Lawton City Council delays cutting traffic lanes from Ferris Avenue

The City Council isn’t ready to decide if it wants to eliminate motor vehicle travel lanes on Northwest Ferris Avenue to make room for bicycle riders.

But some council members want to have a decision ready by Dec. 12, at the same meeting they will close existing public easements belonging to Lawton Public Schools.

The two issues are related. The easements being closed are on the east side of Fort Sill Boulevard, on Lawton Public Schools property that contains Central Middle School, Shoemaker Education Center, Lawton High School and school athletic fields. The Lawton Board of Education granted property that became public easement to allow bicycle riders to pass through the  area into Elmer Thomas Park. Those riders are on what is the Elmer Thomas Park Collector, a designated bike path stretching from Greer Park/Kid’s Zone on the west to Elmer Thomas Park.

The problem: Lawton Public Schools (LPS) is fencing in school sites as part of a safety initiative, and it needs to close the easements so it can fence in Central Middle and Lawton High schools. That leaves the City of Lawton looking for a way to get bike riders from Fort Sill Boulevard to the park.

The contractor handling LPS’s fencing project has proposed taking the bike path north along Fort Sill Boulevard and turning east on Cache Road to enter the park near the old armory. The option means adding 270 feet of new sidewalk and widening 190 feet of existing sidewalk, for an estimated cost of $34,492.50.

City staff’s recommendation would place the bike trail along Northwest Ferris between Northwest 6th Street and North Sheridan Road. Part of that plan means converting the segment of Northwest Ferris between Fort Sill Boulevard and Sheridan Road into three lanes — one eastbound, one westbound and a center turn lane — then designating the remaining space as an on-street bike lane.

City planners said it is a concept that fits easily into a mill and overlay repair project already on the books for Northwest Ferris between Fort Sill Boulevard and Northwest 17th Street. The road could be re-marked for three lanes during that mill and overlay work, said planner Kameron Good as he explained the concept to council members Tuesday. Good also said a previous analysis shows three lanes could carry 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles a day, when that segment of Northwest Ferris averages about 11,400 vehicles a day.

Council members had mixed reactions.

“I’m going to be a hard pass,” said Ward 8 Councilman Randy Warren about what he called a plan to paint bike lanes on a city street, adding while such designated bike lanes might work in Norman, they won’t work in Lawton.

Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris said he liked the plan, adding designated bike lanes on city streets has been discussed by entities such as the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce and is drawing good reception. City staff also said the chamber has discussed plans for “road diets” for several streets in the community, to include Northwest Ferris.

“I’m all in favor of this,” he said.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Linda Chapman said she is concerned bicycle riders and vehicles would have to maneuver around city trash trucks when they collect residential trash on Northwest Ferris, which could be dangerous. Mayor Stan Booker said that would be true anywhere in Lawton with similar street configurations.

City Engineer Joe Painter said city staff also has some concerns and wants a chance to look at the idea before the council makes a decision. Ward 5 Councilman Allan Hampton agreed further analysis was needed, saying while he likes the idea, some of his constituents have concerns.

Booker, agreeing the concept needs further discussion, asked Ward 4 Councilman George Gill to bring the proposal to the council’s Streets and Bridges Committee for discussion. In the meantime, Booker said the council had to set a public hearing to address the immediate concern: Lawton Public Schools cannot proceed with its fencing program until the public easements are closed. That’s the point of the Dec. 12 public hearing: council members will decide that issue after residents are given a chance for input.

“The school needs to get this going,” Booker said, adding the Streets and Bridges Committee can look at the separate issue of where the new access point will be, then bring its recommendation to the full council.

Gill said he plans to hold that discussion as soon as possible, adding while he can’t promise a decision will be ready by Dec. 12, that is his intent.