SPRINGDALE (KFSM) -- Getting from the Razorback Greenway to other parts of town will now be more accessible for bikers and walkers.
Bike NWA is installing protected bikes lanes starting at East Meadow Ave. in Springdale that connects people from the Greenway all the way to the Springdale Public Library.
These protected bike lanes will put a barrier between drivers and bikers and walkers.
Members of Bike NWA and volunteers were out helping install them Tuesday (Oct. 30).
“I was just kind of hanging out at home and saw this was going on. I`ve lived in Springdale for 15 years, so it`s a good opportunity to come out and support the city that I live in. You know make a positive change. You know I can bring my daughter out here now, and it`s safe,” Blake Kingfisher said.
The planning and consulting agency that`s building these is called Lane Shift.
Founder Ryan Hale said many roads in our cities have a lot of space that`s not being used.
“When we`re working on a project like this we can put in a protected bike lane with paint and other delineators and things like that within the existing roadway at a fraction of the cost of what it would be to either build a brand-new roadway or to build an off-road paved trail,” Hale said.
Blake Kingfisher said he lives on the west side of town and right now there is no easy way to get to the Razorback Greenway, and this will make that easier.
“It`s going to be divided out where we are physically separated from the cars, and I`m not going to get brushed by a car with a window or a mirror, and I`ll be safer. And so it`s just one step into making the city more bike friendly,” he said.
The protected bike lanes are just temporary and are only planned to be here for one year, but they said that could all change depending on public input.
Depending on the weather, the project should be done this week.
Three more similar projects Fayetteville and Siloam Springs will be built in November.