In an effort to improve traffic control and safety among bicyclists and drivers, a proposal of adding the new on-street markings on US287/South College Avenue and on Laurel Street was presented to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by the City and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). This innovative proposal was granted permission to proceed by the FHWA.

The new shared-lane bicycle pavement markings will be installed along Laurel Street and in some areas along US 287 (south of Harmony Road) over the next several months. The City will monitor the pros and cons of these new markings over the next year and report the results to FHWA and CDOT. Feedback is encouraged from the community (from both cyclists and motorists) regarding these new markings.

Colorado State University (CSU) generates traffic on a daily basis from drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians and those who ride Transfort. The City and CSU analyzed solutions to the growing needs of cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. The preferred solution could not affect existing on-street parking, travel lanes, or sidewalks on Laurel. Also, with the limited resources, widening the streets was not a practical alternative. Therefore, the new pavement marking on the farthest right lane would indicate where bicyclists can ride their bikes in a shared-lane condition with drivers.

With the addition of the new shared-lane pavement markings on Laurel, this introduces the opportunity to connect cyclists to other existing and future bikeways in Fort Collins. On Laurel, this project will also assist local and cross country bicyclists by providing connections to alternate routes. Bicycle riding on College Avenue ( US 287) is prohibited between Laurel Street and Harmony Road. By using Laurel to travel west from College, bicyclists will be able to connect to the future Mason Corridor and/or to the existing bike lanes on Shields Street, which will provide a safer environment and more direct route.