I purchased my home on Adams and Lincoln (corner lot) in 2018. The primary reason for this home and location was the seclusion it offered for my family (wife, two kids under the age of 4 years old, and dog) given the wooded lot, the privacy fence in the backyard, and the well established hedges that lined the south side of my property blocking noise and unsightly views of the heavy trafficked road on Adams St. I am looking forward to the proposed changes but am concerned about my privacy fence, hedges, and trees being interfered with, along with some on-street parking availability being within a reasonable distance to my residence. Thanks for hearing my concerns.

I live on Lincoln St S and am opposed the bikeway/street project as proposed. My husband and I are bikers, as are many along this route, who are concerned about the safety, expense, and inconveniences of the plan and are asking the Council to take the time to revisit this with residents now that the full scope of it is public.

50+ residents of Heritage/ Lincoln St S are submitting a petition tonight asking for a pause in the proposed bikeway/street
project in our area. We were misled by the city's letter of 10/31/22 which states twice a 'on-street' bikeway. On 12/29/22
we met with Sean Simonson for clarifications of said proposal - which was our first understanding that the proposal was changed to a off-street bikeway with many flaws which will impact our homeowners. After granting a delay to this proposal, we ask that a ad hoc committee be established to include those affected by this entire project - As stated on other comments herein.
This committee charge would be to develop an amenable proposal with input from all WHICH is the missing important part of this project. We know of other areas in the City where the citizen input has created a much better final result for all affected.
This is a critical part of the final success of this 2023 project and all future.

Have been a resident for 25+ years, many of them living on Roosevelt Dr. Several years ago our driveway was reconstructed and grade significantly increased to allow sidewalk on east side of Roosevelt. Honestly, it's difficult to deal with the driveway, especially during the winter. Can't keep a door open on a vehicle parked in the driveway and any conditions that introduce even a thin coat of snow make it very challenging, sometimes impossible, to park on. Boulevard between the road and sidewalk is only 4 feet wide, which allows plow wash to spill onto the sidewalk. There is no doubt the sidewalk allows safer pedestrian travel on Roosevelt Dr. A bikeway with raised concrete barrier would add another layer of difficulty. Even though it is advertised as a safe way for cyclists to travel on Roosevelt Dr., there are existing off-street paths that already provide this, more safely and without disruption to existing residents. $270,000+ can be spent more wisely or perhaps not at all.

Residents living on or near Roosevelt Drive have expressed many concerns regarding the proposed raised concrete buffer in order to create a protected bike lane. Number one concern is safety for patrons using Tyler Park, and these same safety concerns for the home owners and their families. Users of the mentioned bike path would also be at risk because they would be crossing open areas where traffic can turn into the bike lane 15 times around the Roosevelt horseshoe. Studies show the more intersections there are the more accidents there are between bicyclists and motorists. The bike lanes give bikers a false sense of security and motorists are not trained to look for bikers. There are several existing pathways that would be the safest option for an All Ages and Abilities route in this area. We need to take pause on this project and consider the best and safest options that would also be less disruptive to the people who actually live here.

My name is Jason, I have lived in Northfield for 13 years, our driveway is on the east end & it was brought up several times at the last reconstruction and addition of the sidewalk on Roosevelt DR E in 2011-12. Our driveway has very poor sight lines & the sidewalk from Buchanan CT to Jefferson had to be raised, 2 driveways reconstructed to add the sidewalk which makes it very hard for any bicyclists on this side of the road to find a retreat from motorists coming around those corners.
Several neighbors & I have written letters regarding the proposed 6-8 inched cement buffer for a bikeway, & we have expressed our concerns. We need to take a pause on this & listen to the residents that are being directly affected by these plans. You should also notify the residents in our neighborhoods who didn't receive a letter because it will disrupt their lives as well.
I am opposed to the plan moving forward because it could be potentially dangerous for bicyclists, motorists, and pedestrians.

Several of the Residents along Lincoln St S and Heritage Drive would like to present a letter with our concerns about the project. See concluding statement. Supporting information about concerns will be presented verbally at the meeting and hard copy to the administration office Tues AM.

In conclusion, we would ask the City Council to delay action on this proposal until these and other issues have been addressed. We understand that the city has a goal of providing safe bike pathways in order to encourage more people to use this mode of transportation, but consideration must also be given to how this affects existing residents.

Sincerely,

I live at 2008 Lincoln Street S in the Valley Pond Townhome Association. I happen to live on the west side of Lincoln at the Adams/ Lincoln intersection. My front yard is the snow depository for clearing of this intersection. I fear that a bikeway and sidewalk through my front yard will result in the City hauling snow from this area for an on-going expense. Virtually all homeowners in this area only became aware of the off-street bikeway plan on Dec. 29, a mere 5 days before the final vote is planned. I am cuurently opposed to the plan as it stands. I support the need for improved bikeways in the area. However, I do not believe adequate evaluaton of alternative approaches that could be effective, less costly and less intrusive on affected homeowners was given. We are asking for a brief pause before the final approval of this off-street bikeway so further citizen input is gathered, consequences addressed, and alternatives considered.

Our family is thrilled with the proposed plans for the bikeways! My daughter and I love riding our bikes around the neighborhood both for fun/exercise and for transport, such as to her activities at the middle school and high school. The proposed plans would make biking in the area much safer and easier -- the Heritage/Lincoln/Adams area can have vehicles going entirely too fast around the curves. And while it's a "good" problem to have, I've found that Hidden Valley Park can be a bit difficult to navigate on a bike when there are a lot of pedestrians, and then there's the tricky junction of Lincoln and Adams as soon as you exit the park. The proposed bikeways would make navigating the area much easier. I appreciate that the plans call for both connections to the schools via Adams Street and Roosevelt as well as to Truman Park via Lincoln. The bikeways would be a wonderful benefit for our family and we are very much in support of them.

Residents of Roosevelt Drive have expressed legitimate concerns with the Roosevelt bike lane and have proposed viable alternatives.
Please give this project further consideration.
Council and staff have received emails from us with items that need to be addressed.
Driveway access
Mail
Garbage
Cost for Roosevelt Drive bike path
Notification process since project inception
Studies on existing bike lanes installed in Northfield
Safety concerns brought up by residents and some city council members
Please take pause to explore our suggestions. We welcome the opportunity to walk this project and the existing pathways with you so that their benefit and ability to safely move bike users to schools, Tyler Park and the Mill Town trail can truly be appreciated.
Using maps and drawings for this decision does not do justice for the residents who will live with whatever is built.
We want to be involved and part of the process for any decisions going forward.
Dave Wager
1913 McKinley Drive