It's been about two years since the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Area adopted a pedestrian and bicycle plan, and Jefferson City has tried to make strides to follow that plan - including updating streets and working toward policy changes.
CAMPO provides transportation planning for the local area, which includes Jefferson City, Taos, Holts Summit, Wardsville and St. Martins, as well as portions of Cole and Callaway counties.
It adopted the Capital Area Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan in October 2016, which outlines goals to improve safety, connectivity and mobility for pedestrians and bicycle users. The Jefferson City Council adopted the plan in May 2017.
Over the last few years, City Transportation Planner Alex Rotenberry said, Jefferson City has made "real progress" to become more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly.
Jefferson City listed various broad projects it could do within five years of adopting the plan, focusing on sidewalk and bicycle infrastructure improvement.
Infrastructure
One large project the city accomplished within the last few years was fixing the streets and sidewalks along East Capitol Avenue so the sidewalks are no longer hazardous. The project also included new bicycle lanes, making it the first city project where bicycle lanes were planned initially - not added later.
The streetscape project in downtown Jefferson City also is repairing sidewalks and crosswalks.
Sharrow lanes, which encourage cars and bicycles to share the road, will be added to East High Street as part of the project, Rotenberry said. Sharrows are paintings on the road that depict a bicycle with arrows pointing at the road. They signify that vehicle drivers and bicyclists should share the road.
Off the streets, the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department has been working toward creating more trail connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists. However, this area could still be widely improved, Rotenberry said.
One improvement city staff is looking at is connecting the greenway that ends at East McCarty Street to the trail that ends at Dunklin Street by installing signs, sharrows and advisory bike lanes - white dashed bicycle lanes along streets.
"They don't connect, so a bicycle rider would need to either ride on the sidewalks or on the street itself, but there's no signing, no painting, no nothing," Rotenberry said. "Part of what prevents people from riding bicycles is safety or imagined safety. The more the city can put into place as far as bicycle lanes and sharrows and signage, as opposed to unmarked streets, it might give them a better sense of safety and security when they're riding."
Services
Jefferson City has been pushing bicycle services over the last couple of years.
The city and Capital Region Medical Center rolled out a new bike-share program with Skinny Labs Inc. - known as Spin - in July.
The Jefferson City Environmental Quality Commission resurrected its bicycle subcommittee last summer. The subcommittee and CRMC pushed for a cyclist-friendly business program, where businesses can offer services to bicyclists.
CRMC and the Parks department are working toward providing certified bicycling instructors to encourage bicycle education and safety in the community.
Last year, Jefferson City applied for a bicycle-friendly community designation through nonprofit League of American Bicyclists and received an honorable mention. CAMPO applied to be a BFC in 2014 but was denied.
The honorable mention will expire sometime this year, Rotenberry said, and he is unsure whether the city or another entity will apply again for the BFC designation.
"It's more than just a status. It indicates to people that bicyclists are welcomed here, that we value them and we want them to be safe," he said. "We've got a lot of people who bike recreationally and (for transportation), so that might be a way to attract families - indicate to them that we're serious about bicycling and we want them to feel safe and included in this community."
Livable streets
Jefferson City's implementation strategy also includes updating and reaffirming the Livable Streets Policy, which city staff said it would pursue last spring. Livable streets are designed for all types of transportation and can include sidewalks, crosswalks, cyclist accommodations and greenway extensions.
While the city already has been following livable streets elements, city staff previously said, the city code does not specifically say Jefferson City is a livable streets community.
The City Council passed a resolution in 2011 supporting livable streets.
While city staff are working toward updating the city code, Rotenberry said, he is unsure when those amendments will go to the Jefferson City Public Works and Planning Committee and the City Council.
This policy change would be a huge change, one Rotenberry hopes Jefferson City moves forward to align with the pedestrian and bicycle plan.
He added the city should keep striving toward adding and repairing sidewalks, bicycle lanes and trail connections.