At their meeting held Oct. 14, the Tyler City Council approved the designation of new bicycle routes and lanes, moving forward the Tyler 21 goal to encourage alternative, multi-modal transportation methods.
“Traffic was the number one concern identified by our citizens during the Tyler 21 comprehensive planning process,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “We have taken several decisive actions since the Plan’s adoption two years ago to mitigate traffic congestion. However, an important component of reducing traffic concerns is developing alternatives to single vehicle trips. These new routes are part of our efforts to accomplish this.”
The new routes and lanes include:
• Extending the existing bicycle route on Amherst Street;
• Creating new, signed bicycle routes on Sunnybrook Drive, Copeland Road and Grand Street from the intersection of 29th Street to the intersection of Mims Street; and,
• Creating exclusive bicycle lanes on Amherst Street and Sunnybrook Drive.
The new bicycles routes are designated roadways where bicyclists share the road with vehicular traffic. A bike lane is an area with specific striping to designate the area bicyclists should ride in. Signage, warning vehicles of the likely presence of cyclists, has been placed along the routes to enhance safety.
The addition of the new routes was recommended by the City of Tyler Traffic Safety Board at their Oct. 1 meeting.
“Anyone who drives in Tyler has probably noticed the increase in bicycle traffic,” said Butch Willingham, chair of the Traffic Safety Board. “Having designated lanes is a very important tool to enhance safety and to promote this form of transportation. The signage and the striping provide an alert to motorists that there is likely bicycle traffic in the area. Our goal is to put an infrastructure in place that will encourage cycling and provide a measure of protection. This is a long range goal that will take years to accomplish; however these new routes are a big step.”
Prior to the addition of these routes, the City had one route in North Tyler and another that encompassed a six mile loop that ran north and south on Donnybrook Road, east and west on Lake and Devine, and north and south on Golden Road. The new routes connect the existing route in North Tyler to the Texas College campus and will give access from the existing loop route to the west that will put people close to Tyler ISD offices and will give connecting points to Rose Rudman Trail and Hubbard Middle School.