Joe Gardner
09-01-01, 05:44 PM
Originaly seen in The Daily Herald (http://www.harktheherald.com/article.php?sid=23492&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0#comments).
PROVO -- A new bike path on Center Street has slowed auto traffic, but whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is open to debate.
At least one opponent said the bike trail is clogging auto traffic.
Meanwhile, some residents say the newly striped road and bike path have reduced auto speeds and created a quieter, safer neighborhood.
The bike path, which runs along both sides of Center Street from 900 East to 100 East, has condensed that length of the street from four auto lanes to two. The roundabout at 700 East and Center Street has been reduced from two auto lanes to one.
"They've sacrificed traffic lanes for a handful of bikes," Provo resident Stan Harvey said.
Fewer auto lanes means fewer cars can get through, and that means traffic jams, Harvey said.
"They've created a mile-long parking lot on both sides of Center Street," he said.
But the lane reduction and the resulting slower traffic, as well as the bike-lane buffer between homes and traffic, has greatly diminished noise for residents, said Richard and Helen Wilkins, who live on Center Street.
"It's much quieter," Richard Wilkins said.
And with the traffic being slower, it's made it a bit easier to back out of the driveway, he said.
Helen Wilkins said she has noticed a reduction in speeders.
"People are driving much saner," she said.
The bike trail also allows plenty of space for bikers, which means safer cycling.
"I love it," said Scott Abbott, a cyclist who lives two blocks south of Center Street.
"It's so scary riding a bike in traffic," Abbott said. "But those white lines give an added bit of safety."
Abbot said he was hit by a car while traveling on 900 East in Provo where there is no bike path. He frequently bikes on the new Center Street path now.
"The bike lane makes motorists know bikers will be there," he said.
The Center Street bike path was created a few weeks ago as an experiment, but city officials said there was so much positive feedback they deemed it a permanent fixture.
Neighborhood representatives gathered feedback on the bike path pilot program and turned it in to the city.
Joaquin neighborhood Chairwoman Bonnie Callis, who lives on Center Street, was one of those who collected opinion letters.
Input was quite positive, Callis said.
"The path has restored a sense of calm and beauty to the street again," she said.
Provo officials also relied on the city's bicycle committee for advice.
"It's a low-cost proposition worth trying out," said City Council member Stan Lockhart, chairman of the bike committee.
The bike path idea emerged after city traffic engineer Nick Jones attended a transportation conference in Salt Lake City during which bike lanes were touted as excellent safety mechanisms.
"We were in the process of resurfacing Center Street," Jones said. "We thought this would be a good time to try a bike trail."
Striping the bike path didn't cost the city a lot of extra money since workers were striping the road anyway, Jones said.
This artical made the front page of the local paper, the paper has a readership of over 100,000 people. I used to ride this road almost everyday, going to school, and work. I stoped using this road after a very close call by a rather large truck. The posted speedlimit is 30mph, but i have seen cars do 50+mph, it just was not a safe road when there were 4 lanes, now they have droped the road back down to 2 lanes, and have included 2 miles (both sides of the street) of bike lanes. Im really excited. I hope the city will add bike lanes to a few other critical roads in the city. All it took to get this bike lane created, was a few opinion letters, and an active bicycle committee.
PROVO -- A new bike path on Center Street has slowed auto traffic, but whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is open to debate.
At least one opponent said the bike trail is clogging auto traffic.
Meanwhile, some residents say the newly striped road and bike path have reduced auto speeds and created a quieter, safer neighborhood.
The bike path, which runs along both sides of Center Street from 900 East to 100 East, has condensed that length of the street from four auto lanes to two. The roundabout at 700 East and Center Street has been reduced from two auto lanes to one.
"They've sacrificed traffic lanes for a handful of bikes," Provo resident Stan Harvey said.
Fewer auto lanes means fewer cars can get through, and that means traffic jams, Harvey said.
"They've created a mile-long parking lot on both sides of Center Street," he said.
But the lane reduction and the resulting slower traffic, as well as the bike-lane buffer between homes and traffic, has greatly diminished noise for residents, said Richard and Helen Wilkins, who live on Center Street.
"It's much quieter," Richard Wilkins said.
And with the traffic being slower, it's made it a bit easier to back out of the driveway, he said.
Helen Wilkins said she has noticed a reduction in speeders.
"People are driving much saner," she said.
The bike trail also allows plenty of space for bikers, which means safer cycling.
"I love it," said Scott Abbott, a cyclist who lives two blocks south of Center Street.
"It's so scary riding a bike in traffic," Abbott said. "But those white lines give an added bit of safety."
Abbot said he was hit by a car while traveling on 900 East in Provo where there is no bike path. He frequently bikes on the new Center Street path now.
"The bike lane makes motorists know bikers will be there," he said.
The Center Street bike path was created a few weeks ago as an experiment, but city officials said there was so much positive feedback they deemed it a permanent fixture.
Neighborhood representatives gathered feedback on the bike path pilot program and turned it in to the city.
Joaquin neighborhood Chairwoman Bonnie Callis, who lives on Center Street, was one of those who collected opinion letters.
Input was quite positive, Callis said.
"The path has restored a sense of calm and beauty to the street again," she said.
Provo officials also relied on the city's bicycle committee for advice.
"It's a low-cost proposition worth trying out," said City Council member Stan Lockhart, chairman of the bike committee.
The bike path idea emerged after city traffic engineer Nick Jones attended a transportation conference in Salt Lake City during which bike lanes were touted as excellent safety mechanisms.
"We were in the process of resurfacing Center Street," Jones said. "We thought this would be a good time to try a bike trail."
Striping the bike path didn't cost the city a lot of extra money since workers were striping the road anyway, Jones said.
This artical made the front page of the local paper, the paper has a readership of over 100,000 people. I used to ride this road almost everyday, going to school, and work. I stoped using this road after a very close call by a rather large truck. The posted speedlimit is 30mph, but i have seen cars do 50+mph, it just was not a safe road when there were 4 lanes, now they have droped the road back down to 2 lanes, and have included 2 miles (both sides of the street) of bike lanes. Im really excited. I hope the city will add bike lanes to a few other critical roads in the city. All it took to get this bike lane created, was a few opinion letters, and an active bicycle committee.