Perhaps this post should be called the Safe Routes to School project, but we’re gonna go with Bike Boulevard Plan for this one. Building on the trend of creatively and effectively applying for grants, the City of Ithaca together with the Ithaca City School District were able to secure close to $300,000 from the NYS Department of Transportation to construct what is essentially the City’s bike boulevard plan, adopted September, 2012.
The proposed system will be made up of dedicated bike lanes on select streets (Third from Cascadilla to Thirteen, and Tioga from Court to the Commons are proposed), and other streets made more bicycle and pedestrian appropriate by lowering the speed limit to 25mph, added signage, and traffic calming measures like speed humps/tables.
The plan, shown below, is made to make Boynton Middle School, the High School, Fall Creek elementary, and BJM elementary accessible by bicycle for residents of “The Flats.” Beyond schools, the route makes going from the Ithaca Falls to Wegmans a much simpler ride.
Given that the adopted route was made before funding was secured under a different pretense, expect certain changes to be made on the route, such as extending the boulevard down Cayuga St to Boynton, and perhaps responding to any commentary from the public, which the City intends to solicit soon. It is estimated that the construction of the Bike Boulevard/Safe Route to School will happen in 2015. More on this as it develops.