Neighborhood group says University Avenue was striped for bike lanes before council vote

Beth Mesner, representing the Riverside Normal City neighborhood association, told the council Dec. 1 that striping on University Avenue appears to anticipate bicycle lanes and may not accommodate currently legal parking on the south side of the street.

"It certainly looks that way to us," Mesner said, describing paint placement that forces vehicles to veer around parked cars. She asked why striping proceeded before a vote on Ordinance 29-25, which would remove parking on a section of University Avenue, and requested measurements and a curbing schedule for three blocks where curb remains incomplete.

Councilors said staff had reported they were striping a centerline for now and that bike-lane markings would be added if and when Ordinance 29-25 is approved. Council members agreed to ask the street department for measurements and timing for curbing work and to revisit the issue in January.

Why it matters: If striping is laid out before a formal council vote, residents say it creates the appearance of pre-commitment to removal of parking and reallocation of street space. The neighborhood also raised safety and convenience concerns about exposed dirt where curbing is unfinished.

Next steps: Council asked neighborhood representatives to provide measurements and said they would seek details from the street department and report back at the January meeting.