As a continuation of the Central Connection collaborative effort, the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and Chautauqua Health Network have tasked GObike with undertaking a closer look at pedestrian and bicyclist infrastructure and connectivity along Central Avenue. Over the next several months, GObike will work with the community to identify additional design interventions along Central Ave between the Village of Fredonia and the City of Dunkirk to improve safety and accessibility along the corridor. This process will involve community outreach to identify priority locations, gather feedback on potential designs, pre- and post-implementation data collection (qualitative and quantitative), and implementation of priority design interventions. 

To guide this process, GObike has also gathered a group of community stakeholders that will convene at key points between now and Summer 2024. Stakeholders include representatives from the Village of Fredonia, City of Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, SUNY Fredonia, school districts, police and fire, community organizations, and the Chamber of Commerce. This group will periodically meet throughout the process to vet and inform proposed engagement processes and designs.

Based on community input and review guidance from municipal partners, GObike will implement changes to the roadway to make the experience of using Central Avenue safer and more accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, micro-mobility users, and drivers. Potential tools that GObike will consider using include temporary infrastructure, such as painted bumpouts, crosswalks, bollards, rubber curbs, signage, bike lane improvements, and more. All changes will be designed by our Complete Streets Engineer, Jim Jones, who is a licensed engineer with over 30 years of experience in municipal roadway design. Designs will also be reviewed by the municipality that has jurisdiction over the project location, and implementation will be permitted prior to the start of work.

GObike will be in attendance at the following local events; we invite you to speak with our team, view designs, and provide feedback for Central Avenue safety improvements. The Central Avenue Connection project has been a year-long process guided by inter-municipal collaboration, and informed by over 400 survey responses and multiple feedback sessions with local community members.

Please come and say hello when we set up a table at the following events:

• June 26 @ Music on the Pier
• July 6 @ Fredonia Farmers Market

• Fall-Winter 2023: Community Outreach to Identify Priority Locations + Existing Conditions Analysis
• December 7, 2023: Initial Survey Closes
• Winter 2024: Draft Preliminary Designs + Seek Community Input on Preferred Designs
• Spring 2024: Design Review, Permitting, Material Acquisition, and Implementation Planning
• Summer 2024: Implementation of Priority Projects
• Fall 2024: Post-Implementation Data Collection and Community Survey

Dunkirk – We have two very similar designs that we’re considering. The first option is a floating parking lane (where the bike lane is between the curb and the parking lane) and the other is a regular bike lane, where the bike lane is between the parking lane and the vehicle travel lane. Note that this project starts at Route 5 and goes to 7th Street in the City of Dunkirk. Between 4th and 7th, the northbound bike lane becomes a shared lane marking because of reduced road widths and the requirement to maintain existing parking. We’re also proposing a mid-block crossing between 3rd and 4th Streets, where curb ramps already exist.

Fredonia – In Fredonia, this project will enhance the existing bike lane facilities by adding hash marks in the buffer zone, green conflict zone paint at intersections, bike lane markings on the lanes to clearly delineate the bike lane from vehicle lane, and crosswalk refreshes and bumpouts to reduce crossing distances at crossings.Note that on the southbound side of Central Ave south of Maple Ave, the bike lane proposed to become a sharrow. This is the only stretch of Central Ave in the Village of Fredonia where parking is allowed. In order to keep both parking and a bike lane in this section, all of the existing lines would need to be removed and shifted to accommodate the change, which was outside our project scope. However, when the street is resurfaced in two years, dedicated bike lanes could be added to this section of Central Avenue to connect all the way to Temple.

This project is made possible by funding provided by the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation and by the Chautauqua Health Network. Other project partners include the Village of Fredonia, City of Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, SUNY Fredonia, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation’s Local Economic Development Committee, and the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo.