On Thursday, March 21, the City of Lawrence will implement temporary bike and traffic demonstration projects at the intersection of 13th and Connecticut St. and on 21st St. east of Naismith Dr. The intersection at 13th and Connecticut St. will be closed from approximately 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. that day to allow for installation. 21st St. east of Naismith Dr. will remain open to traffic throughout the process.
These temporary demonstration projects are short-term, low-cost changes designed to test potential long-term designs for bicycle boulevards. They will allow the community to provide feedback before permanent change is implemented. Two surveys will be available from Thursday, March 21 through Friday, April 5 on Lawrence Listens, one each for 13th St. and for 21st St. All responses will be utilized in preparing the final designs.
“We invite the public to experience for themselves how these improvements will impact bicycling, walking and driving in the area,” said Jessica Mortinger, transportation planning manager, Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization. “We encourage everyone to walk, wheel or drive through them over the next couple weeks and then share your feedback with us.”
The bicycle boulevard projects on 13th and 21st streets were selected using the Non-motorized Projects Prioritization Policy. They will help bring to life the priority bikeway network identified in the Pedestrian Bicycle Issues Task Force Report. The report, published in 2016, identified both 13th St., from Massachusetts St. to Haskell Ave., and 21st St., from Iowa St. to Massachusetts St., as future bicycle boulevards.
The Non-Motorized Projects Prioritization Policy outlines a scoring system for three types of projects: ADA ramps, pedestrian gaps and bikeways. The 13th and 21st St. bicycle boulevards were selected due to high scores in this system as well as other contributing factors, including project cost and budget. The Transportation Commission approved the 13th and 21st St. bicycle boulevards at their meeting on April 2, 2018, and Lawrence City Commission approved the plan on May 15, 2018.
“The Transportation Commission is committed to supporting the community’s vision for safe and comfortable bikeways while building a culture around active transportation and healthy lifestyles,” said Steve Evans, chair, transportation commission. “The demonstration projects temporarily constructed on these two bike boulevards are exciting because they’ll provide everyone the opportunity to experience first-hand the important design elements.”
Bicycle boulevards are streets designed to provide a comfortable experience for all riding abilities by creating a low-speed and low-volume roadway where bicyclists share the street with vehicles. The temporary demonstration projects use tested and proven components from other bicycle boulevards across the country. They are constructed using paint and traffic tape adhered to the road, as well as plastic bollards, in a demonstration of where the permanent changes will be.
Additional information and FAQs are available online here. Questions can be directed to:
- Amanda Sahin, engineering program manager, City of Lawrence: asahin@lawrenceks.org
- Jessica Mortinger, transportation planning manager, Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization: jmortinger@lawrenceks.org