Group continues to push back on bike lane plan
The neighborhood group opposed to the current plan for the bike lanes and pedestrian improvements on Westover Hill Boulevard continues to raise a ruckus. Their story was picked up today by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
An earlier post on WRIC has parking vs travel lanes as the main sticking point:
Westover Hills Boulevard currently has two lanes in each direction, but part of the bike lane plan is to confine drivers to one lane per side and use the other lane for street parking. Carter offered a different suggestion.
“Put no parking signs on the road and return traffic to two lanes rather than the one. That way people won’t be cutting through,” said Carter. “If they need to slow the traffic down, they can reduce the speed limit. It’s 35, they can make it 25. They can put on speed humps. You know, there are ways to slow traffic down.”
The Westover Hills bike lane project discussion has been going on since at least 2015. There was a meeting at the Westover Hills Library on March 29, 2015; the city’s plans were later presented to the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association on September 10 of that year. More recently, there were 2 online surveys and a community meeting in 2023.
The Department of Public Works has details of the project online. The most current drawings are from May 2023. If anyone has links to more recent drawings please let us know.
Reid Carter does not want anyone other than residents and service providers driving down their neighborhood streets. He was a driving force in the early 80s to ban turns during rush hour and almost 40 years later is still worried about it. Regardless of any changes in driving patterns post COVID and with less business downtown that would bring commuters through Westover Hills
I don’t understand what the issue is. I drive that section frequently and there isn’t a need for two lanes both directions. Don’t get me wrong money would be better spent on street safety for walking pedestrians. Has there been any major accidents or speed studies done to back-up claims?
As someone who lives on Westover Hills Boulevard and bikes across the nickel bridge everyday to get to work this road does not need to be two lanes, it makes the road too wide and encourages speeding. Anyone who says otherwise probably has a degree in traffic engineering.