General Plan Update Review Committee Draft Elements Part 2 For ...

esources, improved air quality and reduced health
care costs due to a healthier population. Bicycling is a
vital component of improving environmental, traffic
and quality of life concerns for Visalia residents.
City of Visalia Bikeway Plan
The City of Visalia Bikeway Plan was adopted in
February 2011 and is intended to guide bikeway policies,
programs and facility improvements to improve
safety, comfort and convenience for all bicyclists in
the City of Visalia. The Bikeway Plan serves as a tool
for the City in implementing its goal to “provide the
means and support bicycling as an alternative mode
of transportation for work, errand and recreational
trips.”
The Bikeway Plan encourages the use of walking and
bicycling and recognizes three classes of bikeways:
• Bike Path (Class I Bikeway, including paseos and
public greenways). Provides a completely separated
right-of-way designated for the exclusive use
of bicycles and pedestrians with cross flows by
motorists minimized.
• Bike Lane (Class II Bikeway). Provides a restricted
right-of-way designated for the exclusive or semiexclusive
use of bicycles with through-travel by
motor vehicles or pedestrians prohibited, but with
vehicle parking and crossflows by pedestrians and
motorists permitted.
• Bike Route (Class III Bikeway). Provides right-ofway
designated by signs or permanent markings
and shared with pedestrians and motorists.
While the City has yet to fully implement the network
presented in the Bikeway Plan, several Class I,
II and III facilities exist and are included in the standard
cross-section specifications for the various street
classifications.
Figure 4-5 shows the bikeway system, with the present
facilities in solid lines and the proposed expansion
of the system shown in dashed lines. Completion
of this network would provide Visalia with a robust
bicycle and pedestrian network, linking neighborhoods
to parks, schools, employment centers, and
other destinations. In addition to the bicycle infrastructure,
Visalia offers bicycle racks on buses for
most of the Visalia Transit fleet. The bicycle racks
extend the bicycles ranges and offer connections to
the cities of Woodlake, Tulare, Exeter and Farmersville.
DRAFT ELEMENTS
For General Plan Update Review Committee
Visalia’s flat topography and mild rainfall are ideal
for commuting and recreational bicycle riding. The
Bikeway Plan encourages the use of walking and
bicycling and recognizes three classes of bikeways,
including Class I trails (top) and Class II bike lanes
(bottom).
AUGUST 2012 4-37