Batavia City Council Approves Houston Street Changes

In an effort to make Batavia friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists, the City Council on Monday unanimously approved changes for a downtown intersection.

The change will remove the westbound right turn lane onto northbound Route 31 to allow enough space to install a sidewalk and five-foot-wide bike lane along the north side of Houston Street.

“I think it’s a good thing to do,” Alderman Mike O’Brien said at the meeting. “We're asking people to bike in Batavia and this is one way to do it.”

Originally, the proposal did not include the bike lane. But the Police Department was concerned that completely removing the lane would not allow enough room for squad cars to safely maneuver through the intersection without veering into the oncoming eastbound lane. The bike lane will provide an additional five feet for police cars to safely get through.

“There is sufficient room, but that’s assuming everybody does exactly what they’re supposed to do and gets as far to the right as possible,” Police Chief Gary Schira said.

Another concern was the intersection’s downtown congestion, especially during peak traffic hours.

“It’s going to get clogged up on Houston going westbound,” Schira said. “We already see it in the morning … We certainly see it in the afternoon.”

Schira added the possibility of making the intersection right-turn only to combat
congestion.

Public Works installed temporary barricades May 1 and staff observed traffic patterns on Houston Street throughout the day. City staff did not see more than five cars waiting at the intersection, even during peak traffic times, City Engineer Noel Basquin said.

The new sidewalk and bike lane will create a safer way for bicyclists and pedestrians to get to the river trail and downtown, said John Gamble of the Batavia Bicycle Commission.

“Wilson is not a straight crossing. Houston is really the gateway for people to come downtown,” Gamble said. “We need that artery for pedestrians, not just bikes. We need a safe crossing at 31, but more importantly, we need a way up Houston.”

Month-long celebration of bicycling

Mayor Jeff Schieke declared May as Batavia’s Bike Month, presenting Gamble with the proclamation.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had a bike month in Batavia,” Gamble said. “This is just one of the steps we’re taking to put Batavia on the map. … We truly appreciate your support.”

To commemorate Bike Month, the Bike Commission has organized a bike-to-school day Wednesday, May 9, encouraging elementary school students to ride their bicycles to school.

“It’s absolutely critical that we introduce kids at a young age to bicycling,” Gamble said.

Friday night will kick off Bike-to-Work week, which will last through May 18. There will be a celebration orientation to teach people what they need to bike to work, and the commission will also offer bicycle tune-ups.

Late-night train whistles bring complaints

The City staff has received “irate complaints” about reoccurring issues of loud train whistles in the middle of the night, Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke said.

“There are people very upset,” he said. “We are trying to do something. … We are not trying to keep a deaf ear to it, no pun intended.”

Some towns have been successful in banning train whistles, Schielke said, but only after installing gates at each crossing. To install gates at all Batavia crossings would cost more than $2 million, he said.

“We’ve been here before, and there has not been an easy solution,” Schielke said. “We are trying to do something. We are looking into it again.”