WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — COVID-19 is not stopping the Wichita Falls 4B board from approving the funding of several projects Thursday, and one of those projects will soon make some of the roads in Wichita Falls safer for cyclists.
Wichita Falls is known for hosting the largest cycling event in the nation and even gained recognition from the League of American Bicyclists as a bronze-level bicycle-friendly community, but there was still room for improvement.
“We had made a commitment to make the town even more bicycle-friendly and part of that is painting some shared-use lanes, and I just found out that the 4A Board has just approved $100,000 for the city to paint about 22-lane-miles,” Lake Wichita Revitalization Chairman David Coleman said.
That $100,000 is for year one out of a five-year plan to create more cyclist signs along roads.
“The roads that we are looking at are Kemp [Boulevard] from Seymour Highway to Holiday Creek Midwestern and Call Field from US 281 to Fairway and Fairway from Lake Shore Drive all the way to Seymour Highway,” Director of Transportation John Burrus said.
This is also a part of a major effort to keep cyclists safe while they share the road with drivers.
“It gives the bikes a designated route,” Coleman said. “If you are going to ride your bike, use this route, and it raises the awareness level of the drivers, so they know ‘Hey, there are going to be bikes here, so I better be careful,’ so it’s to add to the convenience of everybody and make things more safe.”