ACTION NEEDED: Classen Bike Lane BAN Being Introduced at City Council on December 30th

Hi  First name,

Councilman Mark Stonecipher — a suburban councilor that doesn't live in or represent the urban core — will be introducing a ban on ALL new bike lanes on Classen Boulevard at the city council meeting on Tuesday, December 30th. This ban — which impacts the safety of bike riders in the urban core — would stop the completion of bike lanes that have already been started, have already been approved, have already been funded, and that would connect to other existing bike lanes.

Proponents of this ban believe that taking away travel lanes for cars between 10th and Sheridan on Classen would adversely impact traffic. But what you need to know is that the city wouldn't have started building lanes on Classen if the actual data didn't support it, and they started these lanes YEARS ago. One traffic lane is designed to carry ten thousand cars per day. Publicly available traffic counts for this stretch of Classen show that there are only about 16,000 cars per day that use it there. That means two travel lanes in each direction (instead of the existing three) is plenty for the amount of traffic using this part of Classen. There should not be a noticeable impact to traffic.

1. Join us to speak out against the ban at city council on Tuesday, December 30th. Ride with us, or just meet us there by 8:30am, and sign up to comment on item IV B (Four B). See tips for speaking below.
2. Call or email all city council members, the mayor, and the city manager (see below for contact information).
3. Share this newsletter and our social media posts! Let your friends and family, cyclists or otherwise, know we need their help to keep us safe by completing the Classen bike lanes!
4. We have dozens of signatures of local businesses in support of the Classen bike lanes. If you own a business and would like to show your support, send us an email at info@thewheelsproject.org.

City Council Chambers is at City Hall (the "Municipal Building"), at 200 North Walker Avenue in OKC. Use street parking or the Arts Garage just to the south, and enter the building from the south. Go to the third floor in the center of the building. There's a desk outside chambers to sign up to speak. Remember, Item IV B.

You will have 2 minutes to speak. Be polite and respectful, but speak your truth and explain how these lanes are important for you personally. Feel free to share experiences you have had cycling or walking in this city, good or bad, and how bike infrastructure has kept you safe or made your life better. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking off the cuff, feel free to write down what you would like to say ahead of time (and time yourself reading it to make sure you don’t go over time).

We're meeting at Sailor and The Dock at 617 West Sheridan at 7:50am on 12/30, and rolling out at 8:15am. It's a short bike ride to city hall, and we'd love to see you there.

December 16th Ride to City Council. Photo by Zach Nash.

Whether you join us or not, please still ALSO write city council members, making sure to CC the mayor and city manager.

Bradley Carter
Ward 1 Councilman
(405) 297-2404

ward1@okc.gov

James Cooper
Ward 2 Councilman
(405) 297-2402
ward2@okc.gov

Katrina Avers
Ward 3 Councilwoman

(405) 297-2402

ward3@okc.gov

Todd Stone
Ward 4 Councilman

(405) 297-2402

ward4@okc.gov

Matt Hinkle
Ward 5 Councilman

(405) 297-2569

ward5@okc.gov

JoBeth Hamon
Ward 6 Councilwoman

(405) 297-2404

ward6@okc.gov

Camal Pennington
Ward 7 Councilman

(405) 297-2569

ward7@okc.gov

Mark Stonecipher
Ward 8 Councilman

(405) 297-2569

ward8@okc.gov

Craig Freeman

City Manager 
(405) 297-2345
craig.freeman@okc.gov

David Holt

Mayor

(405) 297-2424

mayor@okc.gov

Don't know what ward you live in? See the ward map!

Don't live in OKC but work or play here? Email the mayor and city manager anyway!

We've been doing bike lane clean-ups every second Saturday. The next one is planned for Saturday, January 10th, at 10am. The January clean-up location is still TBD, so keep an eye on our social media for meetup times and locations. We may also cancel due to weather, so watch those socials.

Note: Make sure you have a waiver on file before you join in on the clean-ups!

These situations move fast, so it's important to keep up. The absolute fastest way to get information is via our Discord. The next best is social media, followed by this newsletter.