Gillette Street bike lanes okayed by council

The bike lane plan for Gillette Street will go ahead. 

The La Crosse city council voted 9-3 last night in favor of Gillette Street improvements, which will eliminate parking on one side of the street to make room for bicycle lanes east of Rose Street. 

That plan was approved last month by the board of public works. Many citizens were upset that there had not been more hearings on the matter. 

Council member Scott Neumeister proposed a resolution to eliminate the bike lanes from the project but the council defeated that idea. 

Neumeister says the availability of federal funding for the improvements helped the council get behind the renovation.

Neumeister said he’s not against bike lanes, but he does have concerns about the safety of people who would ride bikes on Gillette. 

The change to eliminate parking on the north side of Gillette has upset some business owners in the neighborhood.