A walkable and bikeable campus is imperative to creating a safer, healthier, and more vibrant community. The Connections Plan focuses on prioritizing the pedestrian and biking experience by expanding the zones in which walking and riding is paramount and driving and parking are secondary, and in certain cases, not allowed. Areas which transform roadways, prioritize pedestrians fall within the car-free zone on the Asa Packer Campus, and build upon past successful public realm improvements.
Goals
- Update existing roadways around campus for safety and accessibility to be compatible for cars, bicycles, pedestrians and transit alike.
- Activate the campus by enhancing community, promoting walkability, and establishing vibrant public spaces.
- Further develop the pedestrian path system, expanding the safe and walkable routes throughout campus to effectively connect all residential areas and the academic core campus.
- Incorporate pavers and curb-less paths, narrow the road widths, and remove street parking to accommodate pedestrian travel.
- Ensure that the expanded pedestrian pathways are eco-friendly and support bicycle transportation.
- Create a car-free zone of nearly 39 acres in the academic core of campus bounded by Packer Avenue, Taylor Street, University Drive, and Brodhead Avenue.
- Convert Upper and Lower Sayre Park Roads into a one-way multi-modal loop to create a recreational loop for walking, running, and biking.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive landscape strategy that advances Lehigh’s sustainability goals, and creates comfortable and interesting open spaces, including:
- Reinforcing existing woodlands
- Strengthening the academic core and a hierarchy of open spaces