Sunday, May 15, 2016
Editor’s Note- The original version of this article incorrectly stated that Research Parkway was being right-sized from two lanes in each direction to one in each direction. We regret the error and have corrected it in the text below (5/18/2016)
Far from being unusual or exotic, right-sizing (safety-sizing) is spreading widely throughout Colorado Springs.
The City of Colorado Springs has announced plans to reduce Research Parkway, in northern Colorado Springs, from three-lanes-in-each-direction to two-lanes-in-each-direction.
The Briargate area will thus join Mountain Shadows, Skyway, Broadmoor, and the Templeton Gap Road area as outlying neighborhoods enjoying the traffic quieting and pedestrian safety that comes with removing traffic lanes from an arterial street.
The plan calls for taking the newly freed lanes of traffic in each direction and making them bike lanes.
Here is the City’s announcement of the Research Parkway project:
Colorado Springs residents are encouraged to provide input on a plan to ‘right size’ Research Parkway to enhance safety for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists. The proposal includes the repurposing of the outside travel lanes to install buffered bike lanes between Voyager Parkway and Austin Bluffs Parkway.
Thursday, May 19, 6-8 p.m.
Academy International Elementary School
8550 Charity Drive
Colorado Springs 80920Average traffic volume on Research Parkway is much lower than it was designed for. Installing a buffered bicycle lane would align the roadway to better match traffic volume while providing additional bicycle facilities. This will create an east/west bicycle corridor in northern Colorado Springs and connect to six different bike facilities (lanes) in the Briargate neighborhood.
