Expanded bicyclist infrastructure such as sharrows, bike lanes, repair stations, and roadside trails could be on the horizon for Owensboro-Daviess County. A committee is being formed to analyze the project, weighing benefits such as increased safety and concerns such as reduced parking spaces and already narrow roadways.
The Chamber Young Professionals (CYP) are leading the push for the project. The CYP presented its proposal in November 2023 to the Policy and Technical Advisory Committee committees of the Owensboro-Daviess County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
Little has been done since that time, but the project was revisited Tuesday during an MPO meeting.
The discussion began with an overview of the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) funds allocated to the MPO. MPO Director Tom Lovett said that approximately $700,000 in CRP funding is available and can be used for transportation projects that reduce carbon emissions, such as walking and biking trails, or even purchasing more fuel-efficient buses.
The board had previously expressed interest in using some of these funds to improve bike trails and add sharrows (shared lane markings) in the city. The 2018 Bike-Ped Study was referenced, which prioritized certain areas for bike trail development. A key concern identified in the study was the lack of connectivity on the west side of the county compared to the east. The study’s recommendations and maps were included in the agenda for review.
CYP Chair Jared Revlett said they began researching the community’s interests in the summer of 2022, and those who answered a poll expressed the importance of the walkability and bikeability of the community.
According to survey results, the community prioritizes designated painted bike lanes, connectivity improvements to the Greenbelt, and overall safety for bike riders throughout the county.
The CYP proposal includes two main ideas.
The first is adding 10 bike repair stations along the Greenbelt, allowing riders to fix their bikes and continue on instead of having to leave and likely finish riding for the day. Each repair station would be equipped with screwdrivers, air pumps, tools to fix a flat tire, and other essential equipment. All equipment would be chained to the station.
Revlett previously said that after talking with City of Owensboro Parks & Recreation Director Amanda Rogers, the committee found 10 locations they said would be apt for the stations — such as near Owensboro Health Regional Hospital and Higdon Road, Kendall-Perkins Park, Smothers Park, and Moreland Park.
Revlett said the “all-in” cost is estimated to be $18,575 — but noted that is not a tax-exempt estimate.
The second portion of the presentation was the implementation of bike lanes, an idea Revlett said started with GRADD’s unfinished bike/pedestrian plans from 2018. Most of the proposed bike lanes would connect the Greenbelt to other community amenities such as English Park, downtown, and Chautauqua Park.
The proposed bike lanes from the 2018 study are:
- Cravens Avenue to West 5th Street to Castlen Street/Hanning Lane
- Connects the Greenbelt to English Park
- Hanning Lane to West 1st Street
- Connects English Park to Smothers Park
- KY 54 from East Byers Avenue to Leitchfield Road
- Connects the Greenbelt to Chautauqua Park
- CS-1029 to Alsop Lane to East 4th Street/East 2nd Street
- Connects the Greenbelt to downtown
- Old Hartford Road to 22nd Street to Daviess Street
- Provides bike access from the east side of Owensboro to the center
Some board members raised concerns about painted bike lanes potentially eliminating street parking, especially in older neighborhoods with narrow streets.
Among those with concerns was Daviess County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen. When the proposal was first given to the MPO in 2023, Castlen noted that in previous conversations, City and County officials stopped developing plans for bike lanes because they would take away street parking. He echoed that Tuesday.
“I know I’m the Judge-Executive, and that’s primarily county roads, but I also represent city residents as well,” he said. “Putting in dedicated lanes that would lead to the loss of parking is certainly something that I’m sensitive to.”
Alternatives such as sharrows, which do not eliminate parking and instead have painted markings to demonstrate bikes also have access to the road, were suggested as a more feasible option. Roadways with sharrows include Tamarack Road and Byers Avenue.
Another alternative is a shared use path such as the one from Fisher Park to Carter Road. Revlett said that path could be extended to connect it to nearby amenities such as Cravens Pool and local schools.
However, he acknowledged that even with sharrows there are challenges of bikes sharing roads with parked cars and traffic.
It was suggested that a smaller, technical ad hoc committee could develop a detailed proposal, including input from bike advocacy groups and engineers. This committee would present recommendations to the board at a later meeting.
The meeting concluded with a consensus to move forward with exploratory efforts. The next steps include gathering cost estimates, consulting experts, and engaging the community to develop a comprehensive proposal.
