City ponders system of bike trails

SANDPOINT — If a proposed system of bicycle trails comes to be, city officials hope visitors and residents will be inspired to “explore Sandpoint.”

At the Wednesday meeting, council members approved the interconnected route designs, named Explore Sandpoint to promote a sense of fun and adventure, with a few minor additions. Crafted by the Sandpoint Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee with the help of SERA Architects project designer Allison Wildman, the path system was planned in conjunction with the downtown streets redesign.

The paths central to the bicycle network will likely receive some upgraded infrastructure to make the routes safer for non-motorized vehicles. Color-coded signs will help bicyclists find their way throughout the various routes, while bike lanes could be added to some sections of Oak Street. Committee members also hope that adding directional arrows along with bike symbols, commonly known as shared-lane markings or sharrows, to other areas will remind drivers to keep an eye out for their two-wheeled peers.

“Particularly, we’re thinking about kids being able to make it safely to City Beach,” committee member Rebecca Holland said. “The other location that is really popular for them, of course, is making it to the library.”    

Central to the network is the east-west route, or the yellow route, along Oak Street. Committee members envision it as being a key route for youngsters to make their way downtown and to City Beach.

“We chose yellow because it’s the path of the sun and we’re thinking of ways for kids to remember things,” Holland said. “It also helps us kind of connect this to our environment.”

Meanwhile, an orange route employing Larch and Lake streets and Third and Division avenues provides a loop around the city connecting bicyclists to some of the major residential areas. The blue route connects riders to City Hall and major municipal functions, while a purple route along Boyer Avenue serves as the major access to northern city limits.

Finally, a green route is proposed in the form of a multi-use path from Travers Park to Fifth Avenue.

Council members approved the plan with the addition of one more connection at the northern end of town. This connection would travel from Division Avenue to Baldy Mountain Road and then to Great Northern Road. From there, it would continue from Woodland Drive to North Boyer Avenue, hitting Schweitzer Cutoff Road along the way.