While protected bike lanes exist in Bend (see our post about what a protected bike lane is), they are uncommon. We aim to change that. The first steps are to get people to try them out and provide feedback. To that end, we’ll be erecting a demonstration protected bike lane June 3rd, in conjunction with the Future Fair being put on by the Bend Livability Project. Scroll down through the pictures and marked up maps for an overview the route.
Here’s a map view of the start of the demonstration. Diagonal car parking stalls will be temporarily made into parallel ones, allowing the protected bike lane to hug the curb. On the map, car parking is designated in red; the protected bike lane route is green.
At the end of the Courthouse block on Bond Street, the protected bike lane will move the current bike lane on NW Wall (northbound) closer to the curb and add cones at the left to create a barrier between someone on a bike and cars.
Here’s a map view of that section of the route.
For the 2nd half of NW Wall Street heading north towards Olney Avenue, parked cars will once again be used to create a buffer between the auto travel lane and the protected bike lane, allowing those on bicycles to pass closer to the curb.
Here’s a map view of this section of the route. Just before NE Olney Avenue, riders can take Norton Avenue east and proceed via a back driveway to Olney to continue their short ride to 1st Street in the Maker’s District where they find food, drinks, and live music. Should be quite the party!
We invite everyone to come out anytime between 5pm and 9pm on Friday June 3rd to experience the one mile protected bike lane firsthand, and maybe the most important part of all, tell us what you think of it. We’ll have a tent canopy and our banner up at the end of the route. Find our volunteer there with a short survey to help us build the case to the city’s policy makers and city staffers that protected bike lanes an important missing piece in Bend’s bicycle infrastructure.
See you all there! Tell all your friends!!