Pittsfield Seeks Input For Draft Bicycle Facilities Master Plan| 02:28AM / Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | |
 Bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the city of Pittsfield. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city of Pittsfield is requesting public input for its draft Bicycle Facilities Master Plan.
The plan aims to establish a safe, comfortable and connected bicycle network throughout the city that is accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
"With this project, the City of Pittsfield is taking a significant step in its steadfast commitment to plan and implement a safe and accessible citywide network for people who bike for various reasons to a range of destinations throughout Pittsfield," City Planner CJ Hoss said. "The development of this master plan will be a collaborative process, and we are seeking to hear from the community."
The master plan will allow the city to develop a long-term citywide vision for a bicycle network and grow beyond a "one-street-at-a-time" planning approach, Hoss said. The city has retained Kittleson and Associations Inc., a nationally renowned transportation focused consulting firm, to lead this project.
"The project team is excited to embark on the planning process to develop the plan and engage various stakeholders and community members to create an equitable and connected bicycle circulation plan," he said.
The project team has identified the following project goals and objectives:
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Develop a citywide plan based on transportation, land use, and demographic factors;
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Prioritize plan recommendations for full-scale build out over time;
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Recommend bicycle facility types for preferred and alternative routes in the network; and
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Identify complementary bicycle facilities such as bicycle racks, maintenance stations, and bike-share stations.
A link to the plan has been provided on the city website that includes an interactive map and public survey. The link will be available until Oct. 30.
A public meeting will be held via Zoom at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21; a link will be posted on city's web page during the week of Oct. 12.
Beginning in the early 2000s, the city started to design and implement bicycle facilities with the redesign of North Street to include sharrows (a shared lane marking) and dedicated bike lanes. This effort was followed by the reconstruction of Elm Street with dedicated bike lanes and sharrows.
More recently, the city has adopted a Complete Streets policy and is currently redesigning Tyler Street to add bicycle facilities. Through the adoption of the Complete Streets policy, the city successfully leveraged state Department of Transportation's Complete Streets program to prioritize projects and secure funding.
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