Project Vision
To provide the city council and the residents of West St Paul with recommendations that may serve as a foundation for the update to their Pedestrian and Bike Plan that they will be doing this upcoming year. The report will not only evaluate their progress on the 2011 Master Plan, but also give suggestions for increasing the relevance of the plan by improving equity and pedestrian safety within the pedestrian and bicycle transportation network for an overall more walk-able and bike-able city.
Research Questions
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Methods
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Findings
- Lack of signage for bike lanes, off-road trails, and shared roads
- Greater stakeholder involvement necessary
- West St. Paul tends to fall in the middle to higher end of the group of similar cities
- Network connectivity is a key component of bike and pedestrian infrastructure
- Complete Streets Policies are effective in preventing pedestrian deaths
Recommendations
Increase SignageEvaluate streets with bicycle traffic to determine if signage such as those that say "Bicycle May Use Full Lane" would increase user safety. Ensure that bicyclists and pedestrians know where it is safe for them to be travelling.
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Re-evaluation of Stakeholder InvolvementWidely advertise meetings where the plan is discussed and get feedback from community groups that are not usually engaged in order to have equity in stakeholder involvement and ensure the Master Plan has a wide range of input from the community. Also reach a greater audience by hosting booths at community events or festivals.
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Implement Complete StreetsIncorporate West St. Paul's 2021 Complete Streets policy into the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, including the idea of a "safe and continuous network for all" and address the city's ADA transition plan.
Learn more about complete streets in Minnesota! https://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/completestreets/ |
Next Steps
Use our recommendations to inform decisions made when West St. Paul's Pedestrian and Bike Plan is updated next year.