Bike Routes to Benefit All

“How can we safely get a 10-year-old kid from the residential areas of Sandpoint to City Beach?”Answering that question was part of the Downtown Streets Plan and Design Guide process, which included more than 35 hours of public meetings and exhibits, 500 face to face conversations with community members and visitors, 40 hours of interviews with downtown stakeholders, various committee meetings, and collecting and analyzing more than 150 feedback forms. This input was distilled by an urban design company and the resulting suggestions were considered, modified, and adopted by the city in the fall of 2012. A copy of the adopted Design Guide is available on the home page of the city of Sandpoint’s website.

This summer has seen the first steps to implement bike routes to get kids (and other bike enthusiasts) around Sandpoint safely. The new painted bicycle symbols (called “sharrows”) on the roadways are intended to draw bicyclists to the bike routes and remind both vehicles and bicyclists to share the road. A brief description of the new bike symbol and of the Explore Sandpoint! bike route system is also available on the home page of the city’s website.Over time, downtown streets will return to local control. Some will be easier and safer for bike use while others will be better suited for parking and through traffic. Sandpoint is becoming safer and more accessible for all the community’s citizens.

BRUCE ROBERTSON

Sandpoint

City of Sandpoint