Photo by Jon Anderson
Stadium Trace cyclist
A cyclist signals a right turn on Stadium Trace Parkway before turning into the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex on Thursday, July 27, 2017.
Hoover residents gave more input into the city’s bicycle and pedestrian plan tonight at a public involvement meeting at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
About 45-50 people came by to check out the maps showing existing, planned and proposed sidewalks and other pedestrian and bicycle paths and to say where they do or don’t want more.
Rebecca Hassee, who lives on Alford Avenue in the Shades Mountain community, said she is passionate about adding a sidewalk on Alford.
“I feel like so many residents are landlocked,” Hassee said. “You can’t even get out of your yard to go get exercise or get a stroller and take a walk.”
Photo by Jon Anderson
Bicycle pedestrian meeting 7-27-17 (2)
Rebecca Hassee, a resident on Alford Avenue in the Shades Mountain community, looks over maps showing the city's bicycle and pedestrian plan at a public involvement meeting at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on Thursday, July 27, 2017.
It would be nice to be able to walk to Bluff Park Creamery or Mr. P’s Butcher Shop and Deli, which is just seven doors down from her house, she said. But Alford Avenue is too busy with cars for walkers to do that safely, she said. She has to get in a car or go through other people’s yards, she said.
Adding a sidewalk would help bring the neighborhood together and boost property values, Hassee said.
Gregg and Linda Oliver of Riverchase said they would like to see a bicycle path on Old Montgomery Highway between the residential part of Riverchase and the Riverchase Galleria.
“I don’t know if that’s feasible or not, but people really want to get out and exercise,” Linda Oliver said.
“You surely can’t do that today,” Gregg Oliver said. “It’s not wide enough. There’s no right of way or shoulder. There’s no curb. … You would end up roadkill.”
Photo by Jon Anderson
bicycle pedestrian meeting 7-27-17
Gregg and Linda Oliver of the Riverchase community in Hoover, Alabama, at left, discuss the city's bicycle and pedestrian plan with City Engineer Rodney Long at a public involvement meeting at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on Thursday, July 27, 2017.
Other suggestions made by residents included:
- Adding a sidewalk and “share the road” bicycle signs along Shades Crest Road
- Putting in gravel trails for bikers and hikers on Shades Mountain
- Adding a sidewalk or widen the shoulders on Farley Road from Chapel Road
- Adding off-road cycling paths and trails in the forested area south of Ross Bridge
- Adding a sidewalk on Georgetown Drive and extending the sidewalk on Wisteria Drive eastward to the city limits in the Monte D’Oro community
- Adding sidewalks on Greenvale Road, Deo Dara Drive, Star Lake Drive, Star Lake Circle and Oriole Drive in the Green Valley community
- Adding more trails for hiking and off-road biking in the 350-acre Moss Rock Preserve nature park
- Adding a sidewalk from The Preserve Town Hall to Gwin Elementary School and Simmons Middle School
- Adding more space on Chapel Road for cyclists, particularly on the hill
- Adding crosswalks for pedestrians and cyclists across U.S. 31 in front of the Riverchase Galleria
- Adding a sidewalk and/or bicycle lane on U.S. 31 from John Hawkins Parkway to Patton Chapel Road
- Paving the sewer road behind Academy Sports and connect it to Riverchase
- Removing the grooved ruts on the side of the road along U.S. 31 because they are dangerous for cyclists
- Consider adding bathrooms along trails in wooded areas
- Retaining the old bridge over Shades Creek near Ross Bridge as a pedestrian and greenway path
- Adding a greenway along part of the Cahaba River
- Adding sidewalks and bicycle lanes to new connector roads planned between Ross Bridge Parkway and Brock’s Gap Parkway (where a new Interstate 459 interchange has been proposed) to connect Ross Bridge with Hoover Metropolitan Stadium
- Using alternative surfaces instead of pavement for a greenway along the Cahaba River
- Do not put a sidewalk on Harwick Drive in Altadena Woods because there is not much traffic there
Next steps
Tim Westhoven, Hoover’s chief of operations, encouraged people to continue to look at the interactive bicycle and pedestrian plan maps on the city’s website and leave comments there.
Map provided by city of Hoover
bicycle pedestrian plan map 2
This map shows a portion of the city's current bicycle and pedestrian plan. Pink lines show existing sidewalks and paths, while solid red lines show planned sidewalks and paths with funding approved and dotted red lines show proposed sidewalks and paths without funding allocated.
Comments and suggestions will be accepted through Aug. 15, Westhoven said. The city also will hold one or two public involvement meetings to discuss how to make bicycle and pedestrian pathways compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said.
“We want to understand what people want out there and what is important to them,” Westhoven said.
In the meantime, city officials and the AECOM Technical Services consulting firm the city has hired to assist with updating the bicycle and pedestrian plan will be analyzing comments already received and will begin formulating a draft report, Westhoven said.
He expects them to develop some immediate plans, medium-range plans and long-term plans and to prioritize those, he said.
See the online interactive version of the city’s bicycle and pedestrian plan here. Pink lines indicate existing paths, while solid red lines indicate planned sidewalks or paths with funding already approved, and dotted red lines indicate proposed sidewalks or paths without funding approved.
Take a survey regarding the bicycle and pedestrian plan here.
This article was updated at 4:04 p.m. on July 28 to correct the name of the street where Gregg and Linda Oliver would like to see a bicycle path.