Infrastructure, Policy, and Advocacy

IPA Committee Mission: Support the development of polices and a built environment in Washoe County that promote the use of bicycles for transportation.

Urgent!!

$20,000,000 is available for active transportation in Reno!

The RTC suddenly has $20m available for alternative transport projects and they put University Way as part of the priority list in a survey they issued of the downtown streets to spend the money on.

These are the TMBA recommendations on the survey scale of 1 to 10:

University Way (rate: 10) – This project is at 30 percent design and connects major hubs – UNR, Downtown and Midtown

5th St (rate: 9) – This is nearly complete and needs only a few fixes

6th St (rate 8) – Connects 4th street to west Reno

Lake/Evans (rate: 7) – Recommended by the Dutch Cycling Embassy as a bus and bike only route

Vine St (rate: 7) – This should really be Washington because that has better connection to Rancho San Rafael, 7th and parks.

Virginia Street (Rate: 6) – This is already the safest of all downtown streets, but it is where everyone wants to be and it is an important route for detours between hubs during closures.

The reasoning behind this priority list is based on University Way is the closest to completion, supported by studies, and a major safety need between UNR, downtown, and midtown. Virginia Street is already the safest of all the downtown streets. University Way and Virginia are important complimentary detour routes during closures On Lake and Evans: The Dutch Cycling Embassy recommended them as a bike and bus-only street to connect to the bus station.

At the end of the survey is a question about HOW they should develop bike paths on these streets: Fewer paths that are more expensive, or more paths that are cheaper? Please support the “more paths for cheaper” option. We MUST tell RTC to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer funds and develop safety measures faster.

PARKING: Many of you may have questions about the elimination of parking on University Way/Center Street if a two-way bike path is installed. These are legitimate questions. Those concerns were addressed in the Alternatives Analysis study which said there is sufficient parking on side streets and installing parking meters would be a benefit to businesses so that people aren’t parking for free all day and taking up valuable space. The protected bike path can also be adjusted to preserve access to loading zones and parking garages with insight from the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance.

HISTORY: During the development of the midtown project, the City of Reno made a commitment to the micro modal community to install a safe route between UNR and Midtown on University Way/Center Street as a concession for not installing bike paths in midtown. It was supposed to be completed last year but the city has been stalling. The City should keep its word and this survey is a way to tell them to follow through now. For more information, see the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance Center Street page.

Projects

Better Bike Network

The BBN is this committee’s flagship project at the moment. The vision is to create a connected, protected, and equitable network of bike routes within the McCarran Loop. Click here to learn more…

Oddie/ Wells

Our Partner, RTC, is developing a strategy for upgrading the Oddie/ Wells corridor from about I-80 to Pyramid Way. We are working collaboratively with them to ensure that the design includes safe cycling facilities.

Center Street Cycle Track

We successfully worked with RTC, the City of Reno, and local businesses to initiate the approval, design, and construction of a two-way, protected cycle track on Center Street from the University to Cheney St. in MidTown. Construction is tentatively scheduled for 2021.

Bike Racks

Beyond bike routes, bike racks are a critical piece of infrastructure to support the use of bicycles for transportation. We advocate for appropriate design, placement, and density of bike racks to adequately support our growing cycling community. Email us with questions or to see how we can support your bike rack installation.

News

Keeping Bicyclists Safe as the Weather Warms Up

Ky Plaskon, the President of the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance explains “Drivers could go more slowly and be more patient around cyclists, that’s the number one thing, more protected bike paths, finding more protected bike paths to ride on can be a little bit difficult in our community but there are a few here.”

Reno adopts Virginia St. placemaking study, will revisit Center Street bike lane

Reno City Council approves controversial Virginia St. study but also tells city and RTC staff to revisit paused Center Street cycle track.

Reno Direct logs 10,000 complaints mentioning bikes since 2018

If you see a problem related to bikes, bike lanes, parking and/or dangerous situations requiring signage, perpetuating the bike lanes, schools or other issues, do not hesitate to contact Reno Direct.

Bike Riders are Not Terrorists

This opinion column was submitted by Ky Plaskon, president of the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance.

I got a call from Councilmember Devon Reese telling me their reluctance to install protected paths partially comes from people in our community who are portraying cyclists as “terrorists,” and that those people say no space should be given on our public roads for us.

General Guidance

RTC Board Turns Blue

For 18 years conservatives have held decision-making power on the RTC board. What are the impacts of this inequitable situation? Click here to learn more from Reno News & Review…

Watch - Micromobility Plan

RTC staff member Sarah Going presents incredible figures on the reduction of road trips with the installation of appropriate micromobility infrastructure. RTC board members express concerns about who rides bikes. Click here to watch the presentation…