Here’s your chance to speak up about a protected bike lane Uptown
Charlotte DOT and Charlotte Center City Partners are hosting the Uptown Connects Study Second Public Workshop Feb. 23 at 7th Street Public Market. This is your chance to express your views about a recommended protected bike lane pilot project along 5th and 6th streets that would run between Irwin Creek Greenway (which threads through Frazier Park and the Wesley Park neighborhood) and Little Sugar Creek Greenway (which runs through areas like Freedom Park, Metropolitan and CPCC). The point of the lane would be to connect the two greenways, as well uptown destinations.
Uptown Connects project objectives include connecting Uptown to surrounding areas and neighborhoods, as well as improving access through I-277, with an emphasis on addressing challenges for cycling and walking.
“This workshop and the protected bike lane pilot proposal contribute to the fulfillment of the 2020 Vision Plan’s goal of making Charlotte a city of bikes,” Michael Smith, President and CEO at Charlotte Center City Partners, said in a press release.
Why 5th and 6th streets as connector options between the greenways? According to Linda Durrett, CDOT Communications/Public Relations Manager, the city reviewed and evaluated every Uptown street and, based on detailed technical analysis and public input, the 5th/6th Street corridor protected bike lane project pilot was selected.
“The process included reviewing travel lanes, parking, access to driveways, vehicular capacity, traffic modeling, access to destinations and other criteria,” she said. “The public reviewed and provided input on eight protected bike lanes. The 5th/6th Street corridor was the highest-scoring corridor.”
Similar to the first Uptown Connects public workshop, which was held in September 2016, there will be stations set up to help the public learn about the city’s process to determine the best candidates for a protected bike lane. In addition, the proposed pilot concept will be displayed. This second workshop will be more focused on gathering public input on future facility design for a potential project on this corridor.
The Uptown Connects Study is set to be completed in March 2017.
Get there
There will be a short presentation at 5:45 p.m. by Danny Pleasant, CDOT’s Transportation Director, and Michael Smith, President and CEO at Charlotte Center City Partners, followed by an open-house-style Q&A workshop to provide feedback.
When: Feb. 23 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: 7th Street Public Market, 224 E. 7th St.
RSVP: UptownConnects.eventbrite.com.
Photo: CDOT
This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Here’s your chance to speak up about a protected bike lane Uptown."