Background
The section of McGowan Parkway between SR-70 and Olive Avenue was a two-lane road that had no bicycle lanes and intermittent sidewalks, curbs, and gutters while being used as a main thoroughfare for travel by bicycles and pedestrians. Most of those travelers during peak morning and afternoon hours are students traveling to and from Lindhurst High School, Johnson Park Elementary School, and Yuba Gardens Middle School.
The McGowan Parkway Bicycle Lane and Pedestrian Route Improvements Project is a Safe Routes to School project with the goal of making bicycle and pedestrian travel safer by installing Class II bike lanes, new crosswalks, striping, and ADA compliant ramps. It will also eliminate gaps in the curb, gutter, and sidewalks, and install a continuous left turn lane to improve traffic flow and decrease incidents of vehicles using the road shoulder/bike lane to pass other vehicles that are waiting to turn left. The project also includes non-infrastructure components like pedestrian and bicycle skills training, walk and bike to school events, the distribution of safe-routes maps and take-home materials for parents, and frequent walker/rider incentive activities.