News on an issue concerning the River Trail for bikes and pedestrians that was put in play recently by the Blog: It seems headed to a happy resolution.

A member of Little Rock’s vibrant bicycling community reports the happy news from Episcopal Collegiate School. We’d told you earlier that a school proposal for a new elementary school — in a plat filed for city approval — worsened an already poor situation for the River Trail, which runs on a too-narrow path in front of the school along busy Cantrell on its way between downtown and the Big Dam Bridge. I had written that I hoped the city would use the leverage of the planning process to encourage the school to help provide a good route for the bike path. Mayor Mark Stodola’s early response was, essentially, can’t be done.

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Sounds like stronger leadership came from Episcopal Collegiate. My correspondent says:

We have a win-win.
 
They [ECS] have agreed to assign a strong negotiating team and considerable resources to joining us in finding a suitable alternate route that is not on Cantrell (our goal) and not in front of their school (same goal expressed from a different angle).
 
Their new plat will show a “Class I Bikeway” along their frontage on Cantrell and North Street.  Thus, if the above effort eventually fails, the City will have the indisputable right to improve the trail to Class I standards along the present route.
 
ECS and Warren Stephens [the CEO of Stephens Inc. who is a major backer of the school] deserve to be complimented for coming forward and joining in this cooperative effort.

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Photo of the current path, on sidewalk in front of ECS, is from bicycle advocate’s post on the issue here.

 

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