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Committee postpones review of bike-lanes resolution after planning commission objects
Summary
A council resolution calling for the Department of Public Works to evaluate and potentially reconfigure bike lanes was postponed after the Planning and Zoning Commission submitted a letter urging the council not to roll back bicycle infrastructure and recommending further study and design refinements instead of removal.
The Planning, Economic Development and Housing Committee postponed consideration of a council resolution that would direct the Department of Public Works to reevaluate and potentially reconfigure existing bike lanes citywide after the committee received a formal letter of opposition from the Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission.
Council President read a letter from Josie Utic, chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, which said the resolution (R-2025-19) risks undermining the city’s Complete Streets ordinance, Bicycle Master Plan and Plan of Conservation and Development. The letter urged the council to rely on technical analysis and established performance metrics—such as safety statistics and mode-share data—rather than giving short-term preference to parking or business access.
The Planning and Zoning Commission letter recommended design refinements and enforcement to address business-access concerns and said the resolution’s 180-day timeline would not allow adequate data collection or a robust public process. “Concerns regarding parking and business impacts should be addressed through design refinements and enforcement, not through the rollback of infrastructure aligned with long term policy goals,” the letter said.
Councilwoman Molly Rosado moved to postpone the resolution in committee; the motion carried. Committee members did not take up the substance of alternate configurations at this meeting, saying further study and stakeholder engagement were appropriate.
The Planning and Zoning Commission offered to collaborate with the council and departments to reconcile business access with multimodal safety and long-term planning goals. The resolution will return to committee at a later date.
