The Elliott family leads the procession.
An existing bike lane runs next to four lanes of traffic on West Avenue south of 34th Street in Ocean City. A restriping project would eliminate two lanes of traffic and create buffer zones between two wider bicycle lanes.
A plan to eliminate two lanes of traffic on West Avenue south of 34th Street in Ocean City and replace them with two buffered bicycle lanes will not be completed this fall.
Cape May County was expected to award a $160,333 contract in the spring to reconfigure the four-lane stretch of West Avenue between 35th and 55th streets, but County Engineer Dale Foster said in June that all bids were rejected due to an issue with the bid documents. The project was expected to be rebid in the fall after the peak summer traffic season, he said at the time.
But Foster said last week that the county has not yet sought new bids on the project. He said the county is still reviewing plans with the City of Ocean City and has no timetable yet for the project.
Jim Mallon, assistant to Mayor Jay Gillian, said the city is still reviewing new traffic study data from the county and plans for the potential project.
"Once we get through that, we'll follow up with Mr. Foster and work to develop a next course of action," Mallon said.
The tentative plan eliminates two lanes of traffic on the county-owned roadway to make room for a bicycle route.
The project will change the road from four lanes of traffic (two in each direction) to two lanes with a center lane for left turns. That will leave room for five-foot bike lanes on each side of the road separated by three-foot buffer zones (see diagram below).
The traffic pattern would be similar to what exists on West Avenue north of 34th Street.
The reconfiguration would be a milestone in a years-long effort to create a safe bicycle route running the length of Ocean City.
An existing bicycle corridor runs along Haven Avenue from Ninth Street to 34th Street. The city recently installed a new user-activiated traffic signal to help bicycles cross the busy Ninth Street gateway, and the city has plans for improvements on the north end of Ocean City.
Advocates say changing West Avenue to two lanes would also help improve a dangerous four-lane crossing for pedestrians on the busy thoroughfare.
But others have expressed concern that the change would slow summer traffic and possibly push through-traffic onto adjacent Asbury and Central avenues.
The stretch of roadway is maintained by Cape May County and not the City of Ocean City.
Proposed new configuration for West Avenue in Ocean City between 35th and 55th streets includes two buffered bicycle lanes.
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