One-day 'cycletrack' proposed for Burlington

Could a one-day traffic switcheroo nudge Burlington motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians into behavior that is more civil, efficient and safe?

That notion is behind a "pop-up" bike lane on South Union Street proposed for May 29. The idea will undergo a final city review Tuesday.

The proposed event would afford bicyclists a high-visibility, two-way passage from Shelburne Street to Edmunds Middle School — a protected "cycletrack."

Motorists would be restricted to a single, northbound lane for the day, separated from bicycles by caution cones, from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The street typically allows vehicle drivers north- and south-bound passage.

"We're hoping it would give people — bicyclists as well as drivers — a chance to feel what it's like," South End resident Peggy O'Neill said.

O'Neill, a key organizer for the demonstration, has for the past month lobbied city officials and dozens of neighbors to give the pop-up a try.

The mother of three children, O'Neill is an avid cyclist, a frequent walker and a periodic motorist.

O'Neill said this pilot project, undertaken during the school year, would provide a valuable, rubber-on-the-road field test to show how "traffic of all kinds can be more predictable to one another."

Chapin Spencer, director of the city's Public Works Department, in on board. But, he said Friday, he can't promise to fast-track this particular project.

The city's transportation master plan places heavy emphasis on the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, Spencer added, and includes provisions for pilot pop-ups.

But the one-day demonstration proposed for the May 29 doesn't fit neatly into his department's spring schedule. A meeting Tuesday between City Engineer Norm Baldwin and Burlington police Lt. Paul Glynn will determine if safety standards can be met.

"We're working hard to accommodate the request in this shorter time frame," Spencer wrote in an email.

Emily Boedecker, who last year replaced Spencer as executive director of Burlington-based nonprofit Local Motion, agreed that safety should be the pop-up's overriding concern.

But, she added, protocols of review for such ephemeral events — particularly those with low levels of disruption to traffic — might benefit from "a lighter, swifter process of approval."

As designed, the project would leave parking on South Union Street unaffected, said Jason Van Driesche, Local Motion's director of advocacy and education. He has helped O'Neill and other residents with the project.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of pop-up cycletracks happening in communities around the country, and this one — the first of its kind in Burlington — would give us all a chance to react to it in real life instead of just looking at a diagram," Van Driesche said.

Included in what he termed a streamlined, "low-stakes" exercise would be the passage of Fire Department trucks through the narrowed street.

The University of Vermont's Transportation Research Center would be represented, too, collecting traffic data before and during South Union Street's shape-shift, as well as conducting exit interviews, Van Driesche said.

Early polling, in the form of emails of support, have poured into the inbox of City Councilor Karen Paul, D-Ward 6.

"People from all over the city — particularly in this ward — have said they're in favor of this," Paul said. "I support it, too."

City Councilor Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, described the proposal as a healthy sign.

"It's important that people in all of our communities explore new forms of infrastructure," Tracy said, adding that the pop-up is a form of exploratory, "tactical" urbanism.

Vicki Oftedal-Leary, a school crossing guard who directs foot, bike and motorized traffic at South Union and Maple streets, likewise gave the plan her thumbs-up.

Although the pop-up remains tentative, O'Neill and other transportation advocates are forging ahead with efforts to line up volunteers to help direct school and business commuters through the new route.

Between phone calls, O'Neill paused to philosophize.

Ultimately, driver's education should be expanded to "mobility education," she said — safety training that would incorporate the full spectrum of folks who intersect at sidewalks, driveways and crosswalks.

"There's a lot of animosity out there," O'Neill continued. "People see the road as a zero-sum game between a bike and a car. Pedestrians walk around with impunity, looking down into their smartphones. We all need to learn the same rules."

In even broader terms, the upcoming pop-up event could be viewed as an experiment in "spatial justice," she said.

"It's a safety issue; it's also an equity issue. We need roads to be more predictable for everybody because that's how they become safer for everybody," O'Neill said.

The groundswell of enthusiasm, she concluded, "is a good problem to have."

Contact Joel Banner Baird at (802) 660-1843 or joelbaird@FreePressMedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vtgoingup. Like the Burlington Free Press on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bfpnews.



