An amendment to the Master Street Plan for North Little Rock that would move a proposed bike lane was tabled Monday by the city council.
The ordinance would amend the city’s 2014 Master Street Plan to allow construction of a bike lane adjacent to River Road.
Currently the Master Street Plan calls for a bike path from the railroad spur trail along 15th Street west of Pike Avenue to Riverview Park. The problem is that the path runs through the Esplanade Apartments development.
The developer of the development has proposed instead 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, said Chris Wilbourn, chief city engineer.
“If approved changes to the plan will immediately occur,” Wilbourn said previously.
Wilbourn described the bicycle plan as an integral part of the Master Street Plan, but changes must be made because of development in the Rockwater and River Road area. He said the current master plan shows River Road is a shared use road, which means cyclists share the road with vehicular traffic.