Chico officials are narrowing down ideas for revamping the broad, tree-lined portion of the Esplanade immediately north of downtown. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, it was clear that complete agreement is still a ways off.
The plan is to develop a community-backed, shovel-ready blueprint likely to win millions in federal and state transportation funds if and when they become available.
The aims are three-fold: fix deficiencies, reduce accidents and keep traffic moving.
Pick-up and drop-off times at Chico High School and Bidwell Junior High generate backups. Crossing the entire street can be difficult, especially for those with disabilities, and cyclists have to use extra care to avoid turning vehicles.
Among the proposed solutions are wider sidewalks, curb ramps and timed crosswalk signals. Another idea, converting the former railroad route into a two-way bike path isn’t being uniformly embraced; the improvements, however, do mesh nicely with federal and state grant priorities.
Brandon Ottoboni is the director of Public Works Engineering for Chico. He said the philosophy among transportation planners has shifted.
“As the population grows, it’s not cost-effective or practical to continue to widen our roads because of the cost of doing that,” Ottoboni said. “And so now they’re really trying to incorporate bicycle and pedestrian facilities into the street networks.”
Plans to replace traffic lights at two intersections with roundabouts are drawing resistance, both from some elected officials and members of the public. Federal and insurance industry studies show roundabouts to be both safer and faster for traffic and pedestrians than stop lights or signs.
A more final proposal is due in March.