By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
With grand visions for a well-defined trail system and citywide pedestrian safety enhancements, Whitewater officials are in the midst of reviewing an extensive document that outlines plans for the future.
Matt Amundson, parks and recreation director, provided highlights of a bike and pedestrian plan last week with the Plan and Architectural Review Commission, whose members unanimously approved it. The plan now advances to the Common Council for further deliberation and ultimate action.
Amundson said the plan was written after the city applied for and successfully received a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. A 6-person steering committee was eventually formed to assist in crafting the document.
Eventually, Amundson said he would like to see the city attain the status of a bicycle friendly community from the League of American Bicyclists. The status, he said, would reflect Whitewater’s overall state as a community reducing transportation costs and reflective of residents interested in physical fitness and other related lifestyle choices.
Before applying for the designation, however, Amundson said a number of changes should be implemented, including an effort to improve signage throughout the city’s existing trail system.
“This is a glaring problem for us right now,” Amundson said. “Our trails don’t have any recognition. We should have a naming program that recognizes different trail segments.”
Amundson further suggested it would be beneficial to have markers indicating how far people need to travel to arrive at a specific destination within the city, either by bike or by foot.
As an older community, Amundson said Whitewater’s existing infrastructure presents unique challenges. Some of the infrastructure – including the layout of some of the city’s streets – represents a bygone era, he asserted.
But the steering committee recommended a number of possible scenarios to work within the existing framework. The city could create areas specifically designated as bike lanes on a number of main and side streets.
For streets with width constraints, the city could paint high-visibility markings on side streets to designate the pavement as a shared use between motorists and cyclists. The plan also outlines how the city could make use of so-called neighborhood greenways – markings on moderately traveled streets that are designed to promote safe and convenient bicycle travel.
The steering committee implemented a seven-year timeline for a number of the preliminary planning projects outlined in the plan. Some of the efforts include collaborating with the Whitewater Unified School District and creating a firm Safe Routes to School program that outlines the best path students can take from home to school.
As with any project, one of the greatest impediments in bringing the full plan to fruition is cost. Amundson shared some of the estimates with commissioners at last week’s meeting. Creating a bike lane, for example, costs about $36,000 per mile and thereafter has annual maintenance costs of $29,000.
The good news, Amundson said, is the city can apply for a number of competitive state and federal grants to assist in funding some of the improvements outlined in the plan. Local partnerships also could be forged to minimize the amount of money taxpayers fund outright.
Commissioners fielded a number of questions to Amundson during the recent review, but members overall were supportive of the efforts.
“I think this is a very exhaustive effort,” said council member Lynn Binnie, who sits on the commission. “If we’re able to implement a small portion of this in the next 20 years, I think it would be a remarkable accomplishment.”
