Dear Colchester Ave Neighborhood Residents, Business Owners, and Property Owners:
Colchester Avenue is a popular corridor frequented by residents, students, emergency vehicles, UVM and Green Mountain Transit buses, and commuters to and from Winooski. Due to substandard travel lane widths, we started working with the Colchester Ave neighborhood in March 2019 to discuss options to improve this section of the road. Throughout that process, we've heard consistent interest in continuous bike lanes in each direction along Colchester Avenue. Continuous bike lanes are also recommended in the 2011 Colchester Ave Corridor Study and the 2017 planBTV WalkBike Master Plan.
Public Works values all road users and works hard to create an equitable, balanced transportation network. We also strive to include a wide range of voices and perspectives in all our decisions, especially from residents, business owners, and property owners that are directly impacted by local infrastructure changes.
Given the initial public interest in improved bicycling facilities along a broader section of Colchester Ave, we are expanding the scope of our evaluation. We need to hear from residents, business owners, and property owners who may be impacted by the proposed lane reconfiguration and by an on-street parking prohibition. Additionally, we would like to facilitate a conversation about opportunities for shared off-street parking.
At this time, we are considering several options to address the substandard lane widths and address the community's interest in continuous bike lanes on Colchester Avenue that can be installed this summer with new pavement markings (click here to see the full letter, which includes maps of these three options: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default/files/u459/190520_ColchesterAveMailing2_Final.pdf):
1. Remove all on-street parking between Barrett Street and East Avenue and provide painted bike lanes in both directions.
The existing street width cannot accommodate protected lanes and the greenbelt area is too narrow to relocate parking between the sidewalk and bike lane. On-street parking would need to be removed to accommodate bike lanes in both directions this summer.
2. Remove parking along the north side of Colchester Avenue between Barrett Street and East Avenue and provide bike lanes in both directions on the steep section of Colchester Avenue.
Parking would remain on the south side of Colchester Avenue between East Avenue and Greenmount Cemetery for residents, their visitors, and patrons of Kampus Kitchen and Kathy's Flowers. In this section, eastbound bicyclists would share the road with drivers.
3. Remove parking along the north side of Colchester Avenue between Greenmount Cemetery and East Avenue and provide a westbound bike lane.
A bike lane could be accommodated adjacent to parking on the hill and continue through the East Avenue intersection. Eastbound bicyclists would share the road with drivers.
Other safety improvements being evaluated for the corridor at this time include a mid-block crosswalk across Colchester Ave at Chase St as well as bikeway intersection markings at the Colchester Ave / Barrett St / Riverside Ave intersection.
Staff are collecting data to understand the parking demands on Colchester Avenue and adjacent side streets to help inform these options. At this point in the process, we have spoken with just a portion of the neighborhood. We would like to hear from you. There are a number of ways to share your feedback:
• Please join us at a Neighborhood Meeting on May 29th at 6:30pm in the UVM Medical Center's McClure Lobby Conference Room. Free parking will be available in the McClure Garage, across from the McClure entrance. For anyone unable to attend, feedback received by noon on the 29th can be shared with the neighborhood at the meeting.
• Based on the feedback we receive, we plan to attend the June 19th Public Works Commission meeting to make a recommendation and seek a decision. The public will also have a chance to speak at that time. Public Works Commission meetings begin at 6:30pm and are held at the Department of Public Works, 645 Pine St. Agendas are posted here in advance of the meetings: www.burlingtonvt.gov/DPW/Commission/Agendas. Public feedback received by noon on June 12th will be shared with the Commission in advance of the June 19th Commission meeting. Feedback received after that time will be made available to Commissioners at the meeting.
• Direct feedback can be shared anytime with dpwplanning@burlingtonvt.gov or 863-9094 x3.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
The Public Works Planning Team: Nicole Losch and Elizabeth Gohringer
dpwplanning@burlingtonvt.gov
863-9094 x3
Nov 14, 7 PM to 9 PM, Nov 17, 2024
Lyric Theatre's Newsies at the Flynn!Nov 14, 2024, 7:30 to 10 PM
Family Friday w/ Linda Bassick at Pingala North Ave!Nov 15, 2024, 9 to 9:30 AM