Cyclists Seeking Bike Lanes

With plans to repave many Norwalk streets, David Marcus is leading a community effort to make the roads safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Since the streets need to be re-striped after they are paved, the neighbors are asking the city to add bicycle lanes. At the top of their list is Gregory Boulevard.

“It is such a wide road and all it would need is a stripe down the side,” said Marcus. “People could then safely bike to the beach.”

Marcus says he is not alone. In an effort to get involved in his adopted hometown, he created the organization, “Livable Norwalk.” Only in existence a year, Marcus says the organization has drawn about 80 people who want to bring positive changes to the community. To his surprise, bicycle lanes top many peoples’ lists.

“You think you are the only one biking places and thinking this community isn’t built for cycling,” said Marcus. “It turns out a lot of other people are thinking the same thing. This is the number one issue people keep bringing up.”

The request would appear to be simple. However, the group has learned there is more to the issue than a stripe of paint. Joining forces with the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association, they have reached out to city officials. They have discussed whether the effort would require a formal traffic study. They have asked whether the plan needs to be a formal bike lane or simply a stripe that would delineate the driving lane.

“The more ambitious you get, the more complicated it gets,” said Marcus, sharing what he has learned from the discussions. The group is encouraged that no one has said, “No,” said Marcus. Senior engineer Michael Yeosock was in meetings throughout the day and unavailable for comment. City engineer Drew Berndlmaier said it is the decision of the city traffic department but he would be amenable to coordinating the scheduling of paving and striping Gregory Boulevard if the city decides to move forward with a plan, even scheduling the street for later in the project if it would allow more time to arrive at a positive decision

The members of Livable Norwalk plan to continue their efforts. “It wouldn’t take much for Norwalk to be another Boulder, Colorado or Davis, California,” said Marcus, referring to two cities known to be bicycle-friendly.

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