A protected bike lane may in the near future be a part of Yale Avenue in Irvine as the city completes preliminary design plans for a slew of improvements to the South Yale Corridor.
Community members congregated on South Yale Avenue between Michelson Drive and Royce Road for a couple of hours on Saturday, Aug. 26 to ride their bikes along a separated, temporary cycle track just for the afternoon.
Yale Avenue currently has on-street bike lanes which do not completely separate cyclists from drivers. The proposed biking trail could have a grass median with plants and trees separating cyclists from the vehicle travel lane.
Irvine resident and avid cyclist Owen Yancher, who lives on the corner of Yale Avenue and Royce Road, said the proposed bike lane is a “worthwhile investment to try to improve the safety of cyclists who are moving down that corridor.”
A bicyclist is all smiles as she tries out the South Yale Cycle Track, a quarter-mile prototype of a proposed biking trail between Michelson Drive and Royce Road in Irvine on
Saturday, August 26, 2023. Officials say they are waiting for community feedback before they begin the project that could have a grass median with plants and trees separating bicyclist from cars. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A placard describes the South Yale Cycle Track, a quarter-mile prototype of a proposed biking trail between Michelson Drive and Royce Road in Irvine on Saturday, August 26, 2023. Officials say they are waiting for community feedback before they begin the project that could have a grass median with plants and trees separating bicyclist from cars. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Carl and Debbie Weinert try out the South Yale Cycle Track, a quarter-mile prototype of a proposed biking trail between Michelson Drive and Royce Road in Irvine on Saturday, August 26, 2023. “It could make a lot of difference in safety and beauty,” Debbie Weinert said of the proposal to add greenery to separate cars and bikes. “Any time you add trees to the city is a good thing.” They both think it can also prevent drag racing. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People check out information about the South Yale Cycle Track, a quarter-mile prototype of a proposed biking trail between Michelson Drive and Royce Road in Irvine on Saturday, August 26, 2023. Officials say they are waiting for community feedback before they begin the project that could have a grass median with plants and trees separating bicyclist from cars. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bicyclist Owen Yancher tries out the South Yale Cycle Track between Michelson Drive and Royce Road in Irvine on Saturday, August 26, 2023. The proposed biking trail could have a grass median with plants and trees separating bicyclist from cars. Yancher, who grew up in Davis — a city dubbed the biking capital of America — said a similar project failed in that city because the trail was on a busy thoroughfare, causing traffic congestion and street sweepers couldn’t fit inside the bike path to maintain it. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A placard describes the South Yale Cycle Track a quarter-mile prototype of a proposed biking trail between Michelson Drive and Royce Road in Irvine on Saturday, August 26, 2023. Officials say they are waiting for community feedback before they begin the project that could have a grass median with plants and trees separating bicyclist from cars. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bicyclist Owen Yancher tries out the South Yale Cycle Track between Michelson Drive and Royce Road in Irvine on Saturday, August 26, 2023. The proposed biking trail could have a grass median with plants and trees separating bicyclist from cars. Yancher, who grew up in Davis — a city dubbed the biking capital of America — said a similar project failed in that city because the trail was on a busy thoroughfare, causing traffic congestion and street sweepers couldn’t fit inside the bike path to maintain it. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“That particular stretch of street, because of how wide it is, encourages people to speed down the road,” Yancher said. “And kids bike to school every morning and afternoon.”
Yancher, who moved to Irvine this year after living in Davis for 25 years, said a similar cycle track in Davis failed when it turned into an “infrastructure nightmare.” The trail was on a busy thoroughfare, causing traffic congestion, and street sweepers couldn’t fit inside the bike path to maintain it, Yancher said.
He doesn’t foresee that happening in Irvine, however, because Yale Avenue is a “high bicycle area” with kids commuting to Rancho San Joaquin Middle School down the street.
“There’s one car lane there, and it’s very wide,” Yancher said. “Because it’s not a main thoroughfare, I think the project will work.”
The project aims to “improve roadway safety and enhance mobility for all users along South Yale Avenue,” said Irvine transportation analyst Cheryl Lea, and “better utilize the available roadway space for all users … as well as connections to nearby parks and trails.”
Preliminary design plans and a comprehensive project report are slated to be completed by the end of summer. Residents can share their feedback by emailing Lea at clea@cityofirvine.org.
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