Louisville is taking a step forward to ensure biking is safer and more accessible and will be debuting a new bicycle infrastructure in the form of advisory bike lanes. Advisory bike lanes, also known as "Advisory Shoulder" and "Dashed Bicycle Lane" by the Federal Highway Association (FHWA), represent a shift towards true shared road usage that prioritizes equal usage for bicycles, motorists, and pedestrians. The pilot project was approved by City Council in October 2023 as an amendment to the 2023 Pavement Marking contract and will be installed on Polk Avenue and W. Dahlia Street, between Pine Street and Cherry Street, in mid-November. 

Pilot Project

As the advisory bike lanes are a pilot project, Engineering staff is monitoring the effects of the changes over the next years. This includes speed and volume data collection approximately quarterly for the first year to compare to the data collected before implementation. After the first year, data collection will occur every six months. The data collected through spring 2024 are available here. Staff will also continue to work with the Louisville Police Department to review any crashes that occur during the pilot project period.

Watch this short video to learn about advisory bike lanes and how to navigate them.

What are advisory bike lanes

A pilot project for the installation of advisory bike lanes on Polk Ave. and W. Dahlia St. was approved by City Council at their October 16 2023 meeting. The advisory bike lanes, along with speed cushions and a raised crosswalk, were installed in November 2023.

Originally from the Netherlands, advisory bike lanes have gained global popularity, including in nearby Colorado cities like Fort Collins and Boulder. This innovative roadway solution designates specific spaces for both bicyclists and motorists to navigate on narrow streets.  The "advisory" nature of these lanes, designated by a dashed line, allows flexibility and adaptation to real-time traffic conditions while promoting safety. This change will provide for more predictable cyclist behavior while also allowing vehicles to legally pass cyclists. 

Recently, Louisville tackled increased safety concerns along the Polk/Dahlia corridor through a combination of traffic studies, public meetings, and the implementation of conventional safety measures like speed cushions. Simultaneously, the City's Public Works team explored innovative solutions to create a safer corridor that catered to the diverse community needs. The challenge isthat the existing road width is not wide enough to accommodate on-streetparking, normal bike lanes, and a normal thru lane in either direction.  After conducting traffic studies, and examining studies from other cities, it was determined that the Polk/Dahlia corridor met the traffic volume, speed, and usage type requirements for installing advisory bike lanes. 

How advisory bike lanes work 

If you're familiar with driving on a narrow street without lane markings, you already know how to navigate a road with advisory bike lanes. In such scenarios, you typically stay as far to the right as possible to allow space for oncoming vehicles to pass. If you encounter a cyclist traveling in the same direction, you continue to travel behind the cyclist until there is no oncoming traffic. When it is safe to pass you move into the center of the road, pass the cyclist, and then return to the right side of the road to continue your journey.

Traveling on a road with advisory bike lanes follows the same concept. The road remains the same size as a traditional two lane road but striping reallocates the space to create a designated space for parked cars and a bike lane for bicycles. There is a single shared center lane for two way traffic, separated from the bike lane by a dashed line. When no cyclists are present in the bike lane, drivers should maintain their position on the right-hand side of the road, driving over the dashed line.

If a vehicle approaches a cyclist in the advisory bike lane, the vehicle must yield to both the cyclist and oncoming traffic. The procedure is to slow down and follow behind the cyclist at a safe distance until it's safe to pass. If there is oncoming traffic, vehicles continue to travel behind the cyclist. When there is no oncoming traffic, and it is safe to do so, vehicles may more into the center of the road to pass the cyclist. When clear, vehicles return to the right side of the road. It’s important to remember cyclists, pedestrians, and other non-motorized vehicles have priority within advisory bike lanes.

Benefits of advisory bike lanes

These new bike lanes offer multiple benefits to cyclists, motorists, and the surrounding community including: 

• Further reduces the speed of motorized traffic  
• Prioritizes multi-modal, accessible, and sustainable transportation   
• Provides a well-defined and predictable area for bicycles on both sides of the street   
• Preserves the availability of residential parking   
• Creates a buffer between bicyclists and parked cars to minimize the risk of door-related accidents  
• Allows for easy snow removal 

The City of Louisville understands that adjusting to new road layouts and traffic patterns can be challenging. As we adapt to these changes, we ask that everyone exercise patience and understanding, both on the road and in our community interactions. The long-term gains in safety and accessibility create a more inclusive environment for everyone.  

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Advisory bike lanes are a pilot project, and the City will conduct extensive outreach to teach people how to share the road with advisory bike lanes and evaluate traffic speeds, safety, travel behavior, and perceptions before and after the project. If you have questions about advisory bike lanes, please consult our FAQ below or email pworks@louisvilleco.gov.