Speeders Make These Twin Falls Streets Worst For Kids On Bikes
One of the first things I noticed when I moved to Twin Falls in 2016 was just how unsafe some city neighborhoods are when it comes to kids riding their bikes. I compiled a list of a few that I have noticed could use some safety improvements.
My son is turning four in September. My wife and I were having a discussion the other day about what areas of Twin Falls would be safe for him to learn to ride. School basketball courts are I think the best choice, but then where can a kid ride and not potentially get injured (or worse) by the large number of reckless speeders I see tearing up Twin Falls neighborhoods on a daily basis.
Here are a few trouble spots for kids on bikes:
4th Ave N / Dierkes St N
4th Ave N and Dierkes St N concerns me due to the sheer volume of uncontrolled intersections surrounding it. People have gone to hanging their own signs in an attempt to warn speeding motorists.
Van Buren St / Shoup
Van Buren and Shoup is another area where I've seen many cars traveling well over the speed limit. Long stretches of roadway between stop signs gives motorists the opportunity to accelerate to dangerous speeds for the sake of trying to impress their passengers.
The point at which Van Buren intersects with Addison Street is another area notorious for reckless driving.
Heyburn / Harrison Streets
I hear a lot of complaints from a friend of mine about this neighborhood in Twin Falls. Motorists trying to save time getting to major streets like Addison and Washington are known to speed through these intersections.
Locust St / 7th Ave East
Locust is, as we all know, one of the most highly traveled streets when trying to avoid traffic on Blue Lakes. Its access to Kimberly Road and Filer make it a very busy street, and with the skate park and ball fields nearby, there is a high concentration of kids (and adults) biking throughout the area.
Locust Street / Elizabeth Blvd
In my opinion, the most unsafe street as far as the ratio of kids on bikes to speeders, is Buchanan Street. Some could argue all the presidential streets pose risks to people riding bikes, but Buchanan is hands down the worst I've seen.
Buchanan / Caswell
Buchanan is an extremely busy street with lots of bicycle activity, and offers direct routes to Filer and Addison, as well as being nice way to avoid Blue Lakes when heading to the College of Southern Idaho via Caswell to North College Road. There is also a great deal of foot traffic from people walking home from Fred Meyer in the evening hours.