HomeMy WebLinkAboutOshkosh Sustainability Plan - Transportation DRAFT - 25 July 2025Oshkosh Sustainability Plan 2025
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Chapter: Transportation
Introduction
A sustainable transportation system supports the needs of all road users. Too much emphasis on
personal vehicles has made transportation one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the
world due to the combustion of fossil fuels. Beyond greenhouse gas emissions, the secondary impacts of
vehicular transportation have created large amounts of impervious surfaces, consumed huge amounts of
land, and made it difficult to choose other modes of transportation for most trips. Walking, biking, and
public transportation options are often marginalized due to overreliance on vehicular traffic
infrastructure, degrading the value of other forms of transportation infrastructure. The ability to choose
sustainable transportation options relies on governments to build complete networks of safe, reliable
infrastructure for all modes of transportation.
This chapter addresses efforts to ensure access to sustainable transportation options such as public
transit, electric vehicles, cycling infrastructure, and pedestrian-friendly planning. This also includes
improving the efficiency of the transportation system by ensuring infrastructure is designed to reflect
community needs.
Past Accomplishments
The City of Oshkosh has already made progress towards sustainability with the following
accomplishments:
• Completed EV Readiness Plan and prepared two pilot sites for EV charging stations: Lake Shore
Park and the Convention Center
• Completed Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and Transit Development Plan
• New bike lanes and road diet on Main Street and Jackson Street, and continuing to install bike
racks citywide
• Deployed hybrid and clean diesel buses, an electronic fare system (WisGO), and upgraded
accessible bus shelters for GO Transit
Background
Complete Streets. The overwhelming majority of public space in cities comprise of streets. In the
United States, streets are typically designed with personal vehicles as the first, and sometimes only, user
of that space. This is because roadway engineering standards were initially created for highways and
became the default for how local streets are developed in many areas. “Complete streets” is a concept
that acknowledges the vast array of purposes that streets can and do serve beyond conveying private
vehicles, unlike highways. A complete street is not any specific design that accommodates all types of
users. Instead, a complete street is one that accommodates all types of users relevant to its specific
context. A complete street should also incorporate other functions such as stormwater control,
landscaping, lighting, and other types of streetscaping.
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Many communities adopt a complete streets policy that requires road design decisions to consider, but
not necessarily accommodate, all types of users and purposes when designing a street. This approach
can apply to new streets, reconstruction, and resurfacing of the existing streets. To effectively implement
a complete streets policy, municipalities typically need to coordinate the following:
• Long-range plans for the development of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit facilities
• Design standards and best practices for multi-modal facility elements (bike lanes, bus stations,
intersection designs, crossings, etc.)
• Public education and awareness about sharing the road with multiple user groups
• Coordination with agencies (usually state and federal) offering grants and funding for the
development of complete street facilities
The City of Oshkosh has already laid
much of the groundwork for
implementing complete streets
throughout the community. The City
has a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master
Plan that was updated in 2019 and a
Transit Development Plan updated in
2024. The Wisconsin Department of
Transportation (WisDOT) offers some
facility design best practices in its
Facility Design Manual (FDM)1, the
Wisconsin Guide to Pedestrian Best
Practices2, and the Wisconsin Bicycle Facility Design Handbook.3 Additionally, there are standards
provided by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) for complete streets and a
host of other resources for designing facilities that provide a greater range of diversity and flexibility than
the standards provided currently by WisDOT in its Urban Street Design Guide.4 Many cities across the
country have adopted this guide as an approved design manual for local streets, including Milwaukee,
Madison, Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Chicago.5 The American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities is also a great resource
that is widely used and accepted.6
The East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (ECWRPC) adopted a “Regional Complete
Streets Policy” and worked with Oshkosh to adopt a similar policy. While ECWRPC adopted their regional
policy in 2018, Oshkosh has not. The City’s 2025-26 Strategic Plan notes a strategy to incorporate
complete streets principles when and where feasible.
Bicycles and Pedestrians. Walking, bicycling, and other modes of transportation that require
some level of physical activity are considered active transportation. The benefits of active transportation
span human health benefits, decreased environmental impacts, more efficient land use patterns,
decreased infrastructure costs, and more. In 2019, Oshkosh updated a 2011 20-year Bicycle and
Pedestrian Master Plan that provides sound strategies for improving active transportation.7 In general, a
complete network of walkable and bikeable infrastructure is needed across the community to make it
possible to choose active transportation for any given trip. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
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envisions a complete network of facilities, largely focused on major roadways and traffic routes, to
provide comparable options for walking and bicycling as compared to driving a personal vehicle.
