Bike Lanes Back on State Street; Cars Allowed for One-Way Drop-Off at Granada

Workers painted bright yellow lines along State Street between Victoria and Anapamu streets Tuesday, marking the beginnings of the next downtown experiment with designated bike lanes and one-way vehicle traffic — at least on one block of State Street — to allow for passenger drop-offs at The Granada Theatre.

Eight blocks of State Street were first blocked off to traffic in what was meant to be a temporary response to the pandemic, allowing for a “promenade” with shared space for bicyclists, pedestrians, and outdoor dining parklets. But in the three years since then, the city installed garish green bike lanes down the middle of the street in March 2021, removed the same bright green paint in October 2022, then just a few weeks ago spent another $55,000 to repaint the bike lanes — this time yellow — to try to bring some order to what had become a chaotic flow of pedestrians, skateboarders, and teenage e-bikers speeding through the downtown area.

While the rest of the State Street promenade will stay closed off to cars, the 1200 block of State Street will allow passenger drop-off at The Granada Theatre.

The new layout between Victoria and Anapamu will direct both bike lanes along the west side of the street. For cars on Anapamu facing toward Chapala Street, those cars can now turn right onto State Street toward the theater. The owners of The Daisy restaurant across the street from the Granada were forced to remove their outdoor parklets to allow for the new bike lanes.

The city will also paint high-visibility crosswalks along the State Street promenade from Victoria to Haley streets, separating cyclists from pedestrians. 

The pilot project meant to allow the city to try a few different layouts in the downtown area while a long-term planning effort is underway for the permanent State Street Master Plan.