LAFAYETTE, La (KLFY) – Several Lafayette residents are uniting together to keep the bike lanes that are currently on W. Bayou Parkway. This comes after growing opposition to have the lanes removed.

The bike lanes on form part of the Mickey Shunick bike loop, apart of the loop that area bicyclist are pretty passionate about.

“I ride the bike lanes everyday,” said Lafayette resident, Michael McCarron. “I ride it to school from this neighborhood to ULL.”

“I run in that area daily,” said Lafayette resident, Mark DeClouet.

That’s the reaction of many who use the bike lanes along W. Bayou Parkway say they don’t want to see them go.

“This coming after seeing the response at the LCG meeting in regards to Moss St.,” said DeClouet.

At that meeting DeClouet learned a petition was submitted to Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux. A petition pushing to remove bike lanes along W. Bayou Parkway. That’s when DeClouet and others decided to launch the ‘Forward Lafayette’ campaign challenging the petition.

“In the past 24 hr. we’ve rallied just north of 1400 signatures,” said DeClouet.

Some area residents say the bike lanes force drivers to obey the speed limit.

“People are no longer doing 55 miles an hour even though the speed limit is 35, and it makes it safer for everybody who wants to enjoy it,” said McCarron, but Mayor-President Robideaux says many residents feel like the bike lanes make the area more dangerous than before.

“It was highly traffic before and it’s still highly traffic,” said Mayor-President Robideaux, but DeClouet says the additional lanes open up more options for residents to get around.

“It gives people alternate modes of transportation to get from one part of the city to another,” said DeClouet.

Mayor-President Robideaux says he and his administration will weigh the pros and cons of the bike lanes and maybe even look at rerouting them as an option.

“Look at some of the safety statistics, look at utilization, look at traffic counts, and then make a decision going forward,” said Mayor-President Robideaux.

If you’re interested in signing the petition to save the bike lanes on W. Bayou Parkway then click here.

Declouet says on July 7 they will hold a memorial ride around the Mickey Shunick bike loop.