Report: 13th Street bike lane stays

The Streets Department and Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities has decided to make the 13th Street pilot bike lane permanent, according to a report released by the latter.

The report compared vehicular volumes and speeds before and after the bike lanes were demarcated and found that neither changed markedly. Average intersection wait lengths on 13th Street did increase, especially at 13th and Walnut streets during morning peak hours, but the report says that results from a number of variables and that “conflicts with crossing pedestrians was the cause of most intersection delay.”

The 13th Street lane also resulted in a substantial increase in the number of bicyclists, who now comprise 23 percent of the total traffic at Walnut Street during morning peak hours, compared to nine percent before the lanes were marked.

Furthermore, “the bike lane appears to be encouraging bicyclists to ride with respect,” according to the report, as observations of 13th Street bicyclists revealed that 90 percent were riding in the correct direction.