Merchants want city to tap the brakes on bike lane until alternative parking found

Is there room to compromise when a road is too narrow to meet everyone’s needs? 

A group of Richmond Row business owners are urging city hall to redesign roadwork that will remove 12 parking spots from Central Avenue in order to accommodate two protected bike lanes.

“You take a few spots away, and a few more, and a few more,” said Rob Moffatt, owner of Eyes on Richmond. “Then you want to put in bike lanes— that I have no problem with— but golly, there’s got to be a compromise here!”

Moffatt worries that losing half of the existing street parking will exacerbate the challenge faced by his customers when several private parking lots behind Richmond Row are developed into apartment buildings.

“If they can’t find parking, then they are going to go elsewhere,” he worried.

The city intends to install bike lanes on both sides of Central Avenue from William Street to just west of Richmond Row.

The three blocks closest to Richmond will receive a protected bike lane; the remaining stretch will be painted.

A map of Central Avenue's bike lane. (Source: City of London)

Of concern to Moffatt, a dozen spots along the north side of Central Avenue will be replaced by the westbound bike lane.

The eastbound lane will be located between a row of street parking and the boulevard.

“We want to mitigate the loss of parking that this project is causing and provide as much parking as possible,” explained Manager of Active Transportation Daniel Hall. “We’re hoping to add parking on Richmond Street to offset it.”

Hall said widening the roadway to accommodate more parking would exceed the project’s budget and require removing trees along the grassed boulevard north of Victoria Park.

“We’re hopeful that the parking offsets take away from the concerns of the businesses and we can push forward with this project— but nothing is set in stone at this point,” he added.

Moffatt and other merchants in the area are asking city hall to tap the brakes on the project until it can be redesigned.

“If we (and the city) work as a team, I’m sure there is a compromise,” said Moffatt.

Hall said the installation of the bike lane is scheduled to start this summer and finish in the fall. 

“It’s important to us to support a vibrant core, support the businesses, but also support these new mobility options getting people to the core,” said Hall.