ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Bike lanes are coming to Central Avenue downtown and to make room for them, people will see some changes to the road. “Not only are you going to be able to drive Route 66 but you will be able to bike down Route 66, said Albuquerque City Counciloor Joaquín Baca.
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It’s an idea that’s been in the works for years, putting bike lanes through the heart of downtown Albuqeurque, and now Baca is making it a reality.
The bike lanes, between First and Eighth Street, would be five feet wide on each side of the street with a two-foot buffer between bikes and traffic. Which people downtown say, makes the area unappealing for bicyclists. “I personally feel like it’s a safety risk to those cyclists because people are zooming really fast up and down central,” said Erin Greig an employee downtown.
Baca says his plan would change that. “A lot of the time they will be on the sidewalk sometimes they will come through Tijeras. This centralizes it in a safe way,” said Baca.
In order to make room for those bike lanes, a lane down the middle, will go away. KRQE News 13 spoke to business owners concerned about losing that lane, which is often used by delivery drivers. “I think it would impact businesses down here taking out that lane,” said Alexander Garcia owner of La Michoacana del Centro.
His business is along the corridor where the new bike lanes will go in. Garcia says businesses use that lane for a number of reasons.
“It’s used every day. The police use it when they need to. My delivery drivers use it to park and give us the food right away for customer service fast and efficient and it’s an ice cream spot and it’s an ice cream spot so they have to deliver it fast before it melts,” said Garcia.
The city said they are looking to add more loading zones and use more alleys for the delivery drivers. Most existing parking spaces will remain the same.
Baca said this is just one of the initiatives in the city’s effort to make downtown safer and more attractive. “This is long-term thinking. Trails coming in the Central underpass is being rebuilt so people cut across it so that will make it much easier for people on those to connect right down to Central businesses,” said Baca.
The city hopes to start the work by October or November. The project will include adding greenery and trash cans.
