City council votes to remove Grand Junction's protected bike lanes
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A pilot project on 4th and 5th Streets intended to reduce speeding and make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists will end next month after the city council voted 4-3 on a motion to change the roadways back to their previous configuration.
4th and 5th Streets are one-way roads that run north and south through downtown. The pilot project changed the roadways from two driving lanes to one, making room for buffered bike lanes and parallel parking. City traffic data showed speeding was down under the new configuration.
At the May 7 meeting, council members Robert Ballard, Laurel Cole, Ben Van Dyke, and Cody Kennedy voted to end the pilot and return the roads to a two-lane configuration. They said safety and reducing speeds on the roads is a priority, but want to find other solutions such as speed bumps or increased police presence.
The vote went against city staff’s recommendation to move forward with phase two of the pilot project, which incorporated community feedback on parking and addressed concerns about emergency vehicles being able to get around traffic.
Each of the four won their seats last month in an election where the streets became a polarizing issue.
“I’ve had a disturbing amount of people tell me that they will not shop downtown as long as this pilot is happening, and to me that is a big concern,” said Cole.
The bike lane pilot program took years to implement, but will be undone in a matter of weeks — highlighting not only the sometimes-glacial pace of government projects, but also the significance of local elections on public infrastructure.
Many who spoke during the public comment period of the meeting said they were worried about Main Street businesses not getting as many customers as they had before the project.
“If you want protected bike lanes, put them on the less busy roads, and it’s one block over for the bicyclists, they’re obviously not in a hurry to get anywhere because they’re taking their bike in and out of downtown,” said Tom Freeman at Wednesday night’s meeting, suggesting the bike lanes be moved to 3rd and 6th Streets.
During the public comment portion of the city council meeting, a total of 32 people shared positive and negative experiences on 4th and 5th Streets. Many were in favor of reverting the road to the old layout, but some spoke in favor of the pilot project.
“As we’re a growing city, the fewer people we have in cars, the better traffic will be. And making bikes more accessible will not only increase demand, it will make our city healthier and more desirable for many people in my generation that care about accessibility outside of cars,” said Ryan Fleming, during his three minutes of allotted time at the meeting.
The public comments took just over an hour.
City crews will have the roads back in the old configuration by mid-June, according to Grand Junction engineering and transportation director Trent Prall. The cost for that work and material
is $75,000.
Council members Anna Stout, Jason Nguyen and Scott Beilfuss voted against the motion, saying they wanted to continue with the pilot project.
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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