Campus, city responding to need for more bike paths, sidewalks

The University City area continues to grow with new apartments and retail centers, and UNC Charlotte, along with the city, is making plans to accommodate alternative ways to get around.

“As the University improves existing roads and builds new ones, we are adding lanes to our existing bike lane system,” said Peter Franz, the campus landscape architect. He added the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been a great partner in identifying the need for more bike lanes and sidewalks around the campus.

Recently, CDOT improvements to John Kirk Road added bike lanes and sidewalks to its entire length, and the department has completed half of a multimodal path from Mallard Creek Church Road to the campus’s main entrance. CDOT also added bike lanes on Mary Alexander Road from Mallard Creek Church Road to campus.

“We will continue the bike lanes along Mary Alexander Road as we improve existing campus roads within the next two years,” Franz stated.

A member of the Facilities Management Department, Franz is part of the team that developed and manages the University’s Campus Master Plan. During his 18-year tenure at UNC Charlotte, Franz has been involved with off-campus planning efforts related to pedestrian connectivity issues and served as the campus liaison for the light-rail extension.