LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Scenic Loop in Cherokee Park will open back up to traffic following a 19-5 Louisville Metro Council vote against an ordinance that would have allowed some roads to stay closed.
The roads must open by Labor Day, worrying some park visitors.
Every Friday, Kelly Hereford gets her students from the Village School and treks to Cherokee Park.
"We walk from Cowling Avenue to Cherokee Park,” she said.
The journey was made easier during the pandemic while roads were closed to cars.
"It gives you more options and you feel more secure,” she said.
Soon, she'll have company.
Metro Council’s vote will reopen the roads, after operating with a compromise plan this summer. That plan opened some stretches and made park amenities like the Hogan’s Fountain Pavilion accessible to cars.
Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong said the roads will be up and running, and people need to be careful.
"It is going to create some safety issues so I think we have to be careful that we're doing that in the most thoughtful and deliberate way we can,” she said.
The vote is good news for some park visitors, who said drivers enjoy the scenic stretches as much as pedestrians.
"I like the serenity in the afternoon when I come home from work and it's peaceful, calms you down from a long day,” Rocky Driskell said.
Accessibility was another concern with the closures, both for people with disabilities and for people who don't live nearby.
"Continuing to keep it closed to outside traffic at this point amounts to us giving Cherokee Park to only the residents who can walk there and walk through this part, instead of to all Louisvillians," Councilwoman Jessica Green said.
Chambers Armstrong advocated for keeping the summer plan. She said community data showed an increase in park use, by people from all over.
"In reality under the compromise traffic pattern that was in place, there were still a lot of parking spaces available,” she said.
As cars zip by, safety and avoiding accidents will be top of mind.
"I don't think it's happening frequently enough to close the park," Driskell said.
Chambers Armstrong said the city and parks system will have to remove barriers and restripe the roads by the first.
"In my opinion would not be safe to reopen the loop without the appropriate marking in place because then you're asking people to drive against markings and just creating confusion,” she said.
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