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Walnut Street Protected Bicycle Lane

September 19, 2019 | Department of Public Works

UPDATE 9/27/2019 – Milling, base repair, paving and striping will begin on Walnut St. between Plum St. and Water St. on Monday, September 30. Final paving and striping should be complete by October 11. For this phase, please begin parking in the NEW parking lanes as soon as striping has been completed on your block. Once striping is complete on your block, do not park in the bicycle lane.


UPDATE 9/20/2019 – Continue to park along the curb on Walnut St. from Broad St. to Plum St. & Water St. to College Ave. until Friday, September 27 at 5 p.m. At that time, please begin parking in the new parking lanes. Do not park in the bicycle lane after Friday, September 27 at 5 p.m.


The City of Lancaster’s strategic plan, Block by Block, sets clear strategic goals for creating Safe Streets for all. One of those goals is to, “Design and implement a plan for Complete Streets throughout the City to increase safety and foster a greater sense of community.”

Guided by the Active Transportation Plan, the Walnut Street Protected Bicycle Lane is being created to provide a protected westbound bicycle route through Lancaster City along the Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway.

Protected bicycle lanes serve more potential riders than typical painted bicycle lanes. Research shows that many people who would like to bicycle, but don’t, are concerned about potential vehicle-bicycle conflicts. The barrier between bicycles and vehicles reduces that concern and will encourage those potential riders to embrace bicycle travel. Protected bicycle lanes also increase safety not only for bicyclists, but for drivers and pedestrians as well.

The Walnut Street Protected Bicycle Lane will not reduce the number of parking or travel lanes – it will simply narrow the lanes to accommodate the bicycle lane and buffer zone. Please see the diagrams below to see how sections of Walnut Street will be impacted by the bicycle lane.

Existing
9′ Parking Lane
12′ Drive Lane
12′ Drive Lane
9′ Parking Lane

New
4′ Bicycle Lane
3′ Buffer
7′ Parking Lane
10.5′ Drive Lane
10.5′ Drive Lane
7′ Parking Lane

Existing
8′ Parking Lane
12.5′ Drive Lane
12.5′ Drive Lane
8′ Parking Lane

New
7′ Parking Lane
6′ Bicycle Lane
10.5′ Drive Lane
10.5′ Drive Lane
7′ Parking Lane

Existing
8′ Parking Lane
13.5′ Drive Lane
13.5′ Drive Lane
8′ Parking Lane

New
4′ Bicycle Lane
3′ Buffer
7′ Parking Lane
10.5′ Drive Lane
10.5′ Drive Lane
7′ Parking Lane

What you should know during and after construction of the protected bicycle lane:

During construction the installation of pavement markings is in a transition period. At this time, continue to park along the curb line until all of the lines and markings are complete.

Once complete, travel and parking lane widths will be reduced. At that time, you should park within the designated parking lines. We recommend turning in the side mirrors on your parked vehicle.

No Parking areas are identified with hatching at driveways and approaching unsignalized intersections to improve sight lines.

Turn lanes at Lime, Duke, Queen, and Prince Streets will be eliminated, which will slow turning traffic and provide the opportunity for more parking

Related Reading

Active Transportation Plan Introduction + Bikeway Network

Jeff Speck’s Walkability Analysis

Bicycle Lane FAQ