No new four-way stops for bike route, city council decided
The Opelousas city council unanimously decided Tuesday against the proposed installation of four-way stop signs at four intersections along the city's new bike path.
" ...They approved a bike route and now they are not finishing up the bike route with safety precautions with the four-way stops implementation for our youth to safely go from north park to south park," said Yvonne Normand with the Opelousas Sunrise Rotary Club. Normand is chairwoman of a grant that paid for signage and striping of the bike route for the city.
The path runs nearly five miles and is supposed to bring bicyclists from North City Park to South City Park. Intersections along North and Liberty streets, Liberty and Cherry streets and Court and Leonard streets were all considered for the four-way stops.
Paul Gennuso, a resident and former police officer, called the bike path the worst thing he's ever seen in his career as a police officer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if we're going to do this, let's do it properly," Gennuso said. "Let's not reinvent the wheel. Let's not impede the flow of traffic."
"The roads are paid for by drivers' taxes and gasoline taxes, not bicyclists," Gennuso concluded.
Resident Paul Potter, said installing the extra stop signs was about the safety for children. He said that with the four-way stop, children would not have to try and judge for themselves how fast a car was approaching because they would know the car was going to stop at the stop sign.
Alderman Blair Briggs said he has neither seen nor heard about speeding complaints in areas proposed as a four-way stop, and he disagreed with the idea that the council was withdrawing support of the path.
"I'm all for the bike path," said Briggs. "I think it's a great thing for the city, but there's enough stop signs in that area."