Chico To Construct Experimental Bike Lanes
I’m Ed Smith, a Chico personal injury lawyer. The city of Chico, through a partnership with the local cycling group Chico Velo, is set to install new temporary bicycle lanes on streets in the downtown area. The installation was scheduled to begin on Monday, April 16, 2018, and to end on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.
The Lanes
The new lanes will reportedly extend along Third Street from Flume Street to Salem Street as well as from Salem Street to Fourth Street and Salem Street to Wall Street. The temporary construction is part of the Buffered Bikeway Pop-up Demo Project, which aims to test public reaction to roadway features that could potentially reduce the number of collisions involving serious injuries on the affected roadways.
The city reported that the lanes will be made by temporarily removing one vehicle traffic lane from each of the streets in order to accommodate a single bike lane of standard width in addition to a five-foot buffer between the lane and vehicle traffic.
An Experiment
The project will only involve a temporary change to the markings on the roadway surface of affected streets. Chico Velo noted that parking along these streets will not be restricted or impacted in any way by the temporary changes.
This demonstration is scheduled to last for only a for only two weeks. On May 2, 2018, the marking will be removed, and the roadway will return to its previous configuration. However, Chico city staff have requested that city residents send the city government feedback regarding their opinions on the use of exclusive bike lanes throughout the downtown area.
The city will reportedly take public opinion into consideration when planning future changes to Chico’s roadways.
Bike Accidents in Chico
Research data published recently by UC Berkeley indicates that Chico was the site of 566 individual bicycle/vehicle accidents resulting in injuries between the beginning of 2006 and the beginning of 2018.
The reported accidents ranged in severity, with 5 accidents resulting in fatal injuries. Additionally, the cyclist was the fatally injured party in each of the deadly collisions. The 566 bicycle/vehicle collisions also included 51 accidents involving severe injury, 338 accidents involving visible non-severe injuries, and 172 accidents involving parties complaining of pain. It is worthwhile to note that the vast majority (95.59 percent) of the individuals injured in these accidents were cyclists.
Dangerous Biking Areas
The roadways scheduled to receive the temporary bike lanes have been shown to be some of the most hazardous areas in Chico for cyclists and have historically been the site of a relatively high frequency of bicycle/vehicle collisions. Other regions with high bicycle/vehicle accident rates include:
- The Nord Avenue/West Sacramento Avenue interchange
- Nord Avenue from Sacramento Avenue to 1st Street
- Walnut Street from 1st Street to 5th Street
- The West 8th Street/Park Avenue Area
- Esplanade Avenue Near West East Avenue
More by Ed Smith, Chico Personal Injury Lawyer
Chico Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Chico personal injury lawyer. Auto accident injuries are often challenging to recover from. If you’ve been hurt by a negligent driver, call (530) 392-9400 to receive friendly, free advice. Those outside the area can also dial (800) 404-5400 or go to AutoAccident.com to speak with me.
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pic: “bike lane” by einzweifrei through CC.0pixabay
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