Portsmouth city councilors voted 8-1 on April 6 to continue work on plans for protected bicycle lanes along Lafayette Road, stretching from Portsmouth High School to downtown.
Juliet Walker, the city’s transportation planner, presented councilors with three options for bike lane improvements: traditional bicycle lanes; protected and buffered bike lanes, in which a bicycle lane is separated with either striping on the road or a physical barrier, such as a parked car or planters; and a two-way cycle track, a two-way lane for bicycles that is separated from motor vehicle traffic.
Walker recommended the city work toward creating buffered and protected bicycle lanes. She said 86 percent of the public feedback on bicycle and pedestrian improvements was in support of either protected/buffered lanes or a two-way cycle track. The protected lanes will help increase bicyclist and pedestrian safety and create safe travel routes to school and downtown destinations, she said.
Protected lanes may also encourage more city residents to travel by bicycle — especially new cyclists who might not be confident in their abilities, Walker told the council.
“We should be designing for … children, families, and seniors, people who are just learning or people who are veteran bikers who don’t feel comfortable mixing with traffic.”
Councilors voted in favor of the protected/buffered lanes and asked Walker to continue work on the plan in conjunction with the city’s parking and traffic safety committee. Walker said next steps in the plan include submitting an engineering study to the state Department of Transportation, preliminary design work, and public meetings on the project. — Larry Clow