Boise is slowly but surely becoming a more bike-friendly city, as community members continue to push for more bike lanes and infrastructure. Today and tomorrow, you still have time to weigh in on proposals to redesign part of State Street with cyclists in mind.
State Street 8th to 14th Streets
The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) is considering a redesign of State Street between 8th and 14th Streets downtown. This four-lane section of the road is especially busy during commutes, and is a main thoroughfare for cars and buses with some on-street parking in some blocks. But 75% of people surveyed by ACHD say they don’t feel safe biking on State Street.
“It blows my mind that we have a street like State Street that goes through downtown and has no bike facilities on it,” bike advocate Joe Jaszewski told City Cast Boise. “There's no bike lane…let alone a separate and protected bike lane.”
But that could change soon. ACHD is asking for feedback on the future redesign, with two options for bike infrastructure.
Three Street Design Options
- Option A: Five car lanes, plus a buffer between cars and sidewalk. But no bike lanes.
- Option B1: Three lanes for cars, with the addition of a shared-use path for both pedestrians and cyclists.
- Option B2: Three lanes for cars, plus a protected bike lane that gives cars, bikes and pedestrians their own space.
All three designs would replace the traffic lights at 12th and 14th Streets, add protected left-turn lanes for vehicles, and would remove on-street parking. But only option B1 and B2 give cyclists a buffer between cars, and are the most expensive options for ACHD to build.
“My preference of course would be to either have the multi-use pathway or to have the protected bike lane. But it's really important that people go and fill out that survey,” said Jaszewski, “because I know ACHD is taking those comments really seriously.”
Which option do you prefer? Fill out the survey by May 23.
