Tag Archives: el paso bike plan

During Tuesday’s regular council meeting, El Paso City Council members approved the City of El Paso’s new Comprehensive Bike Plan, which provides a roadmap for the city to create a comprehensive network of bike infrastructure over the next decade.

The City of El Paso Bike Plan was developed by Capital Improvement Department Planning Division staff and experts from Alta Planning + Design – one of the most experienced bicycle planning firms in the nation.

The plan incorporates over a year of community feedback and input from stakeholders, which included five community meetings, two open houses, and numerous meetings held by the Bicycle Advisory Committee. To ensure synergy, the planning process included close coordination with agencies undertaking bicycle planning efforts, including the Texas Department of Transportation and the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The Bike Plan will also serve as a guide in identifying which routes are best for bicycling in order to create an interconnected network of bicycle lanes. The plan will also serve as a guide during the planning and construction of new bike facilities including bicycle boulevards, protected bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, and two way cycle tracks. According to an inventory of existing bike infrastructure, the City of El Paso has approximately 140 miles of bike facilities. The plan recommends between 900 and 1,100 miles of bike infrastructure which can be built over time.

“This plan will allow the city to develop infrastructure which accommodates all users including motorists, pedestrians, mass transit users and bicyclists,” said Fred Lopez, Assistant Director of the City of El Paso’s Capital Improvement Department. “The plan is an important component of improving El Paso’s quality of life by encouraging regional cooperation and recommends key changes to planning processes and land use policies to ensure bicycle infrastructure is more thoughtfully integrated into existing roadways, off-street paths, and new development.”

The plan was developed in a manner that will allow for modifications to adapt to future changing roadway and traffic conditions. To view how the complete Bike Plan, maps of the proposed bicycle routes, and learn how its proposal will make an impact in different parts of the city, visit ElPasoTexas.gov/bikeplan

The final meeting in a series of community meetings hosted by the City of El Paso to gather input from the public regarding the creation of the City of El Paso’s Bike Plan and Program will be held tonight.

This plan will determine how bike lanes and other bike amenities all fit together within El Paso’s transportation infrastructure, and will outline which El Paso streets are best for bicycling. The plan will also serve as a guide during the planning and construction of new bike lanes throughout the city, and provide recommendations on how to make existing streets safer for cycling.

At the meeting the public will be presented with a working draft of the bike plan, as well as a map which outlines an interconnected network of bike lanes that would allow a bike rider to ride from one side of town to the other using only bike lanes.

To learn more about the El Paso Bike Plan and Program and the schedule of community meetings by visiting http://www.elpasotexas.gov/capital-improvement/project-updates/el-paso-bike-plan

WHO:             City of El Paso Capital Improvement Department

WHAT:          Community meeting/Open House

WHEN:           6 p.m. Thursday, March 24^th, 2016

 WHERE:         Main Library, 501 N. Oregon

The City of El Paso is seeking input from El Pasoans during a Bike Plan Open House, on Wednesday, December 2, 2015, at 6 p.m. at the El Paso Downtown Main Library (501 N. Oregon Street)

The City of El Paso is creating a comprehensive bike plan which will determine how bike lanes, bike share, and other bike amenities all fit together with existing transportation infrastructure to enhance connectivity throughout our city.

El Paso’s bike plan will serve as a guide to determining which streets are best for bicycling and how to make those streets safer for cycling. The bike plan will also update elements from the city’s nationally-recognized comprehensive plan, Plan El Paso.

The first stage toward updating the city’s existing plan, which was written in 1982, is gathering feedback from El Pasoans. The community is invited to make their voice heard at the Bike Plan Open House on Wednesday, December 2, 2015.

During this meeting, the city’s consultant, Alta Planning + Design, the country’s largest and most experienced bicycle transportation, planning, design and implantation firm, along with city planning staff will present information on the process, seek input from the public, and answer any questions or concerns El Pasoans might have about their upcoming comprehensive bike plan.

“This initial stage is crucial to developing the most comprehensive bike plan for El Paso which will turn our focus into a more bicycle-friendly and sustainable city,” said Justin Bass, the city’s Bike Plan project manager.  “We ask the El Paso Community to take this opportunity to make their voice heard.”

A bike plan is a document that guides city staff and elected officials in deciding what streets are best for bicycling, how to make those streets safer for cycling and what other changes can be made to support modifications to streets.

These other changes include programs that educate and inform the public about safe bicycling and driving.

Author: City of El Paso