New bike lanes causing Downtown backup
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — New bike lanes on two of downtown Columbus' busiest rush-hour streets are causing some confusion and congestion.
The lanes mean less room for cars and have changed the traffic pattern on 3rd Street and 4th Street.
Drivers and riders agree it will take time for everyone to get used to the new lanes but in the meantime, they are worried about safety and traffic flow.
"We're losing 2 actual lanes with the bike path coming down 4th street once you get off of 670... The traffic is backed up onto the freeway," said John Chubb. He drives his wife to work every morning and avoids those areas altogether for now.
He told ABC6 he is pro-bike and pro-traffic so until the kinks are worked out, he remains in a holding pattern. "It's a conundrum," says Chubb.
In some cases, the transitions are downright dangerous.
Our cameras caught the driver of a car barreling through the bike lane on 4th street. We also watched a cyclist in the bike lane try to make his way through an obstacle course of cars that aren't used to these new rules of the road.
Michael Valentine rides his bike to work everyday and says he is riding on the side of caution. "I always see the cars driving in the bike lanes so I will ride the bike on the sidewalk right now because downtown is really dangerous."
Cars are banned from the bike lanes unless they are trying to access a parking space or merging to make a right turn.
