Vail Valley Drive Safety Improvements - Advisory Bike Lanes

Vail Valley Drive is a popular route in the summer for pedestrians, cyclists, cars and buses. The Vail Valley Drive Safety Improvements project's goal is to define a clear and aesthetically pleasing separation between motorists and pedestrian/cyclists to provide a safer and more enjoyable experience for all. Within the last year the Design Team and Staff have engaged the public through multiple on-line surveys, Public Open Houses, individual meetings, and multiple Town Council meetings. The cumulative efforts resulted in the desire to complete a trial of Advisory Bike Lanes.

Advisory Bike Lanes(ABL's) are a relatively new "share the road" practice for the United States and they have been implemented successfully in about 30 locations across the nation. The goal of ABL's is to separate motorists from pedestrians and bicyclist by delineating a center vehicular lane and two edge pedestrian/bicyclist lanes along a low volume road. The center vehicular lane becomes a single bi-directional shared lane where drivers must yield to oncoming vehicles; while the ABL's delineate lanes in each direction for pedestrians/bicyclist that also function as shared lanes for motorists when vehicles need to yield to each other. For further information on how to navigate ABL's correctly click to view this video from Victoria Canada.

During the two-month summer trial period, the town received significant positive feedback. Upon completion of the trial in August 2020, the Town Council directed staff to leave the ABL in place and plan on permanent installation in 2021.

You can find additional information and resources on ABL's in the Document Library to the right.