Some of the toughest decisions facing elected public officials arise when there is an issue where there is good reasoning on both sides.

That’s what was facing the Sausalito City Council and its decision to turn down a $504,000 grant to redesign Bridgeway to create new, safer bike lanes.

The redesign, however, would require removing the bayfront street’s 10-foot-wide median lane, which was originally created to be used by emergency vehicles.

The council’s unanimous decision led to the resignation of the members of the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, which advanced the bike lane grant.

That’s a lot of money to turn down. There’s also a good reason for making Bridgeway safer for bicycle riders.

However, strong community opposition to getting rid of the median and city public safety officials who expressed concerns that it could cause logistical problems for their response to emergencies prompted council members to turn down the grant.

“Our community has spoken resoundingly in favor of retaining the median,” said Councilmember Melissa Blaustein.

Critics of the council’s decision said they turned away from an opportunity to make Bridgeway safer for bicycle riders and pedestrians.

But it was clear to council members that most city residents wanted to keep the median.

The council even held a rare Saturday afternoon meeting to enable more people to attend and voice their opinions.

They did. It was a standing-room-only overflow turnout. And the council listened — to both sides. There’s no question that Bridgeway is one of the most-traveled bicycle routes in the county, mainly a combination of commuters and tourists whose ride across the Golden Gate Bridge includes stopping in Sausalito.

The bike committee members deserve to be disappointed, but the council has decided to consider other possible safety improvements — improved signage and crosswalks — without losing the median.

The city’s job of coming up with a plan to make that stretch safer for bike riders isn’t done.

Widening the bayfront street is not an option and Councilmember Steven Woodside reminded his colleagues that it has a safety record of being a hazardous stretch of road.

Sausalito’s decision was one where the council, after listening to both sides, decided there was more community support for retaining the median than the proposed bike lanes.

Council members are elected to be leaders, a responsibility that sometimes includes making decisions that are clearly not going to make everyone happy.

Council members are also elected to represent the community, including reflecting residents’ priorities.

The members for the Sausalito City Council did just that, basing their decision on the community feedback they sought and the earful they got in return.