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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBakersfield BTP Ch 2 Existing ConditionsExisting Bicycle Facilities and Programs Alta Planning + Design | 2-1 2. Existing Bicycle Facilities and Programs 2.1 Setting and Land Use The City of Bakersfield, with a population of 347,000, is one of the largest cities in California. It is located near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, south of Fresno and northwest of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Bakersfield is the largest city in and government seat of Kern County. The City is comprised of residential neighborhoods and commercial centers concentrated in the Downtown, Valley Plaza Mall, and the Northwest Promenade. Figure 2-1 presents Bakersfield’s land use map. Single- and multi-family residential homes account for approximately 25 percent of the City’s land area, while commercial designations account for approximately 3 percent of the City. Industrial property makes up about 7 percent of the City’s land.1 Bakersfield is a place where people can both live and work and establishes the City as an important employment and retail center in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Population growth in Kern County has been rapid since the 1970’s and is expected to continue to grow at a steady rate. The California Department of Finance estimates the County will grow from 841,100 (2010) to 1,057,400 (2020) and to 1,341,300 (2030).2 The City of Bakersfield is accessible by highways and both regional and local transit. State Highway 99 (north-south) connects the City with other San Joaquin Valley cities, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. State Highway 58 runs east-west and connects Bakersfield with the Mojave Valley. Interstate 5 runs parallel to State Highway 99 and connects Southern California to Northern California and the Bay Area. Approximately 1.2 percent of Bakersfield residents use public transit.3 Three public transit agencies operate within the City: Golden Empire Transit (GET), Kern Regional Transit, and Amtrak. GET has annual boardings of 7.2 million passengers.4 GET operates bus routes throughout the City and provides front-loading bicycle racks. Kern Regional Transit serves Bakersfield with nine of its twelve routes, all of which have front- loading bicycle racks. Riverwalk 1 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan, 2000. 2 California Population Projections, California Department of Finance, 2013. 3 American Community Survey, United States Census, 2007-2011. 4 www.getbus.org/about/ City of Bakersfield | Bicycle Transportation Plan 2-2 | Alta Planning + Design Figure 2-1: Metropolitan Bakersfield Land Use Map Existing Bicycle Facilities and Programs Alta Planning + Design | 2-3 2.2 The Five E’s and Bikeway Classifications Class I bikeways are separated from the roadway. Class II bike lanes provide a striped travel lane on roadways for bicyclists. Class III bicycle routes are signed roadways indicating a preferred bicycle route. Figure 2-2: Caltrans Bikeway Classificaitons As defined by the League of American Bicyclists, bicycle-friendly cities demonstrate achievements in each of five categories, often referred to as the Five E’s of bicycle planning. The Five Es are:  Engineering includes on-street bicycle facilities and bicycle parking as well as signage and maintenance. Aside from physical infrastructure, the other 4 E’s are programmatic in nature. Programs are a great way to maximize use of bicycle facilities and include:  Encouragement programs such as bike maps and events such as Bike to Work Day which reward existing bicyclists and motivate more people to ride bicycles.  Education programs improve safety and awareness. These may be delivered in schools as bicycle skills programs, or provided at low or no cost to adults through non-profit organizations.  Enforcement programs that reinforce legal and respectful driving and bicycling make novice bicyclist feel more secure.  