Burlington announces 2nd Open Streets day

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, city leaders and bicycle advocacy group Local Motion on Tuesday announced the second installment of an innovative transportation infrastructure experiment.

Burlington on Sunday, Sept. 13 will play host to Open Streets BTV, a celebration of the city's multi-modal streets.

"One of the major goals for Burlington in the years ahead is to become a more biking and walking city," Weinberger said. "This is something we have committed to as an administration."

Some Old North End streets will be closed to car traffic while others across the city will feature experimental traffic patterns to better accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Weinberger, Department of Public Works Director Chapin Spencer, Parks and Recreation Director Jesse Bridges and Local Motion head Jason Van Driesche made the announcement from the corner of North Street and North Winooski Avenue on the unseasonably humid September afternoon.

Weinberger said experimental "pop-up" infrastructure allows city planners to test traffic patterns in the field rather than on paper.

"If you look around the country, around the world, cities have made the transformation from being a really automobile-driven city to one that has outstanding walking and biking infrastructure," the mayor said. "These experiments are part of the recipe for getting there."

Weinberger noted that the pedestrian-only Church Street Markeplace began with weekend experiments.

Temporary infrastructure will include:

Burlington in 2013 was recognized with a silver award for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure by national nonprofit Walk Friendly Communities. Spencer, the DPW head, said he'd like to see Burlington achieve the gold designation.

Spencer touted the infrastructure changes in Open Streets BTV as temporary and low-cost.

"They give people a chance to try them out and respond, and not just do a idea on a screen, but something on the road," Spencer said.

Spencer said research has shown increased bicycle ridership in Burlington, but a greater increase in interest in biking.

"Sixty percent of people say they want to bike more but they don't feel comfortable on the roads," Spencer said. "This is an effort to reach that 60 percent."

Local Motion Executive Director Jason Van Driesche said safer bicycle infrastructure will encourage more city residents to get out and ride.

He pointed to the intersection of North Street and North Winooski Avenue and said experienced riders such as himself will ride along the southbound, unprotected bicycle lane towards downtown. But novice riders may be more hesitant to do so, he said.

"When I look at this street ... I'll do it by myself without a second thought, but I won't do it with my 9-year-old daughter," Van Driesche said.

The effort is part of the Walk-Bike Master Plan, Burlington's first city-wide bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure planning document. Spencer will host another public forum on the plan on Sept. 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.

"These investments are good for the quality of life of Burlington, they're good for the economy, they're good for our social connectivity," Spencer said. "We are committed to accomplishing the mayor's goal of getting to Gold Level walk- and bike-friendly communities, and see this is a key piece of that."

This story was first posted on Sept. 8, 2015. Contact Zach Despart at 651-4826 or zdespart@burlingtonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ZachDespart.