Protected bike lanes save lives.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/de4da9_105e326e0f334af5bd4d63e92017a937/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Click above to watch our in-depth explanation of protected bike lanes

Topeka and Lincoln

---

This is Topeka Avenue, just south of Lincoln Street in Wichita, Kansas. On March 11, 2026, a man was pushing a wheelchair in the bike lane south along Topeka. Shortly before 10:00 p.m., he was struck from behind and pronounced dead at the scene.

There is a design decision that could have prevented this crash: installing protected bike lanes. Currently, the bike lane is located between the on-street parking on the west side of Topeka and the vehicle travelway. It is separated from the vehicle lane by a painted buffer of a few inches.

Intersection of Topeka and Lincoln looking South - Wichita, KS

These “buffered bike lanes” are good, as researchers studying Atlanta, Georgia concludev. But “protected bike lanes,” which are separated from the vehicle lane by a physical barrier, are better. In Atlanta, they were shown to have an incidence ratio rate of .5. This means that protected bike lanes were half as likely as a street with no biking infrastructure to see a bicycle crash. 

NACTO, the National Association of City Transportation Officials, provides some design guidance on how to create a protected bike lane. Topeka, which already has on-street parking, could use its parked cars as a “protection” against vehicular traffic. Indeed, the crash report from this incident shows that there were already several parked cars along the road that, if positioned differently, may have helped prevent the crash. 

NACTO guidance for this one-way street would propose that, west to east, the travelway include an 8 to 12 foot bike lane. Then, a 3 foot buffer to prevent passenger-side doors from swinging open and hitting cyclists. After the buffer would be a 7 foot parking lane for cars to serve as the “buffer.” Then, a low-speed vehicle travel lane of no more than 10 feet. Finally, Topeka also has parking on the east side of the street as well, and that can remain as is. Given that Topeka’s travelway is slightly less than 40 feet wide, this change would be feasible. 

Since no construction is required, simply a realignment of paint, it would be a welcome and cost-effective solution for this particular intersection.

---

Check back in to hear more about protected bike lanes and as always, Look, See, and Save.

Commuting Stories Form

#LookSeeSave #CyclistSafety #WeKeepPeopleMoving #headsup #bicyclesafety #nodistractedcommuting