Onondaga County Legislator Mark Olson enjoys walking and biking, especially during the summer months. He’s cautious, though, as many roads in the Town of Manlius – his 10th District – can be challenging with speeding cars and drivers not paying attention.
For years, as Fayetteville’s Mayor, and now as a County Legislator, Mr. Olson has been looking for ways to improve safety. So he was especially interested in learning the results of a recently completed study looking at improving pedestrian and bicycle safety on roadways in the Town of Manlius and how to use those improvements to better connect the Villages of Minoa, Fayetteville and Manlius and the parks and trails within them.
The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council (SMTC) completed the study and shared the results and their recommendations during an open house in the Village of Manlius. Legislator Olson attended and thoroughly reviewed the findings and spoke to those who worked on the study.
“The work that they have accomplished in this study is commendable” Legislator Olson said. “The recommendations they are putting forth will certainly be a great enhancement to the quality of life for all the residents in the Town Of Manlius and in our 10th District.”
Among those recommendations: creating designated bike lanes by widening the shoulders of roads through the narrowing of travel lanes and/or expanding the pavement; adding new sidewalks or expanding upon the existing sidewalk network and ensuring they are a minimum of 5 feet wide; creating 10 to 15 foot wide multi-use paths separated from driving lanes; increasing signage and pavement markings on heavily-traveled roads; and creating neighborhood-scale trails which allow for pedestrian connections to other trails, sidewalks, or destinations.
To get to the points of these recommendations, SMTC created a Study Advisory Committee and hosted an online public survey earlier this year. Off the nearly 400 respondents, nearly 25% indicated they walk or bike for short trips (less than 3 miles) from their home to destinations like stores, parks, or school a few times a week. Another 20% indicated they do so about once per week. Respondents also indicated they use roads all throughout the Town of Manlius – but especially in the Villages of Minoa, Fayetteville and Manlius.
“I’m glad to see the thoughtful input from the residents of the Town of Manlius as well as the consultants working on this study” added Legislator Olson. “I look forward to seeing the final product.”
The next steps include determining cost estimation and funding sources as well as engaging with property owners in the areas where work is being proposed. Legislator Olson serves on the SMTC Planning Committee and he expects the committee to review the recommendations at their upcoming meetings.
You can learn more at https://smtcmpo.org/studies-plans/threevillagesstudy.
“We have a great opportunity in our community to make something happen and I look forward to being part of that solution” Legislator Olson shared.