Please put the multimodal path of the Bunts Rd project on hold. There are too many problems with it that have not been addressed. Pedestrian safety, residents' vehicles safely transiting from the driveway to the street and back, planning for path maintenance, and more.
Safety for pedestrians is greatly sacrificed by the addition of bicycles and especially e-bike and e-scooters, which are a problem already. These e-vehicles are aggressively being marketed to children. Children and others riding have no training in safety and no understanding of the need to warn someone when passing from behind. Residents are worried, and rightly so of hitting fast moving cycles and especially e-bikes that appear quickly when one thinks the path is vacant. As far as maintenance goes, one only has to walk the path at Lakewood Park to see how quickly the path surface has been degraded with cracks, crumbling pavement and opening seams. The new part of the path that was redone when the new parking area was added, wasn't done properly to begin. The seams came up immediately, cracks appeared and nothing was able to get corrected. It's been more than a year now. The contractor has not fixed their shoddy work. Why should the Bunts path be better. Who will repair it when needed? What is the budget for maintenance?
Safety and maintenance are just two of the problems. Residents do not want their beautiful trees chopped down to make way for this path. Our property values will decrease 15% according to local realtors. That is our reality which is contrary to studies where a path is 50 meters from a home backing up to a park or river. Not at all the same as here, having a 10 foot wide asphalt path 40 feet from our front doors.
It is time to take the residents' concerns seriously. Let's have a conversation, let's see if we can make a better plan that accommodates all interests without harm to one group.
I am against the plan to build a multi-modal path on Bunts, along with more than 1,300 others who have signed our petition.
The path will be a safety hazard.
The path will alter an entire neighborhood just to please a handful of people in one special interest group.
The path will cost too much to maintain.
Further, multi-modal paths are not even in the top 25 things that people look for when choosing where to live. What they DO look for are good schools, affordable housing, public transportation, and jobs, to name a few.
In fact, four real estate agents have told the residents of Bunts that our property values will diminish by at least 15% once this path is built!
Lakewood elected officials keep saying that the plan can’t be changed. However, others on the state and local levels tell us it’s not too late.
If a plan can’t be changed, then how did similar plans on Edgewater get changed immediately when those residents complained one time?
I urge you to remove the path from the Bunts Road project and put the money toward the greater good.
Perhaps a beautification plan across the entire city would be a better use of taxpayer funds, as such projects are proven to boost economic development.
What is currently happening in Lakewood is a not a good look.
Those who elected you expect more and we demand better.
Oppose- Bunts Road Multi Modal
-Taxpayer and Safety Concerns
I strongly urge the City to pause the Bunts Road Multi-Modal project. The proposed design appears to lack adequate safety data, environmental review, and public consultation. The removal of mature trees and paving over decaying root systems presents real risks to pedestrian safety, property integrity, and long-term maintenance- all of which would be funded with taxpayer dollars.
There is no clear cost/benefit analysis, no record of proper resident engagement, and no explanation of how this project meets ODOT or federal safety standards. Why eliminate a dedicated sidewalk and force pedestrians, children, and e-bike riders onto a single path? Why hasn't a full safety audit been completed or shared regarding Bunts Road?
Nationally, cities are re-evaluating similar multimodal designs due to increased collisions, maintenance costs, and accessibility concerns.
This project mirrors those same flaws.
Lakewood must not move forward without transparent data, engineering review, and full public input. Poor design has long-term consequences. Please rethink this project in the interest of safety, accountability, and responsible governance.
Please put the multimodal path of the Bunts Rd project on hold. There are too many problems with it that have not been addressed. Pedestrian safety, residents' vehicles safely transiting from the driveway to the street and back, planning for path maintenance, and more.
Safety for pedestrians is greatly sacrificed by the addition of bicycles and especially e-bike and e-scooters, which are a problem already. These e-vehicles are aggressively being marketed to children. Children and others riding have no training in safety and no understanding of the need to warn someone when passing from behind. Residents are worried, and rightly so of hitting fast moving cycles and especially e-bikes that appear quickly when one thinks the path is vacant. As far as maintenance goes, one only has to walk the path at Lakewood Park to see how quickly the path surface has been degraded with cracks, crumbling pavement and opening seams. The new part of the path that was redone when the new parking area was added, wasn't done properly to begin. The seams came up immediately, cracks appeared and nothing was able to get corrected. It's been more than a year now. The contractor has not fixed their shoddy work. Why should the Bunts path be better. Who will repair it when needed? What is the budget for maintenance?
Safety and maintenance are just two of the problems. Residents do not want their beautiful trees chopped down to make way for this path. Our property values will decrease 15% according to local realtors. That is our reality which is contrary to studies where a path is 50 meters from a home backing up to a park or river. Not at all the same as here, having a 10 foot wide asphalt path 40 feet from our front doors.
It is time to take the residents' concerns seriously. Let's have a conversation, let's see if we can make a better plan that accommodates all interests without harm to one group.
I am against the plan to build a multi-modal path on Bunts, along with more than 1,300 others who have signed our petition.
The path will be a safety hazard.
The path will alter an entire neighborhood just to please a handful of people in one special interest group.
The path will cost too much to maintain.
Further, multi-modal paths are not even in the top 25 things that people look for when choosing where to live. What they DO look for are good schools, affordable housing, public transportation, and jobs, to name a few.
In fact, four real estate agents have told the residents of Bunts that our property values will diminish by at least 15% once this path is built!
Lakewood elected officials keep saying that the plan can’t be changed. However, others on the state and local levels tell us it’s not too late.
If a plan can’t be changed, then how did similar plans on Edgewater get changed immediately when those residents complained one time?
I urge you to remove the path from the Bunts Road project and put the money toward the greater good.
Perhaps a beautification plan across the entire city would be a better use of taxpayer funds, as such projects are proven to boost economic development.
What is currently happening in Lakewood is a not a good look.
Those who elected you expect more and we demand better.
Oppose- Bunts Road Multi Modal
-Taxpayer and Safety Concerns
I strongly urge the City to pause the Bunts Road Multi-Modal project. The proposed design appears to lack adequate safety data, environmental review, and public consultation. The removal of mature trees and paving over decaying root systems presents real risks to pedestrian safety, property integrity, and long-term maintenance- all of which would be funded with taxpayer dollars.
There is no clear cost/benefit analysis, no record of proper resident engagement, and no explanation of how this project meets ODOT or federal safety standards. Why eliminate a dedicated sidewalk and force pedestrians, children, and e-bike riders onto a single path? Why hasn't a full safety audit been completed or shared regarding Bunts Road?
Nationally, cities are re-evaluating similar multimodal designs due to increased collisions, maintenance costs, and accessibility concerns.
This project mirrors those same flaws.
Lakewood must not move forward without transparent data, engineering review, and full public input. Poor design has long-term consequences. Please rethink this project in the interest of safety, accountability, and responsible governance.