A temporary protected bike lane is open this week in Uptown

The temporary 1.5-mile route occupies one full lane of 5th and 6th Streets from McDowell Street to Ray’s Splash Planet. On weekend days, a 7th Street connector extends the route to Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

It will be open through Sunday, October 29.

The proposed protected bike lane is part of the city’s larger Uptown Connects project to improve bike-ability in Charlotte’s urban center.

The 14-month Uptown Connects study, a collaboration between the Charlotte Department of Transportation and Charlotte City Center Partners, concluded in July of this year with two primary recommendations going forward:

1. Belk Greenway Connector – A multi-use path along the John Belk Freeway connecting Little Sugar Creek Greenway and Irwin Creek Greenway
2. 5th/6th Street Protected Bike Lane – An on-street, two-way protected cycle track that’s currently being demoed with a temporary set up through October 29

You can read the full Uptown Connects final report here.

The city will use feedback from this week’s protected bike lane demo to evaluate operations and public response to a proposed permanent track along the same route.

A one-year design process for the permanent two-way cycletrack along 5th and 6th Streets is slated it to begin in early 2018.

To learn more about this week’s protected bike lane demo, visit Charlotte Center City’s bicycling page and the City of Charlotte’s Uptown Connects project page.