Nancy,
Thank you for giving the Morgantown Bicycle Board the opportunity to comment on the WVU Transportation and Parking Plan. Following are the Board's comments.
We encourage the implementation of park-and-rides as described in sections 4f, 7, 14 and 19. We also encourage close coordination with the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization as they update the Greater Morgantown Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The current LRTP includes park-and-ride facilities.
The Bicycle Board recommends that park-and-rides optimize the utilization of bicycles in addition to the shuttles mentioned in the WVU plan. Specifically, utilizing the rail trails from Star City (traffic coming in from I-79), and Sabraton (traffic coming in from I-68), could yield commute times comparable to motoring and would compensate for the hassles of parking downtown. Establishing bus stops at the same locations could provide travelers with true multi-modal alternatives.
A park-and-ride on the north side of the Star City bridge would help even more with traffic. The City of Morgantown and Star City are currently developing a plan to make a bicycle climbing lane on Mon Blvd. from the Star City Bridge to the Coliseum and to extend the rail trail to meet the bottom of the climbing lane. The Bicycle Board encourages WVU to support this Morgantown-Star City project. With the current development of student apartments at University Town Center, enhanced bicycle access between the apartments and Star City could also connect more students to campus by bicycle.
The Bicycle Board recommends deleting section 10 c. "A registration system for bicycles on campus should be explored. Many campuses make use of such a registration system." We see no benefit of such a system for bicyclists and it may discourage cycling.
Bicyclists have the same rights to the roads as drivers of vehicles and are subject to the same duties. The Bicycle Board recommends that WVU establish an education program for students, faculty and staff to learn to bicycle effectively and make the program attractive to the community.
The Bicycle Board encourages WVU to include an electric bike sharing system in the plan. Nearly 90 American universities, from New York University to the University of Alaska-Anchorage, offer some form of campus bike program. Morgantown's hills and traffic discourage bicycling. Electric bikes can effectively flatten the hills. Since more than 6 bicycles can occupy the same space as a car, electric bikes could drastically reduce traffic congestion. Being hilly with narrow streets and skyrocketing property values but covering a small area, WVU electric bike sharing could be an attractive while economical alternative to any of the current or planned WVU transportation systems.
In closing, we observe that making it easy for people to drive motor vehicles and park them in and around campus sustains our traffic congestion problems and discourages alternatives.
Frank D. Gmeindl Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board LCI #1703 491 WilsonAvenue Morgantown, WV 26501 304-376-0446 Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles
On Oct 19, 2011, at 8:11 AM, Nancy Lohmann wrote:
Good morning.
West Virginia University is in the process of revising its Transportation and Parking Plan, which was last revised in 2007. I wanted to share a copy of the draft plan with you and also invite your comments on it. A copy is enclosed. Today or tomorrow the Plan will also be accesible through http://transportation.wvu.edu/ http://transportation.wvu.edu/
We are inviting comments until NOVEMBER 18. After that date, the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee will begin to modify the plan considering the feedback received.
Comments may be forwarded to TransParkPlan@mail.WVU.edu mailto:TransParkPlan@mail.WVU.edu or TransPark Plan, P. O. Box 6205, WVU, Morgantown, WV 26506-6205.
I know this is a busy time of the year but we would welcome any advice that you may be able to offer. Thanks.
Nancy
Nancy Lohmann, Ph.D. Senior Advisor to the Vice President for Administration and Finance Professor of Social Work 101 Stewart Hall P.O. Box 6205 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506-6205 Phone: 304-293-9200 Fax: 304-293-3493
<TransParkPlan-10-19-11.pdf>