Uptown 2025 Proposal: Washington Street Bikeway/Greenway

Bicycling: Greenway Network

Bicycling: Greenway NetworkWashington Street

Corridor

Uptown 2025 Proposal: Washington Street Bikeway© 2015 by Alan Hoffman

2

Theme

If we’re going to build bicycle infrastructure, let’s place it front and

center. If we’re serious about it,

let’s do it right the first time.

If we’re going to build bicycle infrastructure, let’s place it front and

center. If we’re serious about it,

let’s do it right the first time.

Cities all over the world are creating bicycle infrastructure intended to place bicycling at a higher priority than driving. They do this not by placing bike infrastructure on the side or out-of-the-way, but by placing bicycles in the center, as if they were there first and the automobile had to fit its way around the bicycles. While we take a slightly more moderate approach here, we see how a regional Greenway network—the equivalent of a highway for bicycles—can transform the role of bicycling in the San Diego region.

3Uptown 2025 Proposal: Washington Street Bikeway© 2015 by Alan Hoffman

Greenways This median bikeway in Peru does not do enough to distinguish bike lanes from the pedestrian path, but it does show the priority that has been given to the bicycle—and gives an idea of how easy it would be to travel the bikeway.


This median bikeway in Brazil places the cyclist in a completely different—and far nicer—environment than being in mixed traffic. Colored bike lanes help establish a bikeway’s identity. Though different colors are used around the world, green is a common one and is recommended for San Diego, as red (as used here) is often reserved for transit and blue for handicapped paths.


This median greenway features a clearly delineated bikeway and pedestrian path, along with trees.


Washington Street If right-of-way constraints were not an issue, then Washington Street is the main corridor through Mission Hills—and the road where bicycles would most like to be. Curbside bike lanes don’t fit, though. Is there a better alternative?


The problem with Washington Street is that it is entirely taken up with on-street parking, two traffic lanes each

direction, and newly landscaped medians that are iconic and beautiful.

7Uptown 2025 Proposal: Washington Street Bikeway©2015 by Alan Hoffman

The problem with Washington Street is that it is entirely taken up with on-street parking, two traffic lanes each direction, and

newly landscaped medians that are iconic and beautiful.


If bike lanes (light green) are added curbside on Washington Street, along with a barrier to separate them from parked cars, the medians can no longer support landscaping and there is no room for left turn pockets. This is why Washington

Street was rejected by planners.

8Uptown 2025 Proposal: Washington Street Bikeway©2015 by Alan Hoffman

I f bike lanes (light green) are added curbside on Washington Street, along with a barrier to separate them from parked cars, the medians can no longer support landscaping and there is no room for left turn pockets. This is why Washington Street was rejected by planners.


Two travel lanes each direction

preserved

Landscape pop-outs for street

trees

Parking moved from curbside to

median

4’ walkway protects bikeway and gives pedestrians safe

access to crosswalk

12’ wide bikeway fully

signalized

One potential alternative for Washington Street is to place the bikeway in the center of the street, and move parking against the bikeway, in the band of space shared with left-turn pockets. Now everything fits: a wide, central bikeway, double rows of trees, on-street parking, left-turn pockets, and auto lanes.


Median parking is not uncommon. These

examples (Hermosa Avenue in Hermosa

Beach, upper left and right; and Sarasota, Florida, bottom left), are US examples.


Curitiba, Brazil, relies extensively on median parking to fit their surface busways in the available space.


Design to be determined.

STAGE I—INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION, West Washington Street, Goldfinch to Dove

GO

LDFI

NC

H

FALC

ON

EA

GLE

DO

VE

Proposed configuration preserves most of existing

landscaping

Alternative configuration

This image shows how a Greenway could be configured through West Washington Street.


STAGE I—INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION: West Washington Street, Brant to Third

BR

AN

T

ALB

ATR

OSS

1ST

3R

D

This image shows how a Greenway could be configured through West Washington Street.


STAGE I—INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION: West Washington Street, Third to Fifth

This image shows how a Greenway could be configured through Washington Street. The bikeway would then turn down 5th Avenue.

3rd

4th

5th


Proposed Washington Street Traffic Tunnel

The Uptown 2025 Proposal suggests that a traffic tunnel (one lane each direction) on Washington Street is warranted to deal with excessive queuing and long through times for automotive traffic. The proposed tunnel will allow through-traffic to avoid the congestion knots of 4th and 5th Avenue, and free up additional surface space to increase on-street parking on Washington Street, benefiting local businesses and helping absorb additional expected growth.

The street plan given before shows how a median bikeway could be implemented in the short-term. The following street plan shows how the street might be reconfigured once the tunnel is constructed.


STAGE II—ROAD TUNNEL: Washington Street, Third to Fifth, with Auto Tunnel

The tunnel entrance/exit can be seen just to the east of 5th Avenue. An added benefit of the tunnel is that signal cycles on 4th and 5th Avenues can be adjusted to account for the reduction in east/west traffic on Washington Street.


