A group of concerned residents, led by Ben Deal, are looking to establish a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee for the city of Marysville in response to increased accidents and the lack of appropriate infrastructure to facilitate non-automobile movement in the city.
Deal, who is also a member of the city’s Planning and Historic Preservation Commission, has been an advocate for bicycle and pedestrian safety measures in the city. On Tuesday, Deal formally presented the idea to the Marysville City Council to establish a committee that will provide guidance to elected officials when decisions need to be made that impact bicyclists and pedestrians.
“Marysville’s actually laid out really good for bike and peds,” Deal said. “It has kind of an urban feel on this side of town (downtown) and the west side of town is more suburban, less traffic. We actually have a great opportunity here to make a great place.”
To demonstrate the need for such a committee and increased focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety, Deal spoke about the several deaths that have occurred in recent years that may have been avoided had the city had in place specific protections for those not traveling in a vehicle.
With two state highways that wind their way through the middle of the city, a greater focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety has come to the forefront for city leaders and officials – including those at Blue Zones Yuba Sutter. With more grant money becoming available for projects that seek to make cities more walkable, officials said there may be a greater need for such a committee to not only consider bicycle use and pedestrians in future plans, but also help acquire the necessary grants that can make that possible.
“Multimodal is what I think the term is used at SACOG (Sacramento Area Council of Governments),” Marysville Mayor Chris Branscum said Tuesday in reference to grant money that is available through organizations such as SACOG. “We’re trying to promote multimodal … making Marysville a more attractive and safer city to walk, bicycles, what have you. … The city’s engaged on this. It is a topic that is a keen interest at SACOG … hopefully Marysville will pick up enough grants.”
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, “multimodal access to public transportation considers and accommodates the many ways public transportation users get to and from a public transportation stop or center to access a public transportation service. Those methods include walking, bicycling, riding feeder public transportation systems (e.g., taking the bus to connect to commuter rail at a station), and driving. The idea is that providing the infrastructure and support services for multiple modes to public transportation will increase use of the public transportation system and result in health benefits. Specifically, when effectively integrated, bicycling and walking to public transportation help advance various environmental, health, and congestion-mitigating benefits for communities.”
The city of Marysville has been exploring ways to conform to a more multimodal model. With traffic-calming measures already established and more to come, the city has put a focus on building infrastructure that promotes walkability and bicycle use. It recently received a small grant to implement related ideas in areas such as D Street in downtown Marysville.
Deal said the reason to establish a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee is to allow for these ideas to be better implemented through discussion and public feedback. He outlined the benefits of the committee as such:
– Ensure an inside advocacy for bicycles and pedestrians.
– Allows for transparency and public input into a variety of decision-making processes.
– Gives the public more opportunity to provide input at a meaningful point in a project’s timeline.
– Creates a focal point for community discussion on bicycle and pedestrian issues.
Duties of the committee, according to Deal, could include directing city staff to “work with interested parties to develop draft documents” and bring information to the council for review and potential approval.
“To me, it’s really communication between the public and government and elected officials and staff,” Deal said. “It provides a chance for us to discuss upcoming projects, any kind of issues.”
Deal said that because members of the committee most likely would include those that walk and bike around the city, they could provide city staff with real-world examples and experiences that can better direct policy.
While the committee does not currently exist now, some members of the council voiced support for such an idea and the matter could be discussed for approval in the near future.
Councilmember Dominique Belza praised Deal’s “persistence” for not only being an advocate, but also wanting to establish the committee.
“I want to see that move forward and become a part of our governmental community here,” Belza said.
