Frequently Asked Questions

Has the city ever thought about adding a bicycle lane on Naismith Drive? If so, why has it not been completed?

On the adopted Bicycle Facilities Map, Naismith between Irving Hill and 23rd St. is recommended to have future on-street bike lanes. Many bike projects are constructed in conjunction with street improvement projects, i.e. a new rec path along W. 6th St. as part of the KDOT-funded road improvements. Other bikeway projects are constructed through discretionary grants that the city sometimes receives through KDOT, and some are done through other sources of funding such as Parks & Rec projects.

Typically, adding bike lanes to existing streets is done when other work is planned for the road, such as was done on E. 15th St., when bike lanes were added during the road work. An existing street in a developed area would not be widened due to impact on surrounding properties, however if there is sufficient width, bike lanes can sometimes be added when the road is resurfaced or reconstructed and then re-striped. Since funds are very limited, bike facility projects are usually done when other funding becomes available and when there is a priority for a certain project.

Why are there no bike lanes in Lawrence (according to the map from the Kansas Department of Transportation) when the city is full of college students and a good number of them don't have cars?

Lawrence has a very extensive bicycle facilities system that is being added to and improved constantly. The bicycle facilities can be found at www.lawrenceplanning.org/documents/Bikemap.pdf (PDF). Lawrence has been designated a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists and is frequently referred to nationally as an example to emulate. We currently have:

• 53.5 miles of on-road designated bike routes
• 11.6 miles of on-road, striped bicycle lanes
• 22 miles of paved recreational paths
• 10 miles of designated off-road paths on the Kansas River levee, located in East Lawrence
• 0.8 miles of rail-trail (west of Haskell Avenue and south of 23rd Street)
• 29 miles of trails at Clinton Lake and additional off-road trails east of North Lawrence (along the Kansas River).

Are there safety issues that need to be addressed before a bicycle lane is added to a street?

Factors such as roadway width, traffic volumes, speeds, on-street parking, and connectivity are assessed when considering routes for bike facilities. The Lawrence/Douglas Co. Bicycle Advisory Committee, with support and input from Planning and Public Works staff, developed the Bicycle Facilities Map and Bicycle Plan. The plan and map were adopted by the Lawrence/Douglas Co. Planning Commission as amendments to the regional long-range transportation plan. The plan and map were also subsequently approved by the Lawrence City Commission. City policy is that new/improved arterial streets will have adjacent 10' rec paths constructed, while designated collector streets will have on-street bike lanes. In already-developed parts of the city where it is impractical to widen streets, the streets will be evaluated for adding either striped bike lanes or designation as bike routes with no street markings.

Do you have any statistics on the safety of bicycle lanes vs. riding a bike on the sidewalk or in the street?

We do not have any local data.

What would be the procedure a citizen would need to follow in order to actually propose adding a bicycle lane to Naismith Drive?

Since Naismith Dr. is already shown on the Bicycle Facilities Map as being recommended for future bike lanes, it would be a matter of obtaining funding priority for the project. The Bicycle Advisory Committee is beginning consideration of potential projects to recommend to the City Commission for submittal to KDOT for Transportation Enhancement grant funding. The BAC Chair is Eric Struckhoff and he can be reached at ecs@ku.edu. Any Naismith bike project, regardless of funding type, would also require cooperation and participation from KU since part of the project would be on university property.