Evaluation programs provide a method for monitoring improvements and informing future investments. The analysis of Bakersfield’s existing facilities and programs within the framework of the Five Es is one way to assess the City’s bicycle-friendly status. The City of Bakersfield has a growing network of Class I, II and III facilities throughout the City. The City has also implemented several programs to support bicycling. This chapter presents existing facilities and programs in order to help identify where new facilities are needed and what programs will better support bicycling in Bakersfield. This Plan refers to standard bikeway definitions identified by Caltrans in Chapter 1000 of the 2012 Highway Design Manual, shown above in Figure 2-2. City of Bakersfield | Bicycle Transportation Plan 2-4 | Alta Planning + Design 2.3 Engineering 2.3.1 Existing Bikeways The City has installed 143 miles of bikeways, , as summarized in Table 2-1. A complete breakdown of bicycle facilities and respective lengths can be found in Table 2-2.The longest bikeway is the Kern River Bike Path, which attracts users from the City and region. The Kern River Parkway includes approximately 32 miles of pathways, and all but three miles of the paths are within City limits. Figure 2-5 maps Bakersfield’s existing bikeways. These figures exclude bikeways in Kern County. Table 2-1: Existing Bikeways Summary Class Mileage Class I: Shared-Use Path 27.9 Class II: Bike Lanes 114.38 Class III: Bike Route 0.73 Total Mileage 143.01 Over the past ten years, beginning with fiscal year 2003/2004, the City of Bakersfield has invested over $10M in bicycle facilities. Of this sum, 90% is attributed to bike lane maintenance on arterial and collector roads performed as part of wider maintenance and rehabilitation activities. Bicycle-specific investments totaled about $1M and principally consisted of bicycle lane planning and design, although some bicycle parking and road crossing beacons were also included. A breakdown of the investments is presented in Appendix D. Kern River Bike Path Existing Bicycle Facilities and Programs Alta Planning + Design | 2-5 Table 2-2: Existing Bikeways Detail Name Start End Distance (miles) Class I Shared-Use Paths Access Path - Oak Street Oak Street Kern River Parkway 0.02 Alfred Harrell Path City Limit Old Alfred Harrell Hwy 0.32 CSU Path Stockdale Highway Camino Media 0.88 Kern River Parkway Enos Lane China Grade Loop 21.84 Kern River Parkway Spur Kern River Parkway Coffee Road 0.02 Kern River Parkway Spur Kern River Parkway Coffee Road 0.02 Morning Drive Bike Path Paladino Drive Bike Path City Limits 1.62 Paladino Drive Path Royal Coach Circle Morning Drive 1.83 Park at Riverwalk Kern River Parkway Kern River Parkway 0.85 Reina Class I Path Jewetta Avenue Verdugo Ln 0.50 Class I Total 27.90 Class II Bike Lanes 21st Street Union Avenue King Street 0.66 21st Street Oak Street Union Avenue 2.02 30th Street Chester Avenue Union Avenue 0.87 4th Street P Street Union Avenue 0.50 Akers Street Ming Avenue Wilson Avenue 0.50 Allen Road Stockdale Highway Ming Avenue 0.99 Alta Vista Drive Bernard Street Niles Street 0.45 Ashe Road Stockdale Highway Panama Lane 4.02 Auburn Street Columbus Street Fairfax Road 1.33 Belle Terrace City Limit New Stine Road 0.72 Bernard Street Mount Vernon Avenue Oswell Street 1.03 Brimhall Road Allen Road Coffee Road 3.01 Buena Vista Road Stockdale Highway White Lane 1.63 Buena Vista Road White Lane Panama Lane 2.00 California Avenue Marella Way Stockdale Highway 0.74 Calloway Drive Old River Road Brimhall Road 1.19 Calloway Drive Hageman Road Norris Road 2.51 Camino Media Old River Road Gosford Road 1.31 Chester Avenue Columbus Street Garces Circle 5.12 City Hills Drive Vineland Road Panorama Drive 0.86 Clay Patrick Farr Way Granite Falls Drive Rosedale Highway 0.23 Coffee Road Norris Road Stockdale Highway 4.54 Columbus Street River Boulevard Panorama Drive 2.77 Fairfax Road Alfred Harrell Highway Start of Class 3 2.96 Gosford Road Stockdale Highway Harris Road 3.51 Hageman Road Knudsen Drive Mohawk Street 0.49 Hageman Road Old Farm Road Mohawk Street 4.08 Haley Drive Truxtun Avenue California Avenue 0.34 Haley Street Columbus Street Highway 178 0.41 Haley Street Flower Street Kentucky Street 0.48 Jewetta Avenue Brimhall Road Stockdale Highway 1.27 Jewetta Avenue Snow Road Hageman Road 2.00 Manor Street Kern River Parkway Union Avenue 0.38 Ming Avenue S. Allen Road Buena Vista Road 0.99 Ming Avenue Buena Vista Road New Stine Road 3.91 Miramonte Drive Alfred Harrell Highway Highway 178 1.06 Mohawk Street City Limit California Avenue 1.68 Monitor Street White Lane Hosking Avenue 2.50 City of Bakersfield | Bicycle Transportation Plan 2-6 | Alta Planning + Design Name Start End Distance (miles) N. Laurelglen Boulevard Gosford Road Wilford Court 0.59 New Stine Road Stockdale Highway Hahn Avenue 4.06 Norris Road Lavender Gate Drive Calloway Drive 0.09 Oak Street Kern River Parkway Brundage Lane 1.96 Old River Road Stockdale Highway Panama Lane 3.49 Olive Drive Allen Road Coffee Road 3.17 Panama Lane Colony Street S. H Street 0.34 Panama Lane Dennen Street Gosford Road 3.34 Panorama Drive Vineland Road Masterson Street 1.04 Panorama Drive Union Avenue Fairfax Road 5.53 Planz Road Wilson Road S. Chester Avenue 3.54 Royal Coach Circle Fairfax Road Paladino Drive Path 0.07 s. Laurelglen