Lovell Street Cycle Track Pilot

Building on the successful Bike Wave pilot from 2022, a longer, and longer-term cycle track pilot project was installed on Lovell Street in 2024. This project will run from 2024-2026 from Pitcher Street to Stadium Drive. It's funded by a Safe Streets for All grant with the goal is to make the street safer for vulnerable road users like bicyclists, but also for drivers too.

The cycle track will be located on the north side of the street between Pitcher St and Stadium Drive. It is separated from vehicle traffic with a temporary curb and reflective posts. Bright green paint provides emphasis in key areas.

The cycle track was designed to maintain access to all driveways and areas will be marked for residents to place trash carts for pickup. On-street parking will remain in most places, and will separate the cycle track from vehicle traffic where present. Parking will be removed on the north side of the street between Westnedge and Stadium.

Vehicle lane widths are now a consistent 10-feet (lanes used to vary in width, with some as wide as 15 feet!). Narrowing lanes has been shown to reduce driver speeds, reduce crashes, and improve safety.

Pitcher St to Westnedge Ave Layout

Street layout of the Lovell Street Cycle Track Pitcher to Westnedge

Westnedge Ave to Oakland Layout

Street layout of Lovell Street Cycle Track Westnedge to Oakland

What's a Pilot?

A pilot is a temporary project implemented to evaluate an idea before making it permanent. The purpose of a pilot is to test the idea in a low-risk and low-cost way. This pilot will help create the final design for Lovell Street when it is reconstructed and converted to two-way in the coming years.

How will this pilot be different than the 2022 Bike Wave?

In 2022 we partnered with the League of Michigan Bicyclists to pilot a cycle track on Lovell Street using the bike wave system. This new pilot will extend further on Lovell and be a longer-term pilot. It will also have a different design based on what we learned from the bike wave:

Loading Zones: We learned that curb loading/unloading for Metro was needed at the Kalamazoo Mall. In this new pilot, loading zones will be added to provide accessible transit and truck unloading areas for businesses.
Traffic Calming: We learned that vehicle lanes could be narrowed and designated turning lanes could be removed to reduce traffic speeds for safety while maintaining good traffic flow.
On-Street Parking: We heard that anywhere parking could remain was a benefit to the area and welcomed by both businesses and residents.

How will this affect driveway access?

Driveway access will be maintained throughout the cycle track area, and drivers must yield to bikes in the cycle track when entering or exiting a driveway.

How will this affect trash & recycling pickup?

We will add special blue pavement markings to delineate where trash & recycling carts should be placed in the roadway for easy pickup by garbage trucks.

The Lovell St Cycle Track pilot project that was installed in 2024

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(JPG, 1MB)

Contact details

(269) 337-8000

311@kalamazoocity.org