The City Council of South Sioux City voted Monday to move a proposed bike trail in its 1/6-year road plan from the one-year schedule to the six-year grouping.
The 7-0 vote (Councilman Mahamud Osman was absent) took a proposed 10-foot concrete trail that was to run from Highway 77 and 25th Street to 21st and A streets off the one-year list after a number of residents in the area voiced concerns about the safety of the proposed route.
Resident Bridget Conley told the Council that she was concerned that someone would be struck by a car along the route, which she said is already a concern considering the number of cars that run through stop signs and/or speed on those streets.
“As far as safety and watching the cars running stop signs time after time, there is no speed limit posted and I don’t want to see anybody coming off the bike trail and getting smashed,” she said.
City Administrator Lance Hedquist said the city moved the proposed construction off the one-year list and over to the six-year list, which doesn’t eliminate the project from consideration, but could be changed depending on input from concerned citizens, the city and the state’s Department of Roads, which put the original path on the city’s list.
“The Council can make changes to the plan,” Hedquist said. “But it would be at a public meeting, and the location (of the path) could change, and that will be with a discussion with the state.”
Councilman Randy Myers suggested that the city be more proactive on future bike path additions as more development comes into the city.
“There’s a lot of development going on across town, and I think we need to be looking at (bike trails) in advance more than after the fact. It will save a lot on what we’re dealing with right now.”
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