Boulevard Wildford Court Gosford Road 0.56 S. P Street California Avenue Brundage Lane 1.95 Scarlet Oak Boulevard Camino Media Ming Avenue 0.22 Snow Road Verdugo Lane Calloway Drive 0.49 Stockdale Highway Renfro Rd Oak Street 6.24 Union Avenue Columbus Street Panorama Drive 0.25 University Avenue Haley Street Columbus Street 1.50 Vineland Road Paladino Drive City Hills Drive 0.76 W. Columbus Street Chester Avenue Union Avenue 0.91 White Lane S. Allen Road Buena Vista Road 1.00 White Lane H Street Union Street 1.03 White Lane Buena Vista Drive Dovewood Street 4.51 Wible Road Oak Street Cty Limit 0.39 Wible Road City Limit Planz Road 1.27 WIlson Road Planz Road White Lane 0.53 Watts Drive Union Avenue Madison Street 0.49 Class II Total 114.38 Class III Bike Routes Norris Road Snow Road Lavender Gate Drive 0.73 Class III Total 0.73 Bikeways Total 143.01 Existing Bicycle Facilities and Programs Alta Planning + Design | 2-7 2.3.2 Signing The California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD) outlines the requirements for bikeway signage. The Bike Lane Sign (R81) is required at the beginning of each designated bike lane and at each major decision point. The Bike Route Sign (D11-1) is required on Class III facilities. Shared-use paths require additional standardized signs to help manage different user groups. The City has installed CA MUTCD standard signs along its bikeways. Figure 2-3: Caltrans Bikeway Signs 2.3.3 Bicycle Signal Detection Where traffic signals are not operated on fixed timing but instead activated by detection, bicycle detection is important because it reduces bicyclist delay and discourages red light running. The City has various means of bicycle detection employed on a case-by-case basis, including video and electromagnetic loop detection. The City has typically used Type C or Type E loops but now uses Type D loops, shown in Figure 2-4. The City is currently in the process of including bicycle detection at all new and retrofitted signals. Figure 2-4: Loop detectors in use in Bakersfield City of Bakersfield | Bicycle Transportation Plan 2-8 | Alta Planning + Design 2.3.4 Bicycle Parking and End of Trip Facilities Bicycle parking can range from a simple and convenient bicycle rack to storage in a bicycle locker or room that protects against weather, vandalism and theft. For those who dress more formally, travel longer distances, or bicycle in hot weather, the ability to shower and change can be as important as bicycle parking. Generally, public bicycle parking is located in downtown Bakersfield. Known bicycle parking locations include those listed below and are shown on Figure 2-5:  City Hall (parking and shower facilities for employees)  Bakersfield Community Development Building (parking and shower facilities for employees)  Bike Bakersfield  Dagny’s Coffee Company  Bakersfield Sports Village A bicycle rack in Downtown Bakersfield Existing Bicycle Facilities and Programs Alta Planning + Design | 2-9 Figure 2-5: Bakersfield Existing Bikeway Network City of Bakersfield | Bicycle Transportation Plan 2-10 | Alta Planning + Design This page intentionally left blank. Existing Bicycle Facilities and Programs Alta Planning + Design | 2-11 2.3.5 Maintenance Street and Bike Path Sweeping Street sweeping clears the road of debris that would otherwise make bicycling difficult. Streets are the primary focus of the City’s street sweeping program; however, Class II and III bike facilities are typically covered by this work. The Bakersfield Public Works Department has a rotating street sweeping schedule for residential roadways, which are swept monthly. Roadway Maintenance Potholes are a hazard to bicyclists that can cause crashes and/or damage to bicycles. Residents may report potholes to the Public Works Department using a 24 hour pothole hotline: (661) 326-ROAD. Residents may request other repairs, including those on bike paths, either by filling out a Citizen Job Request Form on the City’s website or calling (661) 326-3111. 2.4 Encouragement Programs The following describes encouragement related programs hosted by the City of Bakersfield and groups within the City. 2.4.1 Bike to Work Day Bike to Work Day is an event promoting bicycling to work and is typically held the third Friday in May. The City of Bakersfield encourages City staff to participate in Bike to Work Day with a group ride and raffle prizes. Bike Bakersfield typically hosts events during the month and commuter stands the week of Bike to Work Day. 2.4.2 Full Moon Ride The Full Moon Ride is a monthly ride along the Kern River Bike Path. This event is sponsored by non-profit organization Bike Bakersfield and is advertised by the City. The ride is slow paced and appropriate for bicyclists of all skill levels and ages. Approximately 100-175 riders participate each month. 