Painted bike lanes
Painted bike lanes are found on many of the larger streets in Bend. There are definitely exceptions to this, and they can sometimes be quite narrow, but overall they are fairly common.
Painted bike lanes define an area of the street where bikes are supposed to ride. They are one-way; bikes ride in the same direction as cars.
If there is a painted bike lane on a street, bikes on the road are actually required to use that bike lane right now. There are some exceptions, such as avoiding hazardous conditions, that are described in the linked page.
Painted bike lanes vary in size, can have a buffer next to them, or be protected – by parked cars or bollards.
Community Feedback
Things to love
- The surface is smooth and easy to ride when free of debris
- There isn’t a lot of conflict with other bikers or walkers
- Because they are common, there’s a good network of linked bike lanes
- They let drivers know there are bikes on the road
- Some bike lanes have stencil art – a nice, unexpected, touch! Please add more.
Improvement areas
- They aren’t safe to ride in winter because they fill up with gravel or snow (or both!)
- Less confident riders don’t always feel safe enough to use them
- They can be too narrow for trailers
- They can feel dangerous if cars are going at high speeds or if the bike lane is too narrow
- The bike lane can disappear because the paint wears off over time
- Some of the bike lanes end abruptly without a lot of warning (e.g. Bear Creek Road heading east)