More protected bike lanes coming to Fresno roads, including Palm Ave. What to expect
Palm Avenue is getting set for a major overhaul.
The city of Fresno announced this week that it will begin installing a series of Class IV, or protected bike lanes, in several areas across town — with the longest stretch running along Palm Avenue from Dakota to Belmont avenues.
Palm Avenue, which has four lanes and is used by many as a north-south alternative to Blackstone Avenue or Highway 41, will be reduced to one lane in each direction, with a center two-way left-turn lane running through all but one section, between Shields and Clinton avenues.
The Class IV bikeways will be similar to those installed on Van Ness Avenue in September. They will be separated from vehicle traffic via flexible posts, with bike riders riding closest to the curb. The lanes will be visible via green striping at all major intersections and potential conflict zones.
Construction should begin in the next few weeks and will be done in sections over 90 days, during which time there could be minor traffic impacts due to “intermittent or alternating lane closures,” according to the city’s director of communications Sontaya Rose.
Once installed, “there will be no significant delays in traffic operations as defined by our traffic standards.”
Traffic along Palm Avenue is already seeing some impacts, as city crews begin prepping the road. Earlier this month, the section from Dakota Avenue to Shields was fully repaved and last week at least one lane near Clinton Avenue was closed for a time as crews applied a slurry seal.
Increased safety for bicyclists in Fresno
Palm Avenue’s bike lane project is actually somewhat behind schedule. It was originally slated to begin last summer, but was delayed as contractors were facing labor and construction materials shortages. The lanes are part of a citywide effort to increase safety and could reduce collisions by as much as 40%, the city has said.
Mayor Jerry Dyer echoed the sentiment on Monday.
“Twenty-eight people died last year because of a pedestrian collision and of those deaths, seven were collisions with bicycles,” he said in the city’s statement. “Class IV bikeways are a much-needed improvement in safety for cyclists who rely on biking as a mode of transportation or recreation.”
Where are Fresno’s protected bike lanes?
Fresno has been working on installing protected bike lanes since at least 2020, when councilmembers first announced the Palm Avenue project as a way to connect downtown to north Fresno. The city installed its first protected bike lane on R Street between Ventura Street and Tulare Avenue in 2021.
There are also Class IV lanes on Maple Avenue from Gettysburg to Shaw and on Van Ness Avenue through the Tower District.
This current batch of construction will also add lanes on Barstow, Belmont and Fulton/Wishon avenues.
- Belmont Avenue will also be reduced to one lane in each direction, with a center left turn lane, from Palm Avenue to Abby Street.
- Fulton/Wishon Avenue will be reduced from two lanes to one from Weldon Avenue south to Belmont Avenue.
- Barstow Avenue will add the bike lanes from Blackstone to Cedar Avenues with no lane reductions, according to the city.
What about Van Ness Avenue in the Tower District?
The announcement of these new bike lanes follows the city’s rollout of a similar project on Van Ness Avenue last September.
In that instance, the installation the new lanes was met with some pushback and a general sense of confusion from residents and business owners, some of whom complained about the loss of parking spaces in the area.
In response, the city said it would look to possibly redesign the lanes with further community input and held community meetings in council districts 1 and 3. Ultimately, the design did not change and the project has now been completed, Rose said.
“It was determined through a majority of community members of those who attended the meeting to leave the bike lane design as is.”