To sum up what happened at the Village Board meeting on November 21st, it was something of a mixed decision. A motion was made in favor of “Option 1” but that motion failed for a lack of a second. As you may recall, Option 1 is probably the least favorable of the four DOT options, because with its wide travel lanes it would do the least to reduce speeding on Lake Drive, it offers no buffer lanes between driving lanes and bike lanes, and it does not include a parking-protected bike lane on the east side of the road. No trustee made a motion in favor of any of the other 3 DOT options (including the protected bike lane option that GSB has been advocating for, a/k/a “Option 4”).
There was some discussion about whether
it was possible to defer a decision until sometime in the future. Specifically,
as indicated in the below diagram, Milwaukee is requesting that protected bike
lanes be included on both sides of Lake Drive in Milwaukee, when Milwaukee’s
segment of Lake Drive is to be reconstructed in 2024 (a year ahead of
Shorewood’s project).
In the end, the trustees voted in
favor of having the parking lane in Shorewood at the curb (5-1, with Trustee Lynn voting
“no,” and President McCaig abstaining).
So the Board chose to provide
some guidance to the DOT, but not as much guidance as the DOT may have
preferred.
Three or four of the trustees
indicated during the discussions that they saw a value to the bike lane
configuration in Shorewood being consistent with the bike lane
configuration in Milwaukee. Some trustees questioned why the DOT isn’t favoring
a consistent bike lane design all along Lake Drive (essentially, Milwaukee,
Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, Bayside). Those same trustees expressed
frustration that the DOT was pushing for a decision from Shorewood, before the
DOT decided whether it was going to agree with Milwaukee’s request for
protected bike lanes on both sides of its portion of Lake Drive.
There were a few residents who attended the Board meeting on the 21st who spoke in favor of Option 4, and a few residents who spoke in opposition to having a bike lane along the curb on the east side of Lake Drive (most of who reside on Lake Drive). For the most part though, I would characterize the meeting as a well-conducted Village meeting, one consistent with Shorewood's tradition of civic dialogue on important issues. It was also clear on Monday evening how much work that Village staff and Village Board members have put into this issue, to try to meet the DOT's demand for a review and decison on this issue in a less than three-week period.
Where Does that Leave Us? What's Next?
It is likely the DOT will consider the
comments of the Board, and the comments of the public, as it makes a decision
on Milwaukee’s request for protected bike lanes (PBLs) on both sides of Lake
Drive. As indicated in the above diagram, Milwaukee is requesting on the east side of Lake Drive a parking-protected
bike lane (a parking-PBL) and on the west side a curb-protected bike lane (a “curb-PBL”).
If the DOT ultimately chooses not to have a parking-PBL in Milwaukee, it likely
makes no sense to have a parking-PBL in Shorewood. Currently, we do not know by
when the DOT will make its decision as to Milwaukee, but that is likely to be
soon, if construction is going to start in 2024.
On the other hand, if the DOT
accepts Milwaukee’s request for PBLs on both sides of Lake Drive, it makes
sense for folks in Shorewood respectfully to demand something similar in Shorewood from the
DOT. Folks should have an opportunity to do that when the DOT schedules its
next Public Information Meeting (“PIM”) in Shorewood, likely sometime in
January or February.
It is also possible that
Shorewood’s final design could involve a PBL, but not a parking-PBL. That is,
the DOT could come up with a design that would place car parking at the curb on
the east side (consistent with the Village Board’s vote on November 21st),
then the bike lane, then some type of physical “barrier” or “delineation”
between the bike lane, and the driving lane. Such a delineation could be
achieved in several ways.
One option would be to place a
low curb between the bike lane and the driving lane (as Milwaukee is proposing
to add between the bike lane and the driving lane on the west side of Lake
Drive, see the above diagram). Such a “curb” is low enough that it can be driven over, but it would
feel very awkward for a driver to do that, at anything other than a low speed. Or
the delineation could be achieved by adding a painted buffer lane between the
bike lane and the driving lane, with some bollards in that buffer lane. Milwaukee
has built bollard-PBLs on both the North Avenue Bridge and the Locust Avenue
Bridge. Another option would be to have what is sometimes referred to as a “shelf”
protected bike lane, that is, a design whereby the road is constructed so that
the bike lane and the parking lane are a few inches higher than the driving
lane. Milwaukee has such a shelf-PBL on the South side. The above alternatives
may not provide as much protection as a parking-PBL, but they still offer
a greater separate of motor vehicles and bikes than do conventional bike lanes.
