Fayetteville gets input on plan for tree-lined sidewalk, bike path

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Downtown Fayetteville may get a wide tree-lined sidewalk and a separate bicycle lane if the city proceeds with plans for a new streetscape project.

The sidewalk would be located on the southern side of West Lanier Avenue, but creating the 10-foot sidewalk with trees on either side, and then the bike lane, will require what some might see as a radical change to the roadway:

Eliminating one lane of traffic.

The lane on the chopping block is the far left hand lane on West Lanier heading in the westbound direction. The lane, which begins after crossing Glynn Street (Ga. Highway 85), actually ends shortly after passing Tiger Trail when it curves to the left to guide vehicles onto the eastbound section of Lanier Avenue.

Representatives of EDAW, a landscape architecture firm that has consulted with the city on the project, said at a meeting Wednesday that the lane is hardly used anyway.

The project will not involve any land acquisition since it uses current right-of-way exclusively, consultants said.

City Engineer Don Easterbrook said Keith Rohling, an official with the Georgia Department of Transportation was surprised when the city inquired about the feasibility of eliminating the lane.

“He did say he had never had that request before to eliminate a lane,” Easterbrook said, adding he was surprised when Rohling indicated he had no problem with the idea.

Easterbrook noted that eliminating the far left westbound lane is not a given yet since DOT officials had to research whether or not they had that authority.

The idea of getting rid of one traffic lane on west Lanier was met with some skepticism by property owners in the area who are wary of the changes.

Some of the concerns included how easily vehicles could turn into the homes and businesses along west Lanier Avenue. Consultants said in some cases the turning radiuses at intersections could be improved, particularly in areas where truck access is needed.

Sam Burch, who runs a business in the area, echoed other concerns when he said the traffic in the area has gotten so bad for people who live and work in the corridor.

“It’s scary to go out and get your mail,” Burch said.

The consultants said one of the goals of the project is to help create an environment that would slow down traffic. Studies show that traffic slows down when there is pedestrian traffic and trees nearby, they said.

Mayor Ken Steele said there are some time constraints on the grant money from the Atlanta Regional Commission and he hoped to have more input from people in the area in the coming weeks so the project can move forward. Although there are several versions of the project which are less ambitious in size, Steele and city councilman Al Hovey-King said they prefer the version that creates the wide sidewalks, which will encourage families to walk downtown from The Villages at LaFayette subdivision.