Bike-Friendly

When it comes to improving Lafayette’s bicycling accommodations, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette seems to be leading the way. The campus was recently recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as one of “127 colleges and universities nationwide that ‘support bicycling in new and innovative ways,’” and can be regarded as a bike friendly college, the only in the state (2). There’s a few ways the rest of Lafayette can learn from the university. If Johnston Street’s bike lanes had reflective barriers as seen on St. Mary Boulevard, cyclist would be better separated from traffic and therefore safer. If this type of lane is not plausible for Johnston’s long stretch, some buffering should at least be added, such as doubling up the painted separating the car lane from the bike lane. A simple repainting might call attention to the bike lane and could be an easy step towards making a safer space for cyclists.

St. Mary’s is not the perfect bike accommodating street, however, despite it being visually impressive. Reminiscent of my struggles on Johnston, the University’s safety guide for bike riders states, “Cyclists have two options when making left turns. One is to merge into the vehicle traffic lane ahead of an intersection, then turn. The other is to use crosswalks.” Cyclists who use the second option must dismount and walk their bicycles across the intersection (3). The university, however, encourages cyclists to dismount from their bike and walk (4). The most common left turn is from St. Mary onto McKinley Street, a street connecting students to the dorms and the dining hall and is most commonly entered using a left turn. In intersections such as these, instead of encouraging cyclist to become pedestrians, bike boxes should be installed, as they are in Portland, Oregon, America’s most bike friendly city (5). The National Association of City Transportation Officials describes bike boxes as “a designated area at the head of a traffic lane at a signalized intersection that provides bicyclists with a safe and visible way to get ahead of queuing traffic during the red signal phase” (6). A bike box would make St. Mary an even safer street for cyclists.

There’s many ways a city can create a strong infrastructure and support bicyclists– cycling events, cycling communities, more abundant and safer bike lanes, more bicycle racks, bike lockers, bike-specific traffic signals, and even bike bridges– and any small action taken for cyclists makes our experience on the roads safer and more enjoyable, encouraging people to take two wheels instead of four.