By Lauren Ratcliffe
lratcliffe@scbiznews.com
Published May 23, 2012

A proposal to convert two-lane Mary Murray Boulevard into a one-lane road with bike lane and pedestrian shoulder was met with fierce opposition and stalwart support at the Charleston City Council meeting.

Council members debated for three hours before deciding to defer any decisions on the painting of the road until further study can be conducted to determine both traffic demands and public safety concerns.

The proposal would convert the interior lane of Mary Murray from a vehicular lane to a 6-foot bicycle lane and a 4-foot pedestrian shoulder.

Several council members expressed concern that the project would encourage pedestrians to walk with their backs to traffic.

After council members debated the proposed bike lane for a couple hours, Mayor Joe Riley interjected with a proposal to consider the bike lane at another time, but move forward with road improvements including resurfacing and the addition of stop signs and pedestrian crosswalks.

Council voted unanimously to approve the road resurfacing and delay the repainting of the street to include a bike lane until further studies can be completed.