Planning for Westerly bike path to advance with consultants’ feasibility study
By Dale P. Faulkner Sun staff writer, Posted on October 14, 2017 11:32PM
http://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/westerly/10972517-154/planning-for-westerly-bike-path-to-advance-with-consultants-feasibility.html
Imagine a dedicated path for bicyclists, joggers and walkers stretching out along Shore Road and curling down in a loop through Misquamicut — or maybe running the length of the road to Route 1.
About 30 bicyclists and other fitness proponents gathered Wednesday in the Terrace Room at the Westerly Library to show their interest in the proposed path, learn about its progress, lend ideas, and discuss bicycling safety. The municipal bicycle path committee has been working since 2014 to establish such a path. Its focus eventually became a section of Shore Road leading east to Weekapaug Road, west on Atlantic Avenue and then north on Winnapaug Road, reconnecting with Shore Road.
The entire loop is about 6.5 miles. With the help of state Sen. Dennis Algiere, R-Westerly, the committee also worked successfully to lower the speed limit on Shore Road, Route 1A, from 40 mph to 35 mph. “We thought any decrease in the speed limit would increase safety,” said Fred DeGrooth, chairman of the bicycle path committee.
DeGrooth said the committee’s mission has evolved over the years. The aim now is to help develop a master plan for a shared bicycle, jogging, walking, and in-line skating path. The members hope to identify how to establish the path in phases, and they also want to identify and engage funding sources, manage feasibility studies, and provide input on the process.
The town recently awarded a contract to Pare Corporation, an engineering and planning firm based in Lincoln, to perform a feasibility study on the proposed path. Town funding of the study, which is expected to be completed in January, was a condition of the $300,000 grant that the town received in March from the state Department of Environmental Management. The money is to be used toward construction of the path.
The feasibility study will serve as an update of an earlier study performed in 2007. The town was just one of 10 recipients of bicycle path funding made available through the $35 million “green bond” for environmental projects approved by voters in November.
At this point, before the feasibility study is completed, DeGrooth said the committee anticipates establishing the Shore Road section of the path first. If the loop idea does not work, DeGrooth said it might make sense to establish a path along the entirety of Shore Road. Because Shore Road has state-owned right of way land on both sides, it is viewed as the easiest piece of the loop, he said.
The path would be separated from the road with a barrier such as a jersey barrier, vegetation, or the use of “armadillos,” small hard plastic items that attach to the road surface to remind motorists to observe the dedicated space for cyclists and others on the path.
The Atlantic Avenue section of the proposed path would be the most complicated stretch because of the large number of driveways and the presence of sidewalks, DeGrooth said. The committee has considered trying to loop the path along Winnapaug Pond but has run into initial resistance to that idea from the state Coastal Resources Management Council, he said.
Lisa Konicki, a founding member of Paths to Progress, a statewide coalition of tourism professionals that advises the DEM on bicycle path development, encouraged the local committee to remain steadfast in its efforts.
“We have a shared interest of making a statewide bike path that is connected. Obviously that is a very long-term goal but you have to start somewhere,” said Konicki, who is also president of the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce.
Bike paths “are important for quality of life, economic development, helping to relocate millennials, and job growth,” Konicki said.
Lisa Pellegrini, the town’s director of development services, encouraged those in attendance at the meeting to stay engaged and to consider attending the three public meetings that the Pare Corp. will conduct as it conducts the feasibility study. Input from a wide segment of the community, representing a span of ages and generations, would help leverage additional funding, she said.
Ultimately, the future of the path will depend on the financing. “Funding is critical to getting this thing built. In the end, it will all come down to funding,” DeGrooth said.
Ben Delaney, associate town planner, encouraged those interested in a local bicycle path to visit planri.com and complete a survey related to the state Moving Forward RI 2040 long-range transportation plan. He said that the survey results might influence state policies and laws related to bicycling.
During breakout sessions, participants asked the town to conduct street sweeping earlier and more often and to make the roads safer for bicyclists. They also asked for repaving of Main Street, Potter Hill Road and roads in the North End; elimination of raised catch basins, and more bike racks at businesses.