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.

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.

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.

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.