Even before the results from an online survey conducted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation are released, Winston-Salem city officials plan to increase the miles of bike lanes in their city.
Acadia Avenue will get a brand new bike lane stretching about a mile between Buchanan Street and Sunnyside Avenue. The existing bike lane on South Main Street will be extended to Clemmonsville Road. In total, city officials plan to create at least 40 more miles of bike lanes between now and 2016.
The idea behind the new bike lanes in Winston-Salem is to encourage more citizens to ride their bikes on a regular basis. Bike lanes make it easier for cyclists and motorists to share the road and prevent bicycle accidents and serious injury. Daily commutes to work or to run errands might be more popular if routes including lanes specifically designated for cyclists are added to city streets.
City officials are confident that street lanes will remain wide enough to accommodate bicyclists and motorists safely and comfortably.
As of right now, some commuters chose to ride their bikes down city sidewalks, which is not a safe practice for them or pedestrians. The additional bike lanes should take care of problems bikes present for sidewalk traffic.
If you are interested in voicing your opinions regarding bicyclists, pedestrians and traffic safety, consider taking the NC DOT’s brief online survey before February 8, 2011.
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