Better Bike Network

We envision a future for the greater Reno-Sparks area where cycling makes up a substantial portion of transportation mode-share. We believe this will provide the area with many benefits related to personal health, environmental health, sustainability, and livability. All of these benefits can be provided by the humble bicycle, but only if people are willing and able to use it. To make this happen, we need a Better Bike Network. The network we have currently does not meet the three core characteristics we feel are required to replace vehicle miles with bicycle miles. A Better Bike Network needs to be:

Connected

Bike routes that don’t connect to each other and provide safe access from one side of the city to the other are insufficient. We envision a network that, at least within the McCarrann Loop includes at least three main routes in both the east-west and north-south directions

Protected

Bike routes that require cyclists to share a space with drivers who are traveling above 20 mph (with or without a painted bike lane) are insufficient. For a bike network to be safe enough to encourage large numbers of people to ride, traffic speed need to be limited by physical controls (e.g., chicanes, speed bumps, etc.) to below 25 mph or bike routes need to be physically separated from traffic either by barriers such as bollards or by avoiding co-location.

Equitable

A bike network that is available only to a privileged portion of the population is insufficient. A bike network should serve cyclists of all ages and abilities and regardless of the neighborhood in which they live.