{"id":215145,"date":"2026-03-11T17:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T17:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215145\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T17:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T17:27:10","slug":"fresnos-new-active-transportation-plan-could-have-cyclists-drivers-battling-for-road-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215145\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresno’s New Active Transportation Plan Could Have Cyclists, Drivers Battling for Road Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

This month, Fresno City Councilmembers will hear a new plan on how to make biking and walking in the city safer. For commuters, that could mean more of the bright green lanes and protective pylons meant to keep cyclists safe, but it could also mean lost driving lanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ATP is ambitious and visionary \u2026 . However, it reads more as a consultant wish-list than an implementation roadmap.\u201d \u2014 Edna Pedroza, chair, Fresno County Bicycle Coalition <\/p>\n

Even though the number of bicycling commuters has gone down since the last Active Transportation plan<\/a>, bike accidents have not. With the city preparing changes, bikers want future streets to better protect them.<\/p>\n

Road width limitations, however, could put bikers and drivers at odds, and along with the need to coordinate with the county, one bike advocate doubts the city\u2019s ability to execute the plan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In an email to GV Wire, Edna Pedroza, chair of the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition, said the plan needs to assign responsibility to specific departments, create accountability, and establish coordination.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ATP is ambitious and visionary \u2014 a significant improvement over the 2017 plan, with a more detailed priority network and broader scope,\u201d Pedroza said. \u201cHowever, it reads more as a consultant wish-list than an implementation roadmap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Story: Fresno\u2019s Blackstone Avenue Plan Is Here. Will Fewer Vehicle Lanes Entice …<\/a><\/p>\n

ATP Identifies $900 Million of Pedestrian\/Bike Safety Upgrades<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Active Transportation Plan identifies 824 miles of bike lanes and 581 miles of sidewalk construction to add, prioritizing 82 miles of bike lanes and 62 sidewalk miles.<\/p>\n

Rather than a list of requirements, the plan acts more as a template and guideline for where upgrades should go, what they should look like, and what gets prioritized, said Jill Gormley, assistant public works director.<\/p>\n

It represents a first step in changing the city\u2019s transportation scape as many federal, state, and local funding sources require having an updated plan in place for cities seeking money. One proposed replacement for Fresno County\u2019s Measure C would require any cities receiving transportation tax money to have transportation plans updated and in place.<\/p>\n

At full buildout, all the upgrades would cost the city $900 million, with high priority areas pegged at $92 million. While suggestions for projects came from public meetings and public comment periods, Gormley said the city will not stop accepting, analyzing, and promoting community suggestions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Active Transportation Plan is how we envision the network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the city,\u201d said Jill Gormley, assistant public works director with the city. \u201cIt identifies where there may be gaps in bike lanes, gaps in sidewalks, gaps in trails and just proposes how we fill those gaps or provide facilities where none exist for people that want to walk or bike or get around without vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan will likely go before Fresno City Council at the end of the month, Gormley said.<\/p>\n

\"\"A map shows where the city of Fresno would prioritize bike lanes and cycle tracks in the Active Transportation Plan (City of Fresno)
\nBikers Need Protection: Pedroza<\/p>\n

The city places high priorities on First Street and Maroa Avenue, calling for protected bike lanes along large stretches of those roads. Long stretches of Clinton and McKinley Avenues would make east-west travel easier.<\/p>\n

Under the plan, high priority bike lane additions would create a citywide network, allowing cyclists to traverse the city more safely.<\/p>\n

Throughout the city\u2019s core, the plan envisions major changes for north-south and east-west travel. The city places high priorities on First Street and Maroa Avenue, calling for protected bike lanes along large stretches of those roads. Long stretches of Clinton and McKinley Avenues would make east-west travel easier.<\/p>\n

In southeast, the city wants to add bike lanes up and down Butler and Maple avenues.<\/p>\n

While bikers prefer protective barriers, Pedroza recognized cost and space limitations.<\/p>\n

Visible striping and clear sight lines would help increase safety, and at a significantly lower cost per mile, the city can cover more of the network, she said.<\/p>\n

Physical barriers can be costly, and temporary solutions such as bright green bollards may only provide the perception of safety, Pedroza said. The bollards typically last between three to five years, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do not provide physical protection from vehicles traveling at speed,\u201d Pedroza said. \u201cThe perception of safety they create can be misleading, particularly given Fresno\u2019s documented issues with impaired and distracted driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Won\u2019t Commit to Road Diets, but It\u2019s a Possibility<\/p>\n

Taking a deeper look at street limitations, adding protective measures will take more than street painting.<\/p>\n

