The look of bike lanes in San Luis Obispo could change in the future as the city continues to repave the roads.
One bike lane already looks different, on Laurel Lane.
The City of San Luis Obispo Transportation Manager Jake Hudson said the surface got repaved after the subsurface of the road had deteriorated.
He said crews did a safety study to monitor traffic flow and ways to improve safety.
“We were finding that the intersections here along Laurel were one of the highest pedestrian collision rate locations in the city, and so we worked with the community here, the business owners to identify a suite of solutions,” Hudson said.
The result a reduction in traffic lanes and a buffered bicycle lane, which Hudson said slows down traffic and ultimately reduces the number of people getting hurt.
Another result, the lanes on Laurel Lane have dashed lines on the inside of the buffered bike lanes.
Hudson said he understands some people in San Luis Obispo might be confused with this change.
“Essentially this is a new type of bike lane standard that is called out in federal and state design guidance and essentially all that means and all that indicates is that you are allowed to cross over that buffer area and to the adjacent on-street parking lane,” Hudson said.
He said he has some of the older style solid lanes through the buffer area and as the city comes through and restripes the area those will ultimately get converted to this style.
