The Town of Vinton will host a community meeting at the Vinton War Memorial at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, to gain citizen input on the Town of Vinton Route 24 Bike/Pedestrian Plan.
According to Vinton Assistant Planning and Zoning Director Nathan McClung, the meeting will cover recommended improvements to enhance biking and pedestrian accommodations along the “loop” of Washington Avenue, Bypass Road, Hardy Road, East Virginia Avenue, South Pollard Street, and the neighborhood streets within that area.
The community meeting will also address future greenway connections through the historic Jefferson Park neighborhood and will include a creative toolkit of improvements to utilize on specifically identified streets, areas, and important pedestrian/bicycle travel areas.
One such improvement likely to draw public comment at the planning meeting includes the potential for reconfiguring Washington Avenue.
“The proposed improvements would include two 11-foot travel lanes, a 10-foot, two-way left turn lane, and 5-foot bike lanes on each side,” McClung said. “These bike lanes are protected by the travel lanes by a 4-foot buffer space. This all adds up to 50 feet of pavement space that currently makes up Washington Avenue. We could do these improvements entirely through the use of pavement markings (e.g. paint, etc.) and they could take place within the existing right of way. We would not have to narrow or eliminate sidewalks.
“Just like on Brandon Avenue in the City of Roanoke, we do not believe this would cause back-ups, but would rather be a traffic calming measure that will accommodate more road users and assist drivers who are attempting to make left-turns across the existing roadway to entrances on the opposite side,” McClung added.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recommends this type of “road diet” involving narrowing travel lanes or eliminating some of them to provide more space for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“A typical road diet consists of converting a four-lane roadway (two in each direction) to a three-lane (one in each direction plus a center turn lane) and adding sidewalks and/or bicycle lanes,” the FHWA says.
The PowerPoint presentation on the Bike/Pedestrian Plan includes some research on “road diets” such as the Washington Avenue proposal. Studies have shown a reduction in crashes of between 19 and 47% when a “road diet” in installed on a previously four-lane road.
Other proposals in the project currently include adding sidewalks, high visibility crosswalks, traffic calming measures, wayfinding, large in-street stencils, signalized intersection enhancements, and crosswalk enhancements.
The Town of Vinton received grant funding from the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment’s (OIPI) Growth & Accessibility Planning Technical Assistance Program for consultant assistance to create this Multimodal Access and Improvement Study for the heart of Vinton– the area between Route 24, East Washington Avenue, and South Pollard Street.
In October 2021, the Planning and Zoning Department asked for citizen input on the project through an online survey to make sure they were focusing on the areas of most interest to the public. The survey was quite unique in that it allowed individuals to use an interactive map to place points within the town to identify several factors:
- Desired bike/walk destinations where citizens would like to walk or bike more safely and comfortably
- Desired bike improvements for bicycling in the future
- Desired walk improvements for future walkways
- Current safety concerns that need to be addressed for biking or walking
The plan builds on the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission’s (RVARC) “Major Corridors–Bicycle & Pedestrian Accommodations” Study and will create a list of very specific improvements to help make biking and walking in this area safer and more comfortable.
The studies conducted under the grant and the public meetings will culminate into a final Route 24 Bike/Pedestrian Plan. The next official public meeting will be at Town Council where the final plan will be presented.
The current grant funds the development of a full Plan that will be used in the future to apply for additional grant funding to finance the improvements. It does not include funding for the actual improvements.
To learn more about the successful Brandon Avenue project in the City of Roanoke, visit https://planroanoke.org/brandonpaving/.
The Bicycle path is NOT a safe idea unless we do away with the sidewalks. People drive too fast along Gus Nicks Blvd. I am a biker and would never ride on a street that is narrow or has heavy traffic. I hope we do NOT make the roads narrower to accommodate bikers. Spend money on the Greenways, make tthem a safe place to ride a bike.
This is just another waste of tax payer money. To cut this corridor down to two lanes in each direction to add a bike is an awful idea. If you have not noticed the MAJORITY of our roads are used by vehicles with more that 2 wheels and are powered by fuel. Fuel that people purchased and who paid taxes on in order to keep our roads in good condition. How about focusing on repairing the existing roads and infrastructure that we already have and stop catering to the MINORITY.
Light the bike/pedestrian pathways with colored (blue) safety lights. Solar LED lights installed on light poles or similar objects
First, I applaud the efforts being made to make this place a more user friendly environment; that encourages getting outside to bike and walk. We certainly need more of that. I will say, I cannot imagine going up hill on Washington Ave – ON A BIKE! It would take me all week!! Coasting, yes! Kudos to those bikers that can do that. I think the fact you want to connect this to the greenway is a great idea! However, I know you’ve noticed the increase in traffic on Washington and Hardy Road. I was thinking the other day that they really need to think about adding more lanes to these roads, if possible. I’m just afraid, adding a bike lane & not widening the roads whatsoever could lead to accidents. Is there other alternatives to go thru neighborhoods and get those folks off the main roads??
the best plan for that area is a shared path plan ,that accommodates both bikes and pedestrians and keeps them safely out of the traffic flow . plus keeps the four lanes of traffic on a busy road , The area already has a lot of space to do so. Look at Plantation Road , in Roanoke county ,out next to the interstate 81 ,end. looks good and works great. if need you can have it on both sides . I have studied this for the Williamson Road area.
this is my second comment , you need to research the road diet more . there are so many places around the country are now reversing there road diets . it hurt business ,caused more problems , accidents and road rage. From California, Florida, Iowa , South Carolina , Virginia, among many others . and in most cases is costing more to reverse .