Lake City residents are gathering petition signatures opposing a recent city recommendation to girdle NE 125th Street, reducing the four-lane thoroughfare to two lanes of traffic separated by a two-way left turn lane and flanked by bicycle lanes in each direction.

Their goal is to have at least 150 signatures opposing the street girdle diet before meeting with Mayor Mike McGinn in person, later this week or next, to voice their continued opposition to the plan. Other residents in the area have long welcomed the new bike lanes and slower car speeds the road diet will usher in.

But opponents to the plan still argue that bicycles won't use the road due to its steep grade and that the eight bus routes that utilize NE 125th street will bottleneck traffic. And they have a new concern: "When 520 becomes a toll bridge, there’s going to be a bunch more traffic using NE 125th to connect to I-5," explains Lake City Chamber of Commerce president Tracy Heims. "We’re going to have more traffic on this road and we'll need those [two extra] lanes to accommodate it."

Heims says that instead of new painted lanes, the city should be investing in curbs, sidewalks, and gutters for northern neighborhoods. "Every new mayor has promised those and we still don’t have them," he says. "Putting them in is a big step in the right direction for providing safety for walkers and bike commuters."

McGinn is currently reviewing SDOT's recommendation and will make a final decision in the coming weeks. If approved, the NE 125th road diet would go into effect between Roosevelt Way NE and 28th Ave NE.