The Novato City Council has rejected a plan to add bike lanes to Grant Avenue.

The council voted 4-1 against the plan at its meeting on April 22. Council members asked for a new approach that featured greater parking retention and directed staff to return after the public has had time to weigh in on the project.

“I think what we’re all agreeing on is we’re willing to lose the center turn lane, we’re not willing to lose 27 parking spots,” Mayor Tim O’Connor said. “We want parking on both sides of the street.”

Councilmember Rachel Farac, who voted for the plan, said she felt the option presented by staff was sufficient and safe. She said she was disinclined to expend staff time redoing the process and said she was confident that due diligence was performed.

The proposed project involved reconfiguring Grant Avenue by restriping the road to include a bike lane in each direction, said Tim Burke, the city’s public works director.

Grant Avenue, which has no bike lanes, has wide travel lanes, a sidewalk, parking on both sides and a center turning lane, Burke said. In order to add class II bike lanes, the vehicle lanes would be made smaller and parking spaces would be removed on the south side of the street. A center turning lane would remain.

Burke said a traffic, parking and safety study was conducted to look at the benefits and drawbacks of adding the bike lanes. Two crashes have been reported on the street in the last four years. Both were primarily caused by improper turning, and neither involved a bike or pedestrian, according to the city.

Police and fire officials favor retaining the center turn lane for emergency use over preserving parking spaces, Burke said. Forty-two percent of the 44 respondents to a community survey showed a preference for adding new bike lanes in each direction, retaining the center lane and preserving parking along Marion Park, although 27 parking spaces would be lost.

About 17% of the respondents preferred to keep the existing design, while 15% favored an option in which the eastbound bike lane shared the traffic lane and kept all parking. Another 27% preferred eliminating the center lane but adding a buffer between the bike lanes and vehicle traffic and eliminating just 10 parking spaces.

“When I look at the different alternatives, removing street parking is a huge issue, especially since Novato has always not had enough,” Eklund said.

Stephanie Koehler, the executive director of the Downtown Novato Business Association, said the business community was unaware of the project, and a petition with about 50 signatures was circulating against the plan. She said losing parking in the area, in addition to an increase in housing projects, would kill area businesses.

“At the rate we’re going, we’re not going to have any businesses to ride, walk or bike to,” Koehler said. “I just am asking you guys to maybe go back to the drawing board and reconsider all of these options.”

Councilmember Kevin Jacobs said he has witnessed many close calls involving improper turn lane use, and felt it was more of a hazard. He said losing the center lane was preferred over losing parking.

O’Connor agreed that losing 27 parking spaces was not an option.

In order to keep the annual street rehabilitation project on schedule, the City Council unanimously approved awarding a $1.6 million construction contract to Rapid Grading Services, the lowest of four bidders.

Burke said six streets were selected as part of this year’s program based on conditions.

Selected were Clay Court from Alameda Del Prado to a private road; Grant Avenue from Seventh to Eighth Street; Indian Valley Road from Chamberlain Avenue to west of city limits; Redwood Boulevard in the Rowland Boulevard area; Rowland Boulevard from Redwood Boulevard to South Novato Boulevard; and Sherman Avenue from De Long Avenue to Grant Avenue.

The work will involve building accessible curb ramps, replacing damaged concrete curbs, gutters and sidewalks, repairing pavement, grinding up current pavement and adding a new asphalt overlay, new striping and markings and new traffic signs.