Electric Vehicles. Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is booming across the United States, offering
reduced costs and fewer environmental impacts as compared to internal combustion engine (ICE)
vehicles. However, in the Midwest, adoption has been slower when compared to warmer, more
urbanized areas such as California, Florida, Texas, and Washington. According to the Department of
Energy, Wisconsin ranks 27th out of 50 states for EV adoption, which is similar to Wisconsin’s ranking in
solar energy. There are approximately 27,000 electric vehicles registered in Wisconsin as of September
2024.8
A necessary step towards electric vehicle adoption is charging infrastructure. The Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has designated 6 interstates, 1
state highway, and 7 US highways to become alternative fuel corridors in Wisconsin including Interstate
41 (I-41) through Oshkosh.9 These corridors are planned to have EV charging stations at least every 50
miles, no more than 1 mile from the interstate or highway exit (and compressed natural gas (CNG) or
liquid natural gas (LNG) every 150 miles and 200 miles respectively). I-41 is designated as a pending
corridor although there are two potentially qualifying DC fast-chargers (the minimum required for a
qualifying charger) in the City of Oshkosh: one Tesla supercharger near I-41 at Festival Foods/Menards
and the other at the Bergstrom GM of Oshkosh auto dealership (the next nearest recognized by the
Federal Highway Administration is in the City of Fond du Lac, then Green Bay). With a designated
alternative fuel corridor running through it, Oshkosh is well poised to benefit from charging
infrastructure initiatives.
There are barriers to EV adoption that are becoming less of a problem over time beyond access to EV
charging stations. Extreme cold temperatures pose challenges to starting electric vehicles that cannot be
stored indoors during the winter months which affects residents without indoor parking, such as some
renters or people without garages. As technology improves, cold starting electric vehicles will improve as
well. Cost is also becoming less of a barrier to electric vehicles as compared to ICE vehicles due to a
combination of factors including lower costs to charge versus fill with gas, reduced costs of new EVs,
increased availability of pre-owned EVs, and reduced maintenance costs from having fewer moving parts
and no engine despite higher insurance costs (25% higher on average).
To decarbonize the vehicle fleet, Oshkosh GO Transit has incorporated hybrid and clean diesel buses.
Hybrid buses use both diesel and electric, with regenerative braking and battery storage. Electrifying the
law enforcement fleet is considered challenging at this time in Oshkosh where vehicles are oftentimes in
use 24/7.
For additional information on the resources outlined in this chapter, check out:
1 Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Facility Design Manual (FDM):
https://wisconsindot.gov/pages/doing-bus/eng-consultants/cnslt-rsrces/rdwy/fdm.aspx
2 WisDOT Wisconsin Guide to Pedestrian Best Practices (the guide is partially finished and is planning to announce
additional facility design standards in the coming years):
https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/multimodal/ped.aspx
3 WisDOT Wisconsin Bicycle Facility Design Handbook:
https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/multimodal/bike.aspx
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4 National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Street Design Guide:
https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/
5 NACTO Members: https://nacto.org/about-membership/our-members/
6 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for the Development of
Bicycle Facilities: https://store.transportation.org/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
7 Oshkosh Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan:
https://www.oshkoshwi.gov/PlanningServices/Documents/BikeAndPedestrianMasterPlan2019Pages.pdf
8 US Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center: https://afdc.energy.gov/data/10962
9 Alternative Fuel Corridors | WisDOT: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/data-plan/plan-res/alt-fuels.aspx
Goal(s):
Mobility and access: Develop a comprehensive network of transportation facilities for all modes of
transportation to support sustainable transportation choices.
Decarbonization: Preserve and expand the necessary infrastructure and public services to support
electrification and decarbonization of the transportation system.
Recommendations
1. Private developments. Integrate requirements for private developments to include pedestrian,
bicycle, and transit facilities as part of site plans when aligned with long-range plans or
connecting to adjacent properties.
o Lead Responsibility: Planning Services
o Time Frame: Priority (<3 years)
o Implementation Details:
▪ Audit the site plan review process to ensure that new developments connect
pedestrian facilities to existing pedestrian facilities in adjacent properties and
planned facilities such as trails and parks.
