Brandon Ave in Feb 2022

Shallow sidewalk along Brandon Ave before repaving

Pedestrian pushbutton inaccessible from Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Brandon Avenue before repaving

Brandon Avenue Safety Improvements

Brandon Avenue between Colonial and Brambleton Avenue was scheduled to be milled and overlaid in June of 2021.

Brandon Avenue was scheduled to be milled and overlaid in 2021 no matter what. It was on Roanoke’s paving schedule, which is publicly accessible for the next three years. While not every road is repaved during the year that it is scheduled, Brandon Ave was going to be repaved in 2021. It is a major road, an arterial to one of the closest commercial complexes to downtown. Repaving Brandon Avenue is disruptive, most people in Roanoke would notice it, and it was scheduled for 2021.

On May 15, 2020 Mackenzie Byers was hit by a driver on Brandon Avenue and later died from injuries sustained in the crash. According to data from the Virginia Department of Transportation, at least two other pedestrians hit on Brandon Ave suffered incapacitating injuries between 2013 and 2020. Prior to Mackenzie’s death, it was unclear what the City of Roanoke would do when it repaved Brandon Avenue.

Mackenzie Byers’ death galvanized people asking for a safer Brandon Avenue. In surveys conducted by the City of Roanoke Transportation Department 63% of people indicated that they supported a road diet that eliminated one travel lane to provide for a turn lane and two buffered bike lanes. A crosswalk was placed close by the intersection where Mackenzie Byers was struck.

Brandon Ave was identified as a priority corridor in the 2012 Bicycle Plan adopted by the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission and for several pedestrian improvements in the 2015 Pedestrian Plan. In repaving and restriping Brandon Avenue the city delivered on its recently adopted Comprehensive Plan that promises a Livable Built Environment and Healthy Community. The Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee held a site visit for Brandon Avenue. About a dozen people walked the length of Brandon Avenue from Towers Mall to the Main Street intersection. A couple biked the route and side streets. Bicycle and pedestrian deficiencies were noted, including:

A sidewalk on only one side of Brandon Ave.
A transit stop with a small waiting pad at Malcolm Street NW.
No bike lanes.
No crosswalks.
Limited crossing points at 23rd Street SW, including a pedestrian landing that does not connect to the sidewalk in front of Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

When Brandon Avenue was repaved it was striped with two travel lanes, two buffered bike lanes, and a center turn lane. At some points additional lanes are available to cars and trucks.

As a person who bikes regularly from Wasena to Towers Mall, the changes to Brandon Avenue change my experience and choices of how I ride.

I used to be scared to bike on Brandon Avenue, as I perceived that many people drove 35-40 mph when it was signed for 30 mph.
I used to be scared because there were no bike lanes, and that fast traffic was frustrated to be stuck behind me at 15-20 mph.
I used to regularly use Windsor Avenue, as described in this blog post, in order to avoid Brandon Avenue.

Now, when I bike to and from Towers Mall, I ride on Brandon Avenue:

It feels 30 mph now, with less speeding..
With the buffered bike lanes, I feel safer as traffic does not come up directly behind me.
With the bike lane going up the hill, I ride to the entrance in front of Kroger rather than taking the longer turn up 23rd Street SW.
It is legitimately nice to pass stopped traffic heading down the hill to the intersection at 23rd Street SW.
It still feels awkward between Malcolm Street and Main Street, due to overhanging trees that obscure traffic lights and shared lane markings.
Brandon Ave in Feb 2022

Overall, I’m honestly surprised how large of a difference the restriping made. It feels like a very different road. It feels safer. It feels like a place that I can include on a bike ride without having to warn a newer rider. It feels like a great response to one of the biggest dangers for people walking, two lanes of traffic in the same direction where one lane may stop and another may not. I hope this is a sign of things to come in Roanoke and the United States. Fewer lanes, lower speeds, more biking, more walking. Changing our streets is difficult, but it’s possible and Brandon Avenue is a great example of taking an opportunity to improve a street for the better.

How Roanoke can have the largest pop-up bike network in Virginia history

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Part of that lapse was working on a grant proposal for Roanoke Outside this spring. That grant proposal was one of over 3,000 for an AARP Community Challenge Grant and one of over 3,000 that were not funded.

My grant proposal was called the Star City Circuit. The Star City Circuit is a proposal for the largest pop-up bike network in Virginia history, connecting 6 miles of Roanoke with protected two-way bike lanes, existing bike infrastructure like the Roanoke River Greenway, and a downtown route of low-traffic streets. In concept, it is a demonstration of the Downtown Roanoke Urban Loop from the 2017 Downtown Neighborhood Plan and which I blogged about a year ago in July 2020.

Map of the 6 mile Star City Circuit proposal

My grant proposal for Roanoke Outside asked AARP for $10,000 to implement a one-day demonstration project. While the AARP email informing Roanoke Outside of not getting the grant did not provide feedback, my guesses for why the proposal did not receiving funding would be:

There was no local match for the $10,000 ask. Other grant programs, like the People For Bikes Community Grant, will not fund proposals asking for more than 50% of the funding required. For future success, local fundraising will likely be key.
Roanoke does not have a record of pop-up demonstration projects. While Roanoke does sometimes close streets for events, has a great chalk-up the city scene, and has an admirable record for safe street reconfigurations, there is little record of temporary street changes. Going from no record to the largest pop-up in Virginia history is a big jump.
The proposed design was not fully vetted by important stakeholders. Major sections of the proposed project pass directly by law enforcement agency offices and the largest employer in the region, Carilion Clinic, and I didn’t secure letters of support from either. Getting the support of both will likely be important for future success.

So, what is the Star City Circuit?

Well, as one project it is 6 miles of connected Greenway, two-way protected bike lanes, low-traffic streets, contraflow lanes, signs, and improved intersections. But, it’s probably best described as three improved corridors and one major intersection improvement.

