Norwalk transportation staff told the Bike Walk Commission Nov. 10 that a pavement-marking retrofit on West Avenue will add a continuous dedicated bike lane from Maple Street to Wall Street, green pavement markings at conflict points and red markings to highlight bus pull areas.

"Based on the dimensions of the existing road, we were able to fit a dedicated bike lanes all the way through, from Maple Street, all the way up to Wall Street," Greg said while presenting plans. Staff said the project is a retrofit tied to a mill-and-pave resurfacing contract and does not include curb-line changes; as a result, the design uses on-street bike lanes rather than converting parking lanes into protected lanes. "We don't have a lot of room for a buffer... this was just the resurfacing project," Greg said.

Why it matters: the retrofit extends bike connectivity to existing Belden Avenue bike lanes and the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT) area and adds visible green markings where bike-motorist conflicts are most likely. Staff reported most striping is in place, with symbols and final parking-stall markings delayed by nighttime rain; they said the work should be completed by the end of the week weather permitting.

Key questions and responses: commissioners asked why the bike lane is placed outside parking on some blocks rather than between sidewalk and parking; staff cited lack of width and dooring risk if a door buffer cannot be provided. Staff said this is an incremental step toward future protected-bike-lane conversions when corridor constraints and funding allow.

Provenance: presentation and discussion of plans and rationale are in transcript SEG 1236 to SEG 1350; follow-up Q&A runs through SEG 1469.