The Arboretum Shared-Use Path

The University has proposed to build a bicycle-pedestrian path that would connect Shady Lane to University Court (Shawneetown) along the western edge of Walnut Woods (behind the houses on McDonald Road, near Central Baptist Hospital). The city would then alter the bike path along Bellefonte Road to run west on Glendover, west and north on Valley Road, and west on Shady Lane to connect to this path. The bicycle-pedestrian path through the Arboretum would no longer be officially designated as such, and the University could eliminate access to the Arboretum from Bellefonte Road at some time in the future.

The advantages of this plan are many. For cyclists, the new path would direct them to the corner of University Drive and Alumni Drive, where a traffic light is sure to be installed and University Drive is sure to be widened, and for most cyclists not much additional travel distance would be incurred. The path would also mean fewer cyclists would need to pass through the Central Baptist Hospital parking lot. The advantage for UK, of course, is that this plan would remove any need to accommodate bicycle traffic through the Arboretum.

The disadvantages of this plan are twofold. First, Shady Lane is narrow and bike-unfriendly. It seems unlikely that it could be widened or improved. Second, the plan neglects the needs of pedestrians who live southeast of the Arboretum. It is unclear at this point whether pedestrians would continue to be able to cross through the Arboretum on their way to the UK area, but there are no immediate plans to eliminate access to the Arboretum by foot or bicycle.

The city and the Arboretum Advisory Board have accepted this compromise in principle, and the University has applied for a $50,000 Transportation Enhancement grant to design or construct the path. I will continue to push for guaranteed pedestrian access to the Arboretum via Bellefonte Road.