City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan

The overriding principle for bicycle and pedestrian friendly streets is to create
public right-of-ways that work effectively for and benefit all modes of
transportation. Regardless of whether streets and roads are included in this plan’s
designated bicycle network, bicyclists will use all available roads. Therefore, the
recommended bicycle network has been developed to formalize safe routes from
“origins” to “destinations”, eliminate gaps within the current network, continue the
expansion of the existing off-road facilities utilizing natural and other areas of
opportunity, and improve access and connectivity for the bicyclist within the
Oshkosh community.
Best facility practices must be considered when any transportation network is
developed, reconstructed or augmented. Policy and project priorities for
pedestrians are much more programmatic while those for bicycles tend to be more
physical in nature.
Pedestrian Facilities
Oshkosh’s pedestrian framework is partially in place in that sidewalks or trails are
required for new subdivisions and other development. Sidewalks form the
backbone of the physical portion of our pedestrian transportation network,
however, what constitutes a “pedestrian-friendly” or “walkable” community is much
more than merely having sidewalk facilities in place. High quality, navigable,
appropriately sized sidewalks certainly are one part of the equation; however,
other elements and amenities such as crosswalks, signalization, traffic calming,
pedestrian-scale lighting, street furniture, and space separating vehicle traffic
lanes from sidewalks are also extremely important. Best facility practices for
Oshkosh pedestrian facilities include three primary facility types:
• Sidewalks - paths located within a right-of-way along the side of a road
and are normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb
• Sidepaths - segregated facilities located next to or alongside a roadway
separated from motor vehicle traffic by a physical barrier and/or increased
greenspace.
• Multi-use trails - segregated trails or paths located within their own right-ofway
or easement area and are not closely associated with a roadway.
Bicycle Facilities
Suitably designed bikeways can be identified formally as "Bike Routes." These
routes indicate a major route that most bicyclists will feel comfortable using.
This plan recommends a comprehensive and interconnected bicycle network by
suggesting a facility type (bike lane, sharrow, multi-use trail) throughout the
Oshkosh area. It is important to state that the design approach behind the
recommended bicycle facility types and routes contained within this planning
document was guided and shaped with a critical design consideration in mind.
Design approach
The fundamental design consideration behind route determination that must be
described is what type of bicyclist is best served by the City’s bicycle facility
network. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Stakeholder/Steering Group made the
CITY OF OSHKOSH PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE PLAN 1- 4