The Jamestown City Council on Monday voted down a resolution recommending the addition of bicycle lanes on a portion of East Second Street. The addition would have eliminated on-street parking. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

Scheduled work for East Second Street in Jamestown will not include the addition of bicycle lanes.

Citing potential safety concerns and the number of residents who would lose valuable on-street parking real estate, the Jamestown City Council on Monday voted down a resolution 6 to 3 that would have significantly altered one of the area’s most heavily traveled roads.

As presented, the reconfiguration during scheduled work by the state Department of Transportation would have impacted 1.75 miles of East Second Street — from East Fourth Street to Tiffany Avenue. The proposal called for a dedicated bike lane to be added to the eastbound side of East Second while the westbound lane would have been widened to accommodate both vehicles and bikes.

To make way for the new bike lanes, on-street parking would have been eliminated.

As he did during work session talks earlier this month, Councilman Brent Sheldon, R-Ward I, again expressed concerns Monday for the proposed changes. He noted the “hardship” that would be created for residents who live on East Second if on-street parking were to be eliminated.

“I think we’re creating a very dangerous situation for people having to cross the street where there are no crosswalks,” he said, also referring to The Resource Center’s Community Health Center and its pick up and drop off zone in front of its 880 E. Second St. building.

“They would be losing a handicap parking spot right in front of their business,” he said.

Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At-Large, said the bike lane plan presented a “safety issue” and also could hurt businesses situated along East Second.

Russell, a former officer with the Jamestown Police Department, said he was familiar with the road’s traffic patterns. He further alluded to an accident years back on East Second that claimed the life of a small child while he worked for the police department.

Like Sheldon, Russell said the addition of bike lanes would have a negative impact on The Resource Center.

“I just refuse to sell out the individuals who are clients at The Resource Center that have both physical and intellectual disabilities to a bike lane,” he said.

Not everyone on the council, though, opposed the project. Councilman Bill Reynolds, R-Ward V, noted that the changes were recommended by the city Department of Public Works and would have been supported by the state DOT.

“All have indicated that this project will slow traffic down and this project will make the roads safer,” Reynolds said. “Yes, there’s an inconvenience and it’s going to take time to adjust for that inconvenience to be accepted, but I don’t understand why we would sit here and challenge what I would call ‘authorities’ in the road structure business.”

In addition to Reynolds, council members Joseph Paterniti, R-Ward IV, and Randy Daversa, R-At-Large, voted in favor of the project.

Mayor Kim Ecklund did not publicly comment on the bike lane project during two work sessions or prior to Monday’s vote.

During the public comment portion, one area resident pushed for the bike lanes while a handful of other residents expressed concern with the project’s impact.

Robert Reedy, owner of Elite Kreations on East Second, conceded that the road does need a “shot in the arm” and “needs a little bit of improvement.” However, Reedy said local residents and businesses would be harmed by eliminating on-street parking.

“You’re adding insult to injury in that neighborhood if you put bike paths in, in my opinion,” he said. “You’ve got so much commercialized equipment. You’ve got garbage trucks, fire department, police cars, buses — all kinds of heavy equipment — running up and down Second Street.”

Toward the end of Monday’s meeting, Council President Tony Dolce, R-Ward II, acknowledged the discussion among the council, residents and area businesses that led up to the vote.

“This is not a finished project. This is the beginning of the project,” he said of the overall work scheduled to take place in 2025. “Either way, it’s going to enhance Second Street; it’s going to fix the street that is in bad shape. It needs to be done in the next year or so.”

Sheldon added, “Worst street in the city, in my opinion.”