While professional bicycle racing continues its rapid growth in Winston-Salem, recreational biking options have lagged far behind other urban areas in central North Carolina. But the city's recently passed bond issue—the first in fifteen years—may begin to change that disparity. A handful of bike path developments are already underway, and one of them may have an enormous impact on the growing bicycling community in Winston-Salem.

Transportation Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Matthew Burczyk says one of the projects he's most excited about is a path that will parallel Business 40 and provide convenient access to downtown from Winston-Salem neighborhoods like Ardmore and West End. It would be elevated and completely separated from motor vehicle traffic.

"Those are the kinds of transportation projects that are really going to make an impact. To have a facility like that that enables people to leave their cars behind and have a safe, convenient place to walk and bike, that's really what makes the big difference," says Burczyk. 

“The cycling community is just blowing up right now. It's crazy," Burczyk notes. "Between the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic that's been here a couple years and the proposals for the Olympic Cycling Center downtown, you combine that with the fact that Winston will be hosting the Masters National Championships in 2016 and 2017 and the Road National Championships in '16 and '17, you combine all of that with the increases in the number of people who are out biking, you know, anecdotally, I've heard a lot of stories about people riding more, I've seen more people riding..."

Burczyk says the bond funds will lead to the implementation of a slew of bike/pedestrian projects that have built up over more than a decade. He adds that it can be difficult traditionally to get money directed to bicycle and pedestrian projects. 

"At the state and national level, there's a push against funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. At the national level, it's just an easy target."  

The funding allocated for transportation in the bond referendum also included $10 million for sidewalk improvements, which will allow the DOT to continue pedestrian improvements throughout the city and add miles of new sidewalk construction. 

Some of the “top of the list” projects include:

-Continuing the pedestrian improvements on Cloverdale Avenue and Hawthorne Road (continuation of the work done on Cloverdale between Oakwood Drive and Miller Street).

-$800,000 in bike lane projects.

-Bike and pedestrian improvements on Meadowlark Drive between Country Club Road and Robinhood Road.

-Bike and pedestrian improvements on Polo Road between University Parkway and Indiana Avenue.

-Child pedestrian safety improvements at eight schools around the city.

-Extension of the Peachtree Greenway to Waughtown Street, through the proposed Quarry Park.

 

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