Chicopee councilors discuss removal of Center Loop bike lane

Sept. 22, 2021 | Matt Conway
mconway@thereminder.com

Graphic of the Center Loop bike path in downtown Chicopee.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

CHICOPEE – City Council officials have opened up discussion to removing the recently-established Center Loop bike path.

Ordinances centered on removing the bike path were formed during the Sept. 7 City Council meeting, with the Ordinance Committee gathering on Sept. 14 to continue the discussion. Chicopee received a $76,600 grant to install the bike path back in January, ultimately completing installation in August. According to the city’s press release, the bike path was planned to be re-evaluated in July 2022, while also being removed during winter months due to inclement weather.

During the Center Loop’s initial months of implementation, the designated pathway has received universal critiques for numerous reasons. “I haven’t heard one good thing said about that bike path, most people I talk to say they are totally against it,” said City Council and City Ordinance committee member Robert Zygarowski. He explained that several businesses have been negatively impacted by the loop due to its impact on local parking. With several convenient downtown parking spots being removed, Zygarowski shared that one business warned him about their potential closure from decreased business.

The Center Loop’s removal of parking has been an evolving issue. While the city recommended the use of on-street parking and several parking lots in their initial press release, the dearth of spots has led to congested parking across nearby areas. Chicopee citizen Roy Nawrocki spoke at the Chicopee Ordinance Committee meeting about the parking impacts, stating that the overuse of side streets has had a lingering impact on the city. “You can’t even fit a street sweeper down there…it’s going to put a lot more pressure on the Department of Public Works (DPW),” said Nawrocki.

Another concern about the bike path derives from its impact on safety. Due to the bike path’s design, people using the loop have to exit onto the street or sidewalk when crossing certain areas. According to citizen Matt Topher, several patrons are ignoring the bike path due to the area’s deficiencies. “There’s cracks in the road and broken bottles…it really isn’t for this city at this time,” said Topher.

After citizens addressed their concerns, the Ordinance Committee discussed the state of the Center Loop. While the committee agreed that the Center Loop wasn’t without promise, it was clear that the execution was having a negative impact on the town. “It just didn’t work out, it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be,” said City Council and Ordinance Committee member James K. Tillotson.

Three ordinances were presented in the committee’s agenda to completely reverse the bike path’s inclusion, including restoring the parking signage that was previously in place. Each of the three ordinances were passed by the Ordinance Committee. Since the town sincerely attempted to implement the Center Loop, Chicopee will not have to pay the grant back, according to Tillotson.

Zygarowski shared the next steps in removing the Center Loop. The passed ordinances will be discussed by the City Council at their Sept. 23 meeting before a final decision is made. From there, Mayor John Vieau has seven days to veto the decision before DPW can remove the Center Loop.

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