Sustainable Community Solutions

Perhaps the third time will be the charm for the Woodley Street reconstruction project. Twice now the Northfield City Council has, in essence, held its nose and voted in favor (once by a 4-3 vote, the second time unanimously) of a plan that at least some of the councilors clearly felt was less than ideal. Because of yet another procedural snafu, a third vote will now be required at the October 1 Council meeting.

I have a proposal to tweak the plan with a compromise that might make everyone on the council, neighbors in opposition, and bike/pedestrian advocates a bit happier. First, most of the basics remain unchanged:

• Rice County insists on a 44-foot roadway (a less-than-ideal thing through the tight portions of this corridor). Let ‘em have it.
• Rice County insists on three traffic lanes, including a continuous center turn lane (a less-than-ideal thing in many people’s minds). Let ‘em have it.
• The City insists on pedestrian facilities on both sides of Woodley for the full length of the project (a GOOD thing in my mind; a less-than-ideal thing in the minds of neighbors fearful of loss of trees). Let ‘em have it.

Now here comes the teeny-weeny compromise bit, at which the County hasn’t proven very good to date on this project:

• Put five-foot bike lanes on the roadway, both east- and west-bound.

Why is this one simple compromise so important? Two crucial reasons:

1. State and national bicycle and pedestrian safety experts agree that putting bi-directional bicycle and pedestrian traffic on the same eight-foot sidepath, as currently proposed for the north side of Woodley, on a ¾-mile stretch of roadway with about a dozen crossings (driveways and intersections) is FAR less safe than putting the bicycles on marked bike lanes on the roadway.
2. Designating this stretch of roadway as a bikeway (by County resolution), with marked bicycle lanes, would allow the County to reduce the speed limit from the existing 40 mph to 30 mph for the entire stretch of roadway, WITHOUT the requirement of any engineering or traffic analysis. Minnesota Statutes §160.263 explicitly allows this. Bike/ped experts report that counties in the Twin Cities have taken this precise step successfully.

Finally, how can this be done without making this already-too-wide project any wider? Two simple steps:

1. Reduce the eight-foot sidepath on the north side of Woodley to a five-foot sidewalk, with a five-foot boulevard (reduces overall project width by four feet).
2. Reduce traffic lane widths to 11 feet each, allowing space for five-foot bike lanes WITHOUT widening the 44-foot roadway. State roadway design standards call for 12-foot traffic lanes, but state experts report that Mn/DOT allows 11-foot lane widths WITHOUT requiring a variance as standard practice in the Metro area, and would almost certainly allow them here as well. Lane narrowing has the added benefit of being a recognized traffic-calming measure.

Finally, a roundabout at Woodley and Prairie would be a MUCH safer and more efficient alternative to a four-way stop.

Compromise is preferable to acquiescence and lingering animosity. For what it’s worth.