ROANOKE, Va. – If you’ve traveled near Roanoke’s Valley View Mall recently, you might have noticed newly-painted green bike lanes – This is the latest project for Roanoke’s Department of Transportation.
The bike lanes are on each side of traffic, measuring five feet in width.
Cyclists in the area, like Robert Issem, are especially excited about this project.
“These bike lanes are an extension of our Lick Run Greenway, so it enables users to comfortably use these streets to access all of the beautiful things here. We’ve got all these stores and opportunities for dining,” said Issem.
Issem also serves as Roanoke’s Complete Streets and Vision Zero Coordinator for the Department of Transportation. He went on to say that the bright green color is a change he’s happy to see.
“As a cyclist I much prefer a lane to be painted bright green rather than two white stripes on the side of the road. I know it alerts drivers more effectively to my presence on the road, so I feel more comfortable,” said Issem.
The bright green color is to enhance the visibility of the bike lane, so drivers can stay aware and cyclists can feel safe while traveling along the roadway.
And the addition of bike lanes is an initiative Roanoke has been working on for a number of years.
“We have installed about 40 to 50 miles of bike lanes currently. We will continue to install bike lanes wherever we can and continue to promote multi-modal, bicycles, walking, and pedestrian crossings,” said Roanoke Traffic Engineer, Hong Liu.
Ninth Street and Shenandoah Avenue could possibly be the next locations for new bike lanes.