The Broadway/Lincoln corridor is in dire need of becoming a neighborhood for people instead of just a thruway for cars. That’s why some planners from the Department of Public Works are trying to transform the streets with things like protected bike lanes and better crosswalks.

DPW is considering three designs, and it’s clear which one is best. “Option #3” creates a one-way protected bike lane on each street, and repurposes one motor vehicle travel lane on both Broadway and Lincoln. This design may be harder to “sell” to the driving public than other options, but it would do more to calm traffic and give people on bikes a much-needed north-south connection.

Another option, which mimics the brief pop-up demo from September, would include a two-way buffered bike lane on Broadway by repurposing a traditional travel lane. A big improvement, but the design doesn’t call for physical protection to keep cars and people on bikes separate. Narrowing the wide travel lanes would make more room for a physical buffer, too. Lincoln’s east sidewalk would gain two feet for a walking and biking path for 1.2 miles, but 12 feet for people walking and biking isn’t a lot of space.

Option #1, originally from the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Plan, has Broadway with the same bi-directional bike lane, only with no changes to Lincoln.

DPW just extended the comment deadline on the bikeway proposals until Wednesday, December 9 (though general comments on the corridor will be accepted throughout the planning process). To help make sure the best design doesn’t get scrapped, make your opinion known here.