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Council Lays Over Park Avenue Redesign After Traffic, Parking Concerns
Summary
City staff presented a Park Avenue redesign that would add bicycle accommodations, remove some on-street parking and reduce lanes; the council voted to lay the item over for further review after members raised questions about traffic flow and business access.
City transportation and planning staff presented a proposal to rebuild Park Avenue, saying the project would add bicycle accommodations, remove some on-street parking and reduce multiple vehicle lanes to one lane in each direction. The City Council voted to lay the ordinance over for further review after members raised concerns about traffic flow and access for nearby businesses.
The matter concerns an ordinance to modify parking time limits, parking restrictions, loading zones and terrace parking on Park Avenue between Bayless Avenue and Broad Street. City transportation and planning staff said the project would create dedicated bicycle lanes along the corridor, convert some stretches to single vehicle lanes, and remove parking in specific blocks to make room for the new geometry. Staff described one segment north of White Street as leading to a “cycle track,” with both northbound and southbound bike lanes placed on the west side of the road.
The proposal is supported by local road improvement program grant funding and is tied to the city’s 2017 bike and pedestrian plan, staff said. Staff noted traffic volumes on Park Avenue are about 7,500 cars per day and compared it to other city corridors that have undergone lane reductions, saying those streets experienced only short peak-period delays.
Council members asked whether the lane reductions would slow traffic or make it difficult for customers to exit side streets and driveways, specifically citing a concern from First Community Credit Union about maneuvering from its drive-through during peak times. One council member said, “I just don't know,” when trying to visualize how traffic would operate with the changes; staff responded that similar lane reductions on other city streets had not produced persistent congestion beyond short peak delays.
The council made a motion to lay the item over for further consideration; the motion passed. No ordinance was adopted and no changes to parking or lanes were implemented at the meeting.
The project page and detailed maps were included in the council packet; staff said the maps show the existing and proposed conditions block by block. If the council proceeds at a future meeting, specific changes would be adopted by ordinance and signs posted to reflect new parking restrictions.