First, the Star City Circuit is not possible without Roanoke’s existing bike infrastructure. It uses existing bike infrastructure for about 43% of its length, primarily the Roanoke River Greenway between Black Dog Salvage at Memorial Bridge and the River’s Edge Sports Complex.

Jefferson Street Corridor

Jefferson St Corridor of Star City Circuit

The easiest to implement improved corridor is Jefferson Street between Elmwood Park and River’s Edge. In this section, Jefferson Street is a road that meets federal criteria for a road diet – meaning that an existing travel lane can be repurposed without much negative effect on congestion – and that congestion may even be improved by converting an existing travel lane into a center turn lane. For the purpose of the Star City Circuit, and the proposed Downtown Urban Loop, this means that Jefferson Street can have its west-most lane converted to a two-way protected bike lane. With enough traffic cones, the west-most lane can be dedicated to people biking, walking, and scooting. At Reserve Road, this lane would use the slip lane to make a fully separated turn towards River’s Edge Park before connecting with the Roanoke River Greenway. By connecting River’s Edge Park, South 16 Apartments, and the Virginia Tech-Carilion Clinic Fralin Biomedical Research Institute to downtown, this is a potentially transformative link on its own.

Downtown Corridor

Downtown Corridor of Star City Circuit

The next corridor is not, strictly speaking, a corridor. But it is the section of low-traffic streets from 3rd Street SW to 3rd Street SE that allows the Star City Circuit to navigate downtown without causing much disruption to downtown. The most direct route would use Campbell Avenue and Market Street to create a loop, but that would require repurposing probably 50-100 parking spaces downtown. Instead, to avoid displacing parking, the Star City Circuit proposal uses a somewhat meandering route that avoids car traffic. Going left-to-right, the proposal begins at Campbell Avenue and 3rd St SW, then goes on 3rd St SW towards the Virginia Museum of Transportation before turning onto Norfolk Ave SW and continuing on Norfolk Ave SW until it hits Campbell Ave SE, taking a quick right turn on Campbell Ave before a left onto 3rd St SE, then following 3rd St SE until it turns into Bullitt Ave SE and then the Elmwood Art Walk. This meandering route has the advantage of including the future downtown transit center, low-traffic on all segments except the quick half-block on Campbell Ave, and great potential for future development.

Campbell-Patterson Corridor

Campbell-Patterson Corridor of Star City Circuit

The final corridor is the most complicated and goes from 13th Street SW to 3rd Street SW. In those ten blocks there are several major challenges that require careful attention as a pop-up project and as a long-term project. The Star City Circuit proposal attempts to balance the issues, but this is a corridor where experience and feedback from the pop-up will be critical to the long-term solutions.

The biggest challenge in this corridor is the Y-intersection of Campbell Ave and Patterson Ave, where a man died in a motorcycle crash in 2020. This intersection has relatively higher traffic, a high-speed unprotected left turn, and an elevation change that creates visibility issues. The way that the Star City Circuit deals with this challenging intersection is by repurposing the northmost lane on Patterson Ave to avoid conflicts at the intersection and then switching sides of the road at 6th Street in order to better use space on the south side of Campbell Ave. The preference of the Mountain View Neighborhood Association, located on the West End of Campbell Ave, would be to use Campbell Ave the entire way. However, that is only possible by taking all of the parking spaces from 13th Street SW to 6th Street SW or making Campbell Ave a one-way street for that segment. Either of those solutions is complicated for a pop-up, but either could be possible in the long-term.

Another major challenge for the 13th Street SW to 3rd Street SW corridor, is the complex of the Roanoke City Jail, Roanoke City Sheriff Office, and Roanoke City Police Department between 4th Street SW and 3rd Street SW. In this section, there are about 8-10 parking spots reserved for law enforcement that likely need to be maintained for any demonstration project and for the long-term. The Star City Circuit deals with this by creating a parking protected bike lane that preserves these parking spots – the first parking protected bike lanes in Roanoke, and maybe the Roanoke-Alleghany Valley. While complicated to implement as a pop-up, this will allow the community to interact with, and react to, a new type of bike infrastructure that may be used in the future.

SE Roanoke Gateway Intersection

SE Gateway Measurements

SE Gateway Concept

The one major intersection improvement that deserves attention is at 3rd Street SE and Tazewell Ave SE. This intersection is currently between a wide four-lane road in Tazewell Ave SE and a smaller two lane road in 3rd Street SE. There are sweeping corners and no crosswalks despite a bus stop and good foot traffic as the closest access between SE Roanoke and downtown. In the Star City Circuit proposal, this intersection is calmed through large painted curb extensions, crosswalks, and small median islands. It is also an ideal intersection for a pop-up tent and potential future development.

And, that’s the essence of the proposal. As far as I can tell, if this proposal is implemented it would be the largest pop-up bike network in Virginia history and likely one of the 5 or 10 largest in US history. While there are some complicated parts, there’s nothing stopping this from being implemented.

Next steps for this project are still in flux. I’m looking to do local fundraising and I’m looking to do a smaller project to test pop-up materials such as temporary street paint. If you’re interested in this project, please reach out!

Comments to City Council on Plan 2040

I submitted this statement to the City Council in December 2020 after the adoption of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. I was unable to attend the City Council meeting, which was much easier to attend when it was conducted with a Zoom and/or Facebook Live call-in option.

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I want to thank the members of the City Council and the City of Roanoke for creating a comprehensive plan that prioritizes equity, health, and safety in so many areas.

Over the last 20 years Roanoke has created a great greenway system and many miles of bike lanes, and I am glad the 2040 plan continues investments in biking and walking to create complete neighborhoods. The City’s plan says that “complete neighborhood[s] [are ones] built at a human scale, [are] pedestrian friendly and bikeable, and meet the needs of people of all ages and abilities.”

In the Livable Built Environment priorities, Policy 3 “Create accessible neighborhoods” there is an action item to create a “transportation mobility priority plan prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.” I think a City plan for high quality pedestrian and bicycle facilities is very important so that the City can deliver the accessible and complete neighborhoods envisioned by the City’s Plan.

