Leander staff highlights East Woodview/Raider Way improvements; residents press for bike‑lane answers

City staff presented a Capital Improvement Program update on the East Woodview Drive / Raider Way project on April 3, 2025, showing completed geometric and pedestrian improvements near Rouse High School and Wiley Middle School and describing an 8‑foot shared‑use path intended for both pedestrians and bicyclists.

Staff said the multi‑use path runs behind the curb and grassy buffer, which staff characterized as a protected facility compared with an on‑street bike lane. “On the right hand side of the picture is an 8 foot wide path that is designed for both walking and bicycles,” the CIP program presentation stated during the meeting. Staff also described a new right‑turn lane and other intersection work completed after a project that began in 2017.

Residents and parents used the public‑comment period to press the council and staff for explanations about changes to the striping and the removal of an on‑street bike lane near Crystal Falls Parkway and Raider Way. Christopher Cleveland, who said he lives near the schools, asked, “Where is the bike line? The protected bike line?” and requested answers for students and parents.

Resident Anita Chumnavec, who said her neighborhood received a roughly $15.6 million pavement and right‑of‑way project (her figure reported from the city process), said the final striping removed an expected bike lane and replaced it with parallel parking. She told council: “We lost a bike lane and gained parallel parking.” She asked for additional outreach and for the city to share the transportation plan standard that guided the final striping.

Staff explained some design choices reflect safety concerns where the roadway narrows near a roundabout and that the shared‑use path gives cyclists a protected option separate from vehicular traffic. “We give them the ability to actually get up onto that shared use path,” staff said when answering a question about pinch points near the high‑school driveway.

Council members asked for clarity about the project timeline and historical approvals: staff recalled the city council approved the project concept in July 2017 and said the work reached current completion in 2025 after several phases and weather delays. Residents warned that on‑street parallel parking could increase congestion during drop‑off and pick‑up times if frequently used.

At the same meeting staff also reported on the Baghdad Road / Collaborative Way CIP project, saying construction was nearly complete with sidewalks, revegetation and traffic signal activation remaining. Staff said the signal at Baghdad was active and the project field crew would remain on site while finishing remaining items over the next few weeks.

Council asked staff to provide follow‑up information to the neighborhood: documentation of the striping decisions, the project’s conformity with the city’s transportation master plan, and outreach records showing who was notified and when. Residents asked the city to post schematics and to clarify whether the parallel parking was a permanent change or a temporary striping decision.