CLIENT: City of Glendale, Wisconsin

DATES: 2020-2021

NEED: Public input from the City’s Comprehensive Planning process with Vandewalle & Associates identified safety improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians as important for the future quality of life. Glendale has a number of special regional assets, including the Oak Leaf Trail, but is in need of a local bicycle and pedestrian network that connects residents to these assets and addresses some of the major infrastructure barriers that limit connectivity in the City. Although Glendale is fortunate to have access to a strong regional infrastructure network, Interstate 43 and other roadways like Silver Spring Drive and North Port Washington Road present challenges to connectivity within the City and can have a segregating effect.


ROLE: Following Vandewalle & Associates work with the Comprehensive Master Plan update; we used our familiarity with the community to hit the ground running with local leaders and the public to identify key issues for the bicycle and pedestrian plan.


PLANNING + PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS + SERVICES: Vandewalle & Associates employed a number of public engagement strategies in this process, including:

  • Virtual meetings
  • Mapping with numerous layers of information to understand and present the current transportation network, including local destinations and assets, road classifications, average daily traffic counts, and bicycle/pedestrian and vehicle accidents
  • An interactive digital map for collecting public input

PLAN ELEMENTS:

  • Recommendations to address barriers and increase connectivity across the community, including on- and off-street bicycle facilities, intersection improvements, pedestrian paths and sidewalks, and new trail access points
  • Recommendations for a unified signage and wayfinding program in the City, suggesting Glendale work with regional partners like Milwaukee County Parks to have consistent, destination-focused signage
  • Recommendations for network facilities, including detailed recommendations for key road segments
  • Recommendations for programmatic updates to support implementation of the bicycle and pedestrian network, including implementation as an economic development strategy
  • Map of the comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian network recommendations
  • Implementation framework with short- and long-term priorities, funding sources, and potential costs

RESULTS: Bicycle and pedestrian improvements represent a substantial economic development opportunity in Glendale, with increased foot traffic for local businesses and increased attraction to regional visitors. The Glendale Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is currently underway is expected to be adopted in January 2021.