Council discusses bike lanes

The Bloomington City Council considered proposals Wednesday night that would change the driving habits of some Bloomington residents.\nSpecifically, the council weighed options for bike lanes on Southdowns Drive and speed humps in the Park Ridge neighborhood. The lanes could also be used as pedestrian walkways.\nAs part of the city's plan to promote pedestrian traffic, the council considered turning Southdowns Drive into separate one-way streets between Jordan Avenue and South Woodlawn Avenue. One-way traffic would allow space for a pedestrian lane on the eastbound side of Southdowns Drive. The proposed lane would be marked with lines on the existing street, similar to Walnut Street.\nSome council members were skeptical of the proposal and wondered if it offered the level of safety residents want.\nCouncilman L. David Sabbagh said he would feel more comfortable with sidewalks, even though the price of paving new sidewalks could be much greater than the $110,000 price tag of creating a street-level pedestrian lane.\n"If it costs more money, we need to find it. If we're going to be a pedestrian-friendly city, then we need sidewalks." Sabbagh said.\nSome residents of the Southdowns neighborhood came to speak against the proposal. They said that many residents already walk on the street and the money spent on the project would not benefit the neighborhood.\nOne resident said the plan would make walking on the road safer than before and asked the council to approve the measure.\nThree council members voted in favor of the plan, one voted against it and the other five decided to vote next week after more discussion.\nAnother proposal to install speed humps on Glenview Avenue and Longview Avenue received approval Wednesday night. Temporary speed humps were placed on the streets to slow traffic that increased near a Marsh store added more than a year ago.\nJustin Wykoff, assistant city engineer, said the average speed on Longview Avenue decreased from 31 mph to 23 mph after the temporary humps were installed.\nThe council voted 8-1 to replace the temporary speed humps with permanent, concrete ones.