Bike lane funding back on the table for Salisbury City Council

SALISBURY, Md. – Bike lane funding is on the table again for Salisbury City Council.

Monday night, council members plan to discuss Ordinance 2855, which would release $149,000 from the City’s Main Street Master Plan Project for bike lane construction and improvements.

The funding is a required match to a grant provided under the Transportation Alternative Program (TAP). Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration provides the grant funding. In total, Salisbury’s project costs just under $750,000, says City Council President, D’Shawn Doughty.

“We are taking a step back to see how we had to remedy some of the bike lanes in the past,” said Doughty. “But, we do realize that we have to use these funds for that Vision Zero program, and bike lanes, and making our city more walkable and bike-friendly.”

Doughty says if the City does not use the funds as intended under the TAP grant, it would have to pay the funds back.

The Council President also acknowledged past frustrations felt by Salisbury citizens over the emphasis and attention placed on building out a bike path system in the City. Council is keeping those worries in mind moving forward, says Doughty.

“When you bring in bike lanes that don’t really match with those roads and our highways, it can create a state of dissonance,” Doughty said. “So, that’s why we’re trying to make sure we don’t have to replicate these lanes in the near future.”