Costa Mesa Public Services staff recently celebrated the installation of the final touches for a second protected bike lane in the City.

The new protected bike lane extends half of a mile along Bristol Street from Randolph Avenue in the Sobeca District to northbound Newport Boulevard. The project was implemented as part of a larger citywide resurfacing project and comes on the heels of the opening of the Merrimac Way Active Transportation Project with protected bike lanes last year.

The new Bristol Street active transportation improvements connect to existing bike lanes on Newport Boulevard, further expanding the City’s growing bicycle network. Protected bike lanes provide a separation between bicycle riders and vehicles which includes a painted bicycle lane buffer, plastic flexible bollards, and other pavement markings.

City staff are designing and implementing these active transportation facilities to provide a low-stress mobility option for residents and visitors to reach their destination by bicycle. The new Bristol Street facility is the fourth of its kind implemented in Orange County.

In addition to the development of protected bike lanes, the City continues to make additional enhancements to its growing bicycle network. In February, a striped buffer and green paint conflict area striping were added to existing bike lanes on Baker Street.

That facility was extended an additional half mile from west of Harbor Boulevard to Mesa Verde Drive East. The enhanced Baker Street bicycle facility is designed to increase comfort of people riding bicycles and improve mobility and connectivity.