Neighborhood Greenways
The Traffic Engineering Department is excited to introduce the Anchorage Neighborhood Greenways program. The effort will prioritize walking, biking, rolling, and shared use on a network of neighborhood streets throughout the Municipality. These routes will help link our non-motorized network and connect neighborhoods to greenbelt trails, parks, and other destinations. Neighborhood Greenway networks have been successful in other comparable cities and the concept of “Enhanced Shared Roadways” is recommended in the
AMATS Non-Motorized Plan as a high priority. Proposed treatments would start in the spring of 2025 with around a dozen neighborhood streets.
What are Neighborhood Greenways?
- Neighborhood streets that are calm and low stress (targeting 20 mph operating speeds and less than 1,000 vehicles per day).
- Streets that prioritize people walking, bicycling, and rolling.
- Community favored neighborhood routes with defining treatments for shared use.
- Extensions of our urban trail systems with connections to neighborhoods, parks, schools, and business districts.
Example GreenwayCredit: City of Bend
Opportunity for Public Input
The project team is seeking community collaboration on the Anchorage Neighborhood Greenways initiative using this Survey Map and presenting at Community Council meetings. Based on recommendations from the AMATS Non-motorized Plan, our map identifies several neighborhood streets that are primary and secondary candidates for Neighborhood Greenway treatments.
Do you have greenway route recommendations, insights and assessments on the conceptual routes shown, points of concern, and overall thoughts on the Anchorage Neighborhoods Greenways plan? Please use the survey below to drop points, lines (routes), and highlight areas and add your comments.
Components of a Neighborhood Greenway
Neighborhood Greenways are quiet and comfortable places for people to walk and bike due to several engineering approaches.
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"Sharrow" street markings – a painted bike symbol and chevron markings serve as helpful wayfinding guides and call more attention to how bicyclists will be riding on the street.
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Wayfinding signs - Popular destinations are posted on signs throughout the network.
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Aligned routes - Reoriented stop signs or new All-Way Stop control at intersections based on engineering evaluation.
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20mph Speed Limits – lower neighborhood speed limits promote safer conditions for people walking, biking, using a mobility device, riding the bus, and driving.
In future years or as part of current capital improvement projects, these streets will be assessed for traffic calming treatments, traffic diverters, and protected crossings at busy streets.
Example greenway traffic calming components
Credit: City of Portland
Benefits of Neighborhood Greenways
Neighborhood Greenways offer cost effective and prompt enhancements to our city's walking and biking network. The proposed routes are already popular amongst local or experienced non-motorized users for being calm, quiet, and more predictable than busier adjacent roads. Greenway treatments will help all community members discover these existing supportive connections to Anchorage's greater non-motorized network. Calm traffic, shared use markings, popular usage, and greenway designations help these streets be more accessible and safer for users of all ages and abilities. This provides our community better access for exercise or getting to destinations without a car. When more people feel comfortable walking, biking, and rolling for more of their trips, we are supporting Anchorage's clean air goals and helping build healthy communities.
Contact Us
If you have questions or would like to submit a comment by phone or email, please
call the Traffic Engineering Department at
(907)343-8406
trafficdept@anchorageak.gov