Jamestown approves pilot shared bike, vehicle lanes on 8th Avenue Northeast

Drivers heading up 8th Avenue Northeast and cyclists rolling between Two Rivers Activity Center, SMP Health Ave Maria and the Jamestown Reservoir path will soon be using the same marked corridor, after the Jamestown City Council unanimously approved a shared-lane pilot Monday night at City Hall, 102 3rd Ave. SE.

The pilot covers 8th Avenue Northeast from 13th Street to 19th Street Northeast, with an alternate version that would begin at the entrance to the multi-use path at 7th Street Northeast and continue north to 19th Street Northeast. The idea is to give Jamestown a more continuous way to move through the neighborhood network without forcing riders and walkers to break out onto busier streets or leave the area entirely.

For an ordinary trip, the change will be simple but noticeable: motorists will need to expect bicycles in the same lane, while riders will have to follow a route that is marked but not physically separated. The most obvious point of friction could come near 13th Street Northeast, where John Greenwood noted there is already a rapid flashing beacon. That crossing could become the place where a driver, a rider and a pedestrian all reach the same space at once.

City officials are treating the project as a test because 8th Avenue Northeast is scheduled for chip sealing as part of a mill-and-overlay project before Sept. 1. That means the markings will be temporary, and the city will have a short window to judge whether the shared lane works in practice. Officials still need to settle on the best paint and reflectivity materials, along with how the signs will be installed and maintained.

The Public Works Committee had already approved the proposal without recommendation on a 4-0 vote May 21, with Councilman Brian Kamlitz absent. Greenwood, who is involved with a group advocating safe multi-use paths, said the project could help connect pieces of Jamestown’s recreation system at relatively low cost, especially on a stretch with limited curbside parking.

The bigger question is whether the pilot can prove that a shared roadway can safely connect the city’s trail and path segments while street work is underway. Jamestown’s 2015 Land Use and Transportation Plan already recognized the value of walking and biking infrastructure, and a committee discussion in April about updating the active transportation map showed that plan still shapes city decisions in 2026. If the pilot works, it could give Jamestown a practical model for future routes tying neighborhoods to the reservoir path and other public destinations.