Wilmington Bicycle Plan
What's New?
- The 2nd Annual
Delaware Bicycle Summit will be held Friday, May
21, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Wilmington's
Baby Grand Opera House. Registration is
required.
- The
Wilmington Grand Prix will be held Saturday, May
22, 2010 beginning at 10:00 a.m., on Market between
5th and 10th Streets.
- On March 5, 2010, Mayor Baker issued
Executive
Order 2010-2 which created the Wilmington
Bicycle Advisory Committee (WBAC). The WBAC
will provide recommendations to the City on matters
relating to bicycling and to raise public awareness
on bicycling issues. An inaugural meeting was
held in April.
Introduction
Over the last five to
ten years some very exciting changes have taken place in
the City of Wilmington, Delaware to attract new
businesses and professionals, as well as improve the
quality of life for current residents. There has been
notable residential and commercial development along the
Wilmington Riverfront and many plans and initiatives are
working to improve the livability, landscape, and
mobility of the City. These and other components create
favorable conditions to make cycling a popular and
practical mode of transportation in and around
Wilmington.
The
Wilmington Bicycle Plan is a planning and policy
framework to make Wilmington more bicycle-friendly and
aligns with the City’s recent agenda for sustainability
and addressing global climate change, along with a
city-wide health initiative. The Plan was developed
in coordination with the City of Wilmington,
a steering committee, and the general public.
The Plan has sought to lay the groundwork for Wilmington
to become a first-class destination for recreational
cyclists and bicycle commuters.
More
bicycle parking and signage are needed to encourage
ridership.
The Plan
introduces a proposed coordinated bicycle network that
will connect residents with surrounding neighborhoods,
the downtown central business district, and other key
destinations. The document puts forth short- and
long-term recommendations to enhance mobility and
accessibility, remove barriers to bicycling, and promote
safety. Recommendations include more bicycle parking
and way-finding signage, improved bicycle access to
transit options, and considers a city-wide Bike Share
program, among many others. After several rounds of
public outreach and edits, the
Plan was formally presented to Wilmington’s Economic
Cluster, the Public Works and Transportation Committee,
and later adopted by WILMAPCO’s Council in November
2008, in which the City of Wilmington and DelDOT is
represented.
Currently, WILMAPCO is actively involved in the
Wilmington Bicycle Advisory Committee and is continuing
to work with the City’s Public Works Department on
implementing short-term recommendations, such as bicycle
parking and signage.
Several recommendations from the Wilmington Bicycle
Plan have also been incorporated into the 2009
Downtown
Wilmington Circulation Study, which seeks to improve
transportation efficiency for all modes, including
walking and bicycling.
Travel sheds are increased
by linking bicycling with transit.
Materials and Maps
The Bicycle Network
The
proposed coordinated bicycle network for Wilmington
consists of:
-
Existing and planned Greenways
-
DelDOT’s designated bicycle facilities (statewide,
regional, and connector routes)
-
Favorable
bicycle route submissions from cyclists
As part of the development of this Plan participatory
mapping—a public participation technique that uses
mapping tools to engage citizens—played an important
role in defining the proposed bicycle network. To
capture the concerns and ideas from cyclists biking in
and around Wilmington, they were asked to map the routes
they traverse and document any obstacles encountered to
help in prioritizing improvements.
Using Google Maps, cyclists traced routes and entered place marks
to denote relevant features such as a "dangerous
intersection" or "pedestrian bridge." Shown below, the
array of colors represents bicycle routes that were
submitted, and the blue balloons are comments that
describe bicycle conditions for the route.
Submitted Bike Routes
Contact
For more information about the Wilmington Bicycle
Plan, please contact Dave Gula at dgula@wilmapco.org.
Other Links
City of Wilmington
Wilmington Initiatives
Urban Bike Project of Wilmington, Inc.
Downtown Visions
Downtown Wilmington Circulation Study
Delaware Bike Council
This page last updated:
04/26/2010 |
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