By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
On-street parking along one of the more prominent stretches of roadway in Whitewater could soon give way to a proposal aimed at enhancing bike access.
Matt Amundson, parks and recreation director, came before the Common Council on April 3 and discussed the merits of eliminating parking on Wisconsin Street, from Milwaukee Street to the Trippe Lake Park entrance.
“By eliminating parking, it would create a critical connection from the trail system north of Main Street to the trail that originates in Trippe Lake Park and continues through the Waters Edge subdivision,” Amundson said.
Two factors are at play with the Wisconsin Street plan – the imminent East Gateway project that involves a significant amount of roadwork and infrastructure redesign and an extensive bike and pedestrian safety plan that was approved late last year by the council.
Amundson said he and other city officials sought expertise from an engineering firm to see if there was a way to balance parking and bike lanes.
“Strand and Associates has determined that the street is too narrow for both bike lanes and parking,” Amundson said of the company’s recommendation.
Wisconsin Street, which is 37 feet wide, is about 4 feet too narrow to have parking and bike lanes on both side of the street, according to Strand’s analysis.
“There is ample space to provide 4- or 5-foot-wide dedicated bike lanes on each side,” Amundson added.
The council did not take any immediate action on Amundson’s request. But elected officials did direct him to compile a list of all of the various options within the existing framework of the roadway.
While there is overwhelming support on the council toward adding bike lanes, several officials expressed interest in trying to maintain some form of happy medium, particularly since there has historically been a need for parking along some of the areas of Wisconsin Street that are under review.
