New Bike Lanes

Apr 5, 2014 | Neighborhood News

We’re sure you’ve all taken notice of the new bike lanes installed along Yale Blvd. After receiving some feedback from our members we’d like to make sure the following helpful information provided by the City of Richardson is available for your reference. Additional information can be found on the City of Richardson’s webpage specifically related to Bicycle Facilities.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Have bike lanes reduced speed?

  • A traffic study of Custer Parkway between Campbell and Renner revealed a three mile per hour reduction in speed after the implementation of the dedicated bike lane. Before the construction of the bike lane the 85th percentile traffic speed was approximately 35 miles per hour which was reduce to 32 miles per hour after the bike lane.
  • Residents living along Custer Parkway, Waterview Parkway, and Canyon Creek Boulevard have communicated that they feel traffic has noticeably slowed and they feel much safer walking along the sidewalk. This also accounts for the residents becoming more comfortable with parking their vehicles along the roadway in front of their homes without being struck. These additional parked vehicles also encourage motorists to drive slower and provide a buffer between traffic and pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Can I park my vehicle in the bike lane?

The City of Richardson developed two typical cross-sections for bike lane design within the city limits as shown below. One design allows on-street parking while the other prohibits on-street parking. In general, it is preferable not to have parking within or adjacent to bicycle lanes. However, the City does not want eliminate the ability for residents to park directly in front of their own homes or adjacent to public parks.

Bike Lane with Parking

BikeLaneWithParking

Roadway segments with houses fronting the street (meaning the front door faces the street) will still have on-street parking. The Pavement markings will consist of two solid white lines with the bicyclist symbol in between them. The travel lane will be a 10ft section next to the median, the bike lane will be between the two solid lines, and the 7ft section next to the curb will be for on-street parking.

Bike Lane with NO Parking

BikeLaneWithNoParking

Parking will typically be prohibited on Roadway segments that don’t have houses fronting the street. Segments without parking will have a 10 ft travel lane next to the median and a 7 ft bike lane next to the curb, separated by a buffer. The buffer consists of two solid white lines with chevron markings between them. Parking is not allowed in these sections. Nearby residents and their guests should park in their garage, driveway, or on the roadway in front of their houses.

Can I move into the bike lane to turn right from the bike lanes?

While you may be able to turn from the bike line, given there are not cyclists nearby, the traffic laws and markings encourage motorists not to change lanes before the turn except at the major intersections where a designated turn lane is marked and signed. At minor residential street intersections and some driveways there is a 50 ft dashed “skip stripe” to warn cyclists and motorists that there is an upcoming right turn and potential conflict area. This 50 ft is not long enough for motorists to decelerate enough to turn; typical turn bays are 200 ft long and include a taper in order to give motorists time to decelerate before the turn. Thus, motorists should stay in the driving lane and not move into the bike lane to turn.

What types of bike facilities are located within the City of Richardson?

In order to provide a safe environment for bicyclists, Richardson is implementing a long range plan to provide a well-connected network of bicycle facilities including trails, dedicated bike lanes, and preferred bicycle routes on lower-volume, lower-speed collector roadways. This network of facilities is intended to assist bicyclists in reaching points of interest, schools, parks, public buildings, employment areas and DART rail stations. Though the City will not be encouraging bicyclists to ride on major arterial thoroughfares, “Share the Road” and “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” signs have been placed at strategic locations throughout Richardson to inform motorists that bicycles have the legal right to utilize all City roadways and to remind them to be courteous by giving the same respect to the bicycles as they would to motorized vehicles (cars, trucks, etc.).

 

    • Share the Road Route: The “Share the Road” and “Bicycles May Use Full Lane” signs are also posted all along Renner Road where Motorists are very likely to encounter larger volumes of cyclists even though it is an arterial roadway and does not have a dedicated bike lane.



  • Bike Route: Green “Bike Route” signs are posted along roadways in the City that have lower traffic volumes and will help cyclists connect throughout the City and travel between off- street trails and on-street bike lane facilities. Most of these routes are located on collectors or residential streets where providing a dedicated bike lane is either not necessary or practical.

 



  • Bike Lane: Dedicated bike lanes are designated with black and white “Bike Lane” signs accompanied by white pavement markings of the cyclist symbol and a solid white stripe separating motorized traffic from the bicycles. There are currently 13 miles of bike lanes located in Richardson and more are proposed as future funding is available.

 

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