Lake Monroe Trial Loop is delayed

SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A controversial bike trail is put on hold as Seminole County Commissioners work to get more feedback from residents.

Residents tell FOX35 they don't want this "bike trail" because it would be too close to their homes and there are better options than their street.

The county wants to build the “Lake Monroe Trail” loop to connect the end of an existing Riverwalk Trail to Mellonville Avenue to another trail on State Road 415 at the St. Johns River Bridge in Volusia County but residents living on Mellonville Avenue don’t want the proposed bike path in front of their homes.

“I’m very frustrated! And you’re going to find a lot of neighbors on this street that are very frustrated,” said Josilen Grover who lives on Mellonville Avenue. “We’re still not informed about what’s happening.”

Even with a flyer neighbors said they received in December, depicting alternative options to build the bike trail they feel like the county already made up its mind without their input.

“Give me data! Show me that you actually vetted every pathway possible. Show me that this is actually the very best path and it’s the safest path for everyone involved,” said Grover.

Residents said commissioners need to consider the dangers of constructing a bike trail in front of people’s driveways before any construction gets underway.

“This already is a small place from our sidewalk to our door and now we’re going to have 12 to 17 feet of sidewalk across the front and there are so many safety concerns that’s the biggest part for all of us,” stated Grover.

“My main concern is safety and fatalities,” another neighbor Loyis Roe stated. “This Mellonville is so busy. When we are trying to get out of our driveways, backing out of our driveways with no trail, no path sometimes it takes you forever.”

Loyis Roe also told us this trail the county wants to build will not be for bikers.

“The bikers who really bike and ride the trail 25 miles get up and do it all day and take their lunch, have said at these meetings 'we will not use this part of the trail. It is too dangerous. We are not going to bike as a group over people's driveways. We will be using the street," she told us.

While other residents feel there’s nothing they can do to stop the county.

“In the end they’re going to have it their way anyway, it doesn’t matter if we don’t like it,” said Pastor Michael Vallot who also lives on Mellonville Avenue.

This week residents won a small victory as commissioners delayed a vote to approve the $3-million dollar project. Commissioners want to conduct another public workshop to get more feedback from residents. No date has been set.