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Bicycles, pedestrians would have path along Lake Parkway extension

Posted by Tom Held on March 19, 2012

cycling

The refurbished Hoan Bridge won’t include a bike lane.

An extended Lake Parkway will.

Plans for the six-mile extension of the four-lane highway include a separated, multi-use path, 10 feet wide, to serve bicyclists and pedestrians. The pathway received little attention at a public hearing on the proposal last month but is part of the $207.2 million estimated cost of the new roadway.

This blueprint shows the 10-foot multi-use trail included in the Lake Parkway extension plans.

The bike and pedestrian lane is a priority, said Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, chairman of the Lake Parkway Extension Advisory Committee.

“We’re required to consider trails, but I think the answer is broader,” Jursik said. “I believe it’s necessary as we develop this lakeshore corridor.

“The corridor should include good trails, so potentially you can ride your bike from Chicago to Milwaukee, which I have done. You follow Highway 32 now. It would be fantastic if we had a bike trail.”

Jursik said the same about the Hoan Bridge, but the Department of Transportation rejected proposals to include a bike lane in a reconstruction set to begin in 2013.

Having the pathway included in the preliminary designs for the parkway extension is encouraging, said Kevin Hardman, executive director of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin.

Jursik’s advisory committee will meet March 26, and is likely to vote in support of the proposal to extend the Lake Parkway from Edgerton Ave. to Highway 100. Construction will be at least 10 years off, after additional approvals and engineering.

 

24 Comments for "Bicycles, pedestrians would have path along Lake Parkway extension"

  1. Excellent!

    John Casper Mar 19, 2012 8:29 AM

  2. “We’re required to consider trails, but I think the answer is broader,” Jursik said. “I believe it’s necessary as we develop this lakeshore corridor.

    Exactly who requires you to consider trails?

    NotLiberalDebris Mar 19, 2012 8:41 AM

  3. The federal DoT requires highway projects to consider bike/ped access, but does not mandate inclusion, from what I understand.

    mp0006 Mar 19, 2012 9:20 AM

  4. It's great to see that some officials are taking the long view, and a thinking back about projects that killed neighborhoods and access, when putting this together. Highway lobby sure doesn't. Now if those same officials could come to the conclusion that a comprehensive transportation plan would make even more sense. Tie together roads, rails, and trails.

    Town of Laker Mar 19, 2012 9:30 AM

  5. I wish JS would stop misusing the term "bike lane". A bike lane was never proposed for the Hoan -- a separate multi-use trail was proposed. They are not the same.

    Kitsune Mar 19, 2012 10:30 AM

  6. The proposed route is redundant and will practically parallel the oak leaf bike trail along the lake and the bike lanes on KK. Walking and biking alongside of the heavy automobile traffic on the Lake parkway will not be appealing. Again, we are spending money we don’t have for a project we don’t need and will hardly be used! As an avid biker, I continue to use the existing side streets, parkways, and sidewalks to get to where I want – because it’s safe and doesn’t require additional tax expenditures! I do not enjoy competing with cars in heavy traffic. If I want to get somewhere faster, I will use my gas guzzling pickup. We don’t more bicyclists slowing down the automobile traffic.

    sourkraut Mar 19, 2012 11:06 AM

  7. Read closer - it is a separated, multi-use path with an 8' wide terrace between it and traffic.

    The RTS Mar 19, 2012 11:17 AM

  8. It’s still a waste of tax money we don't have! Money is needed to repair roads so that commerce can continue and grow in our community. Bike lanes do not support commerce - other than a couple of bike shops.

    sourkraut Mar 19, 2012 1:23 PM

  9. Guess it depends on how you look at it. Due to gas prices, people are opting for alternative ways to get around. Not only will more bike lanes make us more attractive to a younger age group, which every city/state needs to grow, it will also encourage people to ride, which keep them healthier & in better shape. I kind of feel like we can't afford not to do it.

    MrsKC522 Mar 19, 2012 1:48 PM

  10. Let common sense prevail. Need to develop trails? Sell the parks; gain revenue. Elderly & poor cannot afford pipe dreams of an elected official who is out of touch with reality. We can't afford medicication, food, transportation & other basics. Trails are our of the question unless your Gene Autry singing "Happy Trails To You".

    ex CARVEL fan Mar 19, 2012 3:53 PM

  11. Bike and pedestrian trails and bike lanes cost next to nothing in comparison to extra lanes for cars and highway construction. Sell the parks? Have you lost your mind? I think Libertarians and their Tea Party ilk must have all failed History 101.

    Maximilian77 Mar 19, 2012 4:20 PM

  12. I call BS on sauerkraut... if he/she was an actual "avid biker" as he/she claims, he/she would know that bike lanes and pedestrian paths like this cost next to nothing compared to all the overwhelming funding going into highway construction and new lane building. This path would not interfere with automobile traffic at all-- read the article-- it is a SEPARATED path (more like a cycle track that you see in Europe) and something we ought to have much more of in this city.

    Maximilian77 Mar 19, 2012 4:23 PM

  13. oh, and bike lanes certainly DO support commerce... if you were an actual bicyclist (instead of lying about being one), you'd realise that it is just another form of transportation. I get to and from work and even shop for groceries, etc (read: commerce) while on my bike every single day. It's no different than your car, except that I'm not creating any negative externalities such as pollution or street damage like your heavy car does.

    Maximilian77 Mar 19, 2012 4:25 PM

  14. also a little thing called Common Sense requires you to consider bicycle tracks and trails... because they are a tiny fraction of the cost to construct in comparison to the extremely expensive highways. Roads for cars are the single costliest form of transportation and also the least efficient.

    Maximilian77 Mar 19, 2012 4:27 PM

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