What's at stake?
The Fresno City Council approved initial work to begin on three corridors in the city to expand with bike lanes.
New bike lane expansions may be coming to Fresno following the city council’s approval to begin preliminary work on three selected corridors.
The expansions are part of the city’s current Active Transportation Plan and allow the corridors to advance into 30% engineered design, meaning basic technically feasibility studies and initial route layouts will be developed.
A survey conducted by the city reveals that the primary concerns by local residents include bike infrastructure, trail connectivity and pedestrian crossings. Tony Molina, a former chair of the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition, explained that when roads are designed with only vehicles in mind, cyclists are on their own to navigate potentially dangerous corridors.
“If you’ve ridden a bike in Fresno, you know that network connectivity is one of the things that is lacking,” Molina said.
The following areas were approved for preliminary work:
- First Street
- Downtown Loop
- Olive Avenue
- Belmont Avenue
- H Street
- Cesar Chavez Boulevard
- Clinton Avenue
Molina spoke with Fresnoland about the city’s Vision Zero plan, a major project that seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities. Molina explained that adding bike lanes and creating a safer space for pedestrians and cyclists improves the safety of drivers as well.
“One of the things we seem to see is that if you make things better for bicycles and pedestrians, it makes it safer for vehicles as well because cars tend to drive slower if they see pedestrians and bicyclists,” Molina said.
According to Fresno City Council Vice President Miguel Arias, though the council’s approval only extends to 30% engineered design, the initial work will help the city secure future funding to eventually complete the expansions.
“This will allow the City to secure additional funding to move toward 100% design and construction for the selected corridors,” Arias said in an Instagram post.
The planned bike lane expansions are just one of multiple plans in the city and county to make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists, with the aforementioned Vision Zero plan by the city currently in development and walk audits conducted by Fresno County as part of its Safe Routes to School program.
Luis Chavez, who represents District 3 on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, explained during a walk audit of Calwa Elementary on March 27 that while the county and city have separate plans to improve traffic safety for pedestrians and cyclists, cooperation would benefit residents, including those bordering the city/county borders.
“We need to be working to make sure that [we’re] not only connected but [have] a one community approach to the city and the county working together,” Chavez said.
