Richmond Heights Becoming More Bike-Friendly

Several streets in Richmond Heights are being designated with "share the road" signs and road markings to help the city become more friendly and safe for cyclists. 

The project is part of the Gateway Bike Plan, an initiative that seeks to build a 1,000-mile-long bicycle network in the St. Louis metro area. The plan is a collaborative effort among the Great Rivers Greenway District, the Missouri Department of Transportation, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Metro, numerous municipalities, St. Louis and St. Charles counties, St. Louis city and Trailnet. 

Richmond Heights public works director Bruce Murray said the signs will be used to create corridors for bike traffic while cautioning drivers to be on the lookout for bicyclists. In many areas throughout the city, creating a separate bike lane simply isn't an option because of the small size of the roadway. 

"With us being an older city, our streets were designed at a time when there weren't that many cars," Murray said. 

The areas receiving the signs and markings include Bellevue Avenue from Clayton Road south to the city limits and a portion that runs north on Laclede Station Road to Boland Avenue and then connects with Clayton Road. 

Murray said future plans include the creation of a bike boulevard on . He estimated that 60 percent of the "share the road" signs and pavement marking are completed, and he expects the entire project to be finished by the end of the year. 

"It's an extensive plan," Murray said. "We are trying to be proactive and do our part."

Todd Antoine with the Great Rivers Greenway District said that since the completion of the plan in August, many municipalities have begun to implement parts of it. The plan calls for various levels of bike facilities, including multi-use trails and seperate lanes for cyclists. 

"It depends on a lot of factors," he said. "The width that you have on the roadway is critical, as well as the speed limit and the width of the existing lanes."

In cases where the road can't be divided, Antoine said, "share the road" signs are designed to encourage cyclists and motorists alike to be careful.

"They are there to alert folks and to raise awareness that there are bicyclists who are using the road," he said.