Piloting demonstration projectsThe Town of Jackson, WY wanted to develop several demonstration projects to explore ways to push their existing cycling and pedestrian network to meet higher safety and comfort standards. The town was inspired by solutions from the Netherlands and wanted to work these ideas into the project. Jackson already had a great pathways system, including a cycle tracks, but the Town wanted to make their downtown streets and intersections as bikeable as other parts of their trail system. They asked Mobycon to help them integrate downtown routes and trails into one cohesive network.
(C) Google maps
From the Dutch perspective, cycling doesn’t have to be a sport or a recreational activity – it can become part of daily life with fairly low cost modifications to existing road infrastructure. “It is important to integrate desired behaviour into the design process for smarter designs”, says Mobycon founder Johan Diepens, who has been working on safe facilities for vulnerable road users since the 1980s. Johan continues: “Once you start to truly connect all the existing cycling infrastructure, you will almost always see the numbers of residents on bicycles going up.”
A quality infrastructure system must be designed to be safe and intuitive for all users. Local residents in Jackson expressed safety concerns over vulnerable road users such as children who lacked appropriate cycling facilities. Following the Dutch Approach, cyclists should easily identify their desired route and drivers should be able to anticipate cyclists’ behaviour. In Jackson, Mobycon reviewed three unique locations that needed upgrades.
A small side street off Stilson Ranch Rd was designed specifically for bus stops and car parking to use the trails. With time, this street turned into a shortcut to access the highway: motorised traffic was going much faster and in greater numbers than desired. The new design slows traffic down and makes the street less appealing for through traffic, thus safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Mobycon suggested to move pathway crossings to improve sight lines and narrowing the entry radius from Moose Wilson Road to lower turning speeds.
Snow King Ave and Maple Way Bayonet intersection
Jackson has a so called bayonet intersection at Snow King Ave and Maple Way that is narrow, handles a lot of traffic, and is generally confusing for all road users. We integrated a protected bike lane and a modified protected intersection to make the crossing more intuitive as well as to create a safe connection from the greenway trails to the downtown area.
Snow King Ave Corridor
The Snow King Ave corridor, which receives lots of traffic in peak season, underwent some much-needed upgrades. Despite a posted speed limit of 25 mph, Snow King Ave has relatively high vehicle speeds and volumes. It is also the primary east-west corridor for bicyclists. The Town wanted to maintain Snow King as a priority route for both drivers and bicyclists. To do this, east-west flowing traffic was prioritized at intersections. Mobycon offered short term design solutions such as a tactical/pop-up protected bike lanes as well as long term design solutiosn featuring cycle tracks on both sides of the road.
For more information on the Town of Jackson project or to discuss Dutch inspired street design projects, connect with Mary Elbech at m.elbech@mobycon.com.
