Bike lanes now open on Central in Downtown. Businesses on Central question the cost.
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The construction of new bike lanes running through Downtown is complete after an expenditure of $220,000, nearly a month of construction and the dismay of some neighboring business owners.
Two new lanes on Central Ave 鈥� one eastbound, the other west 鈥� give bikers space between the street and the sidewalk. These lanes will eventually link to the Rail Trail, a 7-mile urban pedestrian loop set to open in 2028.
The lanes that opened Sunday are part of a broad effort to revitalize the city鈥檚 core. This includes using Tax Increment Financing and a policy that fines landlords who own vacant buildings on Central Avenue.
While looking to spur the area鈥檚 growth, its city councilor, Joaqu铆n Baca, is focused on improving walkability and increasing transportation options Downtown.
鈥淏est practices in an area like that, where you have a main street, is you want to slow it down, get more people walking, make it safer for them,鈥� Baca said.
Baca, who used funds set aside for district projects on the lanes, said he decided on the project after getting feedback from Downtown residents requesting better biking options.
鈥淭his was done over a period of a year, with multiple meetings with businesses, residents 鈥� keep in mind, Downtown is not just businesses,鈥� Baca said.
Yet, some business owners on Central are unsure if bike lanes will help them and felt left out of the conversation.
They also complain about how the construction harmed their sales.
Downtown staple Lindy鈥檚 Diner 鈥� which has been open for half a century 鈥� saw a 30% drop in business during the construction of the bike lanes, according to its owners Steve Vatoseow and Dawn Vatoseow.
鈥淢aybe in the long run, it鈥檚 going to be good for Downtown. But right now it鈥檚 not,鈥� Steve Vatoseow said.
He said that while the parking spots in front of the shop are no longer blocked by the construction, he worries about the safety of bikers as people are parking or opening their car doors.
Less than a block down the street, Stuart Dunlap, owner of The Man鈥檚 Hat Shop, is also questioning the construction of the lanes.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more people riding bikes, but there just aren鈥檛 people that are riding bikes to come Downtown,鈥� Dunlap said.
He also expressed frustration that the lanes narrowed the street and that construction slowed business.
鈥淚n my opinion, it was a bad call, and I hope they change it,鈥� Dunlap said. 鈥淲here they come up with these ideas, I have no idea. 鈥榃ell, it works in other cities,鈥� well, this is not other cities.鈥�
He added that even though Baca is a customer of his store, he was not given a heads-up about the project.
Baca acknowledged that the construction of the lanes took longer than expected, but said he wanted it completed in time for warmer weather.
鈥淲e figured we better just do it now, while it鈥檚 still colder, so there are definitely complaints about the time,鈥� Baca said. 鈥淚t was three weeks, that鈥檚 not an insane amount of time; the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term impact.鈥�
A study shared with the Journal reports that an average of 6,700 to 9,000 cars pass through the city鈥檚 main corridor on Central , where the bike lanes are located, each day.
The study also states that the environment for bikers was 鈥渞elatively sparse and disconnected,鈥� and suggested adding bike lanes to the side of the road with buffers to protect cyclists.
鈥淚f you build it, they will come. We鈥檝e seen this with highways. In particular, the more lanes that you add, the more cars go on the highways; that is a self-perpetuating cycle,鈥� said Mark Bailon, a member of Strong Towns, a non-profit group that advocates for urban development .
Bailon, a biker himself, expressed his excitement about the lanes opening and believes that it will spur businesses along Central.
鈥淚t probably would increase business. 鈥� It鈥檚 a lot easier to step off your bike to walk around and walk into a business,鈥� Bailon said. 鈥淎s it connects to the Rail Trail, as that gets built out, there鈥檚 going to be a lot more of a place-making option people can then connect from Central Avenue into the rail trail, or vice versa.鈥�
