NLR council removes bike-path segment from plan

North Little Rock’s City Council unanimously approved an amendment Monday to the city’s Master Street Plan that removes a proposed bike-path segment from Paul Duke Drive to West 15th Street.

The 2014 Master Street Plan called for a bike path that ran from the railroad spur trail along 15th Street west of Pike Avenue to Riverview Park.

The problem is the path runs through the Esplanade Apartments development.

A similar ordinance was tabled Oct. 26 and then withdrawn Monday that would have amended the Master Street Plan to allow construction of a bike lane adjacent to River Road.

The developer of Esplanade Apartments had proposed to construct a bike lane adjacent to the development. That proposal was approved Oct. 13 by North Little Rock’s Planning Commission.

By the city’s definition, a bike lane is a portion of the roadway within the right of

way designated by striping, signing and pavement for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists, chief city engineer Chris Wilbourn said previously.

The city’s planning director, Shawn Spencer, said Monday night the construction of the bike lane was removed because of potential grant funding that might be on the way.

“We didn’t add a bike lane in this ordinance. We just removed the bike path,” Spencer said. “We are applying for a MetroPlan grant for the new trail that we will then bring back up to the council separately.”

Wilbourn has described the bicycle plan as an integral part of the Master Street Plan, but he said changes must be made because of development in the Rockwater and River Road area.

The current master plan shows River Road is a shared use road, which means cyclists share the road with vehicle traffic.

Wilbourn said it is important that the Master Street Plan matches what the city wants to do in the future when it comes to applying for grant funding.

Mayor Joe Smith said in late October that officials realized 15 years ago bicycling could be an important factor related to the growth of the city. Paths, routes and lanes for bicycles now stretch across the city, particularly near the river.

The League of American Bicyclists awarded North Little Rock a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community designation in 2009, and officials created a Bicycle Plan in 2013 to continue to make the area more bicycle friendly.