LEWISTON — Confused? Bewildered? Unsure of where you should be driving while traveling along Pine Street?
Not to worry. City officials say new lines painted along one side of the street are there to ensure safety for folks on bikes and convenience for all.
“This new bike lane runs the full length of Pine from Canal to Sabattus,” Lewiston Community Relations Coordinator Dottie Perham-Whittier said in a prepared statement. “The vehicle travel lane is now 11 feet wide, parking lanes are 7 feet and the new bike lane is 5 feet with an additional buffer area between bikes and on-street parking.
“This design follows guidelines recommended for collector streets like Pine and serves to slow traffic while providing a protected lane for bicyclists,” Perham-Whittier said. “In addition, safety is enhanced for pedestrians, pedestrians with disabilities, all types of motorized vehicles and bicycles.”
The new configuration is part of a street-design policy being implemented in several cities. The city was advised of the changes in a news release, although not everyone got the memo. By Friday, several people, including a few Lewiston police officers and others who travel frequently through the downtown, were speculating on the changes.
City officials promise that the changes will make Pine Street safer and more convenient to travel, whether in a car, on a bicycle or on foot.
“This is an example of the positive results of Lewiston’s recently adopted Complete Streets Policy,” according to the release, “a policy that was recognized, along with that of Auburn’s, as a national leader in making streets safer and more convenient for everyone who uses them.”
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- A new bike lane runs the length of Pine Street in Lewiston, with a buffer lane between it and the parking lane.
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