Results of the 13th Street Bike Lane Pilot Study: Bike Lanes Should Remain

Last Wednesday, the Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities presented the results of the 13th Street bike lane pilot project. The City presented its findings to a quiet room at the Gershman Y, the media circus and outrage that surrounded the Spruce and Pine bike lane public meetings noticeably absent.

The results of the test were overwhelmingly positive. A striking statistic announced at the meeting: bicycles make up 23% of the AM rush hour traffic on 13th at Walnut Street. The City also reported on several issues which need addressing. The main one is the intersection at Market Street, which is problematic due to the mixture of the bike lane, right turns, and the layover location for the #124 and #125 express buses. The City's solution will be to not mark the bike lane through this intersection. We recommended painting sharrows to guide cyclists and drivers through that complicated intersection.

13th Street is currently milled and awaiting resurfacing later this week, with line painting expected to take place shortly thereafter. While there is no final word on the permanence of the 13th Street bike lane, the report from the pilot recommends that the bike lane remain.


Results of 13th Street Bike Lane Pilot Study