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Council to Discuss Intriguing Bike Route Options
7/8/09 - Alright fellow urban bicyclists this one is for you! Tired of riding West on the 'bike route' on Riverside Drive feeling like each car that passes you might ding you and send you flying into someone's front yard? When riding on parts of Mayberry, do you feel just a tad uncomfortable with your child riding along in back or front of you single file as cars whiz by at 40 mph? Or do you just plain feel that Reno is not very bike friendly? Well check this out.
Dan Gustin is the man with the plan. He and probably several other council members would like city staff to do a report with information and recommendations for:
a) street re-striping options following RTC Mayberry/California slurry seal project including California Avenue area between Arlington and Virginia consistent with 2004 plan Community Development prepared with local businesses. (If I remember that plan correctly, it involved reducing California Ave to two lanes and including bike lanes, much like Wells Avenue).
b) analysis of traffic impacts of a roundabout at Arlington and Liberty streets.
c) options and impact of making all or part of Riverside Drive a bicycle-only street or one-way eastbound, and
d) bikeways including bike lanes or bike routes on Mayberry from McCarran to Hunter Lake, Hunter Lake south to Plumb, Plumb east to Lakeside, Hunter Lake north to Idlewild, Idlewild from Hunter Lake to Booth Street Bridge, Riverside from Booth Street Bridge to First Street, First from Riverside to Arlington, Arlington south to Plumb Lane, Lakeside south to unincorporated area in vicinity of Windy Hill.
This would mean when and if completed, one could safely bike from downtown to Idlewild and then Idlewild down to Bartley Ranch/Windy Hill where dozens of connecting trails leading into the hills await.
I strongly urge you to file a public comment with the City Council on this, or better yet, show up in person and voice your support for a plan like this. Even if we don't have the funds available to do it right now, it's critical items like this are planned out in advance. This would dramatically change the bike friendliness of Reno. See my improvised map below.
View Reno Bike Route Options in a larger map
Comments:
Post your commentsPosted by: RenoCyclist - 7/8/2009 6:08:08 PM
When is the Council meeting?
Posted by: John A. - 7/8/2009 6:44:51 PM
I especially like the idea of the Liberty/Arlington roundabout. This is an awful intersection, and a roundabout would make things easier for pedestrians, bikes, and cars. It would have the added benefit of requiring east-bound cars to decelerate on the approach to the 15mph zone, the first half of which most drivers seem to cruise through at 30 before slamming on their brakes at Court St.
Posted by: Paul - 7/9/2009 4:51:31 PM
I like the routes however I wish they would change the one to Bartley a little. It would be nice to get a bike lane on Plumas from Plumb to Moana. The rest of the way up Plumas is very bike friendly and you always see tons of cyclists on that section. You see a lot on Plumas but there is no place for them to ride. This is long overdue in this city since they purport to be such a great outdoor place.
Posted by: Paul - 7/9/2009 4:55:38 PM
To John A., I wish they would change that 15 MPH zone. It's ludicrous how far up Arlington the 15 zone is yet it ends in the middle of Wingfield Park. That always leaves me scratching my head since the point of the 15 zone is for the park. And then going southbound on Arlington they need to shorten the 15 zone to Court Street. There is absolutely no reason to have to drive 15 all the way up to Liberty.
Posted by: Sarah - 7/11/2009 3:51:32 PM
Yes, more bike lanes please!
Posted by: Wiley_n_Reno - 7/12/2009 8:28:31 AM
an Urban bike trail system is way over due for "outdoorsy" Reno/Sparks. Area cyclists finally got the Verdi route connector along Route 80 done a few years ago. Similar effort is needed to have a SAFE route from downtown heading south to Mt.Rose Hwy. (Arlingon-Plumas-{or Lakeside} to Bartley Ranch Park). Any effort by Mr. Gustin is applauded. Also another route could be from downtown north up N. Virginia to Red Rock Road. The Tahoe-Pryamid trail effort is still going on. http://www.tpbikeway.org .
Posted by: Matthew A. - 7/14/2009 7:55:38 PM
Even though I don't live near downtown and haven't owned a bike in over ten years, I totally support this effort. I realize that may sound strange, but I agree that bikers should be given more routes. Maybe I will look into getting a bike sometime soon.