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Resident asks city to relocate bike-lane sign after it was placed near elderly neighbor’s lawn
Summary
A Vandalia resident raised concerns Oct. 6 about a ‘Bikes May Use Full Lane’ sign placed in the right-of-way near a nonagenarian’s yard on North Brown School Road. City staff said they will review placement as part of the bikeway improvement project and explore alternatives including relocation or sign redesign.
City of Vandalia — A resident asked City Council on Oct. 6 to remove or relocate a bicycle sign placed in the tree lawn at 68 North Brown School Road, saying the sign aggravated a man in his nineties who maintains the yard and was not notified before installation.
Don Hudson told council that the sign, which reads “Bikes May Use Full Lane,” was installed in the public right-of-way near a utility pole and that the elderly neighbor had been cutting that yard for more than 60 years. “When they put that sign out there, they didn’t really go about it in the right way. They never notified him,” Hudson said.
City staff said the signs are part of a bikeway improvement project and were placed to be equally spaced along North Brown School Road. A city staff representative noted one sign location is approximately 20 feet from the corner of Halifax and North Brown School and that placing a sign on the closer pole would create sight-line issues at the stop sign. The staff member said staff had not looked at adding an arrow to the sign but would evaluate options.
Action taken: Staff said they will review sign placement as part of the bikeway improvement project, investigate alternatives (including relocation or changing the sign design), and attempt to contact the property owner to seek solutions.
Why it matters: The complaint highlights design and public-notification considerations for street projects and shows the city will consider localized adjustments when a sign installation affects a homeowner’s property or safety.
Who said what: Resident Don Hudson asked the council to “consider helping this gentleman out.” A city staff member said they would “take a look at it as likely part of the bikeway improvement project” and later explained sight-line concerns at the Halifax corner. Another staff speaker said they could examine sign redesign with an arrow but had not yet evaluated the cost or logistics.
Next steps: Staff will follow up with the resident and the property owner and report options to council or the city manager, per comments during the meeting.
