian Master Plan identifies 56 bikeway improvement projects, ranging in cost from $1,300 to $14.1 million for the proposed San Benito River Trail between San Juan and Hollister.
In a separate action, the advisory committee selected a bicycle parking sticker design that will be placed on various bicycle racks throughout the county to assist cyclists in identifying bike racks available for use.
The chosen design is octagonal and has the words “PARKING” and “BICYCLE” and an image of a bicycle.
While some horizontal bicycle racks are easily identifiable, Lezama said some are not so, necessitating the creation of bicycle stickers at a total cost estimated between $150 and $200.
“There are some racks that people might not know are bicycle racks,” she said, noting that some – such as those near Gavilan College’s downtown Hollister site and at Abbe Park in San Juan Bautista, are poles with a circle on them – “almost like a lollipop.”
