A bike shadow selfie by Charlie Zine, of Aurora.
If you’re seeing green in downtown Aurora, think bikes. Human-powered bicycles now have a lane to themselves on the east side of River Street that extends from Downer Place to North Avenue.
The path color is the suggested color in the manual on uniform traffic control devices by the Federal Highway Administration. And it’s hard to miss. The lane is also lined by concrete curbs and a narrow, paved median along River Street.
The entire bike lanes connects the Fox River Trail from behind Waubonsee Community College along Downer Place to the North Avenue Bridge entrance of the trail.
The new bike lane extends from Downer to North and curves in front of River Street Plaza.
The bike lane is part of the two-way conversion of River Street. Currently a one-way stretch, River Street will become a two-way street with back-in, angled parking between Benton and Cross streets.
The ribbon cutting will be sometime in December 2015. All temperature related construction items will be installed in the next two weeks.
According to city staff, Aurora has a Bike/Pedestrian Capital Improvement Plan and the city continues to review possible bike path expansions, but they are dependent upon both local and outside funding opportunities.
The city is beginning to see sharrows (painted white bikes with arrows) along some streets. Sharrows and bike lanes help to keep automobile traffic mindful that they are sharing the road with bicyclists. Will green lanes end up anywhere else in Aurora?
“We do not plan on installing the green traffic print paint on Prairie upon the completion of the water main project, but it is a possibility over the long-term,” said Dan Ferrelli in response to whether there will be a designated bike lane on Prairie Street west of Lake Street.
Photo credit: Charlie Zine
