CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Neighbors in the Smoketree Drive area in Chesterfield have questions following a new bike lane that was installed they believe is extra wide.
Ellen McGuire, who lives right off the road, said the bike lane looks huge and that she has never seen one that is so big.
“When I first saw it I was like, 'I can’t believe it’s this wide,'" McGuire recalled. "It was causing a lot of confusion and congestion."
McGuire said she has seen drivers coming in into the bike lane because they do not see any bikers.
When asked about McGuire's concerns, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said the bike lane was added following a lane-reconfiguration project designed by Chesterfield County.
That project included adding a bike lane to the two-lane road.
VDOT officials said crews added a two-foot buffer to the lane to increase safety for bikers.
Brantley Tyndall, the director of Bike Walk RVA, said he believes that the larger buffer will increase the effectiveness of the bike lane.
Tyndall also noted that the lane is a temporary measure before the construction of a separated trail.
He added that he’s happy to see the bike lanes with the long term plan of converting them to a shared-use path. He believes the dedicated space for people biking and the expected speed limit reduction for drivers will improve safety for everyone using the road.
VDOT officials said crews added shortened yellow-skip lines at the intersection of Gordon School Road to help drivers get used to the new traffic pattern.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
