Good to know that we in Raleigh aren’t the only ones fighting for cycling infrastructure.
5 Likes
North/South Connector - Missing Link?
I think most would agree that having a North to South connector from North Hills all the way through to downtown/Dix Park would be a great addition for usability. What is fantastic is that there is alignment and has been on-going plans to construct the majority of this with the following pieces:
North Hills to Crabtree Creek Greenway
Plan to link the Crabtree Creek Greenway to North Hills via the Big Branch Greenway Connector and a new bridge (link).
Cycle Track running along N. West St from Wade Avenue into Downtown
This is a promising route that has had multiple phases and is on track to close out in the next year or 2. (link). The same plans mention potential connections to Rocky Branch/Dix Park as well. This area has always had decent biking abilities winding through Boylan Heights anyways.
Missing Link?
I have not come across anything that mentions trying to complete this North to South connector between Crabtree Creek Greenway to Wade Avenue. There is a slide deck (link) mentioning ‘Connectivity to Existing Infrastructure’ but nothing else so far.
Is anyone else aware of discussion or future plans to finish this out?
8 Likes
Crabtree Creek Greenway to Wade avenue isn’t a huge problem since it’s neighborhood streets (although I wouldn’t mind a Greenway). My problem with this route is the Wade Avenue crossing. I used to cross during my bike commute, but now avoid it since there’s no way to cross during peak traffic times.
Currently I use St Mary’s and at times go down Oberlin. Speaking of which: last night the bikes lanes were completely blocked off with traffic cones/barrels. I’m not sure what they’re doing, but it made for an unpleasant commute home.
On a separate note: the bridge on House Creek Trail is now being taken apart. The replacement has started.
6 Likes
I just ride this action on Sunday and it was still open. Do we know how long this will be closed? Are they just rebuilding the bridge?
1 Like
Info I have from the Greenway Committee is that this should be completed by end of February 2025. Info I have from prior experience is that these estimates are overly optimistic and we should expect a later date for completion. The suggested detour is Horton Street to Ridge Road, or vice versa if you’re going the opposite direction.
2 Likes
Agreed that St Marys seems the better option. I was stuck waiting for cars near Wade to stop even though it was marked as bike/walking cross walk. On some crossings I feel comfortable starting to go and people stop, but not when they are going 45-55 mph. It just seemed odd to me that they seem to have all of North → South planned or completed except in this one area.
2 Likes
West st in the Warehouse area might be one of the wildest bike lanes downtown right now. It’s against the flow of traffic on a narrow one way and there’s always trucks in the lane… Despite there being parking lines right there!
Probably mostly because of the station construction, but still annoying!
7 Likes
Give them the benefit of the doubt and provide a warning ticket. Next time give them a real ticket, and on the 3rd violation, tow them.
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Never fails, it’s a never ending occurrence since the bollards are now gone.
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I’ve run into this. I ride in the road closer to the bike lane. Never had an issue, but no one can say anything. The bike lane is blocked.
Add it to the bike lanes blocked elsewhere including in front of the courthouse by police vehicles. I got close to being sideswiped by a Sherriff today. Although they did manage to stop, they definitely didn’t have a turning indicator on. I wasn’t expecting them to make a right turn.
Also to note the new bike lanes on Oberlin are also blocked by construction bollards. On one end, the construction project still isn’t fully completed according to the project site. They did update and are going to be installing installing drainage systems at bus pads. On the other, the project did state it was going to be completed Fall 2024. Construction delays are not new, so it’s not the most annoying thing in this section yet.
4 Likes
The problem here is West goes the opposite direction, so leaving the bike lane means jumping into oncoming traffic!
1 Like
Oh I agree. I’m not saying this is ok. I’ve just become so accustomed to bike lanes blocked or them just not existing. It looks like someone on reddit got a ticket for being parked in this section: https://www.reddit.com/r/raleigh/comments/1hyb81y/raleigh_parking_citation/
6 Likes
I just drove by on my way home tonight and all cars (probably 10) were parked in the bike lane. I think because of the construction the road markings got worn out extremely quickly. I have parked here and ridden my bike in this bike lane but was in doubt of which was bike lane vs parking spots bc of how poorly the markings show right now.
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It was interesting to read the reddit chain about this person’s fine. To refresh my memory from walking through there many times, I hit Google Maps and it sure seems to me that both the bike lane and parking remained through construction. The 2 way traffic was removed.
That said, I wonder if the dumpsters and construction signage get tickets too?
Apologies that I couldn’t find a photo of a dumpster left there. I was certain that I’ve taken that photo previously.
5 Likes