By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD — The coming bike lane on North Avenue will be separated from the automobile travel lane by “flex poles,” but the topic of bike lanes continues to evoke strong opinions for and against.

Monday’s Town Council agenda called for a discussion of the flex poles, with a vote anticipated at the board’s next meeting on June 24.

Town Engineer William Renault reported that the recently installed wider sidewalk on the east side of North Avenue (between Veterans Field and Quannapowitt Parkway) will be topped next week.

The six foot wide bike lane will be protected by flex poles placed approximately every 40 feet. Renault said that the poles will not be permanently installed in the pavement but rather each pole will be anchored by a heavy base that is not easily moved. The town will remove the poles before winter to facilitate snow removal.

Town Councilor John Carney said that he was opposed to the plan. He said that he rides his bike around the Lake and the new, wider sidewalk has already pushed him 3-4 feet further into the roadway.

“A group of people think this is a good idea,” Carney said. “I’m against it.” He added that he has noticed when driving through Somerville that the flex poles don’t seem to be working.

But Councilor Jonathan Chines wanted to give them a try for a season. “If we decide they don’t work, we can take them out,” he said.

Renault said that he had priced the poles and the approximately 100 needed would cost about $10,000.

Renault said that when the project is finished, each automobile travel lane on North Avenue will be reduced to 11.5 feet in width.

Carney noted that with the six-foot wide bike lanes, plus the three-foot hashed area for the flex posts, “You’re taking nine feet off the roadway for bike lanes.”

Councilor Edward Dombroski asked Renault to provide a photo image at the next Town Council meeting showing how the configuration would look. He also asked to see a photo of two Fire Engines passing each other in opposite directions on a street with 11.5 foot travel lanes. 

Councilor Mehreen Butt reminded the board that both the Police and Fire chiefs had signed off on the flex poles.

During public participation earlier in the meeting, John Crisley of Humphrey Street and Ted Dooling expressed their support for the protected bike lanes with flex poles.

A vote on the flex poles is expected at the Town Council’s June 24 meeting.