FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- Student who commute by bicycle to the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith have a safer way to get there with the opening of the Blue Lion Bikeway Wednesday (Sept. 7).
Students will now be able to ride their bicycles from campus to downtown Fort Smith on designated, shared lanes on several streets, including Park Avenue, Kinkead Avenue and North E Street.
The lanes are marked with Blue Lion Bikeway signs and so-called sharrows, which indicate to drivers that they are sharing the road with bicycles.
"I think sometimes you aren't aware of bikers and where they are supposed to be on the road, so having the signs and those arrows will help people know what their role is," UAFS junior Austin Lloyd said.
After the student government brought the idea to the university, Arvest Bank donated $50,000 to create the seven-mile marked bikeway. The donation funded the signs and painting city roads.
"It's a great way to connect the university to the community in a very unique and different way," Lloyd said.