Before the changes, it was pretty scary riding a bike on the westbound section of Memorial Blvd, especially down near the beach. I drove my car along that stretch yesterday, and it wasn't confusing, just different. The left turn lanes are a good idea. Overall I think it will be fine once people get used to it. It's definitely better for bicyclists.

I like the idea of the bike lane, but the left turn lanes are a horrible idea! Think of how bad traffic will get in the summer now when you get stuck behind that tourist that has to idle down the road and no legal way to pass them

I feel it's going to cause even more of a traffic jam on Memorial Blvd. in the summer. Prior years traffic would back up trying to get on Memorial Blvd. from the split of Valley Rd. and Aquidneck Rd. and wouldn't open up till it became 2 lanes on Memorial Blvd., now I am worried the back up will be even further back past the split in the road and stayed bogged down due to the fact that Memorial Blvd. is only one lane going up past the beach to Bellevue Ave. Personally I don't think this was very well planned. Most cities have bike routes that are not on highly driven areas.

I think this did not get the thought it should have and seems an over reaction. Wait until this summer when the cars stack up. It is already slowing traffic and it will only get worse.

While it is a good idea to have bike lanes around town, they should have left the two lanes for cars. I travel that road every morning and since the change, I have almost been hit each morning by some construction truck that is to impatient to stay behind me and the other cars in front of me. They travel on the left of me in the now non-lanes. They should have thought this thru better.

It is interesting that so many people--including key City Councilors--are worried about slowing traffic!

If you have been hit by a car riding a bike in Newport--as I have (on Bellevue at Narragansett Avenue summer of 2011)--you like the idea of making Newport a true walking and biking city.

Parked cars make safer streets, attract more thoughtful visitors, and raise sales margins for small business. It is invigorating to see people who identify a specific outcome--and make it happen. If measures like these need to be modified to improve results, later, that is great!

Completing an idea is all too rare in Newport and it is hurting the place.

Cudos to DOT on this. It begins to atone for the 20-something America's Cup Boulevard debacle. And equally important cudos to those locally who made the bike lanes at the beach finally happen. Such support is required for safety and the progress to come.

People are worried about this slowing traffic? The speed limit on that road is 25 MPH. It is not a highway, but it looked like one when it had two lanes. This change will make people slow down, which is a good thing. If you don't like the lines of cars, ride a bike!

I say it's about time. Though poorly promoted, the bike lane is a step forward. Motorists were taken by surprise, hence the confusion, but it is a GOOD thing that the single lane is slowing traffic. Drivers tend to speed along that stretch and there has been considerable competitive passing heading east where the lanes merge near Atlantic Beach Club. Hurray for the bike lane!

I posted this elsewhere but since it might reduce confusion, I'll post it here as well: Since it seems the "sharrow" areas (those without the dedicated bike path such as Memorial West and the Memorial and Bellevue intersection area) are causing the most panic and concern about increased traffic, a little education might be in order for both motorists and cyclists. The "sharrow" marked lanes are shared lanes as they always have been. Neither the laws applicable to nor the function of the road has been changed. No additional rights have been given to cyclists and nothing has been taken from motorists. The markings are to remind cyclists of the rules of the road - don't go the wrong way, stay off the sidewalks, and to position and behave smartly on the road and at intersections. Additionally, they remind drivers that bicycles have and had the right be on the road and in the lane as needed for safety reasons. In short - it's impossible to cause problems when nothing has changed on those sections of roadway.

utterly confusing. Poorly thought out. No overhead signage. Did they even have an engineer? Bike safety, pedestrian safety AND traffic flow all need to be considered. There should not even be parking along memorial- that should be the bike lane- and would allow enough room for two lanes of cars. Its going to be mayhem.

Paying attention to and interpreting the lines on the road is a fundamental necessity for using any roadway anywhere. It's part of getting a Driver's License. Maybe due to all the repetition over time it can be hard for some locals to unlearn old habits, but those who don't regularly use the road and those who are paying attention shouldn't have any issue. I've made it through every time without any confusion or other issues in both my car and on my bike and so far haven't seen any confusion on the part of other drivers or cyclists either.

I happened upon the improvements without former knowledge and had no problem figuring out how to navigate the area. I applaud the effort to slow traffic in that area to make it safer for bicycle riders!

For learning what the different lane markings mean, refer to the Bike Newport Patch blog: http://newport.patch.com/blog_posts/what-the-bicycle-lane-markings-mean

If the bike lane confuses you then you should probably not be driving. I hate to think what a round about does to you.....IF you want more traffic and higher speeds than I guess this is a problem, but for the rest of us that want a better Newport this is a great step forward.

People it's not about confusion, it's about the amount of traffic that is going to get jammed up in the summer.

I would think that the one lane Memorial will cause traffic concerns. Crossing Memorial to get onto Rhode Island, Eustis, Gibbs I would think will be an issue with the more congested traffic. Just like anything, to do it right would have been to put some money into it. I am thinking they would have needed to narrow the center area or the sidewalk to allow for 2 lanes and a bike lane.

Great idea for the literally dozens of bikers who use Memorial Boulevard once per day for exercise. I guess it's kind of crummy for the thousands of motorist residents who drive on or (try to) cross Memorial Boulevard multiple times per day to go to work, shopping, picking up kids, running errands. Tough luck for them, but somebody had to pay for the bicyclist's death. Great job capitalizing on that situation.

I travel extensively around the country and in every major city I have been there are bike lanes. Traffic is a problem on aquidneck island regardless of the bike lanes. If people can't figure put how to drive on Memorial then they should not be driving at all. And besides there are many different routes you can take to avoid Memorial completely. Bike lanes are a great idea. It gives cyclist and drivers a safer situation to deal with. The problem with people is change. I am sure when the Newport Bridge was proposed people complained about all the traffic that would bring into newport as well.

I think its great for both the cyclists and the slowing of traffic. Ive seen people (regularly) going significantly faster than the speed limit, Im guessing 50+mph. The single lane will slow people down, and for the locals that are worried about traffic being backed up, take an alternate route!

At first, it looked like just another land grab by a special interest group. Our two wheelers, motorized or not, are inherintly more dangerous than cars. However, after driving the route a few times, I think it is something we all can get use to. It was just a matter of time. Those monuments have got to go.