Cape reduces bike lane proposal to address parking concerns

Message received, Cape Girardeau city manager Scott Meyer said Monday.

An outpouring of resident complaints about certain sections of proposed bike lanes Thursday has led the city to remove four sections of city streets from the plan in order to preserve parking.

"We heard loud and clear that these were places people were really concerned about, so we're not going to go there," Meyer said.

Staff and residents reviewed 11 options for bike lanes at the public meeting. Comment cards left by residents and one-on-one discussions have led city staff to remove four sections of streets from the proposal:

• Lexington Avenue, between Concord Place and Amblewood Drive
• Perryville Road, between the city limits and Bertling Street
• Cape Rock Drive between Kingshighway and Lexington Avenue
• Hopper Road between Mount Auburn Road and Kingshighway.

Residents along those sections didn't like that those streets would have to be converted to no-parking.

Meyer said the city will now look at the remaining streets on the proposal to develop "the best bike lane plan," he said. The lanes are being paid for by a $250,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health. Meyer said it is hard to predict what the final recommendation will be for the remaining routes, but they are reviewing the streets, he said. Currently, Veterans Memorial Drive has the city's only bike lanes.

The city also has received comments via telephone and email, with 124 against and 27 in favor, said assistant city manager Heather Brooks. The original plan would have created 30 to 40 miles of bike lanes, but the changes reduce that to just under 20 miles of new bike lanes, she said.

Brooks added that the final mileage tally could fluctuate up or down based on any changes made to the plan.

Residents said Monday they were relieved to learn that the city had removed their streets from consideration.

"I'm glad they did that," said Mel Dockins, who owns rental property on the 1800 block of Cape Rock Drive. "I don't have a problem with bike lanes, but the problem was restricting the parking."

John Blattner, who has lived on Cape Rock Drive for 30 years, said his street is dangerous, especially for young, inexperienced bicyclists.

"They don't realize unless they live here how dangerous this street is here," he said.

According to the city's map of the proposal, the streets still on the plan include sections that are already no-parking, including Lexington Avenue from Kingshighway to Concord Place and Amblewood Drive to Big Bend Road; Sprigg Street from Lexington Avenue to North Street; and Bertling Street, from Perryville Road to Big Bend Road.

Streets that would still have to be converted to no-parking for the bike lanes include Frederick Street from Bellevue Street to Good Hope Street; a section of Good Hope Street east of Frederick Street; Independence Street from Farrar Drive to Broadview Street; Silver Springs Road from Themis Street to William Street; and Silver Springs Road from William Street to Southern Expressway.

Both Meyer and Brooks said they are hopeful the proposal will come to fruition by late summer or early fall.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Lexington Avenue, Cape Girardeau, MO

Perryville Road, Cape Girardeau, MO

Cape Rock Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

Hopper Road, Cape Girardeau, MO