\u201cI personally feel the city needs to do a little more engineering or figure something out,\u201d said Commission Chair Alan Wiggs. <\/p>\n
![\"Dixie](\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Dixie-1-of-1-771x494.jpg\")
<\/a>Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p>
Dixie Trail, at about the center point of the section north of Wade Avenue. <\/p><\/div>\n
He specifically asked staff to look at the implications of removing the center turn lane and restricting parking to one side in specific areas. Members delayed a vote on the project and will have a special meeting to discuss staff\u2019s findings. <\/p>\n
Bicyclists in attendance at last Thursday\u2019s meeting advocated for dedicated bike lanes for at least the uphill portions of the road. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe northern end [of Dixie Trail] is brutal on a bike,\u201d said avid bicyclist Sam Bennett, who rides Dixie Trail often with his young son in tow. \u201cIt struck me as a natural place to put bike lanes.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bike lanes are six-foot-wide lanes specifically for bicyclists, as opposed to sharrows, which are markings that warn drivers that bikers are also likely using the road. In some cases, bike lanes \u2014 called climbing lanes \u2014 are installed on the uphill side of the road so that bicyclists have the space they need to safely climb the hill at slower speeds. Sharrows can then be installed on the downhill side, when riders are traveling more quickly and can keep up with neighborhood traffic.
![\"A](\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/spoke12-336x377.jpg\")
<\/a>Karen Tam <\/p>
A sharrow on Hargett Street<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
Staff recommended installing these \u201cclimbing lanes\u201d for the southern portion of Dixie Trail between Hillsborough Street and Wade Avenue, but were not included for the northern portion because staff didn\u2019t have enough space for on-street parking and bike lanes. <\/p>\n
The funding for the re-striping is a part of a $1.1 million federal grant that will mark 27 miles of bicycle infrastructure, but it has a tight timeline. If the project isn\u2019t approved soon, \u201cwe may not have improvements on this section of Dixie for many years,\u201d said Jennifer Baldwin, the city\u2019s Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator. \u201cSharrows could be an interim improvement.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"A](\"http:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Dixie2-1-of-1-771x521.jpg\")
<\/a>Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p>
A man rides a motor bike on a section of Dixie Trail near Wade Avenue. <\/p><\/div>\n
Both riders and residents are concerned with speeding cars on Dixie Trail. Some residents said that while they support bikers using the roads, the on-street parking acts as a traffic calming device. Removing the parking and adding the bike lane would encourage cars to drive even faster, they said, while sharrows could slow things down. <\/p>\n
Dixie Trail resident Carolyn Penny said that traffic flies down the road during the hours of the current parking restriction and that, \u201cDixie Trail has a history of being a very quick street.\u201d <\/p>\n
Built as a two-lane road, Dixie Tail was at one time turned into four. The street is now a three lanes with a center turn lane. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re asking cyclists to become the speedbumps and slow everyone down,\u201d said one bicyclist as he addressed the Commissioners. <\/p>\n
Neighbors are in favor of making the city more bike accessible, but \u201cwe don\u2019t want to lose parking on the street,\u201d said resident Bill Padgett. <\/p>\n
A special meeting regarding the project hasn\u2019t been scheduled yet, but any reduction in parking would need approval from the City Council. If BPAC members go with staff\u2019s original recommendation, Council approval would not be needed. <\/p>\n