[B]URLINGTON – Two new bike lane projects in Burlington have the green light, despite opposition from residents about the removal of over 75 parking spots.
The Department of Public Works Commission unanimously voted to ban parking on parts of Colchester and Flynn avenues for new bike lanes on Wednesday, with one commissioner not present.
On Colchester Avenue, about 39 parking spots will be eliminated between East Avenue and Barrett Street to make way for a north side bike lane.
Under the plans, there will be no parking on the south side of Flynn Avenue between Pine Street and Shelburne Road in order to add an eastbound bike lane, paired with a westbound shared lane. That change will eliminate 38 parking spots.
Tiki Archambeau, chair of the Public Works Commission, said he backed the projects in part due to safety concerns. A study found around 300 cyclists pass through the Colchester Avenue traffic corridor each day.
“First and foremost that scares me,” he said. “It’s hard for me to sleep at night knowing the safety for those people is in jeopardy.”
Department of Public Works staff sent letters to residents and held community meetings to gather feedback in both neighborhoods. The two projects are recommendations under the city’s Plan BTV Walk Bike.
Archambeau said commissioners heard mixed support from stakeholders for the Colchester Avenue bike lane at Wednesday’s meeting. Some expressed concerns about being able to have visitors and contractors access homes. Many also spoke in favor of the new lanes making the route safer for bikes and motorists.
All of those concerns are merited, it’s really a matter of where should the city be for its infrastructure and where is the reality on the ground,” Archambeau said.
Residents also shared concerns about the effect the elimination of spots will have on parking in surrounding neighborhoods. There were also worries about the vote occurring at a time when students are not around to participate in the discussion.
The painted lanes, which are not protected by physical barriers, are slated to be implemented in late July or early August, according to Public Works Director Chapin Spencer.
There are some spots where parking will be preserved, in part, to help access business on Colchester Avenue. In those locations, painted arrows on the roadway will indicate the lane is expected to be shared by bikes and vehicles.
City Councilor Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, attended Wednesday’s meeting to speak in favor of the two projects. He said he hears frustration about the “slow pace of change” in creating links in the city bike network and addressing climate change.
“We absolutely have to start creating better alternatives to driving, and building out a world class network for walking and biking is one of those ways,” Tracy said. “If we want to realize carbon reductions, we have to commit to building non-carbon infrastructure in a way that is much more aggressive and comprehensive than what we’ve been doing.”
Karen Yacos, the executive director of Local Motion, a bike and walk advocacy group, said the new lanes are a step in the right direction but more improvements are needed. Her organization would like to see fully protected lanes on both sides of Colchester Avenue.
“That’s a big improvement, it’s a big piece of the puzzle to fix, and it’ll help a lot of people right away,” she said.
Councilor Kurt Wright, R-Ward 4, said the city is going too far with its bike walk master plan.
“I think there’s this idealistic view that we can make cars obsolete in a few years in Burlington,” Wright said. “I think that’s not realistic and it’s not taking those into consideration those who need to take their cars to go to work.”
Wright said he’s heard from businesses and residents who are being hurt due to reduced parking spots from bike lanes, and females who are worried about walking a considerable distance from where they live when getting home at night.
He said he thinks traffic is increasing and congestion in roadways will worsen with the additional of electric bike rentals downtown.
Spencer, the public works director, said the commission works hard to balance the needs of all users in Burlington’s narrow streets.
“We have an active and vibrant community and having a transportation system that is safe and fosters an active lifestyle is good for our economy, is good for tourism,” he said. “These are smart investments for our infrastructure.”
The changes at Colchester Avenue will also widen the roadway to approximately 10½ feet. The corridor has a higher rate of crashes than other roadways, and the Department of Public Works had heard from concerns from emergency services.
“I think there is a recognition that Burlington needs to adapt and modernize its transportation systems for all modes,” Spencer said.
Wright thinks stakeholders aren’t being listened to when bike lane projects are implemented.
“Local Motion is mobilizing people and has an outsized impact,” he said. “Citizens are at a disadvantage, they don’t have an advocacy group working for them.”
He wants the City Council to be able to weigh in on more controversial parking decisions, made by appointed public works commission. Wright tried a few years ago to bring this to the charter change committee, but the measure lacked support.
He’s considering leading a petition drive to get the issue on a ballot.
Yacos, Local Motion’s executive director, said bike advocates understand the need to make accommodations to help businesses and those impacted by lost parking spots.
“Trying to find the common ground between people who are looking for driving only and people who are looking for biking is always a challenge, but I think we’re on the same page,” Yacos said. “We want a city that is liveable.”
The commission made several changes on Wednesday in response to stakeholder feedback. Amendments to the Colchester Avenue bike lane project were passed that will explore adding resident-only parking on Chase, Barrett and Mill streets, and building additional pedestrian infrastructure.
Archambeau, the commission’s chair, said support in the city for bike lane projects is growing.
“What’s happening here is that there are more young people, and people with kids who are trying to make Burlington home, and that’s what they want,” he said. “They want to be able to get around with something other than a car.”