The importance of planning for pedestrian and bicycle facilities can be seen in Roanoke’s Greenway system, which has had three plans adopted about every ten years since 1996. Planning for the greenway system as a whole and for its constituent parts has helped make the greenway a touchstone of the City of Roanoke.

The pedestrian and bicycle plan called for in the City’s 2040 plan, should be a plan for the City of Roanoke, draw from neighborhood plans over the last 20 years, and look forward to meet the needs of Roanoke’s future. The last regional bicycle plan was adopted in 2012 and I hope a bicycle and pedestrian plan for the City is a priority in the next few years.

Large projects, like the Downtown Roanoke Urban Loop contained in the current downtown neighborhood plan, need planning to become reality. A City pedestrian and bicycle plan will also help the City compete for state and federal funds needed for such projects.

I want to thank everyone who contributed to creating the City’s 2040 plan and look forward to the improvements promised for biking and walking, and for equity, health, and safety.

PlanRoanoke icon

Thirteenth Street Revisited

Earlier this year, I wrote about how I think the city of Roanoke’s plan for a large roundabout on 13th Street SE is bad and will make bicycling worse for no clear benefit. In 2020, the city submitted a new version of this project to Virginia’s SmartScale funding program – Project ID: 13th Street Southeast Improvements.

This new application is much improved.

They Changed the Roundabout for the better

The biggest difference is the change from a multi-lane roundabout to a single-lane roundabout. This should make a big difference for bicyclists using the well-traveled route from downtown Roanoke to Fallon Park along Campbell/Wise Ave. A single-lane roundabout is much easier to navigate as a bicyclist as there are fewer conflict points.
The single-lane roundabout also does not have a slip lane for motorists, which was a feature in the 2017 version of this project that would have created a conflict point between speeding motorists and bicyclists exiting the roundabout.
While the single-lane roundabout design is a big improvement, the city should still pay close attention to the design of the roundabout to make sure that it prioritizes safety and low speeds. It is hard to tell from the drawings associated with the project if the city plans to provide ramps for bicyclists who would prefer to cross the roundabout as a pedestrian rather than riding through like a vehicle.

This is the roundabout proposed in 2017 for Wise and 13th with slip lanes.

13th Street Roundabout from 2020 SmartScale Application

It’s unclear how this project affects Dale Ave – which could be a great bike boulevard

The current available drawings only go to Church Ave, a few blocks from the intersection of 13th Street and Dale Ave. I think Dale Ave has the potential to be a great bike route and provide a lower traffic and lower speed alternative to Campbell/Wise Ave. Currently, due to past ambitions to make 13th Street a higher speed four lane arterial roadway, the intersection of 13th Street and Dale Ave has a lot of empty space and could be made significantly safer. Due to the available drawings not including this intersection it is impossible to tell what the city might do.

The project has bike lanes, but doesn’t try to be great for bikes

The typical cross-section for 13th Street in the application shows five foot bike lanes and 11 foot travel lanes, with a median island of up to 15 feet. I think there are three ways this misses an opportunity to provide better bicycle facilities for people:

Bike Lanes Should Not Include Gutters

The five foot bike lane includes three feet of bike lane and two feet of gutter. Unless done very well this will create a less smooth facility over time and decrease the usable area to less than five feet. It would be better to have at least four feet of bike lane excluding the gutter pan.

Repurpose Median Width to Better Bike Lanes

Medians can be great and can help create a pleasant and safe environment through tree canopy. But, a 15 foot median is more than is needed for any turning movement of a car in a turn lane and I would prefer larger bike lanes, or striped bike lane buffers, instead of excess median space. The FHWA Bikeway Selection Guide puts this street right on the border between buffered bike lanes and separated bike lanes as a preferred bike facility.

Narrower Lanes for Low Speed

The cross section has 11 foot travel lanes. This is typical of Roanoke, but is likely to make some drivers speed. Going below 11 feet might allow a larger bike lane that didn’t rely on the gutter pan for 40% of its width.

13th Street cross-section with median

13th Street cross-section without median

This is still a pretty low scoring project on Virginia SmartScale, scoring 1.4. That score gives it a state rank of 250 and a district rank of 25. This might be a slight improvement from the last round and may reflect that this is a less ambitious project – because it does not include the bridge over railroad tracks proposed in 2017. That bridge would probably add at least $10 million to the project cost and was one of ten priorities stated by 2020 Mayoral Candidate David Bowers. While the Virginia SmartScale doesn’t see a lot of value in this project, it appears that city leadership may see value due to this second application and was a stated priority by a political challenger.

Update: David Bowers was defeated in the Nov. 3rd election.

A Proposal for another Lick Run Greenway bridge

The City of Roanoke has done a great job of investing in its Greenway system and creating greenways that help connect the city. These investments include the impressive Lick Run Greenway bridge over I-581 that connects northwest Roanoke to the Valley View Mall.

To maximize the Lick Run Greenway, one more bridge is needed.

Avoid a Dangerous Intersection

View of Orange Ave Intersection

Close-up of pole with pushbuttons

View of Orange Ave Intersection from trail

Currently, the Lick Run Greenway has an awkward and dangerous intersection for people biking and walking that separates northwest Roanoke from downtown Roanoke. At the intersection of Orange Ave NW and Gainsboro Rd NW/Burrell St NW people using the Lick Run Greenway must cross between 8 and 10 lanes of traffic using two crosswalk legs with zero pedestrian signal phases or signal faces. There are pedestrian pushbuttons, but they are located on poles in grass, making them difficult to reach if you are biking. Without signal faces, the pushbuttons also do not provide any benefit, unless they subtly change signal timing. Even when used, I have waited more than a minute to be able to cross with the light, which is significant when the segment from Brown-Robertson Park to Downtown takes about 15 minutes according to Google. In my opinion, this intersection is one of the reasons that Google maps does not recommend using the Lick Run Greenway to access Downtown by bike from Brown-Robertson Park.