That’s not to say that such curb-,
bollard- or shelf-PBL designs would not bring with them maintenance and/or cost
issues, that would need to be thoughtfully considered.
Again, there is value in
Shorewood’s design being consistent with whatever design the DOT ultimately
approves as to Milwaukee’s segment.
As soon as we know more (either
about the DOT’s decision relating to Milwaukee, or the date for a PIM in Shorewood), I’ll be
sure to let you know.
The Time for Protected Bike Lanes in Shorewood Has Come
Madison has had PBLs for 50 years, and parking-PBLs since 2019.
And cities all over the U.S., Canada and other countries have PBLs. If cities
that have snow (e.g., Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York City, and even
Buffalo) can have successful PBLs, so can Shorewood. Cities that have dynamic
(even chaotic) street environments (with driveways, alley entrances, and
delivery vehicles and public service vehicles) have successful PBLs. If other
communities can do it, so can Shorewood. If cities that have a history of
aggressive driving styles (for example NYC or Chicago) can have successful PBLs, so
can Shorewood. Every study I am aware of indicates that PBLs make streets safer
for all users of that street (pedestrians, bike riders and car users).
Thanks to the many, many of you
who took the time to contact the Village and the DOT about this issue. We
appreciate the foresight you have, and your desire to improve Shorewood through
civic engagement.
Creating the Active Shorewood Micromobility Network
Big picture, Shorewood eventually
is going to re-design and re-construct its streets, so that our community and streets
are less car-centric in their design. Eventually, we are going to have streets
that can be safely and confidently used by persons of all ages and by a variety
of means (a "multi-modal" transportation design, that also works in conjunction with such things as transit and ride-sharing services). There should not be a single street in Shorewood that people say
about it things like “I would never ride on that street, it’s not safe,” or “I
would never let my kids ride on that street, it’s just not safe.”
We need to design and build in
Shorewood an active micromobility network, a network so that
active people can safely and confidentially move around our community. A
network so that people who choose to drive less, can instead choose to get
around Shorewood safely and confidently via bike, ebike, scooter, or escooter (whether
that bike or scooter is privately owned, or owned by a rideshare service). People
should be able to live in Shorewood, and get to school, work, shops, bars,
restaurants and everyplace else safely and confidently without a car. We want
(and climate change makes essential), that we have a walkable and bikeable community,
that enables people to choose to live lifestyles that are car-free or at least car-light.
The debate over Lake Drive is a
part, an important part, of the above.
How Can You Help?
The Village Board on the 21st
unfortunately did little to advance the concept of a Shorewood active micromobility
network. But the debate over Lake Drive is not over yet.
The debate now turns to the DOT. (The
final design decision is one for the DOT to make, because Lake Drive is a “state
highway connector”). If you want to help in our efforts to persuade the DOT to
see reason, you can send a message like this to the DOT:
I [live in Shorewood, or Milwaukee, or I routinely bike or drive on Lake Drive]. I am in favor of protected bike lanes (“PBLs”) on Lake Drive. I ask that the DOT accept the City of Milwaukee’s recommendation and include PBLs on Lake Drive. I believe that it makes sense to have consistency as to the basic bike lane design along Lake Drive. If the DOT includes PBLs on Lake Drive, I asked that the DOT also include PBLs on Lake Drive in Shorewood as well.
Your comments can be sent to the following professionals who are in charge of the design process with the DOT:
debra.tarnow@dot.wi.gov; christine.hanna@dot.wi.gov; Reem.Shahin@dot.wi.gov; abubb@kapurinc.com.
Public comments can
make a difference. So if you’ve read this far, please consider taking a minute,
and sending an email something like the above to the DOT now. Thanks!
Stay tuned for future developments.
Alexander "Sandie" Pendleton (414.418.4469; sandiependleton@gmail.com)
P.S.: Please choose to “follow” this blog, so you
get notice of new articles as they appear. And we hope to see you in person, at
Three Lions Pub, when bike riders from across the northshore gather, and then participate in all or some of the Santa Cycling Rampage (details in the below article). Cheers!