Fresno County oversees much of Maroa Avenue and many other proposed streets.<\/p>\n

For Maroa\u2019s case, north of Shaw Avenue, the wide road easily accommodates bikers. South of Shaw Avenue, in Old Fig Garden, however, the road drastically narrows, with no sidewalks and old growth trees overlooking roadways.<\/p>\n

Implementing changes would require coordination with the county, Gormley said.<\/p>\n

Proposed changes for both Maroa Avenue and First Street call for at least protective bollards \u2014 similar to what the city added to Barstow and Palm avenues \u2014 to separate bicyclists from the main road way.<\/p>\n

From Herndon Avenue to Highway 180, most of First Street has landscape medians, limiting just how much space the city can provide for bike protection.<\/p>\n

At Butler and Maple Avenues, bike lanes will likely come at the cost of street parking.<\/p>\n

Converting from traditional bike lanes to protected lanes requires an additional three feet of asphalt in each direction, according to plan details. Shrinking 12-foot travel lanes to 11-foot lanes only gives engineers two more feet to work with and reduces speed limits.<\/p>\n

Gormley said eliminating driving lanes is a possibility to accommodate the plans, but that requires traffic studies to justify lane reductions. The plan does not note where road diets would take place, but the reality behind adding protective bike lanes could mean fewer driving lanes, similar to what the city will be doing on Blackstone Avenue south of Dakota Avenue this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ATP does not identify road diets, but some roadways may require a road diet or removal of parking or narrowing of travel lanes, etc, to implement the bicycle facilities proposed in the ATP,\u201d Gormley told GV Wire in an email.<\/p>\n

82% of Bike Collisions Happen at Intersections: Safety Data<\/p>\n

In the last decade, the number of commuters biking or walking to work has gone down. 2022 Census data cited in the plan show only .55% of residents biking to work, down from 1.1% in 2014. That figure doesn\u2019t capture the number of recreational bikers or bikers going to schools.<\/p>\n

That drop in ridership did not come with a drop in collisions. In 2018, 97 bicycle collisions occurred throughout the city and in 2023, 102 collisions occurred, with intermittent rises and declines\u00a0 between.<\/p>\n

While the city proposes changes to bike lanes, intersections are far more dangerous than roadways, with 82% of serious collisions happening there, according to safety data. Broadside collisions made up 33% of reported serious accidents compared to sideswipes totaling 3%. It should be noted that data is based off of reported injuries, so near scares would not be included.<\/p>\n

Bikers often report driveways and cut-outs being highly dangerous.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Though ridership has decreased from 2014 to 2022, according to census data, collision occurrence frequency has been less predictable. (City of Fresno)<\/p>\n

City Should Prioritize Neediest Areas First: Pedroza<\/p>\n

There are fixes the city could do right away to help with bike safety, Pedroza said. Pedroza complimented the city\u2019s street sweeping efforts but noted that the city does not do enough to stop wrongful uses of bike lanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf funding is limited \u2014 and it is \u2014 Class 4 investments should go where they are most needed: areas with genuine safety concerns, high crash rates, and underserved communities.\u201d \u2014 Edna Pedroza, chair, Fresno County Bicycle Coalition <\/p>\n

Trash bins in bike lanes obstruct travel paths and residents don\u2019t know the rules. Drivers often use bike lanes as parking spots and the city rarely tickets offenders. The same goes for food trucks, especially in the Tower District, she said.<\/p>\n

A map of reported collisions shows high concentrations of injuries and fatalities in central Fresno, bounded by Shields Avenue and Highway 180, and West Avenue and Fresno Street. The city\u2019s plan marks Shields Avenue as medium priority despite having a cluster of accidents.<\/p>\n

With limited money, Pedroza said the city should prioritize the neediest areas rather than the easiest fixes. She said spending in affluent areas with newer infrastructure takes money away from other areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf funding is limited \u2014 and it is \u2014 Class 4 investments should go where they are most needed: areas with genuine safety concerns, high crash rates, and underserved communities,\u201d Pedroza said. \u201cPlacing expensive cycle track investment in affluent, low-density areas simply because the road geometry is convenient is not an equitable use of resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A map of killed or significant injuries on bicycle show heavy concentrations of accidents in the city\u2019s core. (City of Fresno)
\nSee the City\u2019s Bike Network Priorities
\n\"\"A chart shows the city of Fresno\u2019s priority bike network projects and cost. (City of Fresno)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This month, Fresno City Councilmembers will hear a new plan on how to make biking and walking in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":{"0":"post-215145","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-fresno","9":"tag-fresno-headlines","10":"tag-fresno-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}