NORFOLK, Va. — The public will help decide the fate of a project that looks to add bike lanes to a heavily traveled stretch of roadway in Norfolk.
The plan would be to repurpose a single vehicle lane in each direction of Granby Street and add buffered bike lanes between Willow Wood Drive and Admiral Taussig Boulevard.
It’s a significant change, and that’s why the public input process has been intensive. The city has already held two virtual workshops to gather insight, but it’s an online tool people can access that will help shape the scope of the entire project.
The Project Comment Map gives a voice to people who live near, and drive on, the stretch every day.
If there’s something you like about the project, you can click and drag a "works well" icon to the specific spot on Granby Street and add a comment. If there’s a concern you have, you do the same thing using a "design challenge" icon.
For example, one anonymous user commented, “Temple Israel only has street parking for services. If you take away the right lane, there won’t be any parking for religious services.”
This kind of input allows city leaders to see how certain changes affect people on a micro-level.
The input will also help decide the final recommendation to City Council. Council members will vote on the project this December.
If the city decides to move forward with the plan, construction wouldn’t start until 2022.
The Department of Transit is holding an in-person Open House for the project on September 22.
It’ll be at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, right near Granby High School from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.