Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does snow plowing and street sweeping work?

Lakewood Public Works has scaled-down maintenance equipment that is small enough to plow separated bike lanes between the buffer zone and the curb. Plowed snow will be stored to the extent possible in the buffer zone and/or in the strip between the bike lane and the sidewalk. Snow plowing of separated bike lanes will be prioritized alongside shared-use paths.

Staff used leftover funding from this project to acquire a scaled-down vacuum street sweeper similar to those used for roadways, and will use this small sweeper to keep the separated bike lanes clear of debris on an as-needed basis.

Q: Can I walk or run in a separated bike lane?

Unlike a sidewalk or shared-use path, a separated bike lane is a one-way facility exclusively for bicyclists and other small wheeled devices such as scooters. For this reason, pedestrians should not walk or use a wheelchair in a separated bike lane unless there is no sidewalk or other safe alternative present.

Q: Where should trash cans be placed along a separated bike lane?

Most Lakewood separated bike lanes are narrow enough that garbage trucks can reach over the bike lane to the curb, so trash cans should be placed as close to the curb as possible as not to encroach into the bike lane itself. In a parking-protected lane or a lane with a buffer wider than 3 feet, trash cans should be placed in the buffer between the separated bike lane and the travel lane to ensure they can be reached by garbage haulers.

Q: Why is on-street parking moved from the curb to the other side of the separated bike lane on part of Garrison Street?

A bike lane separated with curbing, posts, or other vertical elements would block access to on-street parking along the curb, so in order to separate the bike lane without obstructing the parking lane the two lanes must switch places. This allows for on-street parking while providing additional separation between bicyclists and moving traffic in the form of parked cars. Additionally, when a bike lane runs directly adjacent to a parking lane on the left side, there is great danger of a cyclist being hit with a car door and pushed into moving traffic when a motorist parked on the street exits their vehicle. To avoid this, the separated bike lane is shifted to the passenger side of the vehicle where doors are opened less frequently and an open door would only push a bicyclist onto the sidewalk instead of into the street. A 3-foot buffer between the parking lane and the bike lane adds extra protection and allows motorists leaving their vehicles to unload and cross the bike lane safely.

Q: What can I expect future separated bike lanes to look like?

Separated bike lanes can take several different forms, marked by the type of vehicle barrier installed. The type of separation depends on many factors including existing street design, road width, vehicle speeds, on-street parking, connectivity, maintenance and cost. Below are examples of three common types of separation.

All separated bike lanes constructed in 2024 include a combination of plastic curbing and posts as shown in the project photo at the top of the page.