Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 6, 1995                   TAG: 9504060057
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

TOWN OFFICIALS SPIN OUT A BIKE PLAN

The bike plan, passed Tuesday night by Town Council, designates roads throughout the community as bikeways and others as walkways.

Cyclists still will have to share the road with motorists in some places, while on other roads, wide outside lanes and bike lanes will be marked. Bike- and pedestrian-only paths are on the drawing board, too, as in the case of the Huckleberry Trail and in town parks.

The plan means there may well be more recreational opportunities for cyclists, joggers and pedestrians in Christiansburg. It also means the Virginia Department of Transportation may install bike lanes on roads it maintains or expands, such as Peppers Ferry Road, which is slated to be widened within town limits in the coming years. The department requires localities to have a bike plan before it will install bike lanes on its roads.

But Christiansburg still will have bills to pay. The town will have to paint roads and put up signs - a minimal expense, town officials say - and grade North Franklin Street, to the tune of about $8,000, Town Manager John Lemley told council Tuesday.

"It looks like a pretty good, comprehensive plan," said Lance Matheson, a town resident and avid cyclist who attended a public hearing on the plan.

"It's a step in the right direction," said John Hess, a Christiansburg resident. He said the plan will help the town articulate a vision for the community to residents and builders.

"I think having a plan in place begins to say the town has expectations [of developers]."