North Avenue Corridor in Burlington, Vermont

The Burlington District Office of the Vermont Department of Health conducted a rapid HIA of proposed street improvements on a 2.8-mile corridor of North Avenue in Burlington, Vermont. The HIA included a population health profile and a review of public transportation infrastructure and pedestrian, bike, and motorist facilities along the corridor.

The proposed upgrades include a 25-mph speed limit, parking only on one side of the avenue, and “rightsizing,” which involves reconfiguring the layout of a street to better serve people who use it. The city is considering five options for rightsizing North Avenue to include bike facilities: bike facilities within existing curbs, adding 5-foot minimum bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, cycle tracks separated by a mountable curb, raised cycle tracks, and a raised two-way cycle track on the southbound side of the street.

The HIA recommended bike facilities physically separated from the roadway to allow for safer travel by bicycle, especially for inexperienced riders, and the inclusion of pedestrian-scale details such as trees and lighting to increase safety and amplify the traffic-calming effects of rightsizing.