SafeTREC has released the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Strategies for UC Berkeley Campus and Periphery, a report that suggests the start of a two-way cycle track around the UC Berkeley campus, amongst other good improvements for bicycling and walking. We think it is a good idea-in fact, we first suggested it!
Two-way cycle tracks (also known as protected bike lanes, separated bikeways, and on-street bike paths) are physically separated cycle tracks that allow bicycle movement in both directions on one side of the road-in this case the campus side of Oxford St and Bancroft Way. A two-way cycle track may be configured as a protected cycle track at street level with a parking lane or other barrier between the cycle track and the motor vehicle travel lane and/or as a raised cycle track to provide vertical separation from the adjacent motor vehicle lane.
The two-way cycle track proposed in the SafeTREC Report are for these segments around the periphery of campus:
- Oxford Street: from Bancroft Way to Hearst
- Bancroft Way: from Oxford up to Dana
- Bancroft Way: Telegraph Ave up to Barrows Lane
- Bancroft Way: Bowditch to the path between tennis courts and gymnasium
Parking can be maintained around the cycle track by removing a lane of traffic, which will also significantly increase pedestrian safety for people crossing the streets with a cycle track.
Acess on to and off of the two-way cycle track is designed at the intersections so that people riding can safely move to and from nearby bike lanes and the protected cycle track. For example, at Hearst & Oxford intersection, the two-way cycle track would start at the campus corner of this intersection, and a bike traffic signal could provide a protected phase for bike movements through the intersection, on to the new proposed bike lanes on Hearst Ave. At the intersection of Dana and Bancroft Way, a four-way stop controlled interesection would allow bicyclists to easily get on to and off of the cycle track.
Here is a map that shows the extent of what could be a first phase of a cycle track looping UC Berkeley campus. The cycle track segments shown connect with bikeways on Hearst Ave, Dana St, Telegraph Ave and Center St.
View UC Berkeley Campus Periphery Bikeway in a larger map