A bridge over Orange Ave NW to the field of the Booker T. Washington School Administration building could significantly improve the safety and comfort of bicyclists going between downtown and northwest Roanoke on the Lick Run Greenway. There could then be an improved mid-block crossing on Burrell St NW where it is a wide two lane road to connect the bridge to the Lick Run Greenway coming out of Washington Park (Burrell St NW could also use some traffic calming, additional crosswalks to the park, and continuous sidewalks).

Potentially Easier to Build than other Bridges

A bridge at this location would likely be shorter in distance and height than the MLK Bridge downtown. It seems likely that its cost would be less than the $3.5 million to complete that bridge. Its possible that a bridge at this location would cost less than the $800,000 that it took to complete the Lick Run Greenway bridge over I-581. Both sides of Orange Ave are slightly elevated over the roadway, which should help to reduce bridge costs. The city should consider spending enough to incorporate signage that currently overhangs the road at this alignment and to create an appropriate gateway to northwest Roanoke that recognizes its historic significance to the city and how many transportation investments have served to marginalize rather than improve the community.

This bridge would save minutes for every person looking to walk or bike on the Lick Run Greenway between downtown and northwest Roanoke or Valley View Mall. This bridge would make every person making that trip safer by avoiding 6 to 8 lanes that would otherwise need to be crossed and only crossing a lower speed, lower volume road. This bridge would be an investment in reconnecting Roanoke where so many historical investments have made it more difficult for Roanoke’s communities to connect.

Maybe name it after Edward Dudley, America’s first Black ambassador, who grew up on Gilmer Avenue in Roanoke. It seems appropriate that a bridge making connections be named after a man who lived a life of bringing people together through diplomacy and was an avid Bridge card player.

Potential path of bridge using natural elevation

Potential path of bridge

Current Lick Run Bridge over 581

Not in Current Plans

Right now, this investment is not on the Roanoke Greenway Plan or the RVARC Bike Plan as far as I can tell. This investment should be added in the next opportunity to update those plans and be a part of Roanoke’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. There’s no good way to have a major greenway include an at-grade crossing of a major arterial roadway and 8 to 10 lanes of traffic. A bridge is the only way to truly make the Lick Run Greenway a transportation facility for biking and walking and create a safe and comfortable experience.

There are some projects in the RVARC Bike Plan that could change this intersection, but it is hard to believe that anything less than a bridge will provide a high quality, low-stress, experience. An unspecified improvement on Burrell Street from Orange to Liberty is on the Priority List. An unspecified improvement on Gainsboro Road from Orange to Gilmer is on the Priority List. An unspecified improvement on Orange Avenue from 5th Street to Williamson is on the Vision list. Hopefully, this post helps specify the best possible improvement for the Lick Run Greenway at this intersection – a bridge.

Windsor Ave is a great way to bike to Towers

Windsor Ave was a fun road to discover. The first couple of times that I biked from downtown to the Towers shopping center I used Brandon Ave and it was terrifying. Discovering Windsor Ave, and that it allowed me to mostly avoid Brandon Ave was exciting.

As it is, Windsor Ave is a pretty functional bicycle boulevard. It may not be signed as one, or designated as one, or designed in any way as one, but if you find it then it is pretty useful. There is a somewhat parallel signed bicycle route on Maiden Lane and Wasena Ave that allows access to Wasena Village. But there is no question, in my mind, that Windsor Ave provides unique access to Tower, which is otherwise scary and dangerous to access by bike.

What I’d like to see is for Windsor Ave to go from a hidden gem that is functional if you know how to use it to a bicycle route that is recognized by everyone and is designed so that most people use it in the safest manner possible.

Map of Windsor Ave Bike Route

Current Bike Routes in Wasena

This post is organized going from the Towers Shopping Center to Raleigh Court Park because the improvements close to Towers are much more important to the crucial function of Windsor Ave – providing a low-speed, low-traffic alternative to Brandon Ave in order to access Towers by bike.

Access to Towers happens at 23rd Street SW. There is a short discontinuity between the end of Windsor and 23rd Street. The way that I deal with this discontinuity is using the driveway that leads to the Tropical Smoothie Cafe to move onto the sidewalk on the north side of Brandon Ave for one block and then line up to cross Brandon Ave at 23rd Street SW in the parking lot of Tech Squared Inc. Since Brandon Ave is the major roadway at this intersection I’ve never found myself not waiting at a red light. If there was oncoming traffic and the light was green when I got to the driveway in front of Tech Squared I would not necessarily expect it to stop for me even though I would have the right of way over left turning traffic.

The intersection of Windsor Ave and Brandon Ave is pretty large and unstructured. That’s probably difficult to change because of Brandon Driveway SW, but I think that there could be a bulb-out or sidewalk along the east side of Windsor Ave added in order to slow people turning onto Windsor without obstructing Brandon Driveway SW. A bulb-out or sidewalk along the east side of Windsor Ave might make people feel better about walking to Towers along Brandon Driveway SW, and might make it easier to transition from Windsor Ave to the sidewalk in front of Tropical Smoothie Cafe while biking. Making that biking transition easier and more likely would be good so that drivers exiting Tropical Smoothie Cafe can expect people. Right now, there are no visible cues that drivers should watch for people biking and walking other than the sidewalk color.

The current sidewalk is not continuous from the corner of Windsor and Brandon to the crosswalk at 23rd Street SW. This crosswalk is the only crosswalk across Brandon Ave for a one mile stretch from Brambleton Ave SW to Franklin Road. Although there is a ADA-accessible curb ramp, it is obstructed by what looks like a recently built traffic signal post. If a person bicycling did not feel comfortable riding through the intersection facing left turning traffic then they’d likely have to dismount to access the curb ramp. A person in a wheelchair would likely have to move into the street against traffic, or cross on the west side of the intersection where there is no painted crosswalk – although “Every Corner is a Crosswalk.” Making this sidewalk continuous would be a great improvement, but is unlikely given the cost of relocating the traffic light post.

