Here's the aforementioned tree branch blockage..

Way too narrow! Especially with the low hanging branches.

I also opt to take the lane while heading east on Clark and Peace, which is a rather fast moving segment. Narrow lanes and debris buildup often make for very unsafe conditions in the bike lane.

Motorists tend to get aggressive near the Clark/Peace junction, and often pass very close and unsafely in this area. I've been buzzed many times here, most likely due to what I expect is anger that I am in the right of way instead of the hazardous bike lane...very unfortunate.

Shared lane markings are not a substitute for a bicycle facility. I think many of us agree that we would like to see a bicycle facility on Peace/Clark. Hopefully we can get this issue resolved and still maintain a bike lane.

I generally try to avoid this area by biking through the neighborhood to avoid it when I can. I'm terrified of what it will be like once those new residential units are completed. Agree with Casper about the aggressiveness of drivers at the Clark/Peace junction, too.

I've referred this to our Public Works Department. When the staff has had a chance to respond I’ll post an update. Thanks for reporting.

I agree; these lanes are too narrow. The lane itself is actually at least 1/3 gutter, which is not usable roadway anyway. This is compounded by the fact that many of the trees have branches that hang down into the lane, and there is constantly detritus, gravel, glass, branches, and leaves occupying at least half of the bike lane. (I hesitate to point out the low-hanging branches because I don't think hacking away at the trees is the solution.) A starting point for resolution would be to establish the bike lane starting at the gutter, not at the curb. Then at least most of the 38" would actually be useful.

It's been a month and a half. Any update on this issue?

Requesting an update from Public Works.

Agree with original poster. This is an awkward stretch for bikers, walkers and drivers alike. Weird intersection, narrow/absent/disjointed sidewalks/bike lanes.

On a related note, I would also like to see the "open" space that is Edna Metz Wells park have some trees removed, particularly around the creek running through.

Several more months have gone by, is there any update?

Remove the bike lanes and add "Bicycles May Use Full Lane" signage. Unless the roadway is widened or the center turn lanes removed, it's too narrow for a separate bike lane of appropriate width. With curbs, debris will always build up. We need a culture change. Cyclists need to behave like vehicle drivers in places like this and motorists need a modicum of patience - from my experience, delays caused by cyclists are infrequent and short.

Will ask Public Works to respond.

This one's being handled by our Bike / Pedestrian coordinator in the Planning Department. We'll post an update...

We recognize that the bicycle lanes along sections of Clark Ave and Peace Street are not ideal. These lanes were installed as part of a federally funded project in 2011, which converted an existing 14ft wide outside lane to a 10ft travel lane and 4ft bicycle lane. If the street is resurfaced in the future, we may be able to reduce the width of the center turn lane to provide a wider bicycle lane.

Debris in the bicycle lane is an issue we are working with our street maintenance division to address. The biggest challenge is the limited budget of the street sweeping program. We will continue to seek additional funding sources to develop a sweeping program specifically for bicycle facilities, separate from the street sweeping program.

We understand that Clark Ave and Peace St provide critical access to NCSU, Cameron Village and Downtown. The City is currently working on a Cameron Village Small Area Plan and we encourage you to get involved in the planning process to discuss how bicycle access and connectivity could be improved. For more information on the plan and to get involved, go to: http://www.raleighnc.gov/business/content/PlanDev/Articles/LongRange/CameronVillagePlan.html

Thanks for the reply.

I understand about the limited budget for street sweeping. But the debris problem here isn't one that street sweeping is intended to fix. The problems affecting this bike lane could effectively be addressed by more and faster enforcement of existing city rules about placing debris in the street, along with much more public education about debris in the street. Too many residents simply don't know they are not supposed to put garbage/recycling carts, branches, leaves, etc in the street. And when violations are pointed out to the offending resident, the time given to correct them is far too lenient.

As for the width of the lanes, does the city now have a standard for requiring that all future bike lanes be established at 6 feet wide? Or, barring that, a revised standard that measures bike lane width from the inside edge of the gutter?

Our minimum width for a bicycle lane is four feet, with five feet preferred. Minimum width for a bicycle lane next to on-street parking is six feet. We adopted On-Road Bicycle Facility Design Standards (Section 6.24.2) as part of the new Street Design Manual, which can be found here: http://www.raleighnc.gov/content/extra/Books/PlanDev/StreetDesignManual/

BPAC has an active item in their bicycle planning committee to review these design standards. Their next meeting is scheduled on July 15 at 6:30pm in room 303 of the Raleigh Municipal Building. The public is encouraged to attend to participate in the review process. More info on BPAC can be found here: http://www.raleighnc.gov/business/content/BoardsCommissions/Articles/BicyclePedestrianAdvisoryCommission.html