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A mural painted in the middle of the intersection at Timpview Drive and 2320 North, designed to recognize the area's schools, is pictured Saturday, May 7, 2022. The mural was created by Timpview High School student Kailey Henrie.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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A makeshift island, which would be made of concrete if it becomes permanent, is shown at Timpview Drive and 2320 North on Saturday, May 7, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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A car drives past the street greenery demonstration along Timpview Drive on Saturday, May 7, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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A makeshift roundabout at the intersection of Timpview Drive and 2780 North is photographed Saturday, May 7, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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Just a few months after moving to Provo, Brian Henrie’s son was riding his bicycle in the bike lane on Timpview Drive when he was almost hit by a car. He came home, unscathed, and told his father about the near miss.

Henrie then reached out to Provo City about having a safety demonstration and was told to wait until the road was going to be repaved. After delays, the renovations will be done to Timpview Drive at the beginning of June.

On Friday, Henrie and BikeWalk Provo, along with members of the community, set up a series of measures on the street that, they hope, will enhance public safety.

“All of the elements that we tried here have been used in other places, with success, to calm traffic, add beautification. Our theory is that streets are one of the biggest public spaces that we have and, often, are only devoted to cars, but they can be used in ways that serve cars, bikes, scooters, cyclists, people walking … to make it easier for people to get around with whatever option is best for them,” said Christine Frandsen, executive director of BikeWalk Provo.

The project, called Reimagine Timpview Drive, consists of five elements that would enhance safety for drivers, pedestrians and those using alternative modes of transportation.

Green paint is used to highlight where the bike lane changes at the intersection of Timpview and 2320 North, to make the change more visible to drivers. Among the temporary changes are plastic dividers which, if made permanent, would be replaced with concrete to protect the bike lanes from turning cars. Walking along the intersection, Henrie points out tire marks along the existing bike lane. “A kid walking across the street, there’s a chance of getting hit,” he said. “By putting these islands, it pushes the cars out where the cars should be into the middle of the intersection, keeping the bikes and pedestrians behind that.”

The design for the intersection only works, Henrie said, with the bike lane placed behind parking spaces. There is also landscape protection, where plots of greenery and trees separate the bike lane and sidewalk from the driving lanes.

Frandsen added that the landscape buffers, and the trees within them, would provide shade for parked cars, pedestrians and people using the mobility lane.

Only one of the buffers has a tree at the moment, the other spaces contain murals drawn Friday by local students.

The other part of the demonstration, away from the main intersection, is sure to raise eyebrows among drivers: a makeshift roundabout at the intersection of Timpview Drive and 2780 North. The roundabout is less of a plan and more of a conversation starter, according to Brian Henrie. “We don’t expect one to go in where we’re showing it. We’ve had very complimentary things (said). We’ve had some negative feedback, some because, again, we’re using temporary materials,” he said.

Henrie added that there are other benefits to having roundabouts instead of stop signs and even stop lights, including less congestion and slower speeds overall, which could lessen the number and severity of crashes and save drivers money on gas from frequently stopping and starting.

In addition to the general safety possibilities, Frandsen also hopes the beautification efforts bring more people to the streets outside of their cars.

“We want people to be able to realize that streets can be used for more than one thing and that by repurposing them in certain ways, or redesigning them, it not only creates a safer environment, but a more enjoyable experience for everyone that uses it,” she said.

Those responsible for the demonstration have already received feedback on the project. According to Henrie, a truck driver told them that he would have trouble not running over the islands as they are currently placed. If concrete ones were built, they would be mountable for larger vehicles.

Up and down the street are signs, each one explaining the different elements and containing a QR code. Interested residents can scan to the code to take a survey and share their thoughts. Henrie also offered to walk through it and explain the changes with anyone who wants.

Henrie added that Provo City conducted speed tests on the street before the demonstration and will continue to run them throughout the month. They are also grateful for the opportunity to run the test during the school year, to gauge how students from the four nearby schools — Timpview High School, Centennial Middle School, Rock Canyon Elementary School and Edgemont Elementary School — feel about the installation.

While it only takes place on one street for now, organizers hope the safety features will, one day, expand. “This demonstration is meant not just for Timpview Drive, but to show how other streets in Provo can also be used differently. This is just an example to the rest of the city,” Frandsen said.

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