Bridging the discontinuity could be improved with signage directing people from 23rd to Windsor. It may also be helpful to have sharrows or other markings at the intersection with 23rd in order to make drivers more aware of bicyclists using this type of crossing as part of a bicycle route.

Intersection of Brandon Driveway and Windsor Ave

Accessible curb cut blocked by traffic light post

Minimal disconnected sidewalk in front of Tech Squared

After that discontinuity the next issue is the concrete diverter at Grace Street SW. I am an unabashed fan of traffic diverters and would love to see Roanoke implement more, but the City should make sure that there is designed room for people biking, walking, pushing strollers, walking dogs, or using wheelchairs to proceed through the diverter. I bike in the drainage ditch right now, but would really like a central cut-through that is at least 3-4 feet wide.

Current concrete diverter

After the diverter the next place I’d like to see changes is at the intersection with Main Street. Green two-stage turn boxes would help draw attention to the bicycle boulevard and encourage people to use a two-stage turn to cross Main Street, which can be much easier and safer when there is traffic as there is no center turn lane or safe place to wait to turn left. This is probably more of a nice to have, but it would be an easy place to implement some infrastructure that I haven’t seen in Roanoke yet.

Other than those changes the biggest question is how to mark the bicycle boulevard so that people know it is there. Right now, Roanoke uses signage and it is easy to miss. There are basically two schools of thought for marking a bicycle boulevard with on-street markings:

Edge Lane Striping (also known as Advisory Bike Lanes)
Shared Lane Markings (Sharrows)

I personally would be really interested in seeing edge lane striping on bicycle boulevards in Roanoke. While not common in the United States, it has a good track record abroad and provides a much more continuous experience. One goal of either marking, to me, is to provide assurance to a person bicycling that they are on a route and lanes provide more guidance than occasional markings.

I am intrigued by sharrow-like markings that can be used for wayfinding. There is a NACTO-hosted document on wayfinding sharrows that looks interesting. Somewhat similar is a proposal for wayfinding bicycle dots from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. Something like that would be an improvement from signage and could be done in a way that leverage Roanoke imagery to provide a local branding to bicycle routes.

One other thing to consider is that there are several T-intersections along Windsor Ave. Traffic calming at those points might be beneficial and VDOT may have some ideas to use.

Statement to City Council on Labor Day Weekend Pedestrian Deaths

The Roanoke City Council resumed in person City Council meetings and did not offer a call-in option on September 8th. I was unable to attend in person, but drafted this statement which was printed and distributed to City Council in lieu of my ability to read it.

Thank you Mayor and members of the City Council for hearing me today. In May, I spoke to the Council about a person walking who was hit and killed on Brandon Avenue.

Today, I am speaking because three people were killed by drivers while walking in Roanoke in the last week.

On Thursday, September 3rd, Albert Cager Jr. was hit and killed by a driver on Salem Turnpike NW.
On Friday, September 4th, a man and woman were hit by a driver on Williamson Road NE. The woman died.
On Monday, September 7th, a woman was hit and killed by a driver on Hershberger Road NW.

When the City of Roanoke launched its “Every Corner is a Crosswalk”pedestrian safety campaign this summer, three people had already been killed while walking in the city this year. Now, that number has doubled in less than a week.

The City of Roanoke needs to do more than admonish drivers to respect the legal rights of people walking. The City of Roanoke needs to take positive action to make its streets safer – it needs to invest in safe sidewalks throughout the city, invest in street lighting, and invest in crosswalks and infrastructure to slow down drivers and give space to people walking.

This deadly week highlights the need for the City Council to provide leadership to Roanoke’s built environment and correct past mistakes that have created dangerous conditions for people walking and biking. The Department of Public Works, City Manager, and others involved in making our streets safe, or unsafe, need to know that the City Council believes traffic deaths are preventable and supports them prioritizing the safety of people over the speed of vehicles.

Whether planning for a livable built environment in the City’s next Comprehensive Plan or making decisions about corridors during repaving, the City of Roanoke needs to actively decide to prioritize the safety of people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving in order to prevent tragedies like this in the future.

Small Greenway Accessibility Improvements

Sometimes small improvements can make all the difference. This post is a collection of smaller issues that I’ve noticed while riding on Roanoke Greenways. The common theme for many of the potential improvements in this post are that they limit accessibility to a greenway. What could be an access point is instead a barrier.

One issue with small projects is that there may not be a budget for small projects. It can sometimes be easier for an agency to plan and deliver a large project, which might be eligible for grant funding, over a small project, which might be too small to be worth putting the project out to bid for a contractor. This means that small issues can stay unsolved.

My hope with this post is to describe these small issues so that they can perhaps be bundled into larger projects in their relevant areas, be bundled together so that they can more easily access funding, or be solved in any other way.

Norwich Access Improvement

In the 2003 Neighborhood Plan for Norwich the Plan says “Many residents expressed that developing the river for recreational use with better accessibility is a high priority.” At the time of that Plan, there was no Roanoke River Greenway in the area.

When the Roanoke River Greenway was built, it was not connected to Norwich. Instead a fence separates the residents of Norwich from the Roanoke River Greenway where it is mere feet from the end of Ashlawn Street SW. A post marks a dirt path that people have likely made through accessing the Greenway here. It is a half mile walk, or ride, to the next access point at the current end of the Roanoke River Greenway at Bridge Street SW.

Improving access here could be as easy as removing part of the fence and laying down 10-15 feet of pavement to provide an access point.

Improving access here could also be part of any larger project of repaving in Norwich, if Ashlawn is repaved. Or if sidewalks and gutters were added to the neighborhood, which currently lacks them.

An additional improvement would be striping a crosswalk at the intersection of Ashlawn and Roanoke Ave SW to facilitate a connection between Norwich Park and the Roanoke River Greenway. Creating a good connection there could mean less vehicle traffic for softball games.