▪ Integrate a process into site plan reviews to provide plans to GO Transit for the
opportunity to request a new bus stop and associated improvements into a
proposed site plan abutting an existing or planned transit route.
▪ Integrate a standard into site plan reviews to require public access easements
(or similar) through private developments where public trails are planned.
▪ Continue to encourage bicycle parking as part of private developments and
consider offering a parking credit for substituting bicycle parking for a limited
number of vehicle spaces.
2. Complete streets. Ensure that all road resurfacing and reconstruction projects consider all
modes of transportation, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders, by improving relevant staff
familiarity with long-range plans for such facilities (i.e., Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, Transit
Development Plan). Consider opportunities to include multi-modal facilities when aligned with
long-range plans, and for streetscaping to reduce impervious surfaces.
o Lead Responsibility: Engineering Division
o Time Frame: Medium (3-5 years)
o Implementation Details:
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▪ Meet annually with GO Transit staff to identify issues and opportunities
accommodating transit on local streets.
▪ Incorporate streetscaping, landscaping, trees, furniture, public art, wayfinding,
and/or decorative lighting, around highly visible pedestrian, bicycle, and transit
corridors to improve the quality of experience for active transportation and alert
motorists to the increased presence of vulnerable roadway users.
▪ Implement traffic calming and crossing safety improvements in proximity to
areas with higher crash rates.
▪ Continue to explore road diets on streets with speeding issues, crashes, or
otherwise much more capacity than necessary to convey traffic so that space
can be freed up for complete street improvements.
▪ Consider adopting a Complete Streets policy with the understanding that such a
policy does not require inclusion of facilities for all modes on all streets, just the
consideration of all modes.
3. Land acquisition. Proactively acquire land for planned multi-modal transportation facilities as a
part of annual capital planning, or other funding, where the existing right-of-way is known to be
insufficient for the planned facilities.
o Lead Responsibility: Community Development
o Time Frame: Medium (3-5 years)
o Implementation Details:
▪ Work with ECWRPC – the Metropolitan Planning Organization for Oshkosh – to
strategize and prioritize actions that support TOD.
▪ Support actions recommended in Oshkosh Metropolitan Planning Organization’s
Long Range Transportation / Land Use Oshkosh Urbanized Area 2050 plan.10
4. Congestion and Air Quality. Consider strategies to reduce vehicle idling such as installing
roundabouts, increasing awareness in school zones, replacing vehicles with alternative fuel
vehicles, and educating staff about reducing idling of City vehicles.
o Lead Responsibility: Public Works
o Time Frame: Medium (3-5 years)
▪ Revisit the 2017 proposal to develop a policy to minimize vehicle idling and
determine if it would be valuable today.11
5. Electric Vehicles. Continue to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the city on
municipal facilities and public/private locations to expand access to charging to people who may
not have charging access at home.
o Lead Responsibility: Electrical Division
o Time Frame: Medium Term (3-5 years)
o Implementation Details:
▪ Review the zoning ordinance to ensure there are no barriers to installing electric
vehicle chargers, making sure they are allowed as accessory uses, principal uses,
and do not require public hearings.
▪ Follow the recommendations of the EV readiness plan.
6. Trails and Paths. Expand the network of pedestrian and bicycle paths across the city to create
viable alternatives to driving single-occupancy vehicles for most trips.
o Lead Responsibility: Department of Public Works; Planning Division
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o Time Frame: Long Term (5+ years)
o Implementation Details:
▪ Implement the recommendations of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan to
integrate facilities into road construction projects.
▪ Ensure new subdivisions and property development that requires new road
infrastructure includes the facilities identified in the Bicycle and Pedestrian
Master Plan.
▪ Target bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements into crossings and
intersections with high crash volumes involving vulnerable roadway users.
▪ Promote the GO Transit Bike and Ride program with public outreach materials
for bicycle and transit planning.
10 Long Range Transportation/Land Use Plan – Oshkosh Urbanized Area 2050 | Oshkosh Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO); East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (ECWRPC):
https://www.ecwrpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/LRTP-Oshkosh-2020.pdf
11 City of Oshkosh Vehicle Idling Ordinance Proposal:
https://www.oshkoshwi.gov/SustainableOshkosh/Documents/VehicleIdlingReport.pdf#:~:text=The%20city%20of%
20Oshkosh%20can%20benefit%20from,amount%20of%20time%20that%20combustion%20engines%20can