The City of Reno launched a “Pilot” Project in May 2022, introducing a Micromobility specific infrastructure to Reno’s downtown area. Micromobility refers to a range of small, lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, typically operating at speeds of 10-20 mph. The “Pilot” implements bike rails, reduces lane widths, adds cycle tracks, lane closures, road restriping, and “connects” Keystone Ave. to Evans Ave. down 5th Street to the new West End complex, and separately, downtown Reno to Midtown.
The “Pilot” Project implemented a Divider down the center of Virginia Street, making it a Southbound one-way. The City council voted to block off 4 city blocks and transform Virginia Street from a two-lane highway going north and south, to a singular southbound one-way street. Placing a metal Divider/Barrier down the center of Virginia St. for bicycle and scooter lanes.
The “Pilot” was softly announced back in April 2022 on the City website, claiming to improve access to jobs, groceries, healthcare, and education. Does riding a scooter really improve access to healthcare and groceries? How many people ride a scooter to get to a hospital for healthcare, a doctor’s appointment, or in the case of an emergency situation? How many people go shopping and ‘scoot’ their groceries home?
The City of Reno’s has since moved into the second phase of its Micromobility “Pilot” Project, closing Virginia Street from 1st Street through 5th Street Oct. 21, 2022 as crews removed the temporary Micromobilty barriers and restripe the road for two-way traffic. The Micromobility elements installed between Keystone Avenue and Evans Avenue will stay in place. North-to-south bike lanes in the downtown area will remain available on Evans Avenue, North Arlington Avenue, and Ralston Street.
Since launching the project in June, the City received more than 1,000 survey responses from the public. According to Naomi Duerr of the Reno City Council, the online votes tallied thus far have not been very positive in response to the changes made downtown. A final report of the Micromobility Pilot Project is expected in spring of 2023.