Albatross

Station Locatio

n

Albatross

Station Locatio

n

STAGE II—ROAD TUNNEL: Washington Street, Brant to Third, with Auto Tunnel

Alternative configuration preserves curbside parking/drop-off space

Alternative configuration preserves curbside parking/drop-off space

This image shows how a Greenway could be configured through West Washington Street with an integrated road tunnel to carry through-traffic beneath the traffic knots on the eastern portion of the road. This road tunnel could mesh with a proposed “Quickway” (grade-separated transitway) stub on Washington, allowing for a “subway” station between Albatross and First Avenues.


Length:1404’Rise: 72’Grade:5.1%Deficit: 996’








University Ave

Offramp

University Ave

OfframpLength:474’Rise: 54’Grade:11.4%Deficit:1326’

Length:474’Rise: 54’Grade:11.4%Deficit:1326’The Washington Street hill is completely

inappropriate for a bikeway. Global standards call for sustained grades of maximum 3%, while Washington Street varies from 3.9-7.9%, with the University Avenue offramp an 11.4% grade. What’s more, the removal of parking at the base of Washington Street will have a negative impact on the businesses there, especially as the proposed bike lanes will not attract appreciable numbers of new customers, given the unacceptable grades.

“Deficit,” as used here, means the additional length that would need to be traversed to achieve a 3% grade—nearly ½ mile additional, in total.


Approx. 300’ bicycle tunnel helps reduce grade, avoid traffic, and

preserve existing landscaping

Approx. 300’ bicycle tunnel helps reduce grade, avoid traffic, and

preserve existing landscaping

Bikeway carved into canyonside with landscaping and solid buffers to ensure

privacy for adjacent properties

Bikeway carved into canyonside with landscaping and solid buffers to ensure

privacy for adjacent properties

Drops down into tunnel

Tunnel segment

Mission Hills Shortcut, likely relies on bicycle “spiral” to climb to street level.

Mission Hills Shortcut, likely relies on bicycle “spiral” to climb to street level.

A proposed solution would be to forgo the use of Washington Street, and instead carve a bikeway into the canyon itself, turning the canyon into part of the experience.


International Design

CompetitionLandscape plan for Washington Street

Canyon and bikeway.

Bikeway: maximum 3% grade;

2% preferable.

Bikeway screened from adjacent properties to

ensure privacy and protection from noise;

may also reduce impacts of road noise.

Landscaping plan may mix habitat restoration and more decorative

elements.

Design teams must have a local counterpart;

design jury must include representation from adjacent residents.

Judging criteria must include bikeway

functionality, aesthetics, impacts on neighbors,

cost, and delight.

An international design competition, with local participation, could come up with a landscaping and bikeway design for the canyon. The goals would be to create a family-friendly bicycle experience and an enhanced canyon environment. This approach has the potential to create a world-class amenity and attract people from across the region to bicycle Uptown—and spend their money there.


76’

102’

89’

79’

86’

91’

106’

Elevated bikeway maintains

comfortable 3% grade and preserves

parking and auto travel lanes

Elevated bikeway maintains

comfortable 3% grade and preserves

parking and auto travel lanes

Five Points/Middletown

Bike PlazaBike Plaza Bike

PlazaBike Plaza

Bike Plazas are entryways to the facility, allowing people to access the India Street businesses or to connect with other proposed regional bicycle facilities.

At the foot of Washington Street, the bikeway is elevated over the lower road and the intersections with India Street and San Diego Avenue, keeping bicycles separated from traffic.


Narrow bridge and roadway, even if widened, will not be wide enough to

meet all road needs including bikes.

Narrow bridge and roadway, even if widened, will not be wide enough to

meet all road needs including bikes.

University & Hwy 163

University Avenue in Hillcrest goes through more changes of right-of-way configuration in less distance than perhaps any other road in San Diego. It would be difficult to fit a protected bikeway into the road, especially by the bridge over Highway 163, given how narrow the bridge is. The solution is to elevate the bikeway over both University Avenue and the existing bridge—but even this will require some significant retooling of University Avenue and the possible loss of some onstreet parking. The Uptown 2025 Proposal takes this into account by significantly increasing the parking supply nearby.


Some form of arch bridge could work to carry an elevated bikeway over both University Avenue and its freeway bridge. Why not make that arch an iconic statement of community pride by making it a rainbow? Here the bikeway is seen suspended beneath the rainbow arch.


24

Benefits to Mission Hills

Better Serve

Residents and

Business

Better Serve

Residents and

Business

Attract People from Metro Area

Attract People from Metro Area

Increased Tourism

Spending

Increased Tourism

Spending

A properly configured World Class Greenway will not only encourage and protect residents of Uptown who may wish to travel by bicycle, it is sure to attract San Diegans from many other parts who would like to ride on such a facility, as well as visitors to the region looking for a uniquely San Diego active recreational experience, the kind of thing Millennials in particular look for.


25

Please Visit our Facebook Page

www. facebook.com/San Diego: Uptown

2025

www. facebook.com/San Diego: Uptown

2025

Uptown 2025 Proposal: Washington Street Bikeway/Greenway

Design

Transcript of Uptown 2025 Proposal: Washington Street Bikeway/Greenway