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Roanoke outlines two new mobility tracks and safety training; officials highlight 9th Street two‑way cycle track
Summary
City transportation staff described existing and planned mobility/cycle tracks (including a new two‑way 9th Street facility), community engagement and training resources, and encouraged public education about the 3‑foot pass law and intersection behavior for two‑way tracks.
Roanoke transportation officials on Sept. 16 described the city’s expanding mobility‑track program and associated safety training aimed at cyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
Director Ross Campbell said the city now has two cycle tracks: a roughly one‑mile 9th Street facility (Riverland Road to Highland Avenue) built as part of regular pavement maintenance in December 2023, and a recently completed 1.5‑mile track from 6th Street to 22nd Street in northwest Roanoke. Campbell told council these projects were constructed at a marginal additional cost during repaving by reconfiguring existing pavement, adding paint, signage and occasional bollards to create separation and increase comfort for nonmotorized users.
Rob Isom, Complete Streets and Vision Zero coordinator, walked council through the 9th Street cross‑section: narrowed 10‑ft travel lanes to calm traffic, a buffer and a two‑way, 5‑ft cycle track on one side of the street with high‑visibility crosswalks and new signs to instruct turning motorists to yield to cyclists. Isom said city crews conducted door‑to‑door outreach before construction and produced videos explaining how motorists and cyclists should navigate two‑way tracks.
Campbell highlighted posted training resources on the city website, including a Walk and Roll to School toolkit (published July 2024), a Westside Elementary traffic garden for hands‑on practice, and a public video explaining Virginia’s 3‑foot passing law for motorists (enacted 2021). He noted that some residents had expressed concern about parking, trash containers and occasional vehicle encroachment into bike lanes and said staff plan public information campaigns and enforcement coordination with public safety to address those issues.
Council members asked about future corridors and minimum travel‑lane widths to accommodate buses and emergency vehicles; staff said they follow state and FHWA design guides and that 10‑ft lanes were chosen to calm traffic at the posted 25 mph speed while meeting standards for the typical vehicle fleet. Campbell said additional cycle tracks are being planned as part of the city's pavement maintenance program and that staff will share planning details through the city manager’s office as projects are refined.
The presentation concluded with council encouragement to amplify training videos and community outreach to improve driver and rider familiarity with the new infrastructure.
