I am a 48-year resident of Morgantown.  I lived for several years on Cobun Creek Rd. off of the Kingwood Pike as well as in a few locations in the City of Morgantown.  During most of my years in Morgantown, I have commuted by bicycle to work, for shopping and recreation.  I am a certified bicycling instructor by the League of American Bicyclists, former chairman of the Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board and former member of the Morgantown Traffic Commission and the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Board.  My comments are intended to assist stakeholders in the Green Bag Road project in improving the safety and level of service of the corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians as well as for motorists.

The planned roundabouts in Alternative 2 Intersection Options C and F, will probably reduce congestion at the Mississippi St. and Dorsey Av. intersections with Green Bag Rd.  The planned 12-foot lanes will certainly speed up the flow of motorized traffic.  What speed does WVDOH anticipate motor vehicles, particularly heavily loaded trucks will reach?  

In the early stages of the development of the Green Bag Road project, WVDOH stated that the maximum speed would be 35-mph.  At such a speed, according to the FHWA Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the AASHTO Guide to the Development of Bicycle Facilities, the corridor would qualify for the use of Shared Lane Markings and Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs.  Will these be installed?  I couldn’t find the answer in the on-line presentation materials.

A 25-mph speed limit would make the corridor safer for all users.  What is the current average speed of trucks traveling WV 7 between the intersections with CR 857 and US 19?  Substantially increasing the speed of heavy motor vehicles at the peril of other users, including typical motorists as well as pedestrians and bicyclists is not justified.

Even the strongest, most fearless bicyclists would not feel safe riding on the planned 2 to 4-foot  wide shoulders beside a 12-foot lane with speeding big trucks.  The AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities (2012 - Fourth Edition) Section 4.5 recommends that the paved shoulders be more than 5-feet wide for conditions similar to the planned Green Bag Road improvement.  

Think about school children and grand parents and people who can’t afford a motor vehicle!  There are many in the corridor area that might go by foot or go by bike if they felt safe doing so.  The Green Bag Road project should include all users.  

The Green Bag Road project must be an integral part of a plan for transportation throughout the entire Green Bag Road corridor.  At a minimum, any plan for improving this corridor must not make it less safe or more difficult for anyone who chooses to walk or ride a bike safely to do so.  In the early stages of this project, a side path was proposed along a route between Mississippi St. and the intersection of Green Bag Rd. with John Poole Rd..  Completing that side path should be a part of this plan.

East of Dorsey Av., Green Bag Rd. already has many driveways that increase the risk of crashes between motorists merging onto and off of Green Bag Rd.  The Green Bag Road project plan should recognize the increasing development of the corridor east of Dorsey Av. and include measures to mitigate increased crashes that will likely occur with even more driveways.

In summary,

1.  Physically control motor vehicle speed to no more than 35-mph., preferably 25-mph.  Reducing the lane width from 12-feet is one option.

2.  Install Shared Lane Markings and Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs throughout the corridor.

3.  Increase paved shoulder width to no less than 6 feet.

4.  Include side path from CR 857 - WV 7 intersection to Mountaineer Mall in the project.

5.  Mitigate crash risk presented by the growing number of driveways connecting to Green Bag Rd.

Frank D. Gmeindl