Business patrons and residents on Civic Center Drive in Vista can park on either side of the street from Eucalyptus Avenue to Crescent Drive. But that's going to change after the Vista City Council voted Tuesday to remove the parking in favor of bike lanes.
The proposal comes after the council voted to make Vista more bike friendly with a master plan.
Cyclists can be seen using the stretch of Center City Parkway from Eucalyptus Ave to Crescent Drive, but not many.
"What we're looking to do is make it safer, a little bit wider for the bicycles to be able to get through and make it more convenient and attractive for people to want to bike through that area," said Deputy Mayor John Aguilera.
As with any road changes, there are people on both sides with strong opinions.
One business owner affected by the change says she approves of the council decision to put in bike lanes because cars parked along Civic Center Drive block her view of oncoming traffic as she’s pulling out of her driveway.
But next door business neighbor Susanne Rooks with Depauw Johnson Business and Tax Service says the change will hurt her business.
“We have a lot of traffic especially at this time during tax season,” she said. “And parking is already limited, so you know, for us to not be able to park on the street because that's what we do in order to give our clients space in the parking lot, it would kill our business. It would kill things for us."
As someone who enjoys riding her bicycle, Rooks questions whether a bike lane would truly make the road safer for cyclists.
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"This street, it's just a really, really busy street and I just don't think it's a place for, for a bike lane,” she said.
The road is scheduled to be slurry sealed soon, so the council hopes to give crews the opportunity to paint the bike lanes then, instead of having to redo it in the near future.
While the project as a whole already has the council’s stamp of approval, the members must vote on each street when they remove parking spaces.
They recently heard the case for removing spots on Melrose Drive, but residents argued it would affect them too much, and the council agreed. On that portion of road, the cyclists will ride onto the sidewalk.
