This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

MEMPHIS, Tenn  — Wednesday, Mayor A C Wharton announced Riverside Drive will change back to four lanes in June, pending further study.

The mayor said the changes did not help divert traffic to other routes and the number of crashes went up.

Wharton also said he will look at traffic patterns again once the road is completely repaved in 2016.

There is expected to be an increase in traffic in the area due to new development and construction of a new interchange at I-55 and Riverside Drive.

The city paid planner Jeff Speck to make recommendations, but instead did an improvised version. Speck recommended two lanes of traffic, but divided by a median.

Even that option is not acceptable to many.

Pat Halloran hears complaints every night there’s a performance at the Orpheum Theater.

They’re not about the show, but people arriving late thanks to cars shifted to one side of Riverside Drive to create bike lanes on the other.

“We need to make Memphis accessible and downtown accessible if we’re trying to boost the economy downtown. We have to do it with good ingress/egress and not make it complicated,” said Halloran.

Dozens of people were in Tom Lee Park Wednesday afternoon.

In 20 minutes, we didn’t see a single person using the lanes designated for biking and running.

In the past, we watched for more than an hour and had the same results.

Still, Mayor A C Wharton is holding firm on the idea of the lanes.

“There will be bike lanes, we want to make sure we have the best configuration the best alignment possible,” Wharton said.

The announcement drove Nick Oyler and his wife out to take a walk on the bike lanes while they still can.

They wanted the lanes to stay open but will adapt if they don’t.

“There are great things happening in our city, this isn’t the only one,” said Oyler.

A city poll showed support for the lanes, but at a public opinion meeting an overwhelming majority said those bike lanes should go in the park.

Council member Myron Lowery said the mayor may call the move “temporary” right now, but that will change.

“I think after Bass Pro opens, there will be no dispute. Riverside Drive, the gateway to our city needs to be four lanes of traffic.”

Suggest a Correction