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| Plans for bike lanes raising concern too | |
| Jun 14, 2007 | |
| Ken Goze, Staff Writer kgoze@pioneerlocal.com | |
| Northbrook Star | |
| Pertains to Northbrook | |
| As Northbrook trustees wrestle with whether to install miles of sidewalk that aren't wanted by residents in several neighborhoods, they are also hearing from residents who don't like some of the other proposed street projects in a $20 million infrastructure improvement plan. In the plan, about $4 million has been earmarked to rebuild Cherry Lane and Western Avenue. But some with Cherry Lane addresses say they don't want the street to have marked bicycle lanes, and they don't want to see street parking banned once the work is done. Cherry Lane is scheduled to be rebuilt from Landwehr Road to Greenbriar Lane. Holly Lown, who lives on Cherry Lane across from Westmoor School, said residents sometimes need street parking for their own cars, but street parking also is needed by landscapers and contractors, delivery trucks and those visiting local parks. She and other neighbors were passing petitions asking the board not to eliminate street parking. Lown said supporters include homeowners on nearby streets who are concerned a parking ban on Cherry Lane will push more vehicles onto their streets. "I think it's one of those issues where they didn't necessarily think it through as well as they could have. They got some money, a lot of money, and it sounded good and now they need to work the details out," Lown said. Northbrook Village Engineer Paul Kendzior said the latest recommendation calls for keeping the street parking but looking at a median near the school and curb bump-outs, both to narrow the driving lanes somewhat and slow traffic in response to long-standing complaints of speeding in the area. Doug Gerleman, chairman of Northbrook's Bicycle Task Force, said bike lanes can co-exist with parking. Even if cyclists have to go around a few vehicles, the marked lane "gives them a safe space. If we had a huge number of bicycles around town, then we might talk with people about setting up more of an exclusive bike lane. But we're not there yet. The idea is let's just respect each other and create a space that's safe for bicycles." Gerleman said sidewalks are a poor alternative for cyclists because motorists aren't expecting them to come off the walks at intersections, and motorists backing out of driveways may not see them in time to stop. |
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