Advisory Lanes in San Diego

“It is a whole new way for drivers and cyclists to share the road.” City of Ottawa

I first experienced Advisory Lanes in Holland in 2014 on a bike barge trip with my family. This was a new type of bike facility to me and I liked them.  Below is a photo from the trip that shows a great visual of an advisory lane In Holland.  I especially appreciate the different colors of asphalt that are used to differentiate space for different types of users.  As one can see, space is dedicated to a safe pathway for people on bikes and other rolling devices. Check out this one minute video to quickly learn how Advisory Bike Lanes work for cyclists and drivers. We do believe it is an intuitive street design treatment that drivers and cyclists will learn to use quickly.

As a long time advocate, I was thrilled to hear that our City is recommending and implementing the use of Advisory Lanes in San Diego. In May, City staff, Everett Hauser, provided a brief introduction to the Mobility Board for the use of Advisory Lanes on Hancock Avenue.  I personally believe it will be an improvement for all and is a great compromise for businesses, parking, and active commuters along this corridor with limited street space.  

In June, Everett updated the Mobility Board with criteria being used for evaluating future streets for Advisory Lanes.  Below is the table presented.  It shows Advisory Lanes will be evaluated for narrow streets with limited space, low volume traffic and low volume speeds.  It was clarified that streets with parked cars will be considered, as straight-in parking is being proposed for Hancock.  As noted, this type of treatment will be used on streets designated in the Bicycle Master Plan that will be resurfaced with slurry seal or overlay treatment.  Check out streets.sandiego.gov to view upcoming street resurfacing projects. 

If you have ideas or suggestions that you think advisory lanes would be a good fit in your neighborhood, please feel free to share with BikeSD to gain support and help advocate for innovative paint treatments that prioritize safe pathways for people on bikes. If you’re a fan like I am, please send Mayor Todd Gloria an email. Send gratitude and encourage more.

If you like to ride, we recommend to do so often. 😊