A literal Speedway

From Speedway, Indiana, comes a classic “battle of young versus old.”

Speedway’s Cunningham Street is getting a facelift that will include a new bike lane. For more than six weeks the fiery town council discussion seemed to be a battle of young versus old.

During Monday’s town council meeting, older residents argued against bike lanes and parking restrictions. They feared the bike lanes would slow traffic and pose a safety hazard.

Jane Wilson, who has lived on Cunningham Street for more than 50 years, said that the parking restrictions would affect everything from parking to UPS drop offs.

“Most of the people I speak to don’t want a change, they just want the four lanes left the way they are and parking available on Cunningham and 16th Street,” Wilson said.

Supporters of the plan countered that the bike lanes would attract more young people to Speedway and make the road safer by reducing speeds.

In the end, the town council voted 3-2 in favor for the ordinance to change the four-lane street into a three-lane street. One lane would be reserved expressly for bikes.

Emphasis mine.  You can blame it on scofflaw cyclists all you want, but I’ll never be convinced that the opposition to bike lanes is about anything else other than lost parking, not being able to speed, and a general fear of change.  The rest is noise.