Title
Approving installation of bicycle facilities along Pelham Boulevard, Myrtle Avenue, and Raymond Avenue, and making a portion of Myrtle Avenue a one-way street.
Body
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Saint Paul adopted resolution RES-PH 14-343 establishing the 8-80 Vitality Fund and allocating the funding to various projects, and
WHEREAS, that resolution allocated $13,200,000 for investments in the Grand Round, including bicycle improvements along Pelham Boulevard, and
WHEREAS, beginning in 2015, City Staff began the process of creating the Grand Round Design and Implementation Plan, and
WHEREAS, the city created a Community Advisory Committee with members appointed by the Mayor to participate in monthly meetings to guide the development of the Grand Round plan, and
WHEREAS, city staff held over 40 meetings with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders regarding the planning efforts for the Grand Round, and
WHEREAS, the Grand Round Design and Implementation Plan was completed in late 2016, and included a recommendation to implement “interim” protected bicycle lanes on Pelham Boulevard, Myrtle Avenue, and Raymond Avenue, filling a gap in the existing bicycle network between Mississippi River Boulevard and Raymond Avenue north of University Avenue, and
WHEREAS, installation of the “interim” improvements would implement traffic calming along Pelham Boluevard by narrowing travel lanes to slow traffic speeds, would improve safety and comfort for people using bicycles within the project area by providing protected bicycle lanes, and would improve safety and comfort for people walking within the project area by making Pelham Boulevard travel lanes narrower and easier to cross, and
WHEREAS, city staff held an Open House on 01/17/2017 for the purposes of obtaining feedback from neighborhood residents regarding the proposed “interim” bikeway implementation, and
WHEREAS, several aspects of the design have been revised in response to community feedback, and
WHEREAS, city staff recommends installation of a two-way protected bike lane, including the use of flexible delineators to separate the bikeway from the roadway, and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works recommends limiting motorized traffic on Myrtle Avenue between Pelham Boulevard and Raymond Avenue to one-way westbound, while still permitting bicycles to travel both eastbound and westbound within designated bicycle lanes, which allows existing on-street parking to be retained on this block, and
WHEREAS, the city has received letters of support for the proposed improvements from both the Union Park District Council as well as the Saint Anthony Park Community Council, and
WHEREAS, the Transportation Committee of the Planning Commission has reviewed the proposed improvements and has recommended approval, and
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Saint Paul has conducted a public hearing upon the recommended improvement, and
WHEREAS the Council has heard all persons, objections, and recommendations pertaining to said proposed improvements and has fully considered the same, now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Saint Paul does hereby order that the above-described improvement be made, and the proper City officers are hereby directed and authorized to proceed with the improvements as outlined in the Summary of Engineering Recommendations, and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that Myrtle Avenue between Pelham Boulevard and Raymond Avenue is designated a one-way street permitting only westbound motorized traffic, effective upon the erection of appropriate signs and traffic control devices by the traffic engineer.