Councilman: Bike lane signs contribute to blight | Transportation

One city councilman thinks Memphis has too many bike lane signs and that it is unsightly and contributes to blight.

Jim Strickland said he doesn’t want to stop bike lanes and pavement markings, but wants to utilize existing assets when putting up signs.

“There is a balancing act with bike facilities, and all roadways,” said Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator Kyle Wagenschutz.

Many people become inundated with too much information and ignore signs if there are too many. Which is unsafe to all on the road, according to Wagenschutz.

“Signs occur having too few or too many on the road — giving too little direction to those driving or not enough can create an unsafe environment,” he said.

Wagenschutz said he doesn’t disagree with Stickland, and that, when possible, existing poles and street lights will be utilized to hang bike lane signs rather than installing a completely new sign.

But, there are national standards by which traffic engineers have to design roadways.

Now that the department is moving into a slower paces for the season, a review will be done to analyze signage as well as other components like bike lane pavement marking.

According to the Commercial Appeal, Strickland wants to eliminate funding for new, fixed bicycle lane signs.

However, Wagenschutz ensures there will still be enough signs on the road to keep cyclists and drivers safe.

Mayor A C Wharton promised to build 55 miles of new bicycle facilities in 2010, 71 miles of bike routes have been installed since his pledge.

Bike laws for Memphis and Shelby County have been updated since 2010. If you are not familiar when them please see the article here.