On April 20, 2012, the city of Rio Rancho’s Public Works Department will put down a green marking on the bike lane at the intersection of Unser Boulevard and Cherry Road.

The marking will better delineate the southbound bike lane as it passes through the east-to-south right turn and communicate the cyclist’s right-of-way as they proceed across the merge area.

Installation of this type of marking will be the first of its kind in the state of New Mexico. Communities around the country such as Portland, Ore.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and eight departments of transportation currently use this marking type to emphasis a cyclist’s space on the road.

Flint Trading has donated the material being used for this project. Once the marking is down, traffic engineers will evaluate its effectiveness for potential use in other parts of the city.