HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7211 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No.. 7211
RICN,10 August 25, 1987
�oq*00), To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
X
12713 Subject: DESIGNATED BICYCLE LANE - 3700 - 4300 BLOCK TRAIL LAKE DRIVE FROM
SOUTH HILLS DRIVE TO FOSTER PARK
The Traffic Engineering Division, at the request of the Westcliff
Elementary School and area citizens, has been studying alternative ways to
improve the safety of children, bicyclists and pedestrians in getting to
and from the Westcliff Elementary School site and Foster Park. Trail Lake
Drive is the only street that provides reasonable access to the school and
park from the neighboring community just north of these sites. There are no
sidewalks on Trail Lake Drive and the parkway is steeply sloped in areas
which would make sidewalk construction difficult and expensive requiring
retaining walls. The width of Trail Lake Drive in this area is 40 ft. and
accommodates about 12,000 cars per day. This makes it difficult at best for
bicyclists and pedestrians to use the roadway safely getting to and from
the School and Park.
The existing roadway is presently marked with a centerline but, as part of
the City Council approved $3 million pavement maintenance program, this
section of roadway is scheduled to be resurfaced in a few weeks requiring
new pavement markings to be placed.
The opportunity for new markings in this area make the implementation of a
"designated bicycle lane" along the west side of Trail Lake between South
Hills Drive and Foster Park possible without having to remove existing
markings and damage the street surface-.
Traffic Engineering plans to install the "designated bicycle lane" to im-
prove the safety of neighborhood access to the Elementary School and Park.
The bike lane will be terminated at Foster Park where access to the exist-
ing off-street Bikeway system is provided. Although this action will not
afford the protection to the pedestrian that a sidewalk can, it should be a
substantial improvement for this particularly unique situation.
Because this will be the first "on-street" designated bike lane implemented
in Fort Worth, staff feels it may be of particular interest to the City
Council. Where other locations have appropriate physical and geometric
characteristics and where special proven needs for such facilities can be
identified it is anticipated that additional facilities will be added in
the future.
Unless directed otherwise by Council, implementation of the bike lane will
proceed in conjunction with the resurfacing of this section of Trail Lake
Drive. Additional information will be provided on request.
4A
ouglas Harman;r
City Manager
DAI:dc
-ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS