I haven’t seen Beechurst Av. traffic study data on bicycle use in the Beechurst corridor but my very limited observations indicate that most people on bikes in that corridor ride on the sidewalks. Therefore, narrowing the sidewalks is contraindicated since narrower sidewalks will increase the risk of bicyclists crashing into pedestrians and increase the risk of bicyclists on sidewalks crashing with motorists at intersections with the roadway. Furthermore, the planned new right turn lanes will increase even more the risk of right turning motorists “right hooking” through-bicyclists on the sidewalk traveling in the same direction as the motorists in the right turn lane.
City ordinance prohibits sidewalk cycling. A study of City bicycle crashes reported by the Morgantown Police Department indicates that in approximately half of the crashes between motor vehicles and bicyclists the bicyclist was riding on the sidewalk. At a minimum, the Beechurst plan should be updated to include the installation of Shared Lane Markings on all travel lanes and Bicycles May Use Lane signs throughout the corridor in accordance with the FHWA Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities to at least alert motorists that cyclists may lawfully be in the road.
Other Bicycle Board members have advocated for bike lanes on Beechurst. I hope they will provide you with comments.
Frank
Don’t design your bridge based on the number of people swimming across the river.
Hello Bike Board,
Please excuse this second email in as many days - we need your input! DOH has asked us for comment, due at the end of this week. We are trying to get that deadline extended, but, in any case, please expedite your review if possible. Attached you'll find various documents related to the DOH's project to widen sections of Beechurst and redo some of the intersections between Fayette and Campus Dr. They include:
- A document I prepared ('Beechurst Plans Review Notes') that contains two lists under the following headings
- “A few things to note as you look through this voluminous document”
- “City administration has noted the following, which would be helpful to know if you agree with”
- A full plan set (the 15MB file)
- An abbreviated plan set if you are rushed on time
I highly recommend viewing these plans on a large screen monitor if you have access to one.
Finally, please excuse if you get multiple copies of this email (you will if you also serve on the Ped Board and/or the Traffic Commission).
Best,
Drew
J. Drew Gatlin
Staff Engineer
389 Spruce St., Rm. 24
Morgantown, WV 26505
Office: (304) 284-7411
Cell: (304) 719-7900
Fax: (304) 284-7409