Fence blocking access to Roanoke River Greenway

A fence prevents access to the Roanoke River Greenway at Ashlawn Street without a walk through grass.

Ashlawn Street lacks a sidewalk and ends at the Roanoke River Greenway.

West End/Hurt Park Access Improvement

At the end of 17^th Street SW there is a gate and a dirt patch that turns to mud when there is rain. This could provide an access point for the West End and Hurt Park to the Roanoke River Greenway.

Aside from the dirt/mud pit, this access point is not ideal. To get to it you have to cross a railroad track once if coming from the west and three times if coming from the east. A more direct path through some of the industrial land along Cleveland Avenue SW could help improve access from the West End and Hurt Park.

The closest alternative access point is at Memorial Bridge. From any place west of 16^th Street SW, this is likely to be the closest access point to the Roanoke River Greenway. From the intersection of 18^th St SW and Patterson Ave SW, a person would save half a mile if they used this access point rather than the one at Memorial Bridge.

Improving access here could be as easy as laying down about 20 feet of paving where there is a mud pit today.

Improving access here could also be part of a larger project to clean up and redevelop the current industrial uses along Cleveland Ave, particularly if a connection could be made to Campbell Ave SW or 16^th Street SW.

View from 17th Street looking toward Roanoke River Greenway

Large dirt patch seen from Roanoke River Greenway looking toward 17th Street

Best Buy Access Improvement

When the Lick Run Greenway crests over I-581 toward Valley View Mall, people are greeted by a sturdy fence that runs along the southwestern edge of the Best Buy parking lot. Eventually that fence ends and the parking lot opens up, but people biking or walking on the Greenway have to continue another thousand feet or so to the signalized intersection to turn into the parking lot.

A ramp and about 5-10 feet of paving could let people access the parking lot without having to deal with the signalized intersection. That would be a great improvement as traffic is heavy at the intersection, making it an uncomfortable place to cross. There is bike parking by the Target and a ramp would ideally be placed to guide people to that bike parking without too much riding through the parking lot.

Lick Run Greenway at Target/Best Buy

Gilmore/Patton Access Improvements

At Wells Ave SE, the Lick Run Greenway starts to become a real trail. Unfortunately for the people who live along Gilmore Ave NE and Patton Ave NE, there is no ramp along 2^nd St SE that gives them access to the Lick Run Greenway.

It is possible to cut through the parking lot of the Anstey Hodge Advertising Group and access the Lick Run Greenway without getting off your bike, or scooter, or wheelchair, or other mobility device. But, cutting through a parking lot is not an ideal solution and does not recognize that people deserve a public right of way to a public space.

For an area that has suffered so much due to transportation projects designed to tear up the community of historic Gainsboro, the least that can be done is to put a curb ramp and about 3-5 feet of trail so that people can access the trail without using the parking lot.

Solid curb at Gilmer Ave

Disturbed plants where people might be accessing trail through parking lot

Norris Dr NW Access Improvement

At Norris Drive NW the Lick Run Greenway is accessible from the cul-de-sac end of Norris Drive NW. For residents of Northwest Roanoke who are on the south side of Lick Run the next closest access to the Lick Run Greenway is at Brown-Robertson Park along 10^th Street about a mile away. This is access point is the furthest western access point on the south side of I-581. For all these reasons, this should be an important access point as it has the potential to serve a large community in Northwest Roanoke who have no closer access point.

On either side of the bridge over Lick Run at this access point is a mix of gravel, dirt, and vegetation. When it rains, this area can get muddy and stay muddy. There is also the possibility of flooding, which is not exactly uncommon in Roanoke. Improving this access point is straightforward. It would require a paved path on either side of the existing bridge to provide a more consistent surface. My guess is that it would be 20 to 30 feet of path in total. It is possible that some stormwater management would add to the cost and complication of an improvement here, but that is only based on seeing pooled water in the cul-de-sac.

The area to the west of this access point appears to have a complicated development history and the City of Roanoke should improve this access point rather than wait for potential development to provide another access point for Northwest Roanoke or to improve this access point.

I don’t know if the potential for development has prevented Roanoke from investing in this area, but there are some oddities in the neighborhood in anticipation of some development. Andrews Road NW is incredibly wide, probably wide enough for six lanes of traffic or more. It seems likely that some of that width could be used to create a cycle track that connects this Lick Run Greenway access point to Kennedy Park, which has an extensive pathway system. Creating a connection there could also be as easy as adding wayfinding so that more people are aware that the Lick Run Greenway can be found here.

Lick Run Greenway at Norris Drive NW

Proposed Changes to improve bicycling in downtown Roanoke

Downtown Cycling Circulation Improvements

Roanoke’s 2017 Downtown Plan identifies the many one-way streets downtown as a barrier to a thriving downtown. The Plan says:

“Restoring two-way traffic is a tried and true revitalization strategy. Salem and Campbell Avenues were both converted back to two-way in the early 2000s, with considerable objection. Since then, downtown has prospered and many now support the changes after initially opposing the idea.

At present, 1st Street, and Church, Luck, and Kirk Avenues are the significant one-way streets in downtown. Conversion to two way streets would greatly benefit: public safety… property values… and overall livability.” (emphasis added)

The plan goes on to suggest some ideas for changes but makes clear that final decisions should be coordinated with adjacent businesses and property owners. In this blog, I’m going to lay out what I would like to see so that the city, adjacent businesses and property owners, and anyone else can understand my experience with bicycling downtown and how it is affected by one-way streets, focusing on the one-way streets identified as significant in 2017.

Downtown Circulation Improvements from 2017 Downtown Plan

Proposed Changes to improve bicycling in downtown Roanoke

1^st Street

I typically approach 1^st Street from Luck Avenue as I ride into downtown. As 1^st Street is currently a one-way street heading south, away from downtown, 1^st Street acts as a barrier for me and directs me away from my destination. It would be a great improvement to make 1^st Street two-way for bicycle traffic.

