New Bike Lane in Denver!
Good news for Denver! Denver Public Works is currently working on the Phase I of the 15th Street Bikeway, a new buffered bike lane that has some new bike-friendly features that are new in Denver. This is a great step in the right direction, I always go out of my way to take bike-lanes around town, and now there is yet another great option. Check out the new features of the bike lane, below (sourced from denvergov.org):
Left Side Buffered Bike Lane:
A designated bike lane on the left side of the roadway will be bordered on the right side with a sienna-colored, buffer that clearly delineates the bike lane from the travel lane.
Green Pavement Markings:
Green pavement markings increases awareness to the presence of bicyclists, particularly in areas of potential turning movements conflicts. Green pavement markings will define where a vehicle and bicycle share space, such as at a mixing zone or intersection. It also provides guidance to bicyclists on where to position themselves across the intersection.
Mixing Zone:
Mixing zones are the areas where motorists making left turns and cyclists continuing through the bikeway will merge before the intersection. In the five mixing zones along the corridor, motorists will yield to bicyclists before entering into the mixing zone to make a left turn. Motorists approaching mixing zones are encouraged to LOOK LEFT before entering the shared space.
Turn Queue Boxes:
Green Turn Queue Boxes help cyclists turn right from the left-side bike lane. The turn queue box positions cyclists ahead of the crosswalk of the intersecting street, facing the intended direction of travel. The cyclist waits for the signal to turn green and then proceeds through the intersection on the right hand side. Turn queue boxes will be installed at Welton and Lawrence.
Bike Box:
A green bike box, will be installed at 15th and Cleveland to increase the visibility of cyclists at the intersection. In the bike box, cyclists take their position ahead of cars, to gain priority to move into the intersection when the signal turns green. Drivers must stop behind the green bike box at the white stop line. Both bicyclists and motorists must wait for the traffic signal to turn green, and when it does, they may move through the intersection with caution, with bicycles in the bike box going first.
Bicycle Signal:
At the intersection of 15th and Lawrence Streets, Public Works has included a bicycle traffic signal. This provides bicycles their own phase to move across the intersection, allowing the diagonal movement to the right-side of the street for bicyclists continuing to travel to lower Downtown.