Alta Update - Summer 2007

Alta is currently developing innovative bikeway plans in Ohio for the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) and the City of Columbus. These projects are being done with teaming partner Burgess & Niple, and follow recent work on the Ohio State University Bike Plan, the Cleveland Eco Village, and the Downtown Connector in Columbus. These exciting projects are helping move Ohio forward with a developing system of on- and off-street facilities, along with plans and programs to get more people riding bikes. The MVRPC plan includes a Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Program, and the Alta Team is leading a regional SR2S workshop in Dayton in July. In Columbus, the Mayor Michael B. Coleman said the following about the City’s first Columbus Bikeways Master Plan:

Whether people are finding their own ways to get fit, use less gas, or just get out and have fun, biking is a great way to move around Columbus, and the City needs to greatly improve the bikeways system. Twenty-first Century cities are getting green and bike friendly, and we will make this a priority in our traffic planning, our parks planning, and as we plan for the kind of city we want to build for our 2012 Bicentennial.

For more information on these projects, please visit www.altaplanning.com/mvrpc and www.altaplanning.com/columbus.

• Alta is working on a bicycle master plan for the Ada County Highway District in Idaho. The Highway District is responsible for all roads in Ada County; including the cities of Boise, Garden City, Meridian, Star, Kuna, and Eagle. To publicize the start of the planning process, the Highway District held a press conference in April in conjunction with bicycle counts being conducted for the plan. The press conference was attended by a number of members of the local media, resulting in stories about the bike plan making it into every newscast that day. A story in the Idaho Statesman (newspaper) about the plan can be found at www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/81033.html. The plan is scheduled to be completed in December.
  
• Alta's work on Columbia, Missouri's federally funded nonmotorized pilot program, known as PedNet, was recently featured in the Columbia Missourian.
  
• New West recently published an article about Bozeman, Montana's Transportation Plan update and the City's efforts to become more bicycle friendly, featuring Alta's work on the nonmotorized component of the Plan.
  
• Alta Principal Mia Birk was recently featured in The Oregonian.

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• In July, Alta staffers Karen Vitkay and Jessica Roberts volunteered for a "share the path" event on Portland's Eastbank Esplanade. The event was organized in response to increased complaints about cyclist and pedestrian behavior, due to a large increase in users over the last few years. During the event, volunteers handed out and installed 300 free bells, and rewarded good behavior with free ice cream. The event was positive, fun, and well received by path users, many of whom stopped to talk and get free bike maps. The event organizer called it a huge success, and says "With events like these, where we set a good example of polite, safe biking behavior, we are raising the bar for bicyclists and pedestrians in Portland."
  
• For the rural Oregon communities of Cloverdale, Netarts, and Oceanside, Alta recommended colored shoulders to create a visual gateway as the rural highways enter a town. Conventional gateway features were not an option due to topography and state limitations on highway installations. The colored shoulders will alert drivers that the rural highway is changing context, as well as improving pedestrian visibility where residents are especially likely to be walking.
  
• Highway 131 just south of Oceanside, on the Oregon coast, is a two-lane rural highway with no shoulders. It is a popular biking route, but topography limited the possibility to widen the shoulders. Together with Sheila Lyons, ODOT's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager, Alta developed a successful proposal of "bicycle pullouts," which are shoulder extensions situated on uphills with blind curves. They will provide a place for bicyclists to pull out of the travel lane to let vehicles pass, as well as being a spot to stop and get a drink, take off a jacket, and use the provided bicycle information map kiosk.
  
• The Eastern Oregon community of La Grande recently adopted a Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Plan prepared by Alta Planning + Design. The Plan largely focuses on a network of bicycle boulevards connecting downtown with outlying neighborhoods and Eastern Oregon University. The community benefits from a well-connected street system that could become even greater for bicycling. If funding becomes available, city staff may initiate a bicycle boulevard demonstration project to test the various tools that make these corridors attractive for two-wheel riders.
  
• Alta recently assisted the Redwood Community Action Agency (RCAA) in California to develop a Planning for Active Transportation and Health (PATH) Guide. The Guide, which is an exploration of practical measures to improve the equitability of transportation decisionmaking and investments, has been given an Advocacy Award from the California chapter of the American Planning Association.
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Alta Planning + Design's Portland office is currently working with the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District to prepare a conceptual plan to guide future recreation and natural resource improvements to North Clackamas Community Park. The 45-acre park serves residents of the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District southeast of Portland. Mt. Scott Creek runs along the northern border and is home to fish, birds, and small mammals. Once an important habitat for migratory salmon, pollution and upstream damns eliminated salmon from this area and only small resident fish are present today. Alta is teaming with Pacific Habitat Services to prepare recommendations for the park's natural resources and wildlife.

The first of three public meetings gave Alta a chance to present the opportunities and limitations of the existing site and to receive valuable feedback from those in attendance. Following the presentation, a workshop gave attendees an opportunity to state their preferences for park improvements. The majority wanted to see the north side of the park dedicated to habitat restoration and passive recreation with upgrades to existing facilities.

Alta presented three preliminary concepts to the North Clackamas Park Stewardship Committee and posted plans online for further feedback. Earlier this month, Alta narrowed the design down to two concepts and prepared a survey to give community members a chance to vote for their favorite elements. Alta will present the final concept in October.

For more information about this project, contact Alta Landscape Architect Mike Rose. Return to top

Robin Wilcox, Designer - Portland, Oregon
Robin Wilcox joined Alta Planning + Design in June. She brings a wide range of experience from both public and private projects from throughout the western United States. Robin’s skills include hand graphics, sustainable design, construction documentation, and design development. She volunteers with several organizations to promote alternative transportation choices. In her free time, Robin enjoys mountain climbing and playing upright bass in a local bluegrass/old time band.

Thanh Do, Project Assistant - Berkeley, California
Thanh Do brings to Alta several years of experience in project support, office and contract administration, business development, bookkeeping, research analysis, and client services. Her work with Alta includes cover design, report editing, formatting, and production. She serves the Berkeley office and the company in a variety of capacities from project support to office administration. Ms. Do also spends her free time at a foreign language school in San Francisco as an assistant where she is either helping teachers and students or working at street fairs to promote the language school. She enjoys learning different languages, has conversational skills in German, French and Vietnamese, and is currently picking up Arabic and Spanish.

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