MEDFORD, Ore -- The City of Medford looking to put its roads on a diet. Some areas of the city may be seeing fewer driving lanes, the first one to trim the fat, East Main.
The City let residents and business owners along East Main know about their plans for a so called road diet. Public Works sent out a letter explaining their plans to re-stripe the street, taking the four lanes and cutting it down into two lanes, with a center turn lane and bike lanes on both sides. The change will affect the section from Almond Street to Willamette Street.
Shop owners are divided over the issue some say it will create problems, others say it won't, while some business say they don't think it will make any difference.
Nu Way Cleaners owner, Roberta Mitchell says by the sound of the letter it doesn't matter what local business think change is on the way."I don't really think it's necessary," Mitchell said.
Other proprietors say the changes could be bad for business. Adam Spiegel says his shop, 42 degrees, already faces parking problems. He says if road diet construction starts trimming this summer it will make it tough for customers to get in and out. "I see it as being in a fairly busy road, that we're going to be dealing with a lot of congestion, " Spiegel said. He says right now you can't ride your bike easily on the road.
Mitchell says bike lanes will be good for bicyclists but won't likely increase traffic to her business, "you don't haul your cleaning in on bikes," she said.
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