CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drivers in uptown Charlotte may feel the impact of even more construction during their daily commute starting Monday.
Construction of full-time, protected bike lanes on East 6th and 7th Streets is set to begin Monday morning. The lanes are part of a multi-phase bike lane project that's been in the works since 2017 and aims to better protect cyclists within the city limits.
According to NCDOT, 850 cyclists are hit by cars each year in the state and over 50 percent of those collisions involve cyclists under the age of 30. For the past two years, Charlotte leaders have been working to make the Queen City safer for cyclists but the ride isn't easy. Some riders say they're forced onto sidewalks where they have to avoid pedestrians.
"I just feel really bad every day biking on the sidewalk and having to move around people and bike on the road just with the cards going so fast," said Sarah Wodis, who rides her bike to work in uptown.
The ultimate goal of the project is to connect the Little Sugar Creek Greenway with the Irwin Creek Greenway for cyclists who ride into or across uptown. Construction crews will widen both East 6th and East 7th streets near McDowell Street to make room for the lanes, which will have barriers to protect cyclists from traffic and off the sidewalks.
Last year, city officials held pop-up sessions to get input from cyclists about the proposed lanes. Bike vs car accidents add up to 15 percent of all traffic deaths in the state each year.
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