51st Avenue North

[Carey Rogers]

While enjoying myself slowly sweeping the TdN yesterday I couldn’t help but admire the changes on 51^st between Charlotte Avenue and the park. Bike lanes on both sides and at least one “rumble strip” across the road in each block. How do you get PW to do that in your neighborhood? Did the neighborhood group advocate for it?  Did it just drop out of the PW sky?

 

They recently extended a sidewalk and repaved a street near me and they sure as hell didn’t make it look like that.

 

 

 

 

 

Working for a more walkable, bikeable and livable Nashville

 

[Greg Harris]

I think they had major stormwater fixes going in there. It might have been part of that. Unfortunately the 51st Ave residents seem to mostly treat it as bonus street parking.

[Greg Harris]

So 51st on the Nations side of Charlotte is being paved and painted right now and looks to be getting a bike lane, but only on one side of the street. Anyone know if this is going to be a protected two-way lane like Davidson? And if so, how is one supposed to transition from the section on the sylvan park side with lanes on both sides, to the two-way on the other side?

[nora]

Hi Greg, it's getting a 2-way protected bikeway somewhat like Davidson. We haven't heard yet what the exact design will be for the transition, but I agree that it's critical!

-Nora

[Greg Harris]

Thanks!

[Greg Harris]

The protected lane is in and is pretty great, lots of green paint. However, still not sure how I'm supposed to get into it coming from Charlotte and going from right side to left.

[Edwin Williamson]

I'd love to see some pictures if anyone is going by there.

[Greg Harris]

I've been using it to commute the last few days. I took some pictures and wrote some words: http://imgur.com/a/Knx8w

So far I think that:

1) It's loads better than what was there before and I think it will lead to more people biking in the area and I'm going to keep using it.

2) It's not the ideal bike infrastructure for the street, and this is because the neighborhood demanded that they add on-street parking that wasn't there before. There are too many conflict points and it doesn't really meet any of the typical applications listed on the NACTO site for a two-way cycletrack https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/cycle-tracks/two-way-cycle-tracks/ 

Somebody is going to get hit by a driver turning right and not looking right and in fact it almost happened to me today on just my 2nd ride through it!