City Council members want to save Providence's South Water Street bike lanes. What to know.

PROVIDENCE – City councilors are opposing removal of the South Water Street bike lanes, which have become a bone of contention between transportation advocates and Mayor Brett Smiley's administration.

On Thursday, a handful of councilors plan to introduce a resolution stating the body "stands firmly against the removal" of the lanes and won't back the use of city funds to dismantle them. The resolution also reminds Smiley that in keeping with city law he must consult with the Green and Complete Streets Advisory Council – which works to expand mobility in the city – before touching the lanes.

The political move marks the culmination of frustrations over Smiley's hints that he may temporarily remove city bike lanes to make way for heavy traffic created by the state's Washington Bridge shutdown, which will now last years as the westbound span of the bridge is replaced.

Smiley has repeatedly indicated he's considering the removals, angering transportation advocates who were heavily invested in the establishment of the South Water Street bike lanes. Those lanes, in particular, are located where traffic has built up as the bridge has been closed.

Smiley's spokesman, Josh Estrella, has provided no detail on what may happen to the lanes.

"We expect to make an announcement this week about the temporary and permanent infrastructure solutions the city will be implementing to reduce traffic congestion and improve the flow of vehicles throughout Providence neighborhoods," Estrella said Monday.

Sponsors of the resolution include council President Rachel Miller and council members John Goncalves, Sue Anderbois, Miguel Sanchez, Justin Roias, Shelley Peterson and Ana Vargas. But it will need eight votes to pass.

More: Are Providence's bike lanes on the chopping block in the wake of the Washington Bridge fiasco?

City Hall rally put tensions on display ahead of resolution

On Monday, days before the council's Thursday meeting, transportation advocates and city councilors rallied in front of City Hall to oppose potential bike lane removal. The protest, led by the Providence Streets Coalition, which advocates for non-automotive transportation options, drew crowds riding bikes and carrying signs demanding Smiley keep the lanes.

Goncalves, an ardent supporter of the bike lanes, said he wrote a letter to Smiley and hasn't received a reply.

"To date, the administration has not shared any data with me to support why removal of the bike lanes would be remotely the right decision. The data I have suggests the opposite. I urge them to disclose what specific data or metrics have been considered to justify the removal of these bike lanes," Goncalves said.

"Otherwise, it's disingenuous to claim that the recent issues with the Washington Bridge necessitate the bike lane removal," he continued.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: South Water Street bike lanes could be protected by ordinance