(by Ely Portillo, The Charlotte Observer)

"As Charlotte grows more and more dense, one of the recurring questions is how best to connect roads and greenways to make sure everyone – cars, bikes and pedestrians – can move around...

One of the biggest changes CDOT is evaluating would be converting one lane of an existing road in uptown into a dedicated bicycle lane. Such a “protected” bike lane, as they’re known, would be physically separated from traffic with some sort of barrier. Sustain Charlotte has advocated in favor of such a bike lane, which would make it easier for cyclists to ride uptown by offering them more protection from cars.

'By connecting the Irwin Creek Greenway and Little Sugar Creek Greenway through a bike lane across Uptown Charlotte, access to Uptown will be spread to several Charlotte neighborhoods,' Sustain Charlotte said in a presentation to City Council last month . 'Furthermore, implementing a ‘protected bike lane,’ though the incorporation of various barriers between cyclists and motorists, would increase safety and promote use.'"