Craddock Avenue Bike Lane Project proposes three options to community

Sierra Martin | Managing Editor

SAN MARCOS – Dozens of bicycles crowded around the entrance of Westover Baptist Church as members of the San Marcos community met on Nov. 30 to discuss creating bike lanes on Craddock Avenue.

According to city officials, Craddock Avenue will be repaved next year, and the San Marcos Transportation Department is looking to create safe options for cyclists on the road. 

Senior Transportation Engineer Rohit Vij, Transportation Engineering Manager Ning Zou and Director of Public Works Sabas Avila presented three options for integrating bike lanes on Craddock Avenue.

Option One: Buffered Bike Lane

The Buffered Bike Lane option would reduce the two traffic lanes to one lane on Craddock Avenue and use white traffic lines to mark bike lanes. This option would take the least amount of time to complete, with construction estimated at around one year.

Option Two: Off-Road, Shared Path

The Off-Road, Shared Path bike lanes would allow for two 11-foot lanes of traffic and two four-foot bike lanes. The bike lanes would allow runners and cyclist to have their lanes independent from the vehicle lanes.

Option Three: Sharrows

Sharrows would allow bikes to share the road with vehicles on the outside lane. A cycling symbol would be painted on the road to inform drivers of the shared lane.

None of the three options included a vertical bike lane boundary, seen in multiple completed bike lane projects throughout the city and highly criticized throughout the community.

Many people in attendance expressed concerns about construction on Craddock Avenue increasing traffic to Franklin Drive and the surrounding neighborhoods. Additional concerns include the high speed on Craddock Avenue and San Marcos’ limited police force to enforce the speed limit regularly.

Overall, those in attendance seemed to favor Option two the most because it would allow for a safe route for those biking and not limit the traffic lanes to one.

According to San Marcos officials, a second meeting will occur after public comments and feedback are analyzed further.