Roadway safety a concern for Little Rock runners, cyclists

Written By Apo July 25, 2025 Add Comment

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - For some people, like Ashley Gramza, it's not easy to be an active runner or cyclist in Little Rock.

"It’s extremely dangerous, cars are often driving at very high speeds, and there's really no separation between a very narrow sidewalk and the road," Gramza said, adding that riding or walking to Hillcrest or downtown has been a safety hazard.

"So, it just takes a distracted driver to bump up and really hurt or kill somebody at a high speed," Gramza said.

Tragedy struck in March, claiming the life of 70-year-old Marcus Billingsley, who was biking in the intersection of Kavanaugh Boulevard and Lee Street.

Since then, city officials have announced that they are actively working on creating more biking lanes through eight new projects, but people say progress isn't happening fast enough.

"It's really upsetting, I mean we should be able to walk and bike freely in our neighborhood and connect to other neighborhoods as well," Gramza said.

She said there are few to no connecting points for bikes heading from downtown and Hillcrest.

Joe Jacobs said having a car is sometimes the only option.

"There's a couple of different ways you can get downtown, and one's going through Alsop Park just up here, and that drops you down to the river trail, but then there’s a section of the river trail that's not completed yet," Jacobs said.

He said he believes there should be points in the city that all connect for bikers and runners to move around safely, adding that driver awareness would also help.

"Education, infrastructure, this is all very important to making the city safe for people to just move around without a car," Jacobs said.

from KARK https://ift.tt/7J4tzAr