City of Morgan Hill Bikeways, Trails, Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Chapter 4: Policies, Actions and Projects

BIKEWAYS AND TRAILS The Morgan Hill community indicated that a connected bikeways and trail network that is accessible to all ages and abilities is a top priority. The following recommendations guide the development of an integrated system that supports an active and healthy lifestyle and increases multi-modal access to the City’s popular destinations and services. The following Bikeway and Trail Classifications describe the types of facilities recommended for Morgan Hill’s future system. These facility types reflect national and statewide best practices.

Table 4-3: Recommended Bikeway and Trail Classifications

Facility

Description

A path of travel for recreation and/or transportation within a park, natural environment, or designated corridor that is not classified as a highway, road, or street. 100 percent of trail acreage and adjacent recreational uses are included in LOS calculations. A multi-use trail allows for two-way, off-street pedestrian and bicycle use. Wheelchairs, joggers, skaters, and other non- motorized users are also welcome. These trails are frequently found in parks, along rivers, beaches, and in greenbelts or utility corridors where there are few conflicts with motorized vehicles. 100 percent of trail acreage and adjacent recreational uses are included in LOS calculations. A buffered bike lane is a Class II Bikeway that has a marked (painted) buffer without flexible posted or inflexible barriers as the separation between the bike lane and the vehicular traffic lane. If a marked buffer is provided with flexible posts or inflexible physical barriers, this is considered a separated bikeway or protected bike lane. A Class IV Bikeway (separated bikeway) is a bikeway for the exclusive use of bicycles and includes a separation between the separated bikeway and the vehicular traffic. The separation may include, but is not limited to, grade separation, flexible posts, inflexible physical barriers, or on-street parking. Bicycle boulevards are streets with low motorized traffic volumes and speeds, designated and designed to give bicycle travel priority. Bicycle Boulevards use signs, pavement markings, and speed and volume management measures to discourage through trips by motor vehicles and create safe, convenient bicycle crossings of busy arterial streets.

Natural Surface Trail

Multi-Use Trail (Class I)

Buffered Bike Lane (Class II)

Protected Bike Lane (Class IV)

Bicycle Boulevard (Class III)

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