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Circle of Ramsey <br />Linking People and Landscape Through Greenways <br />Extension 3 <br />Extension 3: Green Valley Road <br />The Green Valley Garden Center (GVGC) provides a wealth of gardening products and services for Ramsey and Twin <br />Cities metro area. With almost 25 acres of indoor and outdoor growing space, GVGC continues to grow along with <br />demand. As a prominent stakeholder in Ramsey's business community, GVGC employs many Ramsey residents. <br />Connecting the GVGC to the Circle of Ramsey would provide GVGC employees, as well as neighboring residents <br />increased opportunity to partake in active forms of commuting. A one -mile greenway extension between Nowthen and <br />St. Francis Blvds on Green Valley Rd. could take the form of a bike lane, a separated lane or a shared -use path. <br />Existing: Commute by Vehicle <br />Option 1: Bike Lane <br />A traditional bike lane <br />establishes an area for <br />exlusive bicycle use. <br />Bike lanes include visual <br />cues like lane markings, <br />pavement symbols and <br />signs to make drivers <br />aware of cyclists on the <br />roadway. <br />Option 2: Shared -Use Path <br />Shared -use paths provide <br />a separate travel space <br />for cyclists and pedestrians <br />away from motor vehicle <br />travel. These paths create <br />a low -stress environment <br />that is beneficial for both <br />recreation and <br />transportation. <br />Proposed: (Option 3) A Separated Bike Lane <br />Beyond providing Green Valley Garden Center employees with a safer and more comfortable bicycle commute to work, this greenway extension serves as <br />a connection for the surrounding area. This connection includes a separated bike lane. This bike lane would be used exclusively by bicyclists and would be <br />located directly adjacent to the Green Valley Road. Most importantly, it is physically separated from motor vehicle traffic by a vertical element like a post, <br />bollard, raised median or planter. Separated bike lanes are suitable for cyclists traveling on high-speed and high -volume roadways. <br />Buffer <br />yy feet <br />Nl 6 i <br />s reel iz reel lz reer <br />curo <br />l zreel � <br />* <br />Many people live within 5 miles of the <br />GVGC. This greenway extension is a <br />prime opportunity for recreation and <br />exercise for these residents. <br />�/�/1 Just 2.5 miles from the GVGC is the Rum <br />River Regional Park. A local destination <br />wA for conoeing, hiking, fishing and more. <br />0 Located just 1.5 miles from GVGC, <br />Fox Park offers more green space for <br />residents to congregate, recreate and <br />11 exercise. <br />suffer <br />zs-M <br />Separated bike lanes are made up of: <br />1. The bike lane (ideally 7ft wide, to allow for side -by -side riding and passing) <br />2. The roadway separation (ideally a 1ft-3ft wide vertical element that is <br />highly -visible to motorists) <br />In some cases, it may be suitable to add a pedestrian sidewalk adjacent to the <br />separated bike lane. In addition to bike lane symbol markings on pavement, bike <br />lane signs bring about more awareness of cyclists on roadways. <br />ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION <br />Planning for greenway extensions: Equipping the Lake Itasca, Sports Haven Outlot Parcels and Green Valley Road sites with <br />greenway infrastructure will facilitate a connected Circle of Ramsey. Now that we have seen three greenway extension <br />examples, we can dive deeper into additional planning and infrastructure recommendations that will further support an <br />integrated Circle of Ramsey. <br />PA5211: Land Use Planning / Instructor: Fernando Burga PhD. / Students: Alena DeGrado, Samantha Neill, Jake Schutt <br />1lniweamgr M,snsamn <br />