x
Breaking News
More () »

City of Little Rock considers adding bike lanes to Pleasant Forest Drive

The City of Little Rock believes the bike lanes would not only benefit cyclists, but would also increase safety for drivers.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Pleasant Forest Drive, a 1.7-mile road, in Little Rock is getting ready to be resurfaced. The city hopes part of that project will include bike lanes.

"The car travel lanes are going to be reduced to 10 feet," said Everett Gooch, a member of the Bike Friendly Community Committee with the City of Little Rock.

The wide lanes being reduced means space for either fog lanes and shared lanes or bike lanes.

"As a cyclist, I would love to have those lanes because we have rides that go through there all the time," said Gooch.

Gooch hopes for bike lanes because they would connect the neighborhood to the Arkansas River Trail, creating about a 10-mile, fully protected spur.

The City of Little Rock believes the bike lanes would not only benefit cyclists, but would also increase safety for drivers.

"The safety concern is mainly for the residents in the neighborhood because they have those speeding cars, flying through the streets all the time," said Gooch.

According to the city, speeding on Pleasant Forest Drive has been a major problem because the 16 feet wide lanes encouraging fast driving.

"By reducing the width of the lanes you don’t have as much room for error so you typically drive slower," said Gooch

The disadvantage to bike lanes is the loss of street parking.

The City of Little Rock is collecting public comments about adding bike lanes through Sept. 14. Email jlandosky@littlerock.gov with your comments. Include your name and street address and include "Pleasant Forest" in the email's subject line.

Before You Leave, Check This Out