MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Recently, a section of North Parkway gained bike lanes and parking space.
Some people in midtown question the impact of the changes, before the replacement or extension of sidewalks.
The city recently added on-street parking space and bike lanes on North Parkway from the Vollintine Evergreen Greenline at Watkins to near University Street.
The changes, the city said, are part of a bike routes project that started in 2012.
The mayor was mentioned in a tweet Tuesday that said, “Shoutout to @MayorMemphis for putting some zoo parking 1 mile from the entrance, on a busy road, with no sidewalk access. That’ll fix it!”
WREG asked the city, the Overton Park Conservancy, and residents about sidewalks in the area.
“It’s always good that they’ve got the bike lanes and places to park, but you know, of course, having sidewalks is pretty necessary,” said Memphis resident Richard Dalton.
“We know that the sidewalks on North Parkway need to be repaired and extended to make that parking on the street much more convenient for park visitors. That’s been in the planning stages for quite some time,” said Overton Park Conservancy Executive Director Tina Sullivan.
Sullivan said the park requested federal and state funding for better sidewalks along North Parkway.
Changes on North Parkway have been in the works for awhile, but Mayor Jim Strickland announced the parking change recently, after mediation between the city, zoo, and conservancy agreed it could help with issues of overflow parking on the Greensward.
Sullivan said the city will be handling the project, and the conservancy is providing some of the matching funds.
“The source of these funds requires a lengthy approval and contracting process, because we’re receiving federal and state funding through that grant program,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said it could be 2017 or a little later before we see any sidewalk changes.
WREG submitted a request about the project to the city, but we have not heard back yet.
