What is the best thing to stretch across the two miles that pass China Town, a public transportation hub, and several of Richardson’s most important transit streets? Padded bikes lanes, of course!
Beginning the Tuesday morning of August 24th, our team set out with our shiny new paint striper, fourteen five-gallon buckets of paint, and the ambition to create a total of four miles of semi-temporary bike lanes.
We marked lane lengths and laid stripes with Bike Friendly Richardson volunteers and city planners who were able to watch their designs come to life through their own hands.
Together, we painted two miles of bike lanes on either side of Greenville Avenue between Jackson Street and Campbell Road, complete with green shared lane blocks, bike stencils, and a colorful crosswalk connecting the train to the Arapaho Center Station.
Bike Friendly Richardson volunteers Howard Maher and Bill Flink were instrumental in measuring out the lanes, providing feedback, and even creating inventive ways to speed up the installment process. While we worked together, Howard and Bill filled me in the on the importance of a good, wide buffer and harped on how happy they were about the bike lane’s location, with its proximity to the Chinese restaurant district and public transit station. During the city’s opening day, the two cyclists will be leading a group ride down the new bike lanes to officially celebrate the network.
Per the request of the City of Richardson, feedback has already been rushing in on what works and what doesn’t with the new bike lanes. Opinions and experiences are invaluable and will guide the city in what needs to be done for its permanent bike lanes. We’re thrilled that our project has helped pave the way for longterm, well-functioning bike lanes that make sense for Richardson’s cyclists and drivers alike.
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