Royal Oak To Expand Bike Lanes This Spring

ROYAL OAK, MI — Royal Oak cyclists will soon be able to navigate the city a little easier, thanks to plans for improve bike routes. A north-south dedicated bike route will begin construction this year. The project has been a goal seven years in the making for the Royal Oak City Commission.

The new routes will be on South Washington and North Main streets, where there are relatively low traffic volumes and the roads can be easily reconfigured. According to the city, the design of the routes come from the work of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Sub-Committee and their numerous public meetings with residents.

Here’s a look at what’s in store:

North/South Bicycle Route
The sub-committee has been working with the Engineer Division to create these bike lanes, with Euclid Avenue serving as a connector between the two. Currently Washington Avenue and Main Street have two lanes traveling north and two lanes traveling south. The proposed plan is to reduce the traveling lanes to one lane in each direction allowing the space to add dedicated bicycle lanes and a center turn lane along various portions of the route where space is available.

Campbell Road Bicycle Route
This proposed route would connect Ferndale's Hilton Road bicycle route to Royal Oak's existing East Fourth Street bicycle route. The city is planning to improve Campbell Road in the summer of 2018 and has been considering a plan to add dedicated bicycle lanes from 10 Mile Road to Fourth Street. Campbell Road would have a dedicated center turn lane with one lane of travel for north and south bound drivers, with a dedicated bicycle lane along the curb line. Campbell Road is not wide enough to provide a buffer zone between the travel lanes and dedicated bicycle lanes, city officials say.

>>> Click here to see the full plans.

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