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!

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.

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.

A Better Brandon Avenue

Brandon Avenue has major issues. It is a road that is dangerous for people biking, walking, and driving. It is home to one of the most mindboggling intersections I’ve ever seen and two of the closest grocery stores to downtown Roanoke.

As I said in my statement to the City Council, Brandon Ave was identified as a priority corridor in the 2012 Bicycle Plan adopted by the Roanoke Regional Commission and for several pedestrian improvements in the 2015 Pedestrian Plan. As a corridor Brandon Ave from Main Street to Franklin Street sees multiple crashes per year, including at least one fatality each of the last two years and numerous serious injuries according to data from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

To improve Brandon Avenue, I think that the City needs to think radically. The City needs to consider a full reconfiguration from Brambleton to Franklin. Thinking radically in this case, for me, means going from four full travel lanes to two full travel lanes, one two-way left turn lane with periodic pedestrian refuges and marked crosswalks, and good bicycle facilities.

The current condition of Brandon Avenue between Main Street and Towers, and some options for a better configuration.

Brandon Avenue with Two Separated Bike Lanes

Brandon Avenue could easily have two separated bike lanes

Brandon Avenue current conditions

Brandon Avenue with a cycletrack

Potential crosswalks for Brandon Ave

Going from four lanes to five lanes (with two of them just happening to be bike lanes), may feel radical because it is a major change, but it is not radical from a technical perspective. The Road Diet Informational Guide from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) includes lane reconfigurations like this for roads with up to 26,000 annual daily traffic (ADT). Brandon Avenue is around 21,000 ADT, well under the maximum reviewed in that guide and just on the border of roads considered “good candidates” by FHWA.

FHWA promotes lane reconfigurations like road diets because the two-way left turn lane helps maximize the efficiency of the roadway while reducing crashes between 19 and 47 percent and significantly improving bicycle and pedestrian safety. FHWA has endorsed the type lane reconfiguration I propose here through their Proven Safety Countermeasures and Every Day Counts programs. I have chosen to say that changing Brandon Avenue is radical because I believe it captures how the City of Roanoke may feel about it, not that these changes are new, innovative, or outside of the mainstream of traffic engineering.

Roanoke has already done a good job of identify places where lane reconfigurations can improve transportation. Of all Virginia localities surveyed by the Virginia Department of Transportation, it was the third locality in terms of number of lane reconfigurations reported. While Brandon Avenue would be the biggest lane configuration project yet, the city has received positive feedback on other similar projects and not a single similar project in Virginia has had most of its feedback be negative.

One of the major upsides of being radical is that the needs of the intersection at Brandon and Main might be altered so that it can be converted into a single lane roundabout – fixing one of the worst intersections in Roanoke. Or the intersection may otherwise be simplified.

Brandon Ave and Main Intersection

Without major changes Brandon Avenue will continue to be a road that dangerous for all of its users and that creates a barrier for most people biking and walking in Roanoke. It may feel radical to change it, but the alternative is a choice to accept crashes, accept traffic, and accept that things cannot improve.

Dale Avenue could be a great bike boulevard

Dale Avenue is a street that is recommended for bicycling by Google, but not on the Roanoke Bike Plan. What Google realizes is that Dale Avenue is a low traffic street with limited cross traffic that provides a good alternative to more trafficked or more difficult streets like Tazewell, Bullitt, and Jameson. With a few changes, Dale Avenue could be a great bike boulevard and a great connection to improved streets at 9^th and 13^th, creating a solid network for bicycling in southwest Roanoke.

Project sketch for all potential improvements on Dale Ave.

Here are some changes that could make Dale Avenue a street where it is clear that bicycling is a priority and that this is a preferred route for bicycling in southwest Roanoke:

The Easy Changes – Switch stop signs on 7^th and 11^th streets

Currently there are stop signs at 7^th and 11^th street that stop traffic along Dale Avenue. To promote bicycle traffic flow, those stop signs could be switched so that they allow continuous travel on Dale Avenue. If there is a concern about speeding car traffic using Dale Avenue, then small traffic roundabouts could be added and with community art it could be a really cool project to bring attention to improvements in southwest Roanoke.

Dale Ave could be better with small roundabouts to complement a bike boulevard treatment.

An Easy Connection – Make the Intersection of Dale and 9^th Street more people-oriented

Dale Avenue crosses 9^th Street north of Jamison where 9^th street is a four lane road with a wide median. There is not much traffic on 9^th street in this section and Dale Avenue would be improved as a bike boulevard if 9^th street was only two lanes at this point, with parking and bike lanes. Parking is already allowed and there is a church nearby so parking at times may be significant. By marking parking lanes, bike lanes, and crosswalks at Dale Avenue this intersection will be significantly calmer and a much stronger connection in the southwest Roanoke bike network. Marking crosswalks may also help bicyclists feel comfortable crossing halfway if needed. If the parking demand is not super high, or the city wishes to further improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, then it would be great to create bump-outs with concrete, paint, or bollards at this intersection. It would also be interesting to use bike racks to provide some protection for a painted bump-out.

Example of painted bump-out with bollards

The intersection of Dale Ave and 9th Street could be improved with painted bump-outs and bollards to daylight the intersection.

A Bigger Ask – Make the Intersection of Dale and 13^th Street more people-oriented

A lot of what was just said about Dale Avenue and 9^th Street could be said about Dale Avenue and 13^th Street. 13^th Street is higher traffic than 9^th Street at its intersection with Dale Avenue. A great bike boulevard would require a median so that bicyclists can cross as few lanes as possible at a time. 13^th Street has a larger project, and this would be an ideal time to make improvements at this intersection as well.

