SALISBURY – A portion of Riverside Drive will become a “No Parking” zone as part of the city’s Bike Route Project.

An ordinance to designate Riverside Drive from West College Ave. to Mill Street as a “No Parking” zone came before the council last week on first reading.

According to the ordinance, the Bike Route on Riverside Drive, from West College Ave. to Mill Street, consists of dedicated bike lanes, measuring 6.5 feet wide, from West College Ave. to Wicomico St. and five feet wide from Wicomico St. to Mill St. on both sides of the road per Phase II of the City’s Bike Route Project.

According to Public Works Director Mike Moulds, Riverside Dr. from West College Ave. to Mill St. is not currently designated as a “No Parking” zone, with the exception of the “No Parking” zone located on Riverside Drive adjacent to the St. Francis de Sales Church.

Any vehicular parking on Riverside Drive, from West College Ave. to Mill St., could create a potentially unsafe condition for cyclists, Moulds furthered.

“A ‘No Parking’ zone on Riverside Drive, from West College Ave. to Mill St., should be in effect at all times of the day and on both sides of the road,” Moulds said.

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is providing grant funding for this project. MDOT concurs with the city’s recommendation to create the “No Parking” zone on Riverside Drive and will fund the necessary “No Parking” signs with the grant.

There will be approximately three signs installed in each direction along Riverside Drive at key locations where they would be most likely for motorists to park. The signs are specifically designed for bike lanes and read “No Parking Bike Lane.”

Matt Drew of bike-SBY stated the ordinance is a “no brainer.”

“Anytime a bike lane is designated on a city street it would also be automatically designated as a no parking zone but it turned out that wasn’t the case,” Drew said. “This is going to be an important part of the Phase II of the City’s Bike Route Project. There are already existing bike lanes there today that have been there for about 20 years, so the places where people are parking is already causing obstruction in the bike lane. I would greatly appreciate that you support this ordinance because I think it is going to be important in making Salisbury more bicycle friendly.”

The council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance on first reading.