Bicycle Friendly Community presentation to IRC MPO Board - June 2015

Indian River County: A Bicycle Friendly Community?

How Does the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Determine “Bicycle Friendliness”?

★ The Five “Es” ✴ Engineering - Quantity and Quality of Bicycle Facilities ✴ Evaluation & Planning - Proactive Bicycle Facility

Planning ✴ Education - Quantity and Quality of Community Safety

Education ✴ Encouragement - Encouraging People to Ride Bicycles ✴ Enforcement - Law Enforcement Support for Safe

Cycling

Why is it Important to Be a Bicycle Friendly Community?

★ Make roads safer for everyone and reduce injuries/fatalities due to bike crashes

★ Provide a way for people who do not have access to a car to get to work, school and stores

★ Encourage a healthy lifestyle and reduce obesity

★ Reduce traffic congestion and free up parking spaces

★ Make our community an even better place to live

BFCs in Florida (As of Yesterday)

★ Diamond - None ★ Platinum - None ★ Gold - None ★ Silver

✴ Sanibel ✴ Venice ✴ Gainesville ✴ The Villages

★ Bronze - 11 Communities

What Grade Would You Give IRC on Bicycle Friendliness?

A+, A, A-, B, C or D?

Historical Strengths and Weaknesses

★ Strengths ✴ Great support from FDOT - a nationwide leader in

its commitment to bicycle safety ✴ The MPO staff has implemented a world class

bicycle safety education program for children ✴ Some great plans have been developed (e.g., the

Greenway Plans) ✴ Bike racks on Go Line

Historical Strengths and Weaknesses

★ Weaknesses ✴ As of today, there are only 1.4 miles of designated

bike lanes (College Lane) on County roads (but there are bike lanes on FDOT and City roads)

✴ Very little effort to encourage people to ride bicycles ✴ Very little safety education for adults ✴ Other than the Lagoon Greenway, virtually no multi-

use trails (although the Trans Florida Central Railroad Trail has great potential)

Recent Accomplishments

★ Local bicycle club formed and grew to over 200 paid members, offering 5 to 6 group rides weekly and regular special events such as the New Rider Rides and the Downtown Friday Fun Rides

★ Six community volunteers and one County employee became credentialed cycling safety instructors (LCIs)

★ Community volunteers organized a bike festival (the Hibiscus Ride) that attracted over 130 participants with no crashes

★ Community members provided a set of written recommendations for improving cycling safety as part of the Bike/Ped Plan update

Recent Accomplishments (cont’d)★ Two local businesses were designated as Bicycle

Friendly Businesses by the LAB • Orchid Island Bikes & Kayaks (Gold) • Sanford Law Firm (Bronze)

★ Community volunteers (with MPO staff support) periodically staff a cycling safety booth at Downtown Friday

Do We Truly Want to Be a Bicycle Friendly Community?

Becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community Will Require a Commitment Within County Government Beyond the

MPO Staff

Recommendations

Recommendation #1: Designate a High Level Person Within

County Government to Oversee the Bicycle Friendly Initiative

★ Should be someone with the authority to effect change

★ Should be someone who will be proactive

★ Ideally, should be someone who rides a bicycle and has a passion for making the community bicycle friendly

Recommendation #2: Sign and Designate Bike Lanes on all County Roads

with Shoulders that Could be Converted to Bike Lanes

Recommendation #2: Sign and Designate all County Roads with

Shoulders that Could Qualify as Bike Lanes

★ Why? • Will increase the likelihood that people on bicycles will

stay in the bike lane (as required under FL law) • Will increase the likelihood that people on bicycles will

ride with the flow of traffic (as required under FL law) • Will help alert motorists bicycles are permitted on the

road and may be present • Will help motorists and people on bicycles understand

how to handle turns • Will help people on bicycles be more comfortable

Recommendation #3: Amend the IRC Code to Require That All

New and Repaved County Roads Be Built to the Then Current FDOT Standards

★Why?

• FDOT has extensive resources to develop state of the art bike facility standards, no need for IRC to “reinvent the wheel” especially given the County’s limited resources.

• Currently, with respect to bike facilities in IRC, most County roads are inferior to FDOT roads (and to some COVB roads).

Recommendation #3: Amend IRC Code to Adopt FDOT StandardsExample IRC Road - Indian River Boulevard (looking north

approaching 41st Street)

Recommendation #3: Amend IRC Code to Adopt FDOT StandardsExample IRC Road - Indian River Boulevard (looking south

approaching 41st Street)

Recommendation #3: Amend IRC Code to Adopt FDOT StandardsWhat should IRB (and 53rd St, 66 Ave, etc) look like?

Source: Federal Highway Administration - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

Recommendation #3: Amend IRC Code to Adopt FDOT Standards

“I just came back from a week in Vero Beach and was reminded again about how dangerous the two intersections on [the northern section] of Indian River Boulevard are. I wrote a letter to both the County Engineer and County Director of Public Works when that section of IRB was about to be repaved a few years ago. As an architect and planner, I pointed out the obvious hazards and asked that they incorporate shoulders, the cost of which would have been minimal.”

Bob Joy, who owns a home in Grand Harbor and frequently rides on Indian River Boulevard

Recommendation #3: Amend IRC Code to Adopt FDOT Standards

• What does the current code say?

(1) Locations. All projects shall install bikeways on all arterial and collector routes as specified in the adopted Indian River County Bikeway and Sidewalk Plan. . . .

(2) Specifications. Bikeways shall conform to the standards as stated in the county adopted "Bikeway and Sidewalk Plan."

. . .

Section 952.15 (Bikeway system)

Recommendation #3: Amend IRC Code to Adopt FDOT Standards• Code terminology is out of date anyway - there is no

“Bikeway and Sidewalk Plan”

Recommendation #3: Amend IRC Code to Adopt FDOT Standards• A model may be Section 914.15(5) of the IRC Code which

provides that . . .

Bikeways. The project developer shall be responsible for the provision of a bikeway(s) along the project site's frontage on all rights-of-way or easements as designated in the Indian River County Comprehensive Bikeway and Sidewalk Plan.

(a) Specifications. All bikeways shall be constructed in accordance with specifications found in the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Bicycle Facilities Planning and Design Manual (most recent edition) . . . .(emphasis added)

Recommendation #4: Partner with the Indian River Farms Water Control District to Create a Countywide Network of Paved Multi-use Paths Running Along Side the Existing Drainage Canal Network

★ Why? ✴ IRC currently lacks “connectivity” for people riding bicycles -

i.e., it is often difficult to safely travel the entire route to a particular destination

✴ A network of off-road bike paths would reduce bike traffic on roadways

✴ Many people who ride bikes have a strong preference for riding on bike paths rather than the road

✴ A network of bike paths would provide a significant recreational opportunity for local residents, including families

✴ A network of bike paths would provide a significant tourist draw

Recommendation #4: Establish Network of Paved Multi-use Paths

★ Example of Problem - Central county east-west connectivity - Rt 60 Route

Recommendation #4: Establish Network of Paved Multi-use Paths

★ Example of Opportunity - Central county east-west connectivity - Central Canal Route

Recommendation #4: Establish Network of Paved Multi-use Paths

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/files/scorp/2015_promo.pdf

Recommendation #4: Establish Network of Paved Multi-use Paths

★ How significant is this opportunity? ✴ If we developed a full network of paths along all

major canals:

“Indian River County would put Portland to shame." 

Recent Comment by Bill Nesper, VP, Programs, League of American Bicyclists, referring to Portland, Oregon, considered by many to be America's current "bicycle capital." 

Thank you for your continued support!