Council OKs new bike lanes

SANDPOINT — Area bicyclists will soon have a safer ride to work after the City Council decided to add designated bike lanes to two of Sandpoint’s busiest streets.

The proposal, which was unanimously approved at last week’s council meeting, will stripe bike lanes on both the east and west sides of Division Avenue from Baldy to Highway 2. The plan also calls for a combination of shared lanes and designated bike lanes on Boyer Avenue from Larch to Highway 2.

By adding bike lanes to Division, approximately four blocks of street parking between Pine and Cedar will be removed. Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk said he will notify affected property owners by the end of the month and have the street striped by the end of summer.

Street parking on Boyer will not be affected by the plan, but the street’s center line will be pushed east from Larch to Highway 2 to accommodate a shared automobile/bike lane on the east side of the street.

Van Dyk said the striping on Division is relatively simple, but the work on Boyer has a number of challenges, including removing or covering up existing striping. To mitigate the added costs of removing current lanes, Van Dyk said he might wait until next year to stripe Boyer.

“I’d prefer to wait until next year when the snow and snow plows have worn off the paint from this year and I could just start anew,” he said. “I’m considering that. I don’t know if I can get away with it, but I’m considering it.”

The entire project will cost less than the $3,000 allotted to the Sandpoint Bicycle Advisory Committee for 2009 striping work, according to Van Dyk.