cart

Sports Backers Blog

CoR hosts on-street demos of Floyd Ave Bike/Walk Street

A year after Bike Walk RVA’s Floyd Ave Bike/Street Mobile Open House, the Department of Public Works and their consultants for the Floyd Ave. Bike/Walk Street project hosted mock-up demonstrations of the proposed changes at each of the affected intersections along the corridor late last week. They used cones and chalk to illustrate the size, scope, and position of suggested tools and allowed normal bike, car, and pedestrian traffic to test them. Council reps Charles Samuels and Jon Baliles were present and actively engaged for portions of the demonstrations in their districts.

IMG_2319

A traffic circle on Floyd Ave. where it crosses Plum St. Note how the car must deflect around the circle, causing it to slow.

Probably the biggest takeaway of this test was that the traffic circles, as designed, do significantly slow motor vehicle traffic.  They also offered no impediment to passing bike riders.  Where curb extensions are proposed in the western portion of Floyd, the traffic circles were even more effective at slowing vehicles.  Several tests were done with fire trucks, ambulances, and school buses to ensure they can fit appropriately, all totally successful.

Slow vehicles mean safety and comfort for bikes and pedestrians.  And there were a lot of them!

But there was one challenge with the traffic circle demonstrations: inconsistent left turn behaviors. Many vehicles turned left in front of the circle rather than taking the tighter route around the right of them.  This could stem from a number of things: confusion about the best way to drive around a traffic circle, due to the coned, temporary nature of the demonstrations, or because of sudden judgment calls arising from a new traffic pattern. However, we think this could be easily fixed with signage directing people around the right of the circle, with exceptions being made for larger vehicles, which would need to proceed with due care. Bike/Walk Street signage, a reduced speed limit, and highlighted shared lane markings will further strengthen the street for bikes, pedestrians, strollers, dog walkers, those with mobility issues, and everyone.

All-in-all, the demonstrations were successful, and public feedback was highly positive, if not uniform. Residents clearly demanded slower motor vehicle traffic, and there was robust support for the needs of all road users. A resident who uses a wheelchair stated the street design would improve her experience on her own street, too.  Richmond’s first nod to a true complete street!

Leave a Reply