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Bike paths return to Orange planning table
(by Sali McSherry - July 29, 2009)
Bike paths return to Orange planning table
By SALI McSHERRY
When Orange Mayor Kathy U. Mulcahy looks back at 47 votes that didn't swing her way and kept the village from installing bike paths almost a decade ago, she said, she has regrets. Federal funding would have covered the majority of the $4.3 million project, she said last week.
While those days are gone, Village Council President Daniel Brown requested a feasibility study to be done by village Engineer Brian Mader for placing designated bike routes along seven roadways.
It doesn't mean that bike routes will be designated or built, Ms. Mulcahy said, but it's good to have the study completed. Preliminary cost estimates are close to $4 million for project. The village could consider designating routes and installing paths at the time of a construction project on a specific road, she said.
The seven roadways Mr. Brown have in mind are Lander, Brainard, Emery, Pike, Jackson, Miles and Harvard roads.
According to Mr. Mader's report, "When determining a bike-path location, some preliminary questions need to be answered, such as who is the path designed for and what is the overall goal of the paths. If the paths are to be for everyone, inclusive of younger riders, a widened berm near roadside ditches may not be the best alternative."
He said, "If the intent of the paths is to provide bicycle access throughout the village, then consideration needs to be given to the connections to bike routes outside of the village as well how residents have access to the paths within the village. For example, placement of a path on Brainard and Lander roads makes sense, but to reach the designated paths residents must traverse along narrow east-west roadways to reach the path."
The easiest and most cost-effective locations appear to be along Lander and Emery roads, Mr. Mader said. Since the roadways are graded for sidewalks and the path would be only on one side of the road, it would be far less expensive than any of the other roadways considered, he said. The paths could easily tie together with the village park, providing residents an opportunity to walk, jog or ride a bike to the park rather than drive, he said. The paths also would be away from the road so younger riders could use the path, he said.
Many of the east-west roadways considered are very expensive to construct because of the roadside ditches, Mr. Mader said. In each case a new 4-foot-wide path would be needed. A 1- to 3-foot-wide extension is not practical or cost-efficient, he said. Some alterations to the drainage systems and roadsides would be required on all the roads with ditches. The paths would benefit very few people and also would require other paths to be built in the north-south direction to have any useful benefit, he said.
Bike routes on Brainard Road also could be considered, Mr. Mader said. Although it would not be a path conducive to younger riders, it would provide access for residents in the western subdivisions such as Waterford, Orange Tree, and the future Lakes of Orange.
If paths are constructed on Lander and Brainard roads, smaller sections of pathway, such as Brainard Road to Orangewood on Harvard Road, and Beacon Hill Court to Lander Road on Miles Road, could be considered in an attempt to reach as many residents as possible, Mr. Mader said.
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