Bike lane brew-ha-ha in Lewes

The City of Lewes is taking measures it hopes will improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians at a crowded, and often confusing, choke point in front of Lewes Brewing Company at 1145 Savannah Road.

The brew-ha-ha came to a head at two recent mayor and city council meetings.

A designated bike lane in front of the brewery is at the center of the discussion. Brewery customers are parking in the bike lane, which, for now, is legal.

But, the corridor from Atlantic Avenue to Drake Knoll, heading east, and Shields Avenue to Donovans Road, heading west, has become a larger concern.

That area of the city is seeing a lot of growth. The brewery opened in September, the first residents of the Dutchman’s Harvest community are due to move in next spring, and the proposed Overfall Preserve development is in the planning stages. There is also a crosswalk for the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail that adds to the traffic confusion.

“We need to make sure we’re keeping that corridor safe as possible,” said Councilperson Amy Marasco.

The panel voted unanimously Dec. 9, to have Police Chief Tom Spell determine where temporary no-parking signs could be installed on the busy corridor and where parking could be safely allowed.

Police have already placed cones restricting parking in the narrowest part of the bike lane near the trail crossing.

The measure is a stopgap solution until a permanent one is worked out between the city and the Delaware Department of Transportation.

Mayor and city council also instructed its bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee to take a deep dive into the issue at its Tuesday, Dec. 17 meeting and make a recommendation. Council could take action at its Monday, Jan. 13 regular meeting. Council also suggested that DelDOT officials should tour the area and do a traffic study. Savannah Road is a state-maintained road.

Spell said there have not been any accidents in that vicinity since the brewery opened.

The city must ask for DelDOT approval before making any changes, according to Lewes City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe.

DelDOT has told the city it prefers the area in front of the brewery be kept as a bike lane, but it stopped short of dictating that parking be banned.

The bike lane in front of the brewery was added only after DelDOT approved the brewery entrance onto Savannah Road.

The lane starts by the crosswalk, widens to 13 feet, then ends at Drake Knoll. Bike sharrows – where bicyclists share the road with vehicles – are painted on Savannah Road from there all the way to the beach.

Dave and Christine Jones own the Lewes Brewing Company. They have 12 parking places in their lot, three more than required by city code.

City planners expressed concern during the early stages of the approval process that it would not be enough parking, according to a Cape Gazette article from 2021. 

That article quotes Christine Jones as saying patrons could use the bike trail and DART to reach the brewery. Now, the Joneses are counting on street parking to handle some of the overflow.

They are proposing splitting the bike lane into two sections – a 4-foot lane for bikes, the rest for parked cars.

“You cannot give this whole lane to the bicyclists,” Dave Jones said at the Dec. 5 council workshop. “We’re not running the Tour de France down a block, then kicking everybody into the middle of the road.”

The Joneses said they tried to make a deal with Dick Bryan, who owns the property next door, to use six parking places in his lot for brewery employees. But, that arrangement fell through.

The Joneses told council removing those Savannah Road spaces would be unfair.

“If people are parking on both sides the whole way down Savannah, then how are we different?” asked Christine Jones. “If it’s safe for bikes to go the whole way down Savannah, with parking on both sides, then why isn’t it safe in front of our facility?”

“I disagree that [the Joneses] are being selectively picked out and being targeted,” said Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba. “But I also agree that there a lot of inconsistencies. We want to ensure safety, but also support our local businesses.”

Michael Hazzard, who owns the Lewes Liberty complex at 1141 Savannah Road, sent a letter to council expressing his concern over safety and parking on the road. 

“I have never allowed my employees or customers to park on Savannah, as I was told by city leaders this is not permissible,” the letter stated.

Hazzard said that if curbside parking is allowed on that stretch of Savannah Road, it should also be allowed for businesses on the beach side.

Other Lewes residents said the city trying to find parking for a brewery sends the wrong message.

“I thought the purpose of having a limited number of parking spaces was that we are a walkable city, and we probably don’t want people who are spending time in a brewery to drive off,” said Kerry Tripp at the Dec. 9 meeting. 

Tripp, who is a member of the Lewes Finance Committee, suggested the city could use those bike lane parking spaces as a revenue source with expensive meter parking.