EDGEWATER — The wrong way, or "contra-flow," bike lane on Glenwood Avenue that would have made the technically illegal way that casual bike riders use the road now legal is on hold, according to the alderman's office.
The decision was "due to the ongoing conversations we're conducting on the city's budget and in order to continue our dialogue with residents," Ald. Harry Osterman wrote in an email to residents.
Osterman's office sent members of a neighborhood block club a similar response, saying "It will give time for the Ald. to visit with the neighbors along the proposed bike lane and to focus on the budget crisis we are in the middle of right now."
The project will be revisited next spring, he said.
The controversial plan elicited strong feelings from both avid cyclists and families who use the route and drivers who live in the impacted area. The plan would create a bike lane on the one-way street that would allow bicyclists to ride the wrong way on the street.
In June, members of the city's transportation department met with residents to explain the proposed route and answer questions.
"I kept thinking, 'Why are these cyclists driving backwards down Catalpa?' It was driving me crazy," said Edgewater resident Annie Clark, who frequents the route. "But really, it was the safest way. It's the only way to go safely without dying on Clark."
But others, like Doug Whitmer, said he couldn't support the idea for a number of reasons — one of which is its cost.
According to CDOT and the alderman's office, the project was slated to cost $75,000.
"I have a problem paying $75,000 catering to someone breaking the law," Whitmer said to applause from the room.
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