2.4.3 Sunday City Bike Ride Also promoted by Bike Bakersfield, this monthly group ride was first held on December 16, 2012. It is modeled on the Full Moon Ride but on city streets instead of the Parkway. 2.4.4 Free Bike Valet at major events Bike Bakersfield organizes a free bike valet at concerts, festivals, and other large events around the City Bike Bakersfield hosts numerous group rides (photo courtesy of Bike Bakersfield) City of Bakersfield | Bicycle Transportation Plan 2-12 | Alta Planning + Design 2.5 Education Programs Education programs typically consist of bicycle traffic skills and/or maintenance training, public service messages in traditional and online media, and handouts distributed at events. The educational programs in Bakersfield are summarized in the following sections. 2.5.1 Build-A-Bike The City of Bakersfield’s Parks and Recreation Department provides a Build-A-Bike program for children ages nine through 13 several days per week at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. The program offers a hands-on learning environment where the children are taught how to build their own bikes, as well as the fundamentals of bicycle repair, maintenance, and safety. To operate the program, the Bakersfield police department donates unclaimed stolen bicycles, Snider’s Cyclery provides discounted parts and materials, and Bike Bakersfield provides an instructor. 2.5.2 Bicycle Rodeos The City of Bakersfield and Bike Bakersfield co-sponsor Bicycle Rodeos in the summer for children ages nine through 12. Bicycle rodeos help children develop basic bicycling techniques and safety skills through the use of props to simulate the roadway environment. Children receive instructions on how to maneuver, observe signs, and look for on-coming traffic before proceeding through intersections. The rodeos are free to participants. Bicycle Rodeos help children develop basic bicycling skills and knowledge (photo courtesy of Bike Bakersfield) 2.5.3 Confident City Cycling Classes Bike Bakersfield offers this course that teaches state and local laws, on-bike skill development, and other lessons to help cyclists become safer and more confident. The classes are free for Bike Bakersfield members. Existing Bicycle Facilities and Programs Alta Planning + Design | 2-13 2.5.4 City Website The City posts information about bicycling on its website to educate the community. This information includes bicycle-related violations from the California Vehicle Code and Municipal Code, as well as the location of the central traffic district5 where bicycling is prohibited on the sidewalk. The website also provides the following information: “Every year in California over 100 people are killed and thousands more are injured in bicycle collisions. You can make bicycling safer for everyone by obeying the law, keeping your bicycle in good condition and riding carefully. Remember, a bicycle is a vehicle that shares the road with much larger vehicles. Always remain alert and watch for cars and trucks at intersections, driveways, and exits from parking lots.” 2.6 Enforcement Programs The City of Bakersfield Police Department enforces bicycle-related infractions. Reserve officers can be assigned to the City’s bicycle patrol.6 2.7 Evaluation Programs Evaluation programs measure and evaluate the impact of projects, policies and programs. Typical evaluation programs range from a simple year-after-year comparison of US Census Journey to Work data to bicycle counts and community surveys. Bicycle counts and community surveys act as methods to evaluate the impacts of specific bicycle improvement projects and can also function as way to measure progress towards reaching a City’s sustainability goals. The City of Bakersfield does not currently have bicycle-related evaluation programs. However, bicycle counts were conducted as part of this planning process, as summarized in section 2.4 of this document. This count effort is intended to become the beginnings of a benchmarking effort, continuing on an annual basis to measure and evaluate projects, policies and programs. 5 The central traffic district is defined as all of the area within the boundary of the following streets: from the west line of F Street to the east line of Q Street, from the north line of 25th Street to the north line of 15th Street, except 23rd and 24th Streets 6 http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/police/Support_Services/Police_Reserves/index.html City of Bakersfield | Bicycle Transportation Plan 2-14 | Alta Planning + Design This page intentionally left blank.