Bike lane coasting along when all of a sudden ...

Sometimes a bike lane is more than just a bike lane. The Central Parkway Bikeway Project is one of those.

First of all, this is not a simple white stripe running along the side of the road to provide breathing room for people wearing tight black shorts. No, this is what is called a protected bike lane, or cycle track. It would set aside a full lane on each side of Central Parkway, with barriers protecting riders from traffic.

The Central Parkway Bikeway Project is also significant because it would connect a string of neighborhoods: Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, West End, University Heights, Clifton and Northside.

"This is a game-changer for our community," said Mel McVay, senior city planner with the Department of Transportation & Engineering.

But this bike path, 5 miles in each direction, includes politics and federal money and engineers and businesses and people who love to ride bikes. So even though this was a plan that looked like a sure thing, everything could change. Or stop.

Mayor John Cranley has questions, the "new" council has concerns and some businesses along the route have worries about parking.

A public hearing will take place Monday at City Hall, which could change everything.

Let the hand-wringing commence.

First, some history. The City Council approved the plan, unanimously, last year. Bids for the job have come in and the work could begin within months. The project itself is relatively cheap; the total cost would be $600,000, with $500,000 coming from the federal government.

The mayor's office is clear, or clear-ish, that the Central Parkway Bikeway Project is still happening. Or at least that it has not been stopped.

"No, it's approved by council. The only way it won't happen is if a majority of council decides to do something else," said Kevin Osborne, the mayor's spokesman. "We're just trying to balance the interests of the business owners and the cycling community to get a win-win for everyone."

And some businesses along Central Parkway say eliminating two lanes, one in each direction, will slow traffic and put a limitation on parking, north of Liberty Street, that could hurt some businesses.

Central Parkway is an important street, but one without much of an identity between Downtown and Clifton. There are old buildings, mostly nondescript. There are automotive shops, little restaurants, small churches and breweries that smell like hops.

The street has seen hard times. But that's why Tim Haines is fighting so hard to keep the bike lanes from happening. Haines has a story of hard work and perseverance and success, and he wants it to continue.

He bought a "blighted" building on Central Parkway, the Mohawk Brighton Building, and fixed it up. "It is vital now, it generates taxes," Haines said. "There are 12 business tenants and 60 employees. My building will be adversely affected."

Haines says he is not anti-bike. He repeats again and again that he owns two bicycles. But he says the elimination of two lanes will make a mess of traffic and parking will become a problem.

Another business owner, who did not want to go on record for fear of offending the pro-bike-lane side, said he was very worried about parking restrictions. There would be restrictions, much like those that exist Downtown, that would not allow parking on the inbound side of Central Parkway in the morning and outbound for the evening commute.

City planner McVay said there should not be worries about traffic. Central Parkway's route has a variety of widths, from 50 feet to 120 feet. With bike lanes, some of the traffic will be two lanes in each direction, and some will be one lane in each direction.

The total traffic on the street, typically 14,000 to 18,000 cars per day depending on the location, "can be easily accommodated by one or two lanes" said McVay.

The mayor has asked the city manager to not award the contract to build the lanes until he has more time to hear from citizens and get answers to his questions. But, Osborne says, this does not necessarily mean he wants to stop the project. "The mayor's request is just that, a request. The mayor and several council members had some questions about the project," Osborne said.

But the clock is ticking.

The $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation Alternatives Program has a sunset provision. If the contract for the job is not awarded by May 2, the money goes away.

In fairness, the plan was discussed, a process that began more than a year ago. When it announced the Central Parkway Bikeway Project, the city's Bike Transportation Program mentioned those meetings: "After meeting with the Over-the-Rhine, West End, CUF and Clifton community councils throughout the spring and summer of 2013 and receiving feedback from hundreds of residents, community consensus was reached on a new street design which includes a bike way called a protected bike lane."

Nern Ostendorf, executive director of Queen City Bike, a bike advocacy organization, says this plan has been talked about and talked about. "This process has been going on for at least a couple of years," Ostendorf said. "It got the most feedback and the most support of any project we have ever worked on."

It is not an accident that these bike lanes would connect Northside, Clifton, Over-the-Rhine and Downtown. "There are so many bicyclists in those (areas) already," McVay said. "This would connect businesses and people and neighborhoods."

But there are more people who drive. And Councilman David Mann thinks they do not know about the changes to a road that he drives every day, from his home in Clifton to Downtown.

"A lot of people who are going to be impacted by it, they have no idea," Mann said. He said he wants more information about the bike lane. He also said this council should not be beholden to every decision made by the previous City Council, which he called "the lame duck council."

Mann says he is not committed for or against the bike lanes. These lanes do exist in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and other places. McVay says research shows a protected bike lane doubles usage compared to a regular bike lane on the same route.

Ostendorf says that is the point. The lanes feel removed from traffic, which can attract people who are otherwise nervous about riding among vehicles. "It's a bike lane for regular people," Ostendorf said. "It feels safe and comfortable enough for everyday riders. People who might not ride otherwise."

Monday at City Hall, people who ride and people who do not will have a chance to keep talking about it. ■

Public hearing

The Neighborhoods Committee has scheduled a public hearing for 2 p.m. Monday in Council Chambers, 801 Plum St. The Central Parkway Bikeway Project will be part of the conversation.