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Instead, the plan says the city should work with existing roads, green them up, encourage housing closer to jobs and shopping, and encourage use of transportation other than single-occupant vehicles.
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Traffic comes and goes allong George St. in La Crosse as rush hour begins Tuesday evening.
PETER THOMSON photo |
"Hallelujah," north-south road foe Chip DeNure said of the absence of a new highway. "The people involved in that plan have listened to the people of La Crosse. Wonderful."
Augmenting existing roads is a way to improve the transportation, said Lee Rasch, president of Western Wisconsin Technical College, who was a new road supporter. "Anything that can be done to strike a balance between our community wants and transportation needs is a good thing. It sounds like that is the direction they are trying to go. If we continue to strike that balance, we will find the plan makes sense for us as a community in 10-20 years."
The city's transportation system has a solid foundation to build on, including the grid-pattern of streets, higher-than-average rate of walking and bike-commuting, and good transit, the report says. But it notes that the city also has challenges including the La Crosse River Marsh, which constricts north-south traffic to three roads.
The city should discourage cul de sacs and maintain its grid system of roads to give drivers alternatives to main roads, City Planner Larry Kirch told neighborhood residents last month. In addition, he said the city should continue a sidewalk network and work to connect bike trails, noting that studies have indicated property values are higher along bike trails.
One item that may be controversial is a proposal to consider taking a portion of West Avenue down from four to three lanes, with the center lane being for turning vehicles. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has not been enthusiastic about the idea because there are few studies that show how a four-lane road can be converted to a three-lane, Kirch said.
The city's roads should have more greenery, he said. "We do not want another Lang Street project that does not have one tree in front of Menard's."
In addition to modes of transportation, the plan says parking must be considered. Actions could include creating "park-once places for pedestrian, bike and transit users, which would allow people to walk to several businesses and activities.
On-street parking has been a problem in some neighborhoods near large businesses or institutions, the report notes. Strategies to deal with the situation include resident-only permit zones and metered on-street parking with residential exemptions.
Without city action, large auto-oriented developments will continue in La Crosse, the report predicts, noting the council's recent approval of a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Mormon Coulee Road. With plans to be set back from the road and a parking lot with about 900 spaces, the report predicts the stores will be a disincentive for walkers, bicyclists and transit users.
Questions also include what the city should do to improve passenger rail service and if the city should participate in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. Transportation planning also must consider minimizing potential conflicts between commercial transportation and recreational waterway users.
To create a safe transportation system, the report says the city should take actions at intersections that have high crash rates.
Improving the existing street network should include minimizing transportation impacts to neighborhoods through traffic calming.
Strategies such as creating raised medians, combining driveways, and controlling left turns can increase capacity of roads, improve traffic flow and improve safety, while helping to keep speeds at levels compatible with adjacent land uses, the report says.
The city also should increase the use of coordinated traffic signals, and develop strategies to increase carpooling, transit use, walking, biking, off-peak travel and tele-commuting.
Specific ideas in the plan include employer-sponsored van/car pools, preferential parking for car pools, employer-subsidized bus passes, staggered work hours, bicycle facilities and incentives, and cash incentives for employees to give up parking spaces.
The plan includes several measures for promoting use of other modes of transportation such as adequate pedestrian crossings and on-road bike lanes.
A transit center and expanded transit pass program should encourage more use of buses, the plan says.
In neighborhoods, the plans says the city should consider 24-foot wide local streets with one-side parking, and 28-foot wide local streets with two-side parking in higher density new neighborhoods.
The connection between land use and transportation can no longer be ignored, the plan says, noting that auto-oriented developments have resulted in more and longer commutes.
Joan Kent can be reached at (608) 791-8221 or jkent@lacrossetribune.com.
