(20th in a series of posts on Walkability and Bikeability)
Peter Crownfield is officially retired but spends most of his time working with students in his role as internship coordinator for the Alliance for Sustainable Communities–Lehigh Valley.
Gadfly:
Ped bridge would not be a panacea, but existing bridges are not good for either biking or walking.
On the Hill-to-Hill Bridge, biking in the traffic lanes is very dangerous at most times, so cyclists ride on the sidewalk, which makes it very bad for pedestrians.
On the Fahy bridge, there is only one sidewalk which duplicates the cyclist-pedestrian conflicts just as it does on the Hill-to-Hill Bridge.
Add to that the problem that both bridge sidewalks often have standing water that make these walks unpleasant unless you’re wearing waterproof shoes (not comfortable in summer) — and in winter, snow & ice removal is inconsistent, so icy conditions are common.
Peter
None of the bridges that span the Lehigh River are a workable solution for cyclists as long as there is no lane designated solely for cyclists. Before the most recent construction on Fahy Bridge the right south-bound lane was clearly identified as a bike route (for whatever good that did). I do not believe that lane has again been designated similarly.
Any solution for cyclists and pedestrians must include lanes designated and enforced exclusively for each.