Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BICYCYCLE LANES
BICYCLE LANES. The Dubuque City Council during the first week of June, 2024 unanimously approved a bicycle lane pilot program as part of an estimated $250,000 citywide pavement striping project program done regularly to maintain its streets. The bicycle lanes would be sprayed on the pavement in July providing bike riders increased protection and visibility as they maneuver through the downtown area.
The pilot program would involve for sections of Ninth Street going downhill from Bluff Street to the east and a parallel section on 19th Street going uphill to the west one block away. The two sections were to be connected by pavement marked for shared bicycle-car traffic going north and south on Main and Elm STREETS. Funding for the project included $25,000 from the Iowa Department of Transportation with the remainder coming from city funds.
As a pilot program lasting two years, the bicycle lanes would only be temporary. (2)
The first lanes were eastbound-marked lanes on Ninth Street for two-wheelers. They were followed with dedicated lanes on 10th Street headed west. "Sharrows" on Main Street and Eighth Street indicated lanes that would be shared by cars and bikes. A contractor installed bike lane signs as well as "Yield to Bike" signs. In 2025 city officials planned to use help connect the east end of these new bike lanes near the Jule central bus station with the BEE BRANCH multi-use pathway by way of Pine Street. This addition would provide direct connections to Heritage Trail, the levee bIke trail, and trails out to and around CHAPLAIN SCHMITT ISLAND. In 2024 bike lanes were also being considered as part of the Central Avenue and White Street overhaul, on Elm Street and East 16th Street, and potentially on Bluff and Locust STREETS or Lincoln Avenue or Kerper Boulevard out to the Point area. Councilman David Resnik even suggested a bike path connecting the MINES OF SPAIN recreation area to the City of Asbury along South Grandview and Asbury Road which he would name "Grandbury Corridor." (3)
Data on the use of the lanes would be collected with traffic cameras.
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Source:
1. Gray, Chris, "City Eyes July Installation for 1st Bicycle Lanes," Telegraph Herald, June 7, 2024, p. 1A
2. Gray, Chris," City Rolls Out Bicycle Lanes, With "Sharrows" Along the Way, Telegraph Herald, August 10, 2024, p. 1A