Thinking Bigger About Connections – Connect to Greenways using Dale Avenue

Dale Avenue has the possibility of making some great connections, but all would require some additional work.

Connect to Fallon Park and the Tinker Creek Greenway – Dale Avenue curves at 16^th Street and then the bike boulevard can continue along Stewart Street. This has the benefit of avoiding the worst of hills. Where Stewart Street dead-ends at Fallon Park and Fallon Park Elementary School it would be great to have a path separate from the sidewalk to connect to the Greenway system in Fallon Park. A much bigger ask would be a bridge over Tinker Creek to avoid the rough road at Wise Avenue on the way to downtown Vinton.
Connect to the Mill Mountain Greenway – Tazewell Ave SE is four lanes for some reason from 4^th Street SE to Williamson Road. This section sees ~5,000 vehicles per day and does not need 4 lanes. If the southern lane was taken away and repurposed into a two-way protected bike lane from the Mill Mountain Greenway at Elmwood Park to 4^th Street then that would make a great connection and facilitate the use of Dale Avenue as a primary bike route, as well and provide a safe connection for people who use bikes to access the Rescue Mission. Repurposing that lane might take 8 parking spots, but there are many alternative places to park downtown. A two-way protected bike lane in front of the Roanoke Regional Partnership and Roanoke Outside would also be a great way to communicate that the city values biking.

A two-way protected bike lane from the Mill Mountain Greenway to Fourth Street along Franklin/Tazewell would be a great connection from downtown to southeast.

13th Street has a plan – and it’s bad

One of the issues that people face while biking in Roanoke is moving between the different parts of the city and to surrounding communities. There are major barriers for anyone who wants to bike from southwest Roanoke to Northwest (mainly large and difficult intersections along Orange Ave), and the city of Roanoke is effectively segregated by infrastructure in many ways.

Currently it is fairly common and easy for people to bike from Downtown Roanoke to Downtown Vinton or vice versa. But, if a project currently planned for 13th street goes through as planned it will make this trip more difficult for people biking.

Campbell/Wise Ave is a popular bike route. This heatmap of Strava data shows its use.

The biggest problem with the proposed project for 13th Street connecting to Hollins is a large roundabout at Wise Ave. Wise Ave is the bright east-west route in the Strava heat map above. It connect downtown Roanoke to downtown Vinton and both to the cyclocross course at Fallon Park , which hosts the annual GoCross race.

There are three major problems with the proposed roundabout designed for the intersection of 13th and Wise Ave:

It is a multi-lane roundabout. While Wise is otherwise a two lane road, it will expand to four lanes at the roundabout. 13th Street going north will similarly go from two lanes to four at the roundabout. In both cases, a person riding through the roundabout will have to take the lane as drivers see more open space.
It has slip lanes which encourage drivers to maintain speed through the roundabout. One potential benefit of roundabouts is that they slow drivers at intersections, reducing the chance of crashes that cause serious injury or death. By providing slip lanes for people turning right at the roundabout, the design encourages higher speeds and makes it more difficult for slower traffic, like people biking and walking, to navigate. There is an existing roundabout at Riverland Road and Bennington Street SE that has slip lanes and is similar in design. While the Roanoke River Greenway connects to the Garden City Greenway through this roundabout, the connection is not a path width and has several difficult angles.
Roundabout design guidance in the United States says to not include bike lanes through a roundabout because traffic must cross the bike lanes. There is also no plan to provide a path or trail alternative or provide an alternate bike route. The larger project actually cuts off a low traffic bike route along Dale Avenue that shows up on Google maps, but not the Roanoke bike plan. This means all people who want to bike from Roanoke to Vinton or vice versa will have to take the lane through this high speed multi-lane roundabout with no bike lanes or other accommodations.

The entire project has two roundabouts and significantly expands 13th Street.

This is the existing Riverland Road roundabout with slip lanes.

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

Overall, the 13th Street and Hollins Road project as proposed would make a significant bicycle route more difficult to navigate and less safe. The supposed upside is improved traffic flow, but the project proposal estimates that traffic will double from current levels. While Roanoke is a growing city, it is growing because of its outdoor appeal, not its lack of traffic congestion. The proposed project is estimated to cost $37 million and much of that cost is likely due to it being designed for a level of traffic that may never appear, much like 13th Street south of Jamison Avenue.

I sincerely hope that this project never comes to pass. When Roanoke applied for state funding through the Smartscale process it scored poorly. When it was scored in 2017, it was 38th out of 50 in the Salem VDOT district and was in the bottom half of all projects in the state.

This is a $37 million project with total costs that will likely be more than $60 million and will make it harder for people to bike between Roanoke and Vinton. While I am sure there are good reasons that it was developed, this is a bad project for people who bike and likely a waste of money for the taxpayers of Roanoke and Virginia.

Biking with Ken

Roanoke Projects

Brandon Avenue Safety Improvements

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

Thirteenth Street Revisited

A Proposal for another Lick Run Greenway bridge

Small Greenway Accessibility Improvements

Downtown Cycling Circulation Improvements

Making a Downtown Roanoke Urban Loop Reality

A Better Brandon Avenue

Dale Avenue could be a great bike boulevard

13th Street has a plan – and it’s bad