Improvement Opportunities for Stuart, Stover and Welch Presented to BAC

BFC is now on an approx. quarterly schedule of presenting improvement opportunities to the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). Having done so several times already, BFC was appreciative of the opportunity to present the following three infrastructure/intersection improvement opportunities to the BAC this past Monday (April 25).

Two of the three featured intersections were also recently featured (December 2021) as part of our monthly Intersection-Facility Focus survey in The Pedal Post eNewsletter. Similar to previous presentations, we incorporated the results from the surveys into the presentation.

• Prospect & Welch to Spring Creek
• Stuart Street & Lemay Avenue Intersection
• Prospect Road & Stover Street Offset Intersection

Here are the problem(s)/issue(s) and potential considerations that we highlighted for the group for each opportunity:

Intersection of Prospect & Welch to Spring Creek Trail (See Survey Results) – Here we showcased how bicyclists traveling southbound on Welch from Prospexct, particularly to get to the Spring Creek Trail need to cross over two lanes of traffic on Welch to use the signaled crossing. Then, after crossing Prospect, cross back over the two lanes of traffic on Welch again to get back into the southbound bike lane (see video below of the Current SB Experience). BFC suggested the sidewalk on the east side of Welch and south of Prospect be made into a two-way cycle-track from Prospect to the Spring Creek Trail, thus mitigating one dangerous diagonal crossing (see video below of Prospective Cycletrack). It was also suggested and the city indicated there may be some consideration to install a button to trigger the crossing from the west side of Welch, so bicyclists wouldn’t have to leave the southbound lane.

Stuart Street & Lemay Avenue Intersection (See Survey Results) – At this intersection, BFC hightlighted how Stuart Street has decent bike lanes in each direction when traveling east-west, but how the bicycle infrastructure dangerously disappears at the intersection, leaving bicyclists to comingle with vehicular traffic sharing a narrow thru-lane, or even being pushed into the right turn lane (when traveling westbound–see the video below of the Current WB Experience). Given the unlikelihood of being able to widen the intersection to make way for dedicated bike lanes, BFC suggested adding bike boxes to Stuart in each direction at the intersection, so bicyclists had a place to be that was well marked and communicated to motorists (see the image below).

Prospect Road & Stover Street Offset Intersection – Finally, at this offset intersection, we bring focus to the encroachment that vehicles make on the bike lane traveling northbound (see the video below of the Current NB Experience), and the dangerous crossings of Stover that are required going southbound: when using the signaled crossing (See the video below of the Current SB Experience (1)), as well as when trying to cross and travel in the vehiclular lanees of traffic (see the video below of the Current SB Experience (2)). BFC proposes the additon of a signal on the west edge of intersection that is timed with the east signal already in place. This would make the entire offset of the intersection (see the crosshatched area in the image below) free of vehicles when bikes or pedestrians are present. 

We’ll be sure to keep you posted on any improvements or measures that are taken at any of these intersections as a result of presentations like these and/or our continued efforts to generate awareness for the problems/issues at intersections and other facilities, as well as any future presentations we make.

In the meantime, please continue to let us know when (and where) you have unsafe experiences on your bike (or even walking) as a function of the way the road/street is designed, striped, configured, etc. Either submit a comment below or email us at info@bikefortcollins.org.