There is plenty of room for an unprotected contraflow lane on 1^st Street. An unprotected contraflow lane would not be ideal, but would be cheap and a huge improvement for cycling circulation. With a contraflow lane on 1^st Street bicyclists should be directed to follow pedestrian signals, which exist at every signalized intersection on 1^st Street. A contraflow lane would make the most sense on the East side of the Street from Bullitt Ave SW to Campbell Ave, where 1^st Street becomes two-way for one block before dead ending in the MLK Bridge. It is possible that parking could be shifted to protect the contraflow lane, and if there is a space for that on 1^st Street or any other street downtown then it should be done if possible.

Along 1st Street, it would be best to have bicycle signals for the contraflow lane. But, to save money, the city should consider using R9-5 signs that direct people biking to use pedestrian signals. This would save a significant amount of money associated with a contraflow lane and would allow the city to move forward with a more provisional design while larger changes to downtown circulation are discussed. All of the signalized intersections on 1st Street through downtown: 1st and Salem Ave, 1st and Campbell, and 1st and Church, have pedestrian signals that could be supplemented by R9-5 signs in order to provide direction to bicyclists using a contraflow lane.

R9-5 USE PED SIGNAL SIGN – Main Street Signs, Athaco Inc.

Church Avenue

My big issue with Church Ave is that it has Breadcraft on it, and I really like Breadcraft. Since Church Ave is one-way, I always have to go past Breadcraft and then circle back around to it. In the 2017 Downtown Plan, the suggested changes don’t include making the block with Breadcraft two-way. That block of Church Ave between 1^st Street and Jefferson Street is narrow and hard to make two-way for cars without removing parking from one side. However, there should be room for an unprotected contraflow lane on the South side of the street. That would allow easy access to Breadcraft from 1^st Street. As with 1^st Street, bicyclists should be directed to follow the pedestrian signal at Jefferson Street.

While a contraflow lane or two-way traffic from 5^th Street to 1^st Street could be nice, it’s not a likely cycling route for me. Making those blocks two-way is in the 2017 plan and would be an okay improvement for biking if that change included bike lanes.

Luck Avenue

Luck Avenue is probably my primary access road to and from downtown. When I head toward downtown, I have to choose between breaking the law by continuing straight along Luck Avenue or detouring to a poorly maintained alley or Franklin Road. When I head away from downtown, I have to choose between continuing straight on Luck Avenue or detouring to Franklin Road. Franklin Road, in either case, involves an uphill climb and often waiting at a signal in order to turn onto a higher traffic road with no bike lanes.

Making Luck Avenue better for biking can be easy. All it takes is the use of r3-7bp signs that say “Except Bicycles” so that the one-way restriction on Luck Avenue does not apply to people biking. It would take three signs, two on either side of 1^st Street and one on the west side of Jefferson Street.

Kirk Avenue

Kirk Avenue is pretty amazing to ride on. It’s well designed, it’s low traffic, it has a great downtown vibe. The problem is that it only allows bicycle traffic one-way. Worse, it’s not consistently one-way. The 2017 Plan suggests making it one-way consistently with all traffic going west.

Kirk Avenue is low traffic, so it could be made two-way for bicycle traffic with r3-7bp “Except Bicycles” signs. By my count, it would take four of them to go from 2^nd Street to Market Street, and five to go to Williamson Road.

Kirk Avenue is also likely wide enough for an unprotected contraflow lane on the South side of the road. The intersections on Kirk Avenue are not signalized so there would need to be stop signs added at each intersection.

Bonus one-way street: Norfolk Avenue

In the 2017 Plan, Norfolk Avenue didn’t get identified as a significant one-way street and no suggests changes were included for Norfolk Avenue.

In my experience, Norfolk Avenue is very low traffic and an amazing bypass route of downtown when I am biking. It is fun to head past the Virginia Museum of Transportation, bike between the concrete bollards, head along the train tracks along the Railside Linear Walk, and past the Taubman Museum. It is a relief to end the sprint west along Campbell Ave where there are no bike lanes by turning off on Norfolk and cautiously proceeding against traffic, when there is traffic.

With the right changes, Norfolk Ave could be a great place to bike. It could be a recreational diversion for people. It could be a bypass for people who need to bike around downtown. It could be the most separated, low-traffic, and comfortable route for people going to and from downtown. With the transit station moving to the West End in from the of Virginia Museum of Transportation, this route would provide a signal-free, mostly intersection-free, route for scooters and bikes between downtown and the transit center.

Potential Changes to Norfolk Ave

The necessary changes are not that expensive or complicated, from West to East they are:

Putting a R3-7bp “Except Bicycles” sign at Jefferson Street for bicycle traffic coming from the East
Striping a contraflow lane on the north side of Norfolk Ave from Market Street to Campbell Ave

Some nice features would be:

Repaving the area by the concrete bollards, and providing signage that this is a bike route
Striping bike lanes, sharrows, advisory bike lanes or some other bike facility from 5^th Street to the concrete bollards
A convex mirror at the west end of the Railside Linear Walk
A median island at the intersection of Norfolk Avenue and Campbell Avenue to provide protection to bicyclists entering the contraflow lane and make cars turning left onto Campbell Avenue approach the intersection more perpendicularly

Making a Downtown Roanoke Urban Loop Reality

In 2017, the Roanoke Planning Commission voted unanimously to adopt a Downtown Plan that included a vision for a Downtown Roanoke Urban Loop (DRUL). I see 8 sections that the city should think about for the bringing the DRUL vision to life.

Downtown through Elmwood Park

The 2017 plan says that the DRUL will incorporate the existing greenway path through the core of Downtown. The city should strongly consider making some changes to the existing greenway path to make the DRUL the type of project that will be useful for bicycling and promote a strong core. The biggest problem that the city should consider is that Market Street is a one-way street that allows traffic to only travel south. To create a loop that can be traveled either way, the city would need to make Market Street two-way for bicycles or find an alternate route. There’s probably enough space for a contraflow bike lane to be striped on Market Street, but it is also a historic street with brick pavement so the city may want to consider other ways through signage or paint to show that it is a two-way street for bikes. The other issue that deserves immediate attention is the intersection of Elm and Williamson, where there is no pedestrian push-button aligned with the crossing of Elm that is a part of the DRUL. If a push-button is going to be required for this crossing then it should be aligned with the crossing that people are expected to do regularly.

Williamson Road Protected Bike Lane

The Protected Bike Lane on Williamson Road is mostly nice. It’s a surprising facility and likely needs little attention. As is common with most bike facilities, the issues that do exist are most prominent at intersections. At the entrance to the Carillion Hospital parking garage, it could be helpful to have a conflict area marking with green pavement. At Ablemarle, the pavement is rough and markings are sparse. There is an entrance to a parking lot that creates a long-unprotected space that may lead some to be uncomfortably pulling up to the intersection. I think that may be the only entrance to the parking lot, but there could be an added curb near the intersection to protect bicyclists waiting at the intersection.

Jefferson Road

This is probably the most difficult section as there is no clear transition from Williamson Road to Jefferson Road, there is limited space on Jefferson Road, and recent investments do not seem to have taken into account the idea of the DRUL. There’s really no solution that doesn’t involve taking a travel lane in order to make bike lanes, a cycletrack, or expand a sidewalk into a full-fledged trail; or rebuilding the bridge over the railroad tracks in order to expand one or both sidewalks. One creative solution could be to consider an at-grade crossing of the railroad tracks and then building a trail that parallels the railroad track under Jefferson Street. Another alternative would be to avoid this area and instead connect to the Roanoke River Greenway by using Walnut Ave, which has its own issues with inadequate bike lanes, but is generally lower speed and traffic volume. No matter what, this is probably the hardest part of the proposed DRUL to create.

River’s Edge

The proposed 2017 DRUL goes east-west on Reserve Ave SW before passing through River’s Edge Park. Reserve Ave SW is currently a four-lane road with parking on both sides. There are large sidewalks and it is possible that the proposed DRUL contemplates using those sidewalks as paths. I have no idea why Reserve Ave SW is a four-lane road. It receives ~7,600 vehicles per day, much less than other two-lane roads in Roanoke. I suspect that the road is extra large to accommodate buses during large youth sporting events, but that means that most of the time there are no bike facilities and a very long crossing distance for pedestrians. There’s a lot of space to do something, anything, that makes for a good DRUL experience.

Reserve Ave SW at River’s Edge North

Roanoke River Greenway

The Roanoke River Greenway is great. Personally, I wouldn’t be against Wiley Drive SW being closed to cars to create a larger greenway, but as it is the greenway is great. The biggest issue is that there is a high risk of flooding for the low bridge near Smith Park. Long-term, that bridge should be raised to make flooding less likely and ensure that the RRG is usable more days of the year.

13^th Street

Thirteenth Street, also known – for now- as Lee Highway for part of the contemplated DRUL is mostly fine as is. It has bike lanes on both sides of the street, they’re marked in a way that meets generally observed standards for bike lanes, they could be swept more, but mostly work fine for people who are comfortable bicycling. A few intersections have large exposed areas and are built for fast right hand turns, but nothing is a dealbreaker for an average bicyclist. The city could look at a protected cycletrack for this corridor, probably on the northwest side of the street to minimize problematic turns, and if the city did that it could be continued all the way to the Grandin commercial area to create a more comfortable experience for most bicyclists. I think that might be a good improvement, but it wouldn’t be easy and the street has recently been redesigned so it’s unlikely to be part of the initial DRUL.

Campbell and/or Patterson Ave until 5^th Street SW

The transition from 13^th Street to downtown is probably the second hardest part of making a safe, comfortable, and attractive DRUL. I see a handful of approaches that are worth considering, but all have some issues:

Commit to Campbell Ave – take parking off of Campbell Ave and add bike lanes to both sides of the road. Parking can likely be preserved on one side after 6^th Street, but to do it right parking needs to be removed from at least one side of the road. Committing to Campbell Ave also means that bicyclists will be expected to take the left turn at 7^th Street, which is not great.
Split bike lanes onto Campbell and Patterson – this probably still would take some parking, but by having west bound bike traffic on Patterson Ave SW the left turn at 7^th Street could be avoided and there would be more room for bike lanes. The parking on Campbell Ave between 13^th and 10^th could also likely be preserved. From 6^th Street on, the issues are the same as committing to Campbell Ave.
Commit to Patterson Ave – this has the benefit of extending the DRUL through more of the West End and might work better with a cycletrack on 13^th If parking was removed from the north side of Patterson, there might be room for a cycletrack on Patterson from 13^th to 7^th. Things get much more complicated east of 7^th. If normal bike lanes were used on Patterson it would create a very weird bike lane through a large uncontrolled intersection (which based on personal experience does not feel safe). A cycletrack extending past 7^th would likely mean at least a partial redesign of the intersection to combine the left turn and through lane going east. Ending the cycletrack at 7^th could mean rerouting bicyclists onto 7^th and then onto Salem Ave SW or Norfolk Ave SW. That might be less intuitive, but also might put bicyclists on a lower traffic street if the city isn’t otherwise putting bike lanes downtown.

5^th Street SW to Downtown

From 5^th Street to Downtown, it feels unlikely that the city will remove parking to stripe bike lanes on Campbell Ave. It also seems unlikely that the city will remove parking to stripe bike lanes on Salem Ave. The best candidates for bike lanes, or other bike facilities to go from 5^th Street SW to downtown (defined by me as the City Market) are Luck Ave SW or Norfolk Ave SW. Both are similar in that they are low-traffic, may be too narrow for full bike lanes or a cycletrack, and have sections that are currently one-way that would prevent their full utility as part of the DRUL. None of those issues are too concerning and could be fixed at relatively low cost with signage and painting advisory bike lanes or sharrows where widths are narrow.

Biking with Ken

Author: KenMcldBike