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Choosing the path
story by heather woodward photos by
It's been a year since Lawrence resident John Hermes was killed riding his bike on Ninth Street. Thanks to the efforts of concerned students and the city's bicycle advisory committee, bike safety is gaining speed.
The death of bicyclist John Hermes on Sept. 15, 1997, prompted many students and cyclists to rally behind one issue: making Lawrence a safer place for bike riders.
One year after his death, the action of the Lawrence City Commission and its Bicycle Advisory Committee is slowly becoming visible.
Hermes, Lawrence resident, died in a collision with an automobile at the intersection of Ninth and Mississippi streets, an area that Clayton Comfort, chairman of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, said is a high priority for the group.
Based on recommendations from the committee, whose members the city commission appoints, the city hired a consultant from Trans Systems Corp., a company that specializes in dealing with transportation problems. During the summer, the consultant studied 10 heavily traveled streets, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Naismith and Ninth streets, to determine a plan of action. Studies of other streets are slated for the coming months.
Kip Curtis, New York graduate student, was a leader last year in informing the advisory committee and commission about the concerns many have about the safety of bicyclers.
"I think it's great," Curtis said of the city's evaluation of streets around Lawrence. "It's so much better than nothing, which is what they were doing before. I doubt, though, that we will see bike lanes in the inner city, which is ultimately what people are asking for."
Picking the best route
The consultant will study the physical aspects, the amount of traffic and the speed of traffic for each road, Comfort said. From these observations, an automobile/bicycle compatibility index will be created, which will be used as a guide to see what, if any alterations will make the specified roadways safer for bicyclists.
"The highest priority will be to see if we should create bike lanes," Comfort said. "From the campus to downtown is where the greatest need is."
Terese Gorman, city engineer, said three possibilities exist for making roads more bicycle-friendly: bike lanes, which would be separate lanes created by painting a white line on the pavement; bike paths, separate asphalt trails that are often used in recreational riding; and bike routes designated by signs alerting motorists of the presence of bikers.
Curtis, however, said he thought bike lanes were ideal for those who use their bikes as a primary form of transportation, and that signs on the road benefited children who ride bikes for fun.
"The purpose of this study is to get a handle on the amount of time, money and political capital this project will take and see where it would be practical to put bike lanes," Comfort said. "Our committee has been advocating for this for quite a long while, but the death of the bicyclist on Ninth and Mississippi brought a lot of interest from the students. Regrettably, the increased attention made the public believe that bike lanes will solve everything."
Based on road use by bikers and automobiles, the consultant will recommend one of the three solutions. Gorman and Comfort predicted that Trans Systems will complete the study within four or five months.
But he said, traffic signs impeded the paths of bikers and that those dependent on their bikes couldn't stop at every stop sign.
With but bike lanes comes the lack of parking available on city streets, as bikers would ride in the space now used by residents and students. Comfort said.
"There aren't a lot of bike lanes around town, but there should be, considering how many bicyclists and pedestrians there are," said Dylan Shotton, Sublette sophomore who drives his car to campus everyday.
"The other day, I was driving to campus and there was a cyclist in the road because there was no sidewalk and no bike lane. I had to wait until oncoming traffic was out of the way before I could go around him. It was kind of a hassle."
While city officials and proponents of bike lanes debate the merits of the solutions, Lawrence bikers and drivers sometimes find themselves at odds.
During the summer, the city constructed a 10-foot bike path between 15th and 19th streets on Iowa Street. Comfort said that there are plans to continue that path south of 19th Street. Additionally, in conjunction with Student Senate, a bike rack will be added to buses that run the 23rd and Naismith routes so students can bring their bikes onto the bus.
Comfort stressed that wearing a helmet and adhering to the laws of the road help increase safety for each rider.
it becomes burdensome," he said. "I think why you see these accidents with stop signs is because they are artificially slowing them down. For that reason, it's dangerous by design."
"trus is a pilot project," she said. "If it works we'll add more as we can budget for it."
With the addition of bike racks, students who ride to campus on a bike in the morning when the weather was nice can decide to ride the bus home in
The road ahead
Nicole Skalla, transportation coordinator for Student Senate, said the bike racks would not be installed on the buses for another two weeks.
Ben Sosinski, Lawrence junior, rides his bike along Mississippi Street. Concerned students, along with the Lawrence City Commission and its Bicycle Advisory Committee are weighing their options when it comes to finding the best solution for bike safety.
the event of snow show. The racks on the buses will hold two bikes. Skala said it takes 10 seconds to mount a bike on the rack, which is attached to the front of the outside of the bus. Safety arms extend over the tires to keep the bikes from harm and locked in place.
KU students who had observed similar programs in Boulder, Colo., Seattle, Ithaca, N.Y., and San Francisco first approached Skalla with the idea. She said none of the cities had reports of bikes damaged in transit.
the event of snow or rain.
Meanwhile, the Lawrence Bicycle Advisory Committee hired its own transportation coordinator Aug. 1 to serve as a focal point in planning.
The committee will continue to address bicycle safety as a matter of education in addition to plans to create bike lanes where they most are needed. The group is trying to enlist local bike shops to make riders aware of precautions to make biking a safer activity. The committee also plans to sponsor helmet giveaways throughout the year in conjunction with Emergency Medical Services and the Lawrence fire department.
Those concerned with cyclists' well-being believe education is a step in the right direction.
"Bike safety involves more than just signs," Curtis said. "There needs to be good education in conjunction with the city and the University. They have to make bike safety a part of the infrastructure."
To encourage awareness of bicyclists on Lawrence roads, signs such as this one popped up around town this summer.
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