This is a city proposal for a bike lane through St. Elmo on Virginia Avenue in Chattanooga.St. Elmo cyclists moved closer to safer bike lanes and getting more mobility choices Thursday.
Designers showed preliminary plans to residents to get feedback on possible changes for the Virginia Avenue Greenway Project and the Broad Street Protected Bike Lane Project. They will take suggestions into consideration when drawing up final plans for construction, said Wade Walker, regional engineering manger with the North Carolina-based Alta, a planning and design company.
Most attending the Virginia Avenue Greenway Project meeting at the old fire hall off St. Elmo Avenue Thursday said they can't wait until spring 2015 when construction is scheduled to begin.
The roadways won't be widened, but there will be better markings, more signs and collapsible bollards to limit and control traffic flow, said Mike Repsch, consultant with Alta.
The Virginia Avenue Greenway Project is a pedestrian and bicycle greenway on Virginia Avenue. Designers also met with residents to get feedback on the Broad Street protected bike lane project that will run from M.L. King Boulevard to the Tennessee Aquarium.
Cycling is Noel Weichbrodt's main mode of transportation because it helps his waistline, keeps transportation costs down and makes him happy, but he's concerned about safety.
"People speed like demons on this road," he said Thursday.
The area has a 30 mph speed limit, but most people speed at about 45, he said.
That speed with narrow bike lanes on St. Elmo Avenue is not safe, he said.
Jeffrey Cross, a St. Elmo resident of 20 years, said he looks forward to not having to make so many stops while cycling on Virginia Avenue.
But not all residents are at ease with the proposed changes.
Longtime St. Elmo resident Greg Luther took issue with plans for the bollard dividers on Virginia Avenue that would cause a dead-end street near his home. The barriers would force him to drive a different route to get into his driveway.
"I would have to drive down to the far corner to get into my own backyard. It negates the advantage of being on the corner," said Luther. "I understand what they're trying to do. But there are other ways of achieving that such as speed bumps."
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman at yputman@timesfreepress.com.