Users, residents weigh access and safety as council confirms South Park Drive changes will return for reconsideration

The Chico City Council received extensive public comment on plans to close a one-mile portion of South Park Drive in Bidwell Park to motor vehicles and on related design features, including proposed driveways and the installation of so-called "maze" gates. After the meeting, a council motion to reconsider the prior decision on South Park Drive was approved and the item will return to the council agenda in August.

Multiple speakers representing cyclists, pedestrians and park-user groups urged the council to prioritize pedestrian and bicycle safety and to avoid installing maze-style gates. "Maze gates are gates that come, this is an aerial view of the road, they come from either side, they go almost all the way across the road, and to go through the gate you have to make this intricate zigzag pattern...that is not fine for people on tandems, people carrying children on the back of their bike," said Kirk Kaufman of the Chico Safe Streets Coalition.

Several parents and riders said a car-free stretch improves safety for children and people using cargo and adaptive bikes. "Providing him with a spacious car free path between downtown and Lower Park greatly improves our safety," said Matthew Willie, who described biking through the park daily with his 5-year-old son.

Conversely, neighbors near proposed driveway connections expressed concerns about increased traffic, confusing turning movements and impacts to neighborhood quality of life. "This plan would just significantly increase traffic...and it would be still confusing because Linden and that road do not line up," said Laura Berry, a resident who lives adjacent to the project area.

Council Member Van Overbeck moved to reconsider the South Park Drive decision at the council's next meeting; the motion passed and Mayor Reynolds said the item will come back at the council meeting in August. Councilmembers noted significant public feedback since the June vote and signaled willingness to reexamine the design and access options. The council did not adopt any design changes at this meeting; the matter will be reconsidered at a subsequent meeting.