It is cold out there. The snow is beginning to pile up with the advent of the New Year. Bicycling or walking, whether for fun or another purpose, poses some additional challenges when attempted during the winter season here on the Palouse. Public transportation, as always, remains an option. Cooling your heels in a bus shelter, however thoughtfully designed it may be, is still a chilling prospect when the mercury is hovering slightly above the zero mark.

It is those very same bus shelters that have been attentively located along the local transit routes that are tangible symbols of the subject for this month’s column. They are a result of the City of Moscow’s ongoing comprehensive planning efforts.

Moscow’s 1999 Comprehensive Plan defined alternative transportation as involving bicycles, walking and public transportation. It should be noted that the plan also stated that these methods of transport should no longer be considered as alternate. There is considerably more truth in this statement presently than there was in 1999. Evidence of this is seen in the variety of improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure that were called for in the plan and have been completed over the course of the past 10 years. These improvements serve as concrete examples of solid, practical planning efforts having come to fruition.

Key components of the 1999 plan include the recognition that all streets are used by bicyclists and the understanding that the relative skill of bicyclists varies from the very beginners, i.e. children, to the very experienced. Also key, is the attempt to provide for all of the skill levels in the development of the planning effort. Among the objectives that the plan addresses is the recognition that all streets are used by cyclists; the need for an effective education program for all those who share the road; to encourage the construction and maintenance of logical, connected, safe bicycle ways; and to promote adequate and secure bicycle parking.
The document also identified projects that were to be considered to implement the plan’s objectives. These projects included the creation and installation of bike lanes on both sides of Mountain View Road, a bicycle pathway along Paradise Creek, sheltered bike racks in the downtown area, and other projects in various stages of planning but not yet having been realized.

Although much controversy continues to swirl around the proposed “Ring Road” concept, a large part of the 2010 Comprehensive Plan recognizes the same fundamental issues surrounding community mobility as did the 1999 plan. The 2010 plan also offers statistics that indicate Moscow ranks in the top 1% of communities in the U.S. for bicycle commuters. The plan states “city surveys have shown higher and increasing percentages of bicycle commuters.” As recently as 2006, 9% of citywide “journey to work” trips were made by bike. The 2010 plan also makes an attempt at focusing bicycle route development in the city by integrating cycling with the public transportation system. This includes the development of bike routes that lead to bus stops, covered bike parking at bus stop shelters, and working with transit providers to provide bicycle racks on busses.

It is the continued attention to and inclusion of such features within the city that makes it more feasible for more people to choose options beyond the car. And, these features also work to build, enhance, and protect the inherent character of Downtown Moscow as a unique, attractive and dynamic place.

The current 1999 comprehensive plan can be found here: http://www.moscow.id.us/CommDev/CompPlan.asp

The final draft of the proposed comprehensive plan update can be found here:
http://www.visionmoscow.org/Documents/Final%20Draft/FinalDraftComplete%2010-15-09.pdf

The City of Moscow Comprehensive Plan Informational Website can be found here:
www.visionmoscow.org 

John loves winter on the Palouse, but is looking forward to the warm weather so he can enjoy the biking amenities that have resulted from city and county planning efforts.