LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A proposed redesign of the Barret Avenue corridor could remove one side of street parking along the busy retail stretch, drawing concern from local business owners.
As part of planned repaving and restriping later this year, the city has introduced options that include a one-way bike lane from Rufer Avenue to East Breckinridge Street and a two-lane bike lane from East Breckinridge Street to East Broadway.
The proposal would eliminate street parking on one side of the road, affecting businesses like Liquor Glamour Nail Bar.
“It’s a leisure over a livelihood thing,” owner Kendra Letcher said. “We have businesses down here. We’re small businesses, and we need our parking.”
Letcher said the change would impact many of her customers, including those with mobility challenges.
“My wheelchair-bound clients do load and unload right here in front of my door,” she said. “I have elderly clients that I don’t feel like should have to walk a block to get to my business when I have parking right here.”
Other business owners along the corridor say parking is already limited, with few public lots available. They worry customers may choose not to stop if parking becomes even harder to find.
“Parking is already a challenge over here. I’ve heard feedback from customers that say they circle the block and can’t find parking and then just don’t stop at all,” said Mel Fischer, owner of Froggy’s Popcorn. “So we would lose revenue from losing the parking across the street.”
Fischer said the bike lane proposal came as a surprise, noting that earlier discussions in 2023 did not include this specific plan. While she supports bike lanes in general, she questioned whether Barret Avenue is the right location.
Some cyclists, however, support the proposal. Jess Dietrich said she stopped riding on Barret Avenue after being hit by a car while stopped at a red light.
“I use the bike lane on Ellison regularly to get to my favorite spots on Barret,” Dietrich said. “If we had a two-lane, protected bikeway on Barret, it would connect key areas like Germantown and Frankfort Avenue and create safer access for people who don’t own cars.”
Louisville Metro spokesperson Kristen Shanahan said the redesign is still in the feedback stage.
“The Barret Avenue redesign concepts are part of an ongoing process. We are still gathering community input that will directly inform how the project moves forward,” Shanahan said.
The city’s survey on the proposal remains open through the end of the business day on April 